Seasonal and Year-Round Distributions of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Its Risk to Temperate Fruits under Climate Change

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an important pest to fruits and vegetables. It can damage more than 300 plant species. The distribution of B. dorsalis has been expanding owing to international trade and other human activities. B. dorsalis occurrence is strongly related to suitable overwintering conditions and distribution areas, but it is unclear where these seasonal and year-round suitable areas are. We used maximum entropy (MaxEnt) to predict the potential seasonal and year-round distribution areas of B. dorsalis. We also projected suitable habitat areas in 2040 and 2060 under global warming scenarios, such as SSP126 and SSP585. These models achieved AUC values of 0.860 and 0.956 for the seasonal and year-round scenarios, respectively, indicating their good prediction capabilities. The precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13) and the mean diurnal temperature range (Bio2) contributed 83.9% to the seasonal distribution prediction model. Bio2 and the minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) provided important information related to the year-round distribution prediction. In future scenarios, the suitable area of B. dorsalis will increase and the range will expand northward. Four important temperate fruits, namely, apples, peaches, pears, and oranges, will be seriously threatened. The information from this study provides a useful reference for implementing improved population management strategies for B. dorsalis

Migration of Sogatella furcifera between the Greater Mekong Subregion and northern China revealed by mtDNA and SNP

Abstract Background The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera, Delphacidae), is a migratory pest of rice in Asia. Shandong Province, in northern China, is located on the migration pathway of WBPH between southern and northeast China. The potential sources of WBPH in northern China are poorly understood. We studied the sources of WBPH in Shandong Province by determining the population genetic structure of WBPH in 18 sites distributed in Shandong and in six regions of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). We used mitochondrial gene and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for analysis. Results All of the WBPH populations studied in the seven regions had low genetic diversity. Pairwise FST values based on mtDNA ranged from − 0.061 to 0.285, while FST based on SNP data ranged from − 0.007 to 0.009. These two molecular markers revealed that 4.40% (mtDNA) and 0.19% (SNP) genetic variation could be explained by the interpopulation variation, while the rest came from intrapopulation variation. The populations in the seven geographic regions comprised four hypothetical genetic clusters (K = 4) not associated with geographic location. Eighty-four of 129 individuals distributed across the given area were designated as recent migrants or of admixed ancestry. Although the substantial migration presented, a weak but significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found (r = 0.083, P = 0.004). Conclusion The Greater Mekong Subregion was the main genetic source of WBPH in Shandong, while other source populations may also exist. The genetic structure of WBPH is shaped by both migration and geographic barriers. These results help clarify the migration route and the source of WBPH in northern China

When Does the Prey/Predator Ratio Work for the Effective Biocontrol of Cotton Aphid on Cotton Seedlings?

The decision to delay or cancel spraying insecticides against pest aphids is dependent on the ratio of prey/predator, which reflects how well the predator can suppress the aphid population increase in the field. It is challenging to estimate the ratio of prey/predator due to the multiple factors involved in the interaction between prey and predator. Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) is a serious pest, widely distributed in cotton-growing areas around the world. We combined different ratios of aphids with aphid oligophagous ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus) under laboratory and garden conditions to investigate the critical threshold for prey/predator which effectively reduced the cotton aphid population increase. Two kinds of modeling were developed to understand the relationships between the ratio of prey/predator and the PGR (population growth rate), and with the effectiveness of biocontrol (EBC). We found the critical values of PGR should be less than −0.0806 (predators artificially released after 5 days) and then less than −0.075 (predators released after 10 days) if EBC is less than 50%. We recommend that the ratio of prey/predator should be less than 450 for the effective biocontrol of cotton aphids at the cotton seedling stage. These values can be reference indices for the management of aphids in mid-summer

Data from: Species-habitat networks reveal conservation implications that other community analyses do not detect

Grassland restoration is an important conservation intervention supporting declining insect pollinators, particularly in threatened calcareous grassland landscapes. While restoration is often assessed using simple diversity or the similarity to a target community metrics, this can fail to represent key aspects of community reconstruction. Here, we compare a new method, species-habitat networks, with techniques previously relied upon to understand the process of pollinator community restoration. The species-habitat network approach reveals details relevant to insect conservation that are not visible using standard measures of species richness, abundance, community similarity or network metrics. For instance, a shared set of butterflies and bumblebees found in ancient extensively managed grassland, the target community for restoration, were more likely to inhabit previously disturbed grassland than recently disturbed or reverting grasslands. We propose that species-habitat networks should be part of the standard analytical toolkit assessing the effectiveness of restoration, particularly for mobile species such as insects.Funding provided by: China Scholarship CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004543Award Number: 202108370189Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/V006444/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/V007548/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/ W005050/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/N014472/1The study took place in the Salisbury Plain Training Area, southern England. It covered six distinct grassland habitats across the area, representing a gradient of plant species richness and flower resources. These included ancient grassland, previously disturbed grassland, recently disturbed grassland, reverting grassland, intensive grazing, and ungrazed grassland. In 2010, 36 permanently marked line transects (6 × 85 m) were established, one in the center of each habitat plot. Sampling occurred four times between May 30 and September 19, 2011, monthly. Surveys took place between 10:00 and 17:30, coinciding with major pollinator flight periods. The method followed the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) and adapted for bumblebee surveys. Surveys occurred under standardized environmental conditions (wind speed 17ºC if cloudy or >13ºC if less than 40% cloud cover). Temperature, sunshine percentage, and wind speed were recorded. It took approximately two days to complete all transect counts for the 36 plots. During each survey, all butterflies and day-flying moths were identified and counted at the species level. Foraging bumblebees were also recorded to species level, and rare species were verified with voucher specimens. Bombus terrestris and B. lucorum were recorded collectively as they couldn't be reliably distinguished in the field. Summed counts were made for honeybees, solitary bees, and hoverflies. The first flowering plant visited by each bee or butterfly was recorded to species, enabling the construction of plant-pollinator interaction webs for each grassland type. Regarding flower resources, during each pollinator survey, eight 0.5 × 0.5 m quadrats were used, spaced equally along each transect. All flowering dicotyledonous plants were identified, and the number of flower units per species was counted. Flower units encompassed single flowers, multi-flowered stems, flower-heads, and umbels, providing estimates of timing, diversity, and abundance of floral resources available to pollinators in each grassland habitat throughout the season

Data from: Species-habitat networks reveal conservation implications that other community analyses do not detect

Grassland restoration is an important conservation intervention supporting declining insect pollinators, particularly in threatened calcareous grassland landscapes. While restoration is often assessed using simple diversity or the similarity to a target community metrics, this can fail to represent key aspects of community reconstruction. Here, we compare a new method, species-habitat networks, with techniques previously relied upon to understand the process of pollinator community restoration. The species-habitat network approach reveals details relevant to insect conservation that are not visible using standard measures of species richness, abundance, community similarity or network metrics. For instance, a shared set of butterflies and bumblebees found in ancient extensively managed grassland, the target community for restoration, were more likely to inhabit previously disturbed grassland than recently disturbed or reverting grasslands. We propose that species-habitat networks should be part of the standard analytical toolkit assessing the effectiveness of restoration, particularly for mobile species such as insects.Funding provided by: China Scholarship CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004543Award Number: 202108370189Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/V006444/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/V007548/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/ W005050/1Funding provided by: Natural Environment Research CouncilCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270Award Number: NE/N014472/1The study took place in the Salisbury Plain Training Area, southern England. It covered six distinct grassland habitats across the area, representing a gradient of plant species richness and flower resources. These included ancient grassland, previously disturbed grassland, recently disturbed grassland, reverting grassland, intensive grazing, and ungrazed grassland. In 2010, 36 permanently marked line transects (6 × 85 m) were established, one in the center of each habitat plot. Sampling occurred four times between May 30 and September 19, 2011, monthly. Surveys took place between 10:00 and 17:30, coinciding with major pollinator flight periods. The method followed the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) and adapted for bumblebee surveys. Surveys occurred under standardized environmental conditions (wind speed 17ºC if cloudy or >13ºC if less than 40% cloud cover). Temperature, sunshine percentage, and wind speed were recorded. It took approximately two days to complete all transect counts for the 36 plots. During each survey, all butterflies and day-flying moths were identified and counted at the species level. Foraging bumblebees were also recorded to species level, and rare species were verified with voucher specimens. Bombus terrestris and B. lucorum were recorded collectively as they couldn't be reliably distinguished in the field. Summed counts were made for honeybees, solitary bees, and hoverflies. The first flowering plant visited by each bee or butterfly was recorded to species, enabling the construction of plant-pollinator interaction webs for each grassland type. Regarding flower resources, during each pollinator survey, eight 0.5 × 0.5 m quadrats were used, spaced equally along each transect. All flowering dicotyledonous plants were identified, and the number of flower units per species was counted. Flower units encompassed single flowers, multi-flowered stems, flower-heads, and umbels, providing estimates of timing, diversity, and abundance of floral resources available to pollinators in each grassland habitat throughout the season

Meta-omics revealed that nitrogen fertilization alters the endophytic fungi divergence in maize field ecosystem

Endophytic mycobiomes are an integral part of crops in agricultural systems. Fertilization is a conventional practice to improve agricultural crops and may alter the mycobiomes of soil and plant systems. In agroecosystems, Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are key strategies for agricultural suitability. Investigating mycobiomes under N flux can provide fundamental data for constructive NBS strategies. In this study, the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments on fungal compositions of the soil-maize systems were systematically investigated in field experiments at six N rates (F0, F72, F126, F180, F234, F280 kg N/ha) in northern China. Meta-omics amplicon sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was employed to study community dynamics, network correlation, metabolic functional assemblies, abundance patterns and core fungi. This study found that fungal communities were significantly higher at 72 kg N/ha compared with control and other treatments. Network topology increased in maize fungi (R2 = 0.69) but decreased in the soil (R2 = 0.51). Abundances of carbon–nitrogen metabolizing functional genes (Ure, AMT, gdhA and GDH) were significantly correlated with maize fungal communities and were assembled by stochastic processes. Additionally, the relative abundance of Ascomycota (67.26 %) was dominant in the soil, whereas Basidiomycota (61. 73 %) prevailed in maize samples at 72 kg N/ha. Moreover, Sporidiobolus, Alternaria, Fusarium, and Penicillium served as conserved core genera and were positively correlated with NH4+-N mg/kg, NO2–-N mg/kg and NO3–-N mg/kg, and pH components. Furthermore, selective genera were tested and confirmed to increase the growth rate and nitrogen utilization in maize. The study highlights the promising role of associated endophytes as Nature-Based Solution for optimizing fertilization to improve crop production in maize-agroecosystem

Measurement and Correlation for Solubilities of Adipic Acid, Glutaric Acid and Succinic Acid in Acetic Acid + Cyclohexanone Mixtures

Under atmospheric pressure, the solubilities of adipic acid, glutaric acid, and succinic acid in acetic acid + cyclohexanone mixtures were measured respectively by using the laser dynamic method in which the temperature ranged from 298.55 to 340.85 K and the mass fraction of cyclohexanone in the binary solvent mixtures ranged from 0.0 to 1.0. The results showed that the solubilities of adipic acid, glutaric acid, and succinic acid in acetic acid + cyclohexanone solvent mixtures all increased with decreasing of the mass fraction of cyclohexanone in the solvent mixtures at the constant temperature, and with the gradually increasing of temperature the measured solubilities of adipic acid, glutaric acid and succinic acid in acetic acid + cyclohexanone solvent mixtures would increase at the constant proportion solvent mixtures. The λ<i>h</i> equation and the nonrandom two liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model were used to correlate the experimental solubilities, and the average relative deviation was lesser than 2% respectively. It was found that the solubilities calculated by these models showed a good agreement with the experimental observations. In addition, the λ<i>h</i> equation with a small number of adjustable parameters is very suitable for engineers so that they could use directly. Compared with the λ<i>h</i> equation, the NRTL equation has a wider range of applications due to the stronger theory