Does urbanization explain differences in interactions between an insect herbivore and its natural enemies and mutualists?

Urbanization can alter the composition of arthropod communities. However, little is known about how urbanization affects ecological interactions. Using experimental colonies of the black bean aphid Aphis fabae Scopoli reared on Vicia faba L, we asked if patterns of predator-prey, host-parasitoid and ant-aphid mutualisms varied along an urbanization gradient across a large town in southern England. We recorded the presence of naturally occurring predators, parasitoid wasps and mutualistic ants together with aphid abundance. We examined how biotic (green areas and plant richness) and abiotic features (impervious surfaces and distance to town center) affected (1) aphid colony size, (2) the likelihood of finding predators, mutualistic ants and aphid mummies (indicating the presence of parasitoids), and (3) how the interplay among these factors affected patterns of parasitoid attack, predator abundance, mutualistic interactions and aphid abundance. The best model to predict aphid abundance was the number of mutualistic ants attending the colonies. Aphid predators responded negatively to both the proportion of impervious surfaces and to the number of mutualistic ants farming the colonies, and positively to aphid population size, whereas parasitized aphids were found in colonies with higher numbers of aphids and ants. The number of mutualistic ants attending was positively associated with aphid colony size and negatively with the number of aphid predators. Our findings suggest that for insect-natural enemy interactions, urbanization may affect some groups, while not influencing others, and that local effects (mutualists, host plant presence) will also be key determinants of how urban ecological communities are formed

Presence of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Predicts a Poor Clinical Outcome in Dogs with a Primary Hepatitis

<div><p>Primary hepatopathies are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in dogs. The underlying aetiology of most cases of canine hepatitis is unknown. Consequently, treatments are typically palliative and it is difficult to provide accurate prognostic information to owners. In human hepatology there is accumulating data which indicates that the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a common and debilitating event in patients with liver diseases. For example, the presence of SIRS has been linked to the development of complications such as hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and is associated with a poor clinical outcome in humans with liver diseases. In contrast, the relationship between SIRS and clinical outcome in dogs with a primary hepatitis is unknown. Seventy dogs with histologically confirmed primary hepatitis were enrolled into the study. Additional clinical and clinicopathological information including respiratory rate, heart rate, temperature, white blood cell count, sodium, potassium, sex, presence of ascites, HE score, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin and red blood cell concentration were available in all cases. The median survival of dogs with a SIRS score of 0 or 1 (SIRS low) was 231 days compared to a median survival of 7 days for dogs with a SIRS score of 2, 3 or 4 (SIRS high) (p<0.001). A Cox proportional hazard model, which included all other co-variables, revealed that a SIRS high score was an independent predictor of a poor clinical outcome. The effect of modulating inflammation on treatment outcomes in dogs with a primary hepatitis is deserving of further study.</p></div

First California record for Anthocoris nemoralis (Fabr.) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), a predator important in the biological control of psyllids (Homoptera: Psyllidae)

Volume: 66Start Page: 323End Page: 32

European elm scale (Homoptera: Eriococcidae) abundance and parasitism in northern California

Volume: 70Start Page: 240End Page: 25

Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), first western United States record for this Asiatic lady beetle

Volume: 71Start Page: 135End Page: 13

A Novel Emergency Gas-to-Power System Based on an Efficient and Long-Lasting Solid-State Hydride Storage System: Modeling and Experimental Validation

In this paper, a gas-to-power (GtoP) system for power outages is digitally modeled and experimentally developed. The design includes a solid-state hydrogen storage system composed of TiFeMn as a hydride forming alloy (6.7 kg of alloy in five tanks) and an air-cooled fuel cell (maximum power: 1.6 kW). The hydrogen storage system is charged under room temperature and 40 bar of hydrogen pressure, reaching about 110 g of hydrogen capacity. In an emergency use case of the system, hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell, and the waste heat coming from the exhaust air of the fuel cell is used for the endothermic dehydrogenation reaction of the metal hydride. This GtoP system demonstrates fast, stable, and reliable responses, providing from 149 W to 596 W under different constant as well as dynamic conditions. A comprehensive and novel simulation approach based on a network model is also applied. The developed model is validated under static and dynamic power load scenarios, demonstrating excellent agreement with the experimental results