Considering biology when inferring range-limiting stress mechanisms for agricultural pests: a case study of the beet armyworm

Reliable niche models are a cornerstone of pest risk analyses, informing biosecurity policies and the management of biological invasions. Because species can invade and establish in areas with climates that are different from those that are found in their native range, it is important to accurately capture the range-limiting mechanisms in models that project climate suitability. We examined a published niche model for the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, to assess its suitability for bioeconomic analyses of its pest threat, and identified issues with the model that rendered it unreliable for this purpose. Consequently, we refitted the CLIMEX model, paying close attention to the biology underpinning the stress mechanisms. This highlighted the necessity of carefully considering how the different stress mechanisms operate, and to select mechanisms which align with knowledge on the species’ biology. We also identified the important role of irrigation in modifying habitat suitability. The refitted model accords with both distribution data and our understanding of the biology of this species, including its seasonal range dynamics. The new model identifies establishment risks to South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and highlights that under current climate, Europe is only climatically suitable during warm seasons when crops are available. The modelling exercise reinforced the importance of understanding the meaning of a location record (e.g. persistent versus ephemeral populations) and of carefully exploring the role of habitat-modifying factors, such as irrigation, in allowing species to persist in otherwise inclement localities.     

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Forest fuel mapping and evaluation of LANDFIRE fuel maps in Boulder County,Colorado, USA

A key challenge in modern wildfire mitigation and forest management is accurate mapping of forest fuels in order to determine spatial fire hazard, plan mitigation efforts, and manage active fires. This study quantified forest fuels of the montane zone of Boulder County, CO, USA in an effort to aid wildfire mitigation planning and provide a metric by which LANDFIRE national fuel maps may be compared. Using data from 196 randomly stratified field plots, pre-existing vegetation maps, and derived variables, predictive classification and regression tree models were created for four fuel parameters necessary for spatial fire simulation with FARSITE (surface fuel model, canopy bulk density, canopy base height, and stand height). These predictive models accounted for 56–62% of the variability in forest fuels and produced fuel maps that predicted 91.4% and 88.2% of the burned area of two historic fires simulated in the FARSITE model. Simulations of areas burned based on LANDFIRE national fuel maps were less accurate, burning 77.7% and 40.3% of the historic fire areas. Our results indicate that fuel mapping efforts that utilize local area information and biotic as well as abiotic predictors will more accurately simulate fire spread rates and reflect the inherent variability of forested environments than do current LANDFIRE data products.     

Variation in photosynthetic light-use efficiency in a mountainous tropical rain forest in Indonesia

Photosynthetically active radiation (Q)-use efficiency (epsilon) is an important parameter for deriving carbon fluxes between forest canopies and the atmosphere from meteorological ground and remote sensing data. A common approach is to assume gross primary production (P(g)) and net primary production (P(n)) are proportional to Q absorbed by vegetation (Q(abs)) by defining the proportionality constants epsilon(Pg) and epsilon(Pn) (for P(g) and P(n), respectively). Although remote sensing and climate monitoring provide Q(abs) and other meteorological data at the global scale, information on epsilon is particularly scarce in remote tropical areas. We used a 16-month continuous CO(2) flux and meteorological dataset from a mountainous tropical rain forest in central Sulawesi, Indonesia to derive values of epsilon(Pg) and to investigate the relationship between P(g) and Q(abs). Absorption was estimated with a 1D SVAT model from measured canopy structure and short wave radiation. The half-hourly P(g) data showed a saturation response to Q(abs). The amount of Q(abs) required to saturate P(g) was reduced when water vapor saturation deficit (D) was high. Light saturation of P(g) was still evident when shifting from half-hourly to daily and monthly time scales. Thus, for a majority of observations, P(g) was insensitive to changes in Q(abs). A large proportion of the observed seasonal variability in P(g) could not be attributed to changes in Q(abs) or D. Values of epsilon(Pg) varied little around the long-term mean of 0.0179 mol CO(2) (mol photon)(-1) or 0.99 g C MJ(-1) (the standard deviations were +/- 0.006 and +/- 0.0018 mol CO(2) (mol photon)(-1) for daily and monthly means, respectively). In both cases, epsilon(Pg) values were more sensitive to Q(abs) than to daytime D. These findings show that the current epsilon-approaches fail to predict P(g) at our tropical rain forest site for two reasons: (1) they neglect saturation of P(g) when Q(abs) is high; and (2) they do not include factors, other than Q(abs) and D, that determine seasonality and annual sums of P(g).     

Benthic Recovery after the Cessation of a Gilt‐head Seabream,Sparus aurata,Farm in the Mediterranean Sea

An environmental recovery study was carried out after the cessation of a gilt‐head seabream farm off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Physicochemical variables of sediments, in situ benthic fluxes of oxygen and nutrients, and benthic macrofauna were measured in the farming area and at a control station. Five sampling campaigns were done, one before the closure and the others at 1, 3, 9, and 24 mo after cessation. Benthic flux of ammonium was the first variable to recover, followed by benthic fluxes of phosphate and dissolved oxygen and percentage organic matter in the sediments, which 3 mo after the cessation of farming already showed levels similar to those in the control station. Nine months after cessation, the other abiotic variables of the sediments disturbed by the activity had recovered, such as percentage coarse fraction, total phosphorus concentrations, and redox potential measurements. The recovery of the macrofauna was slower than the abiotic variables. Three months after cessation, Capitella capitata abundance had reduced drastically in the farming area, but similar specific richness levels were not observed between the two sampled zones until 2 yr after farming cessation.     

Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects of Bacterial Communities Associated with Cultures of Chlorella minutissima

Microbiological conditions in 200 L cultures of microalgae Chlorella minutissima in polyethylene sleeves were examined. The influence of addition of antibiotic (nitrofurantoin) was studied. Samples were taken 2, 5, 9, and 14 d after inoculation and were spread on solid Zobell medium and on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar for the enumeration of total numbers of bacteria and numbers of presumptive Vibrio bacteria, respectively. Microalgae grew well in the cultures and high numbers of culturable bacteria (about 10⁷ bacteria/mL) were present in all microalgae cultures. Addition of antibiotic in 200‐L cultures of C. minutissima did not result in a significant decrease of total counts of bacteria per unit volume (P > 0.05), while the numbers of presumptive Vibrio were higher in cultures added antibiotic compared with the control treatment (P < 0.05). The numbers of presumptive Vibrio per unit volume and the percentage of fast‐growing bacteria were higher in microalgae supernatant than in noncentrifuged samples. Representative colonies were taken from all samples and in total 649 bacterial strains were isolated during this study. A range of phylotypes was identified by amplification and sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Several members of the Roseobacter clade were dominant among the culturable isolates.     

Morphological and histological characterization of an ectopically mineralized structure in a gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata with opercular deformation

In this study, we describe an abnormal ectopically mineralized structure (EMS) that was found inside the skull of a juvenile Sparus aurata that also showed a bilateral opercular deformation. The overall phenotype and tissue composition were studied using micro‐CT scanning and histological analyses. The ectopic structure occupies a large volume of the brain cavity, partially extruding into the gill cavity. It shows a dense mineralization and an extracellular matrix‐rich phenotype, with variation in both the morphology and size of the cell lacunae, combined with an irregular fibre organization inside the matrix. This study is the first to report such an EMS in a juvenile teleost fish, where the tissue does not resemble any other connective tissue type described in bony fish so far. The tissue phenotype seems to rule out that the EMS corresponds to a tumorous cartilage. Yet, it is rather reminiscent of a highly mineralized structure found in cartilaginous fish, where it is suggested to be associated with damage repair.     

Effects of Echerichia coli lipopolysaccharides and dissolved ammonia on immune response in southern white shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti

The success of penaeid shrimp aquaculture has been limited by endemic and epidemic infectious diseases around the world and shrimp defense mechanisms are a priority for control, prevention, and diagnosis. The lethal dose (LD₅₀) of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharides was calculated and pathogen injection and dissolved ammonia concentration on immune response were evaluated in southern white shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti. The lethal dose of lipopolysacharides was 3.78 mg kg^− 1 body weight. Injection caused changes in phenoloxidase activity in plasma and nitric oxide and total haemocyte counts within the first 24 h. High concentration of dissolved ammonia caused a decrease in haemocytes by 66% within the first 72 h, when compared to the control. Hemagglutination in plasma was not affected by injection or high concentrations of dissolved ammonia. The results showed that white shrimp recognized the lipopolysacharides and responded to this microbial elicitor, as indicated by a variety of immunological indicators and that increased dissolved ammonia affected the number of circulating haemocytes.