Adsorption of Methylene Blue Dye on Pure and Carbonized Water Weeds

The influence of process variables in batch adsorption has been used to assess the removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution using pure and carbonized biomasses of water hyacinth and water spinach. Dried leaves of the water weeds were carbonized at temperature up to 750°C. The optimum removal of dye was achieved at pH 10, 30°C, and 55 min at a dye concentration of 10 mg/L. In an attempt to describe the adsorption process, the equilibrium isotherm for each adsorbent was determined using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Maximum adsorption capacities based on the Langmuir model for pure and carbonized water hyacinth were (mg/g) 7.05 and 2.07, respectively, whereas those of pure and carbonized water spinach were 1.25 and 5.32, respectively. It was observed that the equilibrium data were well fit by both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms as R ² > .97. This study demonstrates that the two waterweeds are effective, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive biomaterials for the removal of color from industrial effluents.     

Successful biological control of mist flower (Ageratina riparia) in New Zealand: Agent establishment, impact and benefits to the native flora

The white smut fungus (Entyloma ageratinae) and the gall fly (Procecidochares alani) were released in New Zealand in 1998 and 2001 respectively to suppress mist flower (Ageratina riparia). The fungus established and spread rapidly, crossing 80 km of sea to Great Barrier Island within 2 years. The mean number of P. alani galls increased exponentially to 1.96/stem at release sites, but dispersal was slow. The impact of the biocontrol agents was monitored once annually from 1998/99 to 2003/04, at up to 51 sites in the North Island. The mean percentage of live leaves infected with fungus rapidly reached nearly 60%. Maximum plant height declined significantly. In heavy infestations, mean percentage cover of mist flower declined from 81 to 1.5%. Galls were only recorded towards the end of the impact study, and at low mean numbers. As mist flower declined, the species richness and mean percentage cover of native plants increased. In contrast, the species richness and mean percentage cover of exotic plants (excluding mist flower) did not change significantly. Many plant species colonizing the plots were important native mid- or late-successional shrubs or trees. With few exceptions, the exotic plant species common in the plots were not weeds that appeared to threaten native forest habitats. There was only a weak “replacement weed effect” from the potentially serious invader African club moss (Selaginella kraussiana). These data, together with reports of reduced threats to rare endemic plants from mist flower, suggest this rapid, well-monitored weed biocontrol program was very successful.     

Recent non‐native invertebrate plant pest establishments in Great Britain: origins,pathways, and trends

1 An appraisal of non‐native invertebrate plant pest establishments in Great Britain, between 1970 and 2004, was carried out to improve our understanding of current invasion processes by non‐native plant pests, and to assist national strategies in managing the risks they pose. 2 A total of 164 establishments, comprising 50 natural colonists and 114 human‐assisted introductions, were recorded across 13 major taxonomic groups. 3 The mean rate of establishment was 22.1 species per 5‐year period: 19.1 and 3.0 species outside and inside protected cultivation, respectively. Despite the continuing rapid growth in international trade and a general perception that rates of pest invasions are accelerating, no significant temporal trends in the rate of establishments in Great Britain were detected, either for natural colonists or human‐assisted introductions, or for pests of plants grown indoors or outside. 4 The plant trade, particularly in ornamental plants, accounted for nearly 90% of human‐assisted introductions; apiculture, biological control, timber imports, transport stowaways and intentional releases each contributed less than 5%. Only eight (4.9%) of the establishments could be considered as having no direct potential economic impact because all other species have been recorded as feeding on cultivated plants. A greater proportion of establishments by both natural colonists and human‐assisted introductions occurred on non‐native, woody plants. 5 The present study confirms previous work in other European countries that highlight the predominant role of the ornamental plant trade in introducing new plant pests to the European continent, mainly from Asia and North America.     

中国新外来害虫——洋白蜡卷叶绵蚜

在北京的洋白蜡Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.上发现了一种卷叶绵蚜,小枝端部卷叶里的蚜群在植物生长季节均有发生,绵蚜的寄生造成卷叶,部分卷叶会枯黄,影响美观。这是一种我国新记录的外来种,为原产于北美的洋白蜡卷叶绵蚜Prociphilus fraxinifolii(Riley,1879)。本文描述了该种绵蚜的鉴别特征,记录了其5种捕食性天敌(异色瓢虫Harmonia axyridis,大草蛉Chrysopa pallens,黑带食蚜蝇Episyrphus balteata,食虫齿爪盲蝽Deraeocoris punctulatus和斑楔齿爪盲蝽Deraeocoris ater)和3种访问的蚂蚁(日本弓背蚁Camponotus japonicus,丝光褐林蚁Formica fusca和黑褐草蚁Lasius niger)。     

Organic fields sustain weed metacommunity dynamics in farmland landscapes

Agro-ecosystems constitute essential habitat for many organisms. Agricultural intensification, however, has caused a strong decline of farmland biodiversity. Organic farming (OF) is often presented as a more biodiversity-friendly practice, but the generality of the beneficial effects of OF is debated as the effects appear often species- and context-dependent, and current research has highlighted the need to quantify the relative effects of local- and landscape-scale management on farmland biodiversity. Yet very few studies have investigated the landscape-level effects of OF; that is to say, how the biodiversity of a field is affected by the presence or density of organically farmed fields in the surrounding landscape. We addressed this issue using the metacommunity framework, with weed species richness in winter wheat within an intensively farmed landscape in France as model system. Controlling for the effects of local and landscape structure, we showed that OF leads to higher local weed diversity and that the presence of OF in the landscape is associated with higher local weed biodiversity also for conventionally farmed fields, and may reach a similar biodiversity level to organic fields in field margins. Based on these results, we derive indications for improving the sustainable management of farming systems.     

Ancestral origins and invasion pathways in a globally invasive bird correlate with climate and influences from bird trade

Invasive species present a major threat to global biodiversity. Understanding genetic patterns and evolutionary processes that reinforce successful establishment is paramount for elucidating mechanisms underlying biological invasions. Among birds, the ring‐necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is one of the most successful invasive species, established in over 35 countries. However, little is known about the evolutionary genetic origins of this species and what population genetic signatures tell us about patterns of invasion. We reveal the ancestral origins of populations across the invasive range and explore the potential influence of climate and propagule pressure from the pet trade on observed genetic patterns. Ring‐necked parakeet samples representing the ancestral native range (n = 96) were collected from museum specimens, and modern samples from the invasive range (n = 855) were gathered from across Europe, Mauritius and Seychelles, and sequenced for two mitochondrial DNA markers comprising 868 bp of cytochrome b and control region, and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Invasive populations comprise birds that originate predominantly from Pakistan and northern areas of India. Haplotypes associated with more northerly distribution limits in the ancestral native range were more prevalent in invasive populations in Europe, and the predominance of Asian haplotypes in Europe is consistent with the higher number of Asian birds transported by the pet trade outside the native range. Successful establishment of invasive species is likely to be underpinned by a combination of environmental and anthropogenic influences.     

Population genetic diversity of the clonal self‐incompatible herbaceous plant Linaria vulgaris along an urbanization gradient

How increasing urbanization affects biodiversity is one of the most understudied aspects of global change biology. It is, however, known that it may negatively affect plant population genetic diversity in numerous ways, for example through its negative effects on plant population size, between‐population connectivity, and reproductive success. Therefore, it is important to investigate to what extent different levels of urbanization result in these negative phenomena. Here we used microsatellite markers to investigate urbanization effects on the population genetic structure of 23 populations of the self‐incompatible, partially clonal herb Linaria vulgaris which were sampled across a gradient of urbanization. Clonal diversity as measured by the Pareto‐parameter varied between 1.11 and 2.97 and was negatively correlated to both the degree of urbanization and to population size. Urbanization and population size were not interrelated. The least clonally rich populations also experienced significantly reduced seed set. Irrespective of the degree of urbanization, L. vulgaris populations exhibited strong genetic differentiation (F_ST = 0.33) and there was no significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances, suggesting low gene flow among populations. In conclusion, we showed that urbanization negatively affected fitness of L. vulgaris populations through decreasing their clonal diversity and reproductive success, an effect that may be exacerbated by the low gene flow between populations. Although the effect was modest, the results could probably be extrapolated to bigger cities where it would be considerably more pronounced.     

Integrative taxonomy of Parasabella and Sabellomma (Sabellidae: Annelida) from Australia: description of new species,indication of cryptic diversity,and translocation of some species out of their natural distribution range

Most nominal fan worm species belonging to the genus Parasabella Bush, 1905, and Sabellomma Nogueira, Fitzhugh & Silva‐Rossi, 2010 (Sabellidae, Annelida) lack unique morphological diagnostic features. Species diagnoses rely on a combination of attributes, often making reference to characters that are qualitatively or quantitatively continuous. This, together with a lack of knowledge about phenotypic intraspecific variation in most species, suggests that the sole use of morphological features is insufficient to identify and characterize some of these species. Examination of collections revealed that Parasabella is a common and diverse group of sabellids along the Australian coastline, although it had only been recorded here twice. The genus Sabellomma is here reported in Australia for the first time. Comparison of morphological data and nuclear (internal transcribed spacer) and mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I) DNA sequence data of 30 terminals in a range of analyses allowed us to assess the monophyly of Parasabella and its sister‐group relationship with Sabellomma and to examine some of the species boundaries and genetic diversity within lineages. The combined sequence data results indicate the presence of seven distinct genetic Parasabella lineages in Australia, four of which are assigned to previously described species (three are new records for Australia), and two are considered as a complex of species sharing a unique combination of characters, one of which is described as new. Another Parasabella species with distinct atypical radiolar eyes and a species of Sabellomma are also described as new. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London     

Global trade will accelerate plant invasions in emerging economies under climate change

Trade plays a key role in the spread of alien species and has arguably contributed to the recent enormous acceleration of biological invasions, thus homogenizing biotas worldwide. Combining data on 60‐year trends of bilateral trade, as well as on biodiversity and climate, we modeled the global spread of plant species among 147 countries. The model results were compared with a recently compiled unique global data set on numbers of naturalized alien vascular plant species representing the most comprehensive collection of naturalized plant distributions currently available. The model identifies major source regions, introduction routes, and hot spots of plant invasions that agree well with observed naturalized plant numbers. In contrast to common knowledge, we show that the ‘imperialist dogma,’ stating that Europe has been a net exporter of naturalized plants since colonial times, does not hold for the past 60 years, when more naturalized plants were being imported to than exported from Europe. Our results highlight that the current distribution of naturalized plants is best predicted by socioeconomic activities 20 years ago. We took advantage of the observed time lag and used trade developments until recent times to predict naturalized plant trajectories for the next two decades. This shows that particularly strong increases in naturalized plant numbers are expected in the next 20 years for emerging economies in megadiverse regions. The interaction with predicted future climate change will increase invasions in northern temperate countries and reduce them in tropical and (sub)tropical regions, yet not by enough to cancel out the trade‐related increase.