feeding ecology of the scops owl otus scops aves strigiformes in the island of pianosa tuscan archipelago central italy outside the breeding period

ABSTRACTAll of the published studies but one about the diet of the Eurasian scops owl Otus scops, a nocturnal raptor of conservation concern, were carried out during the breeding period, just before or immediately after the chicks fledged. The species is a trans-Saharian migrant with few resident populations in Europe. Orthoptera make up the staple of its diet in summer. In this study, we investigated the diet of scops owls on the island of Pianosa after the breeding period through the analysis of pellets. A total of 327 fragments belonging to at least 14 taxa were identified from 56 pellets collected after the breeding period, between late August and March. By frequency, invertebrates constituted 80.00% of the diet, with Coleoptera being the most represented order (62.35% of the total diet) and Orthoptera poorly represented (8.24%). Vertebrates included two bird species, three small mammals and the Moorish gecko. Although the meal-to-pellet interval for scops owls is unknown, we suggest that the bank vol..

Industrial Resources: Lee County

Industrial Resources: Lee County, Kentucky prepared by the Kentucky Department in cooperation with the City of Beattyville, 1970. The report includes, but is not limited to, information about: population, labor market, local manufacturing, transportation, utilities, fuel, water, sewage, industrial sites, local government and services, taxes, educational and health facilities, housing, communication, recreation, natural resources, markets, and climate

Biology and Prevalence in Northern Italy ofVerrallia aucta(Diptera, Pipunculidae), a Parasitoid ofPhilaenus spumarius(Hemiptera, Aphrophoridae), the Main Vector ofXylella fastidiosain Europe

Simple Summary The meadow spittlebug,Philaenus spumariusis the major vector ofXylella fastidiosain Europe. The spread ofX. fastidiosadepends almost exclusively on insect transmission, and therefore, it is vital to keep vector populations low. To achieve this goal, natural enemies should be identified and their efficacy evaluated. The aim of this work was to assess the presence and abundance of a parasitoid fly,Verrallia aucta, in field-collected spittlebugs. At first, we developed a new species-specific molecular tool (PCR) to identify the parasitoid, then we estimated the parasitization rate in different sites of northern Italy using both PCR and the dissection of insect bodies. Finally, we established a small-scale rearing to describe the life cycle of the fly on its spittlebug host.Verrallia auctais quite common in northern Italy but displayed low prevalence, reaching a maximum parasitization rate of 17.5% in vineyards of the Piemonte region. The fly has one generation per year, lays eggs in newly emerged adults of spittlebugs, and develops inside the host throughout the summer. The mature larva abandons the dead victim at the beginning of autumn and pupates in the soil where it overwinters. The meadow spittlebug,Philaenus spumarius(L.) (Hemiptera Aphrophoridae), the main vector ofXylella fastidiosaWells et al. in Europe, has few known natural enemies. The endoparasitoidVerrallia aucta(Fallen) (Diptera, Pipunculidae) was first noticed a long time ago but very little is known about its biology and prevalence. In this study, the presence and prevalence ofV. auctawere investigated in different regions of northern Italy, both in plain-foothill and montane zones. Parasitic larvae were identified by the dissection of spittlebug adults,P. spumariusandNeophilaenus campestris(Fallen), and by a new species-specific molecular tool targeting theITS2andCOIgenomic regions, developed in this work. A small-scale rearing was set up to gain information on the life cycle ofV. auctaon its main hostP. spumarius. During the four-year investigation (2016-2019) the pipunculid parasitoid displayed low prevalence, reaching a maximum parasitization rate of 17.5% (calculated over the adult spittlebug season) in vineyards of the Piemonte region. Over the whole period, no significant difference in the prevalence was found between male and female spittlebugs. Collected data and rearing observations suggest thatV. auctais monovoltine and synchronous withP. spumarius, laying eggs in newly emerged adults, developing as an endoparasitoid through two larval stages during the whole summer, and overwintering as a pupa in the soil

Modelling the population dynamics of Philaenus spumarius: a fully mechanistic approach

The meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius has been identified as spreading the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa causing olive quick decline syndrome in Apulia in Southern Italy. Prevention, containment, and local eradication of Xylella fastidiosa outbreaks can benefit from vector control to prevent both a pathway for disease spread and the secondary spreading within a crop. Vector monitoring activities and the implementation of mechanical (against vector juveniles) or chemical control (against vector adults) require information on vector population phenology, abundance and activity that are dependent on environmental conditions. In this work we propose a fully mechanistic model simulating the phenology, age structure and population abundance of P. spumarius according to environmental conditions. Local population dynamics is described in terms of physiological responses of the individual life-history strategies (development, survival and reproduction) to local environmental conditions. The non-linear rate functions describing individual physiological responses are estimated based on experiments performed in microcosms at ambient temperature and in climatic chambers at different constant temperatures. The estimated model has been calibrated with data on population dynamics of P. spumarius collected in four olive orchards in Northern (Liguria) and Southern (Apulia) Italy from 2016 to 2018. Model simulations can be used to support vector and disease management. The model can predict the phenology and the abundance of a P. spumarius populations at high spatial and temporal resolution. This information can support precision targeting control strategies against vector nymphs and adults. The model can also generate maps of vector phenology and abundance. These maps can represent a source of information for spatial-explicit epidemiological models describing the disease dynamics and supporting X. fastidiosa quantitative risk assessment and management. Knowledge on model parameters variability offers the possibility to explore the implication of uncertainties in designing vector and disease monitoring and management strategies