How will Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) Respond to Global Warming?

The aim of this study was to determine the favorable constant temperature range for Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) development as well as to generate geographic distribution maps of this insect pest for future climate scenarios. M. spectabilis eggs were reared on two host plants (Brachiaria ruziziensis (Germain and Edvard) and Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach)), with individual plants kept at temperatures of 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32°C. Nymphal stage duration, nymphal survival, adult longevity, and egg production were recorded for each temperature*host plant combination. Using the favorable temperature ranges for M. spectabilis development, it was possible to generate geographic distribution. Nymphal survival was highest at 24.4°C, with estimates of 44 and 8% on Pennisetum and Brachiaria, respectively. Nymphal stage duration was greater on Brachiaria than on Pennisetum at 20 and 24°C but equal at 28°C. Egg production was higher on Pennisetum at 24 and 28°C than at 20°C, and adult longevity on Pennisetum was higher at 28°C than at 20°C, whereas adult longevity at 24°C did not differ from that at 20 and 28°C. With these results, it was possible to predict a reduction in M. spectabilis densities in most regions of Brazil in future climate scenarios.     

Wild boar populations up,numbers of hunters down? A review of trends and implications for Europe

Across Europe, wild boar numbers increased in the 1960s–1970s but stabilised in the 1980s; recent evidence suggests that the numbers and impact of wild boar has grown steadily since the 1980s. As hunting is the main cause of mortality for this species, we reviewed wild boar hunting bags and hunter population trends in 18 European countries from 1982 to 2012. Hunting statistics and numbers of hunters were used as indicators of animal numbers and hunting pressure. The results confirmed that wild boar increased consistently throughout Europe, while the number of hunters remained relatively stable or declined in most countries. We conclude that recreational hunting is insufficient to limit wild boar population growth and that the relative impact of hunting on wild boar mortality had decreased. Other factors, such as mild winters, reforestation, intensification of crop production, supplementary feeding and compensatory population responses of wild boar to hunting pressure might also explain population growth. As populations continue to grow, more human–wild boar conflicts are expected unless this trend is reversed. New interdisciplinary approaches are urgently required to mitigate human–wild boar conflicts, which are otherwise destined to grow further. © 2014 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Economic liberalization and external shocks. The hypothesis of convergence revisited for the Mexican states, 1994–2015

We study the convergence hypothesis for Mexican states during the period 1994–2015 considering the impact not only of NAFTA but also of other external shocks, such as China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 and the global financial crisis of 2008. Using econometric panel data models with no fixed effects to avoid small sample bias, the main results indicate: (a) presence of absolute divergence, consistent with a sigma process divergence, particularly in the period after the outbreak of the global crisis of 2008; and (b) a process of weakening conditional convergence across the sub‐periods analyzed.     

Morphological,molecular phylogenetic and pathogenic analyses of Erysiphe spp. causing powdery mildew on cashew plants in Brazil

Cashew powdery mildew is presently the most important disease of cashew trees in all Brazilian growing regions. Although it was described over a century ago, it had never threatened the Brazilian cashew industry until the first decade of the 21st century. Morphological and pathogenic evidence indicated the possibility of different pathogen species being involved in early and late types of cashew powdery mildew. This study was designed to elucidate this issue by comparing two different powdery mildew fungi occurring on cashew plants in Brazil according to the morphological characteristics, phylogenetic relationships with closely related powdery mildew fungi and pathogenic relationships. Based on morphology, molecular phylogenetics and pathogenicity on cashew, it was shown that two species of powdery mildew specimens are without question associated with cashew trees. One species, which infects young immature tissues such as shiny leaves, flowers and young fruits, is Erysiphe quercicola, while Erysiphe necator is associated exclusively with mature leaves. This is the first report of both E. quercicola and E. necator causing cashew powdery mildew, and the first detection of E. necator on cashew.     

Dynamics of a subtropical seagrass landscape: links between disturbance and mobile seed banks

Disturbance is a well known modifier of landscapes. In marine systems hurricanes may not only remove or bury subtidal seagrasses but they may also impact the seed banks of these taxa. We ask whether seagrass landscape pattern and seed dispersal are influenced by physical disturbance in a subtropical deep water setting. We examined the spatial dynamics of an offshore landscape composed of the seagrass, Halophila decipiens in summer 1999 and again in 2000 after the passage of a hurricane. A towed video camera was used to collect data within a 1 km² area and construct benthic maps of seagrass, macroalgae, hard bottom outcrops, and sediments from over 20,000 video frames. The appearance of sand and seagrass at a portion of the site in summer 2000 that was previously hard substrate verified sediment and seed movement. Although seeds released by this seagrass are deposited into sediments near parent plants, movement en masse of the seagrass seed reservoir appears to be an important component of dispersal. The generation of new landscape patches when disturbance is large and intense suggests that large-scale disturbance, resulting in the local redistribution of sediment and the seed bank, appears to mold the spatial signature of the resulting seagrass landscape in a MidShelf area. This impact of physical disturbance differs from that previously reported for factors influencing spatial arrangements of seagrass in shallow waters but has some features similar to those of large infrequent disturbances studied in terrestrial settings.

     

Efficiency of low heritability QTL mapping under high SNP density

The efficiency of quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping methods needs to be investigated assuming high single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density and low heritability QTLs. This study assessed the efficiency of the least squares, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian approaches for QTL mapping assuming high SNP density and low heritability QTLs. We simulated 50 samples of 400 F₂ individuals, which were genotyped for 1000 SNPs (average density of one SNP/centiMorgan) and phenotyped for three traits controlled by 12 QTLs and 88 minor genes. The genes were randomly distributed in the regions covered by the SNPs along ten chromosomes. The QTL heritabilities ranged from approximately 1–2% and the sample sizes were 200 and 400. The power of QTL detection ranged from 30 to 60%, the false discovery rate (FDR) ranged from only 0.5–1.2%, and the bias in the QTL position ranged from 4 to 6 cM. The QTL mapping efficiency was not influenced by the degree of dominance. The statistical approaches were comparable regarding the FDR. Regression-based and simple interval mapping methods showed equivalent power of QTL detection and mapping precision. Compared to interval mapping, the inclusive composite interval mapping provided slightly greater QTL detection power and mapping precision only for the intermediate and high heritability QTLs. By maximizing the prior number of QTLs, the Bayesian analysis provided the greatest power of QTL detection. No method proved to be superior.     

Influence of Marolo (Annona crassiflora Mart.) Pulp Intake on the Modulation of Mutagenic/Antimutagenic Processes and Its Action on Oxidative Stress In Vivo

Brazilian savanna constitutes a valuable ecoregion that contributes to the supply of fruit known worldwide for its nutritional value and peculiar flavors. Among them, the Marolo (Annona crassiflora Mart.) fruit is known for its use in folk medicine. In order to establish the safety of Marolo for human consumption, this study evaluated the following: the chemical composition of Marolo pulp; its mutagenic and antimutagenic activities using micronucleus test; and the oxidative stress induced in the livers of mice fed a diet containing 1%, 10% or 20% pulp. It was observed that the chemical composition of marolo pulp was similar to that of common fruit; nevertheless, its lipidic content and energetic values were higher. In the mice fed experimental diets, the biochemical parameters of the blood serum showed normal levels of glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. The micronucleus test indicated neither mutagenic nor antimutagenic effects of Marolo consumption on bone marrow cells but showed potentialization of cyclophosphamide (CP). The oxidative stress levels observed indicated that CP was not exerting a great influence on the induction of reactive oxygen species. As the whole fruit is a complex matrix, the interactions between its components could be responsible for its negative and positive biological effects.     

Modeling the effects of solid state fermentation operating conditions on endoglucanase production using an instrumented bioreactor

Cellulase production is one of the most critical steps in the economics of second generation ethanol. Although solid-state fermentation (SSF) is an attractive process for the production of enzymes, SSF is highly limited by the difficulty in controlling the operating variables which affect microbial growth and metabolites production. In this context, this work evaluates the effects of operational conditions on endoglucanase production by a selected strain of Aspergillus niger cultivated under SSF using an instrumented lab-scale bioreactor equipped with an on-line automated monitoring and control system. The effects of air flow rate, inlet air relative humidity and substrate initial moisture on endoglucanase production were evaluated using a statistical design methodology. A correlation coefficient of 0.9106 and a calculated value of F, 5.46 folds higher than the listed value (P-value < 0.05) allowed the modeling of endoglucanase production under different process conditions. Higher endoglucanase production (56.1 U/g) was achieved for a selected condition of substrate initial moisture of 72%, air inlet humidity of 70%, and flow rate of 20 mL/min. A significant increase in endoglucanase production was also found to be achieved under forced aeration conditions (50.2 IU/g) compared to static conditions (29.8 IU/g) after 72 h of cultivation. Besides, respirometric analysis revealed that the total amount of CO₂ produced was linearly correlated with enzyme production (R² of 0.988). The bioreactor system used, as well as the methodology employed herein, was very effective in evaluating the influence of operational variables on enzymes production under SSF.