The Anglesey lakes,Wales, UK—A conservation resource

1. The environment of the island of Anglesey, North Wales, UK, is described and related to the ecology of the lake systems present. 2. Estimates are given of the number and types of lakes present on the island. Sixteen biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have standing water as a recognized habitat feature and their reasons for receiving a conservation designation are discussed. 3. Brief reviews are given of the lacustrine flora, invertebrates, fish and aquatic bird populations of Anglesey and their importance in assessing the conservation value of a site. 4. These reviews are followed by detailed accounts of the current ecology of three of the island's lake systems—Llyn Coron, Llyn Dinam and Llyn Penrhyn—which occur within biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Original data are presented on their physical and chemical characteristics, diatom assemblages, macrophyte communities, littoral and open water zooplankton communities and macroinvertebrate assemblages. 5. Artificial enrichment, the introduction of alien species, the legacy of metal mining operations and recreational pressures are identified as the main threats to lake conservation on Anglesey. 6. The Anglesey Wetland Strategy, an informal operational level liaison procedure, is described. Using this mechanism, broad targets and indicative strategies are highlighted by the partner organizations active in wetland conservation on the island, and opportunities for collaboration are developed.     

Linkage between a major gene for powdery mildew resistance and an RFLP marker on chromosome 1R of rye

DNA samples from an F₂ progeny which segregated for resistance to powdery mildew were bulked for resistant and susceptible individuals. In a segregant analysis, genomic rye probes which had been localized previously in a linkage map of rye were systematically screened for polymorphisms between these bulks. An RFLP marker located on linkage group 1RS was found to be tightly linked to a dominant mildew resistance gene. This is the first publication mapping a major gene for mildew resistance in rye.     

Genetic Analysis of Some Chemotypes in Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum

Screening of a population of Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum Benth., raised from seeds collected from France, West Africa and Kerala (India) was carried out for chemical composition of its essential oils. In all three collections, plants were found to be comprised of 3 chemotypes which were morphologically indistinguishable, but each chemotype was found to be capable of intercrossing freely with the other two. Selfing was carried out during 4 consecutive generations, after which three pure lines were established. Study of the selfed progeny of each collection exhibited an interesting segregation in S₂ and S₃ generations. Along with segregation in F₂ and F₃ generations of various hybrids the results can be explained by assuming a gene ‘M’ existing in 3 (or more) allelic forms: The allele M₀ for biosynthesis of estragole (methyl chavicol) is dominant to allelcs M₁ , for eugenol and M₂ for camphor. Also, allele M₁ is dominant to allele M₂ . The assumption was further confirmed by testcrosses of F₁ hybrids of each cross with their recessive parent.     

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Two Euschistus spp. Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Southeastern Farmscapes

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are ubiquitous, cryptic, phytophagous pests that are found in many crops. In agroecosystems, individuals disperse from adjacent noncrop hosts and tend to aggregate or cluster within fields. In this study, we characterized the distribution of Euschistus servus (Say) and Euschistus tristigmus (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) over 2 yr at three southeastern United States farmscapes. Stink bugs were captured in pheromone-baited traps, and Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) used to identify the location of significant aggregations by habitat type and season. Euschistus servus adults were more likely to be captured in pecan orchards, cotton, other crops, or unmanaged habitats than in woodland habitats. Significant aggregations of E. servus were detected in a variety of habitats including pecan, corn, cotton, peanut, and tobacco, as well as fallow and hay fields, pastures, and hedgerows. Fewer adult E. tristigmus were captured than E. servus adults, and E. tristigmus adults were typically trapped and aggregated in woodland habitats. The resulting data provide an important understanding regarding the seasonal movement and relative abundance levels of stink bug populations, which are critical to the development of integrated pest management strategies.     

Enhancement of revegetation on construction fill by fertilizer and topsoil application: Effect on mycorrhizal infection

The influence of topsoil and fertilizer application on denuded road construction sites was evaluated to assess its contribution to improvement of vegetation re-establishment. the study sites were within a mixed hardwood and conifer forest on crushed, unweathered subsurface material with low fertility and low biological activity. Topsoils were removed from the site, stockpiled and reapplied to the site after construction. the effect of topsoil amendment on plant growth, soil fertility, mycorrhizal infection and an index of microbial biomass were measured in field and greenhouse experiments. Plant growth on the topsoil amended field plots were greatly increased relative to treatments with fertilizer but no topsoil. Three years after establishment, dry weight production on the plots without topsoil treatment was about 40 per cent of the plots treated with topsoil. Greenhouse experiments were designed to compare fresh, dried and stockpiled topsoil. These experiments indicated that storage of the harvested topsoil for five months in a stockpile had minor effects on plant growth, soil fertility, mycorrhizal infection and microbial biomass. Topsoil volumes had to exceed 20 per cent of the total soil volume to achieve statistically significant benefits and higher ratios showed greater benefit. the percentage of mycorrhizal infection was greatest in topsoil treatments without fertilizer. the addition of fertilizer increased growth but reduced the percentage of roots forming mycorrhizae. When the total weight of infected roots was calculated, however, infection was found to be greatest with a moderate level of fertilizer (equivalent to approximately 27 kg N ha⁻¹ and 39 kg P ha⁻¹), and was less in both higher fertilizer treatments and in unfertilized treatments. Topsoil amendment increased microbial biomass nitrogen but fertilizer treatment did not.     

Assessing Repeated Oxalic Acid Vaporization in Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies for Control of the Ectoparasitic Mite Varroa destructor

The American beekeeping industry continually experiences colony mortality with annual losses as high as 43%. A leading cause of this is the exotic, ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae). Integrated Pest Management (IPM) options are used to keep mite populations from reaching lethal levels, however, due to resistance and/or the lack of suitable treatment options, novel controls for reducing mites are warranted. Oxalic acid for controlling V. destructor has become a popular treatment regimen among commercial and backyard beekeepers. Applying vaporized oxalic acid inside a honey bee hive is a legal application method in the U.S., and results in the death of exposed mites. However, if mites are in the reproductive stage and therefore under the protective wax capping, oxalic acid is ineffective. One popular method of applying oxalic is vaporizing multiple times over several weeks to try and circumvent the problem of mites hiding in brood cells. By comparing against control colonies, we tested oxalic acid vaporization in colonies treated with seven applications separated by 5 d (35 d total). We tested in apiaries in Georgia and Alabama during 2019 and 2020, totaling 99 colonies. We found that adult honey bees Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and developing brood experienced no adverse impacts from the oxalic vaporization regime. However, we did not find evidence that frequent periodic application of oxalic during brood-rearing periods is capable of bringing V. destructor populations below treatment thresholds.     

Ecological and Industrial Implications of Dynamic Seaweed-Associated Microbiota Interactions

Seaweeds are broadly distributed and represent an important source of secondary metabolites (e.g., halogenated compounds, polyphenols) eliciting various pharmacological activities and playing a relevant ecological role in the anti-epibiosis. Importantly, host (as known as basibiont such as algae)–microbe (as known as epibiont such as bacteria) interaction (as known as halobiont) is a driving force for coevolution in the marine environment. Nevertheless, halobionts may be fundamental (harmless) or detrimental (harmful) to the functioning of the host. In addition to biotic factors, abiotic factors (e.g., pH, salinity, temperature, nutrients) regulate halobionts. Spatiotemporal and functional exploration of such dynamic interactions appear crucial. Indeed, environmental stress in a constantly changing ocean may disturb complex mutualistic relations, through mechanisms involving host chemical defense strategies (e.g., secretion of secondary metabolites and antifouling chemicals by quorum sensing). It is worth mentioning that many of bioactive compounds, such as terpenoids, previously attributed to macroalgae are in fact produced or metabolized by their associated microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites). Eventually, recent metagenomics analyses suggest that microbes may have acquired seaweed associated genes because of increased seaweed in diets. This article retrospectively reviews pertinent studies on the spatiotemporal and functional seaweed-associated microbiota interactions which can lead to the production of bioactive compounds with high antifouling, theranostic, and biotechnological potential.