Increasing invasion and expansion-rate of alien species (Neobiota)

"Neobiota" ist ein biologischer Begriff zur Bezeichnung von nicht-einheimischen Arten, welche infolge direkter oder indirekter menschlicher Einwirkungen in neue geografische Gebiete eindringen. Biologische Invasionen durch neue gebietsfremde Lebewesen (Neobiota), die sowohl Tierarten (Neozoa) als auch Pftanzenarten (Neophyta) betreffen, wurden in den letzten Jahren zunehmend von Interesse, da ihre Anzahl und Ausbreitung ständig zunimmt. Solche Fremdlinge (Aliens) verändern oft ihre neue Umwelt, die einheimischen bodenständigen Planzen- und Tierarten müssen sich an diese ungewohnte Umgebung anpassen. Insbesondere invasive fremde Arten werden als eine der Hauptursachen für Verluste an Biodiversität erachtet. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden für Südtirol einige markante Beispiele rezent einschleppter Tier- und Pflanzenarten erörtert. Es wird der bestehende Trend einer rezenten Zunahme von Neobiota aufgezeigt, als Folge einer Zunahme von Verkehr und Warenaustausch, und auf die Notwenigkeit hingewiesen, die Einschleppungswege und Zeiträume genau zu verfolgen und zu registrieren. Insgesamt werden hier 44 Tierarten behandelt: davon 40 Invertebraten und 4 Vertebrata, sowie 5 Pflanzenarten. Davon sind einige Arten auch Neumeldungen für Südtirol: Diptera: Rhagoletis alternata, Rhagoletis completa; Heteroptera: Leptoglossus occidentalis; Pisces: Rhodeus amarus, Pseudorasbora parva; Crustacea: Procambarus klarkii; Araneae: Atea triguttata und Araniella displicata (beides heimische Arten), Tegenaria atrica (adventiv)."Neobiota" is a biological term used to describe non-native species that invade a new geographical area as a result of either direct or indirect human interaction. Biological invasions by alien species (Neobiota), concerning animal species (Neozoa) as well as plant species (Neophyta), have been of growing interest in recent years, because of their increasing number and expansion-rate. Their arrival sometimes alters the environment, and native animal and plant species must adapt to their unfamiliar surroundings. In particular, invasive alien species (IAS) are considered to be one of the main causes ofbiodiversity loss. In this paper some marked examples of recently introduced animal and plant species in South Tyrol are discussed. The existing trend of a recent growth of Ne ob iota is shown, as a result of increasing density of traffic and exchange of goods, and the necessity to observe and register the invasion routes and periods is pointed out. A total of 44 animal species (40 invertebrates and 4 vertebrates), as well as 5 plant species are treated. Some of them are new recordings for South Tyrol: Diptera: Rhagoletis altemata, Rhagoletis completa; Heteroptera: Leptoglossus occidentalis; Pisces: Rhodeus amarus, Pseudorasbora parva; Crustacea: Procambanls klarkii; Araneae: Atea triguttata and Araniella displicata (both native species), Tegenaria atrica (adventive)

FIRST RECORD OF THE PIT-PROP BEETLE HEXARTHRUM EXIGUUM (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) IN TURKEY

The pit-prop beetle, Hexarthrum exiguum (Boheman), is reported for the first time from Turkey where a population was found colonizing skirting boards (baseboards) in Istanbul. The feeding of adults and larvae caused the skirting boards to disintegrate

Effects of climate and density-dependent factors on population dynamics of the pine processionary moth in the Southern Alps

Forest pest populations can fluctuate dramatically in relation to climate and density-dependent factors. Although the distributional range of the pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera Notodontidae) appears to be expanding northward and upslope with climate warming, the relative importance of climate and endogenous, density-dependent factors has not been clearly documented. We analyzed the population dynamics of the moth using long-term data from two provinces in the Southern Alps (Trento: 1990–2009, Bolzano/Bozen: 1975–2011) to evaluate the relative importance of climate and density-dependent factors as regional drivers. Both summer temperatures and rainfall significantly affected population growth rate, with different outcomes depending on the local conditions. Although previous studies indicated that low winter temperatures have negative effects on insect performance, our analyses did not show any negative effect on the population dynamics. A negative density dependent feedback with a 1-year lag emerged as the most important factor driving the population dynamics in both regions. Potential mechanisms explaining the observed negative density feedback include deterioration of host quality, increased mortality caused by pathogens, and increase of prolonged diapause as an adaptive mechanism to escape adverse condition