Phylogeny of Dendroctonus bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) inferred from morphological and molecular data

Bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus may attack and kill several species of coniferous trees, some of them causing major economic losses in temperate forests throughout North and Central America. For this reason, they have been widely studied. However, various aspects of the taxonomy and evolutionary history of the group remain contentious. The genus has been subdivided in species groups according to morphological, biological, karyological or molecular attributes, but the evolutionary affinities among species and species groups within the genus remain uncertain. In this study, phylogenetic relationships among Dendroctonus species were reassessed through parsimony‐based cladistic analysis of morphological and DNA sequence data. Phylogenetic inference was based on 36 morphological characters and on mitochondrial DNA sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Analyses were carried out for each dataset, as well as for the combined data analysed simultaneously, under equal and implied weights. According to the combined analysis, the genus Dendroctonus is a monophyletic group defined by at least three synapomorphic characters and there are four main lineages of varied composition and diversity within the genus. Within these lineages, several monophyletic groups match, to some extent, species groups defined by previous authors, but certain groups proposed by those authors are polyphyletic or paraphyletic.     

Acaricidal activity of Metarhizium anisopliae isolated from paddocks in the Mexican tropics against two populations of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

The acaricidal effects of 55 strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin, 1883 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolated from paddocks of cattle farms were evaluated in two Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini 1887) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) populations, of which one was multi‐resistant and one was susceptible to chemical acaricides. Percentage mortality and reproductive efficiency indices in R. microplus were evaluated by adult immersion tests at a dose of 1 × 10⁸ conidia/mL for each fungal strain. Some strains were selected to calculate lethal concentrations to kill 50% (LC₅₀) and 99% (LC₉₉) of engorged ticks. Strains MaV22, MaV26 and MaV55 induced 100% mortality in R. microplus on day 14. Strains MaV05, MaV09 and MaV22 caused mortality of >90% from day 12 onward in both tick populations. The most effective acaricidal fungal strain, MaV55, inhibited egg laying by 54.86 and 55.86% in acaricide‐resistant and ‐susceptible R. microplus populations, respectively. None of the fungal strains had statistically significant effects on larval hatching. In conclusion, nine strains of M. anisopliae demonstrated high acaricidal effects against R. microplus and reduced its egg laying. No differences in acaricidal effects were observed between the two populations of ticks tested.     

Elevational trends in butterfly phenology: implications for species responses to climate change

1. Impacts of global change on the distribution, abundance, and phenology of species have been widely documented. In particular, recent climate change has led to widespread changes in animal and plant seasonality, leading to debate about its potential to cause phenological mismatches among interacting taxa. 2. In mountainous regions, populations of many species show pronounced phenological gradients over short geographic distances, presenting the opportunity to test for effects of climate on phenology, independent of variation in confounding factors such as photoperiod. 3. Here we show for 32 butterfly species sampled for five years over a 1700 m gradient (560–2260 m) in a Mediterranean mountain range that, on average, annual flight period is delayed with elevation by 15–22 days per kilometre. Species mainly occurring at low elevations in the region, and to some extent those flying earlier in the year, showed phenological delays of 23–36 days per kilometre, whereas the flight periods of species that occupy high elevations, or fly in late summer, were consistently more synchronised over the elevation gradient. 4. Elevational patterns in phenology appear to reflect a narrowing phenological window of opportunity for larval and adult butterfly activity of high elevation and late‐flying species. 5. Here, we speculate as to the causes of these patterns, and the consequences for our ability to predict species responses to climate change. Our results raise questions about the use of space–time substitutions in predicting phenological responses to climate change, since traits relating to flight period and environmental associations may influence the capacity of species to adapt to changing climates.     

Detection of tick‐borne Anaplasma bovis,Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma centrale in Spain

The genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) includes species of medical and veterinary importance. The presence of Anaplasma spp. in ticks from birds, as well as in Haemaphysalis punctata (Ixodida: Ixodidae) specimens collected from cattle and vegetation in northern Spain was investigated. A total of 336 ticks from birds [174 Ixodes frontalis (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 108 H. punctata, 34 Hyalomma marginatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 17 Ixodes ricinus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) and three Ixodes spp.], and 181 H. punctata specimens collected from cattle (n = 71) and vegetation (n = 110) were analysed. Anaplasma bovis was detected in five H. punctata, including two from birds (1.9%) and three from vegetation (2.7%). Four I. frontalis (2.3%) (one co‐infected with ‘Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii’) and one I. ricinus (5.9%) removed from birds, as well as four H. punctata (5.6%) collected from cattle showed Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. In addition, Anaplasma centrale was found in two H. punctata, one from a cow (1.4%) and the other from vegetation (0.9%). This study represents the first evidence of the presence of A. bovis in European ticks, and reports the first detection of A. bovis and A. centrale in H. punctata, and the first finding of A. phagocytophilum and ‘Ca. Midichloria mitochondrii’ in I. frontalis.     

Family break-up in Black and Red Kites Milvus migrans and M. milvus: is time of independence an offspring decision?

I observed the natural process of family break-up in 13 families of Black Kites Milvus migrans and five families of Red Kites M. milvus in which fledglings had been individually marked. In other broods, I performed experiments which modified the parental investment fledglings received by supplementing nests of both species with food or transferring Black Kite chicks to nests with younger or older chicks of the same species.
The time of family break-up in the Black Kite is mainly an offspring decision which is not affected by an artificial increase of parental investment. The duration of the post-fledging period was not increased in Black Kites that were given supplementary food. Chicks transferred to nests with a younger chick did not extend the post-fledging period, nor did chicks transferred to nests with an older chick shorten the post-fledging period. In Red Kites, parental investment seemed to have more influence on the timing of the family break-up. Red Kite adults invested less as parents than did Black Kites during the post-fledging dependence period, and in nests where supplementary food was given, Red Kite fledglings stayed attached for a longer period.     

Stomatal encryption by epicuticular waxes as a plastic trait modifying gas exchange in a Mediterranean evergreen species (Quercus coccifera L.)

The adaptive benefit of stomatal crypts remains a matter of controversy. This work studies the effect on gas exchange of cuticular rims that overarch the stomatal pore in the Mediterranean species Quercus coccifera L. growing under Mediterranean (lower relative humidities and high summer temperatures) or oceanic conditions (higher daily relative humidities and mild temperatures). After microscopic assessment of the leaf surfaces and stomatal architecture, the impact of the cuticular ‘cup’ on gas exchange was evaluated by employing three‐dimensional finite element models. Here, we provide evidence for a high plasticity of the Q. coccifera cuticular cup, with much larger vents under oceanic conditions compared to small vents under Mediterranean conditions. This structure adds a substantial fixed resistance thereby strongly decreasing gas exchange under Mediterranean conditions. The cuticular cup, which also increases leaf internal humidity, might buffer the rapid changes in vapour pressure deficit (VPD) often observed under Mediterranean conditions. Since water loss of guard and adjacent epidermal cells regulates stomatal aperture, we suggest that this structure allows an efficient regulation of stomatal conductance and optimum use of resources under high VPD. This study provides evidence that plasticity of stomatal architecture can be an important structural component of hydraulic adaptation to different climate conditions.     

Long-term numerical changes and regulation in a river stock of European eel Anguilla anguilla

1. The objective was to explore the regulatory mechanisms underlying the numerical dynamics of a river stock of European eel Anguilla anguilla based on a purely observational study. We used a 21-year data set on the Rio Esva (Asturias, northwestern Spain) stock of eels, encompassing eel density at an estuary site and at nine sites distributed among three tributaries selected to differ in the distance from the tidal limit and fishery data on glass eels from the nearby Rio Nalón estuary.
2. The abundance of glass eels and estuarine and in-stream densities declined simultaneously over a 15-year period. However, following a historical minimum in the abundance of glass eels around the year 2000, the density continued to decline in the estuary whereas density in the streams began an increase that has continued to the present.
3. In-stream cohort mortality rate ( Z ) varied from 0.0016 day⁻¹ to only 0.0003 day⁻¹ (on an annual basis from 0.57 to 0.099 year⁻¹). The negative effects of intra-cohort and inter-cohort densities on mortality rate emphasized the responses of the riverine stock to compensatory density-dependence. As a consequence, the number of eels surviving to commence the silvering stage was similar in magnitude in the strongest and weakest cohorts.
4. These results suggest that, even if the low abundance of glass eels persists, in-stream density may increase towards a stable value regulated by in-stream density-dependence.