Anthropogenic Noise Changes Arthropod Abundances

Anthropogenic noise is a widespread and growing form of sensory pollution associated with the expansion of human infrastructure. One specific source of constant and intense noise is that produced by compressors used for the extraction and transportation of natural gas. Terrestrial arthropods play a central role in many ecosystems, and given that numerous species rely upon airborne sounds and substrate-borne vibrations in their life histories, we predicted that increased background sound levels or the presence of compressor noise would influence their distributions. In the second largest natural gas field in the United States (San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA), we assessed differences in the abundances of terrestrial arthropod families and community structure as a function of compressor noise and background sound level. Using pitfall traps, we simultaneously sampled five sites adjacent to well pads that possessed operating compressors, and five alternate, quieter well pad sites that lacked compressors, but were otherwise similar. We found a negative association between sites with compressor noise or higher levels of background sound and the abundance of five arthropod families and one genus, a positive relationship between loud sites and the abundance of one family, and no relationship between noise level or compressor presence and abundance for six families and two genera. Despite these changes, we found no evidence of community turnover as a function of background sound level or site type (compressor and noncompressor). Our results indicate that anthropogenic noise differentially affects the abundances of some arthropod families. These preliminary findings point to a need to determine the direct and indirect mechanisms driving these observed responses. Given the diverse and important ecological functions provided by arthropods, changes in abundances could have ecological implications. Therefore, we recommend the consideration of arthropods in the environmental assessment of noise-producing infrastructure

A New Genus and Species of North American Exosternini Associated with Cavity-Nesting Owls and a Reassignment of Phelister simoni

Fig. 11. Map showing collecting localities for the two species of Strigister.Published as part of <i>Caterino, Michael S., Tishechkin, Alexey K. & Proudfoot, Glenn A., 2013, A New Genus and Species of North American Exosternini Associated with Cavity-Nesting Owls and a Reassignment ofPhelister simoniLewis (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Histerinae), pp. 557-565 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 67 (4)</i> on page 563, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x-67.4.557, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10104077">http://zenodo.org/record/10104077</a&gt

Insects of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea

Until now the altitudinal factor has not been taken into account to estimate tropical arthropod diversity. The ultimate aim of the terrestrial biodiversity survey "Our Planet Reviewed – Papua New Guinea" was to estimate biological diversity generated by altitudinal turnover of arthropod species. It took place on Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea highest peak (4509 m a.s.l.), and one of the few equatorial mountains outside the Andes left with a continuous undisturbed forest from the sea level all the way to the timber line limit. An unprecedented sampling effort was concentrated over 16 days in 2012 with a semi-simultaneous sampling at eight different elevations (every 500 m from 200 m to 3700 m a.s.l.). Arthropods were collected with various methods: flight interception traps (targeting Coleoptera), Malaise traps (targeting Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera), Steiner traps (targeting tephritid flies), beating of the understorey vegetation, and insecticide spraying on tree barks (various groups targeted). A botany survey was conducted at each elevation to characterize vegetation. An additional site, Wanang, was sampled according to the same protocol, as replicated lowland site. Our team combined international experts with local postgraduate students, para-ecologists and villagers. Arthropod samples collected during the biotic survey were pre-sorted in Papua New Guinea and forwarded to taxonomists worldwide. The current book presents the first taxonomic results of the biotic survey. Project outputs included not only species discovery, but also direct financial benefits to landowner communities, raised profile of conservation areas, training of paraecologists and postgraduate students, education programmes and, finally, crucial biodiversity information needed for ecological analyses and conservation management

Coleoptera Collected from Rotting Fishhook Barrel Cacti (Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britton and Rose), with a Review of Nearctic Coleoptera Associated with Succulent Necrosis

Fig. 5. Principal coordinates analysis based on moisture content. Dry is distinctly grouped, while Moist and Wet have minimal overlap.Published as part of <i>Ferro, Michael L., Nguyen, Nhu H., Tishechkin, Alexey, Park, Jong-Seok, Bayless, Victoria & Carlton, Christopher E., 2013, Coleoptera Collected from Rotting Fishhook Barrel Cacti (Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britton and Rose), with a Review of Nearctic Coleoptera Associated with Succulent Necrosis, pp. 419-443 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 67 (4)</i> on page 425, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x-67.4.419, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10103939">http://zenodo.org/record/10103939</a&gt

Mating disruption by vibrational signals: state of the field and perspectives

Until a few years ago, the concept of mating disruption had been exclusively associated with the use of pheromones to reduce population density of insect pests. Since the early 2000s, a novel approach has been proposed to the scientific community: vibrational mating disruption (VMD). The novelty is the use of disturbance vibrations to disrupt the mating behavior of insect pests that communicate by means of substrate-borne vibrations. This research falls within the new field of biotremology and it brought the VMD from a theoretical concept to practical open field experimentation: in 2017, VMD was applied in an organic vineyard in Northern Italy to control leafhopper pests’ population density. This achievement gave us the opportunity to report the state of the field for the method, to discuss the ongoing research and to make a comparison between pheromone mating disruption (PMD) and VMD. In this chapter, we review the salient moments that led to the field application of VMD. Then, we discuss the VMD characteristics and we provide a benchmark, using as reference the traditional PMD to discuss similarities and differences. Furthermore, we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of applying VMD to commercial crops. We are convinced that the first vibrational vineyard is a starting point and that biotremology will provide many innovative possibilities for farmers to control pests in the future. We also think that the introduction of electronic devices in the vineyard could be a trailblazer for the diffusion of smart technology in viticulture, thus improving its general management