Scale Insects on Ornamental Plants

8 pp., 3 tables, 18 photosScale insects damage landscape plants, shrubs and trees. This publication explains how to control scale insects economically without damaging the environment, including sampling for scale crawlers, using natural enemies and applying pesticides

Springtails

Springtails are an insect pest of lawns and homes. They are not harmful to people, pets, plants, structures or furnishings. However, their presence and jumping behaviors make them a nuisance. This publication offers ideas for controlling them

Algae as nutritional and functional food sources: revisiting our understanding.

Global demand for macroalgal and microalgal foods is growing, and algae are increasingly being consumed for functional benefits beyond the traditional considerations of nutrition and health. There is substantial evidence for the health benefits of algal-derived food products, but there remain considerable challenges in quantifying these benefits, as well as possible adverse effects. First, there is a limited understanding of nutritional composition across algal species, geographical regions, and seasons, all of which can substantially affect their dietary value. The second issue is quantifying which fractions of algal foods are bioavailable to humans, and which factors influence how food constituents are released, ranging from food preparation through genetic differentiation in the gut microbiome. Third is understanding how algal nutritional and functional constituents interact in human metabolism. Superimposed considerations are the effects of harvesting, storage, and food processing techniques that can dramatically influence the potential nutritive value of algal-derived foods. We highlight this rapidly advancing area of algal science with a particular focus on the key research required to assess better the health benefits of an alga or algal product. There are rich opportunities for phycologists in this emerging field, requiring exciting new experimental and collaborative approaches.AGS & KEH thank the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC BB/1013164/1) of the UK for funding. The University of Dundee is a registered Scottish charity, No. SC015096. PP is supported by IDEALG in the frame of the stimuli program entitled “Investissements d’avenir, Biotechnologies-Bioressources” (ANR-10-BTBR-04-02). The open access fee was supported by NSF-OCE-1435021 (MLW), DIC project 1823-06 (MEC), Maine Sea Grant (NOAA) 5405971 (SHB), NSF #11A-1355457 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine (SHB), and the listed funding to AGS and PP

Algae as nutritional and functional food sources: revisiting our understanding.

Global demand for macroalgal and microalgal foods is growing, and algae are increasingly being consumed for functional benefits beyond the traditional considerations of nutrition and health. There is substantial evidence for the health benefits of algal-derived food products, but there remain considerable challenges in quantifying these benefits, as well as possible adverse effects. First, there is a limited understanding of nutritional composition across algal species, geographical regions, and seasons, all of which can substantially affect their dietary value. The second issue is quantifying which fractions of algal foods are bioavailable to humans, and which factors influence how food constituents are released, ranging from food preparation through genetic differentiation in the gut microbiome. Third is understanding how algal nutritional and functional constituents interact in human metabolism. Superimposed considerations are the effects of harvesting, storage, and food processing techniques that can dramatically influence the potential nutritive value of algal-derived foods. We highlight this rapidly advancing area of algal science with a particular focus on the key research required to assess better the health benefits of an alga or algal product. There are rich opportunities for phycologists in this emerging field, requiring exciting new experimental and collaborative approaches.AGS & KEH thank the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC BB/1013164/1) of the UK for funding. The University of Dundee is a registered Scottish charity, No. SC015096. PP is supported by IDEALG in the frame of the stimuli program entitled “Investissements d’avenir, Biotechnologies-Bioressources” (ANR-10-BTBR-04-02). The open access fee was supported by NSF-OCE-1435021 (MLW), DIC project 1823-06 (MEC), Maine Sea Grant (NOAA) 5405971 (SHB), NSF #11A-1355457 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine (SHB), and the listed funding to AGS and PP

Comparisons of innate immune activity of all known living crocodylian species

Abstract Serum samples from all twenty-three known living members of the Crocodylia were tested for antibacterial activity against eight bacterial species. These data were used to generate an immune profile for each crocodylian species. Statistical analyses revealed that the three living lineages of crocodylians, Alligatoroidea, Crocodyloidea, and Gavialoidea, were distinguishable by their immunological activities. For instance, species within the Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea exhibited remarkable immune activity similarities to others in their own lineages. Comparisons of the members of the different lineages, however, revealed substantial differences in immune profiles. Furthermore, species that are in the same genus were shown to exhibit more immune similarities to each other than to members of other genera within the same family. Finally, our immunological analyses reveal that Tomistoma schlegelii aligns more closely with the Gavialoidea than the Crocodyloidea.

Phloem sap and leaf δ13C, carbohydrates, and amino acid concentrations in Eucalyptus globulus change systematically according to flooding and water deficit treatment

Phloem is a central conduit for the distribution of photoassimilate, nutrients, and signals among plant organs. A revised technique was used to collect phloem sap from small woody plants in order to assess changes in composition induced by water deficit and flooding. Bled phloem sap δ13C and sugar concentrations were compared to δ13C of bulk material, soluble carbon extracts, and the neutral sugar fraction from leaves. Amino acid composition and inorganic ions of the phloem sap was also analysed. Quantitative, systematic changes were detected in phloem sap composition and δ13C in response to altered water availability. Phloem sap δ13C was more sensitive to changes of water availability than the δ13C of bulk leaf, the soluble carbon fraction, and the neutral soluble fraction of leaves. Changes in water availability also resulted in significant changes in phloem sugar (sucrose and raffinose), inorganic nutrient (potassium), and amino acid (phenylalanine) concentrations with important implications for the maintenance of phloem function and biomass partitioning. The differences in carbohydrate and amino acid composition as well as the δ13C in the phloem, along with a new model system for phloem research, offer an improved understanding of the phloem-mediated signal, nutrient, and photoassimilate transduction in relation to water availability

Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behavior of coral reef fishes

Coral reefs are increasingly degraded by climate-induced bleaching and storm damage. Reef recovery relies on recruitment of young fishes for the replenishment of functionally important taxa. Acoustic cues guide the orientation, habitat selection, and settlement of many fishes, but these processes may be impaired if degradation alters reef soundscapes. Here, we report spatiotemporally matched evidence of soundscapes altered by degradation from recordings taken before and after recent severe damage on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Postdegradation soundscapes were an average of 15 dB re 1 µPa quieter and had significantly reduced acoustic complexity, richness, and rates of invertebrate snaps compared with their predegradation equivalents. We then used these matched recordings in complementary light-trap and patch-reef experiments to assess responses of wild fish larvae under natural conditions. We show that postdegradation soundscapes were 8% less attractive to presettlement larvae and resulted in 40% less settlement of juvenile fishes than predegradation soundscapes; postdegradation soundscapes were no more attractive than open-ocean sound. However, our experimental design does not allow an estimate of how much attraction and settlement to isolated postdegradation soundscapes might change compared with isolated predegradation soundscapes. Reductions in attraction and settlement were qualitatively similar across and within all trophic guilds and taxonomic groups analyzed. These patterns may lead to declines in fish populations, exacerbating degradation. Acoustic changes might therefore trigger a feedback loop that could impair reef resilience. To understand fully the recovery potential of coral reefs, we must learn to listen

Oncogenic ERBB3 Mutations in Human Cancers

SummaryThe human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family of tyrosine kinases is deregulated in multiple cancers either through amplification, overexpression, or mutation. ERBB3/HER3, the only member with an impaired kinase domain, although amplified or overexpressed in some cancers, has not been reported to carry oncogenic mutations. Here, we report the identification of ERBB3 somatic mutations in ∼11% of colon and gastric cancers. We found that the ERBB3 mutants transformed colonic and breast epithelial cells in a ligand-independent manner. However, the mutant ERBB3 oncogenic activity was dependent on kinase-active ERBB2. Furthermore, we found that anti-ERBB antibodies and small molecule inhibitors effectively blocked mutant ERBB3-mediated oncogenic signaling and disease progression in vivo

Satellite-based time-series of sea-surface temperature since 1980 for climate applications

A 42-year climate data record of global sea surface temperature (SST) covering 1980 to 2021 has been produced from satellite observations, with a high degree of independence from in situ measurements. Observations from twenty infrared and two microwave radiometers are used, and are adjusted for their differing times of day of measurement to avoid aliasing and ensure observational stability. A total of 1.5 × 1013 locations are processed, yielding 1.4 × 1012 SST observations deemed to be suitable for climate applications. The corresponding observation density varies from less than 1 km−2 yr−1 in 1980 to over 100 km−2 yr−1 after 2007. Data are provided at their native resolution, averaged on a global 0.05° latitude-longitude grid (single-sensor with gaps), and as a daily, merged, gap-free, SST analysis at 0.05°. The data include the satellite-based SSTs, the corresponding time-and-depth standardised estimates, their standard uncertainty and quality flags. Accuracy, spatial coverage and length of record are all improved relative to a previous version, and the timeseries is routinely extended in time using consistent methods

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes