Ecoinformatics for integrated pest management: expanding the applied insect ecologist's tool-kit

Experimentation has been the cornerstone of much of integrated pest management (IPM) research. Here, we aim to open a discussion on the possible merits of expanding the use of observational studies, and in particular the use of data from farmers or private pest management consultants in "ecoinformatics" studies, as tools that might complement traditional, experimental research. The manifold advantages of experimentation are widely appreciated: experiments provide definitive inferences regarding causal relationships between key variables, can produce uniform and high-quality data sets, and are highly flexible in the treatments that can be evaluated. Perhaps less widely considered, however, are the possible disadvantages of experimental research. Using the yield-impact study to focus the discussion, we address some reasons why observational or ecoinformatics approaches might be attractive as complements to experimentation. A survey of the literature suggests that many contemporary yield-impact studies lack sufficient statistical power to resolve the small, but economically important, effects on crop yield that shape pest management decision-making by farmers. Ecoinformatics-based data sets can be substantially larger than experimental data sets and therefore hold out the promise of enhanced power. Ecoinformatics approaches also address problems at the spatial and temporal scales at which farming is conducted, can achieve higher levels of "external validity," and can allow researchers to efficiently screen many variables during the initial, exploratory phases of research projects. Experimental, observational, and ecoinformatics-based approaches may, if used together, provide more efficient solutions to problems in pest management than can any single approach, used in isolation

Packed red cell transfusions alter mesenteric arterial reactivity and nitric oxide pathway in preterm lambs

BACKGROUND: Cases of necrotizing enterocolitis occurring within 48 h of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions are increasingly being described in observational studies. Transfusion-associated gut injury is speculated to result from an abnormal mesenteric vascular response to transfusion. However, the mechanism of disruption of the balance between mesenteric vasoconstriction and relaxation following transfusion is not known. METHODS: Preterm lambs (n = 16, 134 d gestation; term: 145–147 d) were delivered and ventilated for 24 h. All the lambs received orogastric feeds with colostrum. In addition, 10 of these lambs received PRBC transfusions. Vasoreactivity was evaluated in isolated mesenteric arterial rings using norepinephrine and endothelin-1 as vasoconstrictors. Endothelium-dependent (A23187, a calcium ionophore) and endothelium-independent (SNAP) nitric oxide (NO) donors were used as vasorelaxants. Mesenteric arterial endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), and phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) mRNA analyses and protein assays were performed. RESULTS: Transfusion with PRBC significantly increased mesenteric vasoconstriction to norepinephrine and endothelin-1 and impaired relaxation to A23187 and SNAP. Mesenteric arterial eNOS protein decreased following PRBC transfusion. No significant changes were noted in sGC and PDE5 mRNA or protein assays. CONCLUSION: PRBC transfusion in enterally fed preterm lambs promotes mesenteric vasoconstriction and impairs vasorelaxation by reducing mesenteric arterial eNOS

Spider–Plant Interactions: An Ecological Approach

Spiders are among the most common animals in diverse terrestrial environments, and display a variety of lifestyles and foraging modes. This chapter represents an overview of our knowledge of spider–plant interactions. Spiders are strongly influenced by plant architecture, rather than being randomly distributed in the vegetation; structures such as rosette-shaped clusters of leaves or glandular trichomes are particularly common in plants that have associations with spiders. Spiders derive benefits from plants such as shelter and access to insect prey. In turn, they can protect plants against herbivory. However, they may also consume or deter pollinators, imposing a cost that can exceed their benefit to the plant. Specific spider–plant associations are mutualistic if spiders provide protective or nutritional benefits, thus improving plant fitness, and if plants provide shelter and suitable foraging sites to spiders. We examine several case studies of spiders living in association with plants, and describe spatial/temporal adaptations in spider–plant relationships