Host Plant-Based Artificial Diets Enhance Development,Survival and Fecundity of the Edible Long-Horned Grasshopper Ruspolia differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

Wild swarms of the long-horned grasshoppers Ruspolia differens (Serville) which are widely harvested for consumption and sale in Africa are seasonal and unsustainable, hence the need for innovative ways of artificially producing the insects. We investigated the development, survival, and reproduction of R. differens in the laboratory on diets mixed with host plants [Digitaria gayana Kunth, Cynodon dactylon (L.) and Megathyrsus maximus Jacq (Poales: Poaceae); Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asterales: Asteraceae)] identified from guts of their wild conspecifics with a view to developing a suitable diet for artificial mass rearing of the edible insect. A standard diet comprising ground black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Startiomyidae) larvae, soybean flour, maize flour, vitamin premix, and ground bones was tested for rearing R. differens as a control against the same ingredients incorporated with individual powders of the different host plants. Whereas R. differens developed more slowly in the diet mixed with D. gayana than in the control diet; its development was faster in the diet mixed with C. dactylon. Mortalities of R. differens in host plant-based diets were 42.5–52.5%, far lower than in the control diet with 71% mortality. The insects raised on the diet mixed with M. maximus laid approximately twice more eggs compared to R. differens fecundities from the rest of the diets. However, inclusion of host plants in the diets had no detectable influence on R. differens adult weight and longevity. These findings support inclusion of specific host plants in artificial diets used for mass rearing of R. differens to enhance its survival, development, and fecundity.     

Insular pest control within a metapopulation context

Introduced pests threaten many species and their control is generally beneficial for conservation, particularly on islands where complete eradication is possible. Unfortunately on ‘nearshore’ islands neighbouring source populations exist and unaided reinvasion is likely. Pest control programmes at these sites thus require a metapopulation context to adequately manage movements between source and sink populations. We investigated the ecology of introduced ship rats (Rattus rattus) on a nearshore island, and gene flow with adjacent mainland populations, in order to understand the metapopulation dynamics and relative levels of pest control required within the landscape. We sampled the entire population by trapping (n = 30), achieving eradication, and found a low rat density (3.2 ha⁻¹) indicative of a sink population. Seed and other plant material constituted the major dietary component of rats. Despite its proximity to mainland source populations, the island population was genetically distinct with reduced allelic diversity caused by a recent reinvasion founder effect. Genetic analyses also detected recent migrants between the populations. In contrast, two mainland populations separated by a similar distance displayed complete genetic mixing. The small water gap therefore provides a sufficient barrier to lower the migration rate to the island and delay reinvasion, which nonetheless eventually happens. In order to maintain nearshore islands pest-free, conservation management will require a metapopulation approach simultaneously focusing on both island and source population pest control.     

Estimation of genetic variance components and heritabilities for cut-flower yield in gerbera using least squares and maximum likelihood methods

Summary Genetic variance components and heritability were estimated for cut-flower yield of gerbera in the Davis population using ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood methods. The overall estimate of narrow-sense heritability is 0.33 based on least squares (LS) and 0.31 based on maximum likelihood (ML). The results of the study indicate that (1) ML and LS provide very similar results if sample size is large enough, suggesting both are useful for plant breeding programs; (2) about one third of the variation in gerbera cut-flower yield is additive, implying selection in cut-flower will be successful; and (3) although additive variation gradually decreased, heritability remained near 0.27 suggesting there is still potential variation in the population for further selection.     

The DAWGPAWS pipeline for the annotation of genes and transposable elements in plant genomes

Background  

High quality annotation of the genes and transposable elements in complex genomes requires a human-curated integration of multiple sources of computational evidence. These evidences include results from a diversity of ab initio prediction programs as well as homology-based searches. Most of these programs operate on a single contiguous sequence at a time, and the results are generated in a diverse array of readable formats that must be translated to a standardized file format. These translated results must then be concatenated into a single source, and then presented in an integrated form for human curation.     

Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) bycatch in Canadian pelagic longline fisheries: Relative importance in the western North Atlantic and opportunities for mitigation

Little is known about the ecology of loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, in Canadian waters. However, Canada's eastern waters off the Scotian Shelf, Georges Bank and Grand Banks appear to be seasonal foraging habitats based on dates and locations where they have been captured as fishery bycatch. Estimates derived from data recorded by the international observer program (IOP) and used for this study suggest that thousands of mostly immature loggerheads have been captured in the Canadian pelagic longline fishery (PLF) in the western North Atlantic since 1999. These data suggest that the PLFs for tuna and swordfish are among the most important causes of incidental capture. Although U.S. and Canadian bycatch estimation methods differ and uncertainty associated with the estimates is high, it is clear from the IOP data that bycatch in the Canadian PLF is substantial and roughly within the same magnitude as that reported for the entire U.S. fleet in the North Atlantic for the same period (1999–2005). Analysis of bycatch observer data from the Canadian PLF and other empirical data suggests that fishing at temperatures below 20 °C using fish rather than squid bait and size-18 circle hooks could reduce loggerhead bycatch and mortality. However, research is needed to identify the best options and their commercial viability. Loggerheads that use Canadian Maritime waters are one of the least studied groups of loggerheads in the world, so systematic long-term studies on the ecology of loggerheads in Canada would help fill important information gaps and assist in developing effective recovery plans for this species.     

Predicting the age of fish using general and generalized linear models of biometric data: A case study of two estuarine finfish from New South Wales, Australia

Direct ageing of fish can be a laborious and expensive task when age estimates from a large population are required, and often involves a degree of subjectivity. This study examined the application of general and generalized linear models that predict the age of fish from a range of efficiently and objectively measured covariates. The data sampled were from yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis (Sparidae) (Owen, 1853)) and sand whiting (Sillago ciliata (Sillaginidae) Cuvier, 1829) populations from New South Wales, Australia. The covariates evaluated in the models were fish length, otolith weight, sex and location (the estuary from which the fish were sampled). Akaike Information Criteria were used for model selection and residual plots of the final models revealed a satisfactory fit to the observations. The best fitting model for each species included all covariates. An additional investigation considered whether general and generalized linear models that predict age from two different categories of biometric information outperform age-length keys with respect to subsequent estimates of total mortality from catch-curve analysis. The two categories of biometric information differed in the ease and cost with which the information could be collected. The first category only included fish length and location as covariates, whilst the second category also included otolith weight and sex. It was found that traditional age-length keys outperformed the predictive models that estimated age from only fish length and location, because the results from the models were prone to significant bias. However, when otolith weight and sex were added as covariates to the predictive models, some of them, including a generalized linear model with a Poisson-distributed response variable, performed similarly to the age-length key. Given that otolith weight and the sex of fish are cheaper to quantify than age from a sectioned otolith in many situations, general or generalized linear models may represent a cheaper and faster method of estimating mortality compared to age-length keys. Such models can also easily incorporate the influence of spatial, temporal and demographic variation.     

Step-wise drops in modularity and the fragmentation of exploited marine metapopulations

Context

Many nearshore species are distributed in habitat patches connected only through larval dispersal. Genetic research has shown some spatial structure of such metapopulations and modeling studies have shed light onto possible patterns of connectivity and barriers. However, little is known about human impact on their spatial structure and patterns of connectivity.

Objectives

We examine the effects of fishing on the spatial and temporal dynamics of metapopulations of sedentary marine species (red sea urchin and red abalone) interconnected by larval dispersal.

Methods

We constructed a metapopulation model to simulate abalone and sea urchin metapopulations experiencing increasing levels of fishing mortality. We performed the modularity analysis on the yearly larval connectivity matrices produced by these simulations, and analyzed the changes of modularity and the formation of modules over time as indicators of spatial structure.

Results

The analysis revealed a strong modular spatial structure for abalone and a weak spatial signature for sea urchin. In abalone, under exploitation, modularity takes step-wise drops on the path to extinction, and modules breakdown into smaller fragments followed by module and later metapopulation collapse. In contrast, sea urchin showed high modularity variation, indicating high- and low-mixing years, but an abrupt collapse of the metapopulation under strong exploitation.

Conclusions

The results identify a disruption in larval connectivity and a pattern of collapse in highly modular nearshore metapopulations. These results highlight the ability of modularity to detect spatial structure in marine metapopulations, which varies among species, and to show early changes in the spatial structure of exploited metapopulations.

     

I,River?: New materialism,riparian non‐human agency and the scale of democratic reform

This article is a discussion of the “discourse on the unthinkable” surrounding potential future democratic engagements with rivers as non‐human persons or natural objects. In the context of the Asia–Pacific region, this article suggests that the developments in material philosophy entitled “new materialism” are essential tools in the reconceptualisation of rivers as democratic entities but that local socio‐historical conditions must also be taken into the account. In order to make its case, the article not only surveys the context for considering rivers as non‐human persons in a juridical context but also discusses the new material context that assists modern democracies in the renegotiation of the demos that forms the body politic of democracy – often in the face of neoliberal exploitation and a legacy of extremes in instrumentalism. The article argues that the incorporation of water in the democratic project of enfranchisement is an essential exercise born of many Western beliefs and ideals but articulated uniquely at a regional and national level.     

Crop management effects on soil carbon sequestration on selected farmers’ fields in northeastern Ohio

Soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is the largest among terrestrial pools. The restoration of SOC pool in arable lands represents a potential sink for atmospheric CO₂. Restorative management of SOC includes using organic manures, adopting legume-based crop rotations, and converting plow till to a conservation till system. A field study was conducted to analyze soil properties on two farms located in Geauga and Stark Counties in northeastern Ohio, USA. Soil bulk density decreased with increase in SOC pool for a wide range of management systems. In comparison with wooded control, agricultural fields had a lower SOC pool in the 0–30 cm depth. In Geauga County, the SOC pool decreased by 34% in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) grown in a complex rotation with manuring and 51% in unmanured continuous corn (Zea mays L.). In Stark County, the SOC pool decreased by 32% in a field systematically amended with poultry manure and 40% in the field receiving only chemical fertilizers. In comparison with continuous corn, the rate of SOC sequestration in Geauga County was 379 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in no-till corn (2 years) previously in hay (12 years), 760 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in a complex crop rotation receiving manure and chemical fertilizers, and 355 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ without manuring. The rate of SOC sequestration was 392 kg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ on manured field in Stark County.     

Economics of robots and automation in field crop production

Precision Agriculture - This study reviewed research published after 1990 on the economics of agricultural mechatronic automation and robotics, and identified research gaps. A systematic search was...