豚草条纹萤叶甲的交配和产卵行为

在我国大陆发现的豚草条纹萤叶甲Ophraella communaLeSage原产于北美洲,取食入侵生物豚草(Ambrosia artemisiifoliaL.)。通过观察该叶甲的交配和产卵行为以及两者之间的相关性,结果表明,豚草条纹萤叶甲一生多次交配,室内观察1次交配时间平均为38.2min,产卵历期平均13.2d,每雌平均产卵312.1粒;但野外产卵量高于室内,平均为553.8粒;卵多聚产在植株幼嫩叶片的背面。雌成虫平均寿命为16.0d。雌成虫随交配次数的增多,产卵量增大、产卵历期和成虫寿命延长,存在显著的直线相关性。     

Reevaluation of biosecurity of Ophraella communa against sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), originally from North America, has been used for biological control of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, in China since 2007. However, there is still a debate on whether O. communa can attack sunflowers under field conditions. To re-evaluate the biosecurity of O. communa against sunflower (Helianthus annuus), we investigated the population density of O. communa on three sunflower varieties that were intercropped with or planted in circumambience of A. artemisiifolia under field conditions. Our results showed that only very few O. communa eggs (<0.5 eggs/plant) were found on sunflower plants at the last two surveys when sunflowers were planted in circumambience of common ragweed. O. communa eggs were not found on sunflower plants at each survey when sunflowers were intercropped with common ragweed. The first–second instar larvae, third instar larvae, pupae and adults of O. communa were occasionally found on sunflower plants, but their densities were very low under either case of planting patterns. Based on these results, we conclude that sunflower is not a potential host plant for O. communa and the beetle is an effective host-specific biological control agent of common ragweed.     

Control of the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia with Ophraella communa and Epiblema strenuana

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is native to North America, and was unintentionally introduced into China in the 1930s, where it has become invasive. The two insect species Epiblema strenuana and Ophraella communa have been considered as biological control agents of A. artemisiifolia in China. The purpose of this study was to examine the control effect of O. communa + E. strenuana on A. artemisiifolia in the field. The mortality of A. artemisiifolia plants increased with time and increasing initial release densities of O. communa and/or E. strenuana in 2008 and 2009. The treatments of 0.53 O. communa + 0.53 E. strenuana per plant and 12 O. communa + 16 E. strenuana per plant at early (60–70 cm tall) and later (90–100 cm tall) growth stages could subsequently kill all plants prior to seed production in both 2008 and 2009. Thus, the two initial densities of the two insect species may be recommended when they are jointly used for biological control of A. artemisiifolia at the two growth stages. However, all or some plants could survive and bear seeds in any other treatment and in the non-treated control plots. This implies that biological control of A. artemisiifolia with the two biological control agents will be recommended in the areas invaded by A. artemisiifolia in China.     

Rapid cold-hardening response in Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.

In China, an unintentionally introduced beetle Ophraella communa shows good control efficiency against invasive common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. With the aim of understanding the capacity of O. communa to overcome sub-zero low temperature rapidly, the longevity, survival and fecundity of the beetle adults were studied at conditions of different rapid cold-hardening in the laboratory. The results showed that approximately 20% female or male individuals still survive at ?12°C for 2 h, thus the discriminating temperature for rapid cold-hardening of both female and male beetles is ?12°C. The survival, longevity and fecundity of adult beetles were significantly affected by rapid cold-hardening treatments. Compared to the control, the survival rates of adult beetles experiencing 2 h of rapid cold-hardening at 2, 5 and 8°C prior to exposure to its discriminating temperature (?12°C) were significantly increased. Adult longevity and fecundity were significantly higher after pre-treatment at 2, 5 and 8°C for 2 h than those of the control. Both longest longevity and maximum fecundity of adult beetles were observed at the rapid cold-hardening of 2°C. Our experiment implies that the cold-tolerance ability of O. communa can be rapidly increased after rapid cold-hardening treatments, which reveals an important ecological significance for population establishment and expansion of O. communa in the invaded areas of common ragweed.     

Defoliation of common ragweed by Ophraella communa beetle does not affect pollen allergenicity in controlled conditions

Ragweed allergy is one of the primary causes of seasonal allergies in Europe and its prevalence is expected to rise. The leaf beetle Ophraella communa, recently and accidentally established in N-Italy and S-Switzerland, represents a promising approach to control ragweed, but negative side effects should be excluded before its use. Since biotic and abiotic stresses are known to influence the allergenicity of pollen, we set out to assess the effect of sub-lethal defoliation by O. communa on the quantity and quality of ragweed pollen. Seventeen sister pairs (including six clones) of ragweed plants were grown in controlled conditions. One of each pair was exposed to O. communa as soon as the plant started to produce reproductive structures. After 10 weeks of exposure, plant traits were measured as a proxy for pollen quantity. Pollen quality was assessed by measuring its viability and allergenicity. Generally, plants produced very few male flowers and little amount of pollen. Damage by the beetle was severe with most of the leaf tissue removed, but no treatment effect was found on any of the quantitative and qualitative traits assessed. In conclusion, O. communa did not increase the amount or allergenicity of ragweed pollen grains in our experimental conditions.     

Effect of short-term high temperature stress on the development and fecundity of Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Since insects are ectothermic, they are highly vulnerable to the sudden increase of temperature. Indeed, it has been hypothesized that the survival, development, fecundity, and even population expansion of insects are all affected significantly by extremely high temperature. We studied the effect of short-term high temperature stress on the survival and development of different stages, adult longevity and fecundity of Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of the invasive plant, the common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asterales: Asteraceae) in the laboratory. The results showed that egg, larval, pupal and adult survival rates were significantly affected after 2 hour-short-stress at high temperatures (35 to 47°C) when compared to the 28°C control. With the exceptions of the control and 35°C stress, survival rate of females was significantly higher than that of males after short-stress at any high temperature. Short-term high temperature stress also significantly impacted longevity and fecundity of adult beetles. Except for control, female longevity was significantly longer than male's after short-stress at any high temperature. The survival rates of different stages, and adult longevity and fecundity of the beetle decreased significantly with the increase of short-term stress temperature. Based on the results of the present study, we conclude that the development and population expansion of O. communa may be significantly affected when they are exposed to a high temperature stage in a summer day in the areas invaded by common ragweed, in southern China.     

Genetic differentiation in life-history traits of introduced and native common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) populations

Introduced species represent opportunities to observe evolution over contemporary time scales, and as exotics encounter new environments, adaptive responses can occur, potentially contributing to invasion. Here, we compare 22 native North American populations and 12 introduced European populations of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in five common gardens (control, herbivory, light stress, nutrient stress and drought). We found evidence for improved growth and reproduction of the introduced populations in most environments, particularly in the light stress. However, under drought conditions, the introduced plants experienced more rapid wilting and mortality than their native counterparts, evidence consistent with a life-history trade-off between rapid growth and drought tolerance. Moreover, we found parallel latitudinal clines in flowering time and correlations between fitness components and the local climate of the source populations in both ranges. Together these data provide evidence for adaptation to local environmental conditions in the native and introduced range of common ragweed.     

Review of the biology and ecology of a ragweed leaf beetle,Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), which is a biological control agent of an invasive common ragweed,Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asterales: Asteraceae)

A ragweed leaf beetle, Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has been highlighted as a potential biological control agent of Ambrosia artemisiifolia. O. communa and A. artemisiifolia are native in North America and alien species in East Asia and Europe. As an invasive weed, A. artemisiifolia causes severe economic losses as reducing agricultural production as well as producing severe allergenic pollen. As an herbivore insect, O. communa has strong host preference on A. artemisiifolia. All the developmental stages of O. communa can be found on A. artemisiifolia and it attacks a single plant in repeated and extended manners. With few individuals on A. artemisiifolia, O. communa can completely defoliate before pollen production. Therefore, O. communa had been focused as a biological control of this invasive weed, but its introduction was denied because of possible damage on an important crop, Helianthus annuus. O. communa was accidentally introduced in East Asia and Europe in 1990s and 2010s, respectively. Fortunately, O. communa population was well established to suppress A. artemisiifolia in the introduced areas. Following detailed field surveys and host specificity tests of O. communa were conducted and proved a strong potential of O. communa as a biological control agent of A. artemisiifolia. Moreover, O. communa has been investigated in physiological and evolutionary studies. In this study, the potential of O. communa as a biological control agent and a study organism are reviewed.     

Detecting spatial interactions in the ragweed (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Ambrosia artemissifolia</Emphasis> L.) and the ragweed beetle (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Ophraella communa</Emphasis> LeSage) populations

We observed a weed (Ambrosia artemissifolia)–beetle herbivore (Ophraella communa) system for three years in a spatially continuous field (≈200 ha). We analyzed our field data in the light of two contrasting theories: the resource-concentration hypothesis and reaction–diffusion theory. For the resource-concentration hypothesis, we calculated the correlation coefficients between weed and beetle abundances for every season in each year. Although we found weak support for resource concentration in some seasons, we could not find any clear relationships in other seasons. We discuss a dispersal-based mechanism to explain the differences observed among seasons in lieu of the resource-concentration hypothesis. For the reaction–diffusion theory, we estimated the nonparametric spatial covariance functions for the spatial autocorrelation of weeds and beetles. Although we could not find any strong spatial structure for the individual species, we found evidence of spatial interactions between weeds and beetles using time lagged cross-correlation functions. Weed abundance enhanced local beetle abundance. Through time, there was evidence of beetle spillover to adjacent locations at roughly the one beetle-generation time scale. Sites with large number of beetles did not seem to reduce subsequent weed abundance.     

Architectural and physiological mechanisms of reduced size inequality in CO2-enriched stands of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

Testing whether and how subordinate individuals differ from dominants in the utilization of enriched CO₂ atmospheres is important for understanding future stand and community structure. We hypothesized that subordinate and dominant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asteraceae) (common ragweed) plants growing in dense stands would not equally acquire or utilize carbon gains from CO₂-enrichment, and that the resulting disproportionate growth gains to subordinates would reduce size inequalities in competing stands. We grew experimental stands of A. artemisiifolia in either ambient (360 μL L⁻¹) or twice ambient (720 μL L⁻¹) levels of atmospheric CO₂. We compared the relative growth, photosynthetic capacity, and architecture of subordinate and dominant plants in each treatment, and assessed size inequalities using the stand-level coefficient of variation (CV). In elevated CO₂, plants grew larger, but subordinate plants shifted more mass to upper stem allocation than dominants. Dominant plants demonstrated reduced leaf-level photosynthetic gains in elevated CO₂ compared with subordinate plants. Reduced CVs in plant size reflected smaller proportional growth gains by dominants over subordinates in elevated vs. ambient stands. We conclude that differences in the architectural and physiological responses of subordinate and dominant ragweed plants reduce competition and allow subordinate plants to catch up to dominants in elevated CO₂ conditions.     

不同氮素水平下入侵种豚草与本地种黄花蒿、蒙古蒿的竞争关系

已有研究表明,土壤氮素增加可提高外来植物的入侵性,降低本地植物的竞争力.为揭示全球氮沉降对入侵种与本地种之间竞争关系的影响,我们于2010年5-8月在中国科学院北京森林生态系统定位研究站温室内,采用取代系列实验方法(standard replacement experiment),研究了3个氮素水平下入侵种豚草(Ambrosia artemisiifolia)与本地种黄花蒿(Artemisia annua)、蒙古蒿(Artemisia mongolica)的生长特征及种内、种间竞争关系的变化.实验采用双因素-随机区组设计,设置了低氮、中氮和高氮3个氮素水平,每一氮素水平分别设置豚草和黄花蒿、豚草和蒙古蒿组成的竞争实验,生长90 d后测量株高和生物量.结果表明:单栽情况下,随氮素水平的增加3个物种的株高均增加,而生物量均无显著变化;混栽情况下,3个物种株高和生物量随氮素水平的增加变化各异,豚草呈极显著增加趋势,而黄花蒿无明显变化,蒙古蒿则先增加后减少.豚草的快速生长使其在竞争中处于优势地位,对本地种黄花蒿和蒙古蒿产生明显的竞争效应.但不同氮素水平下,豚草对本地种的竞争力不同:低氮素水平下,豚草＜两个本地种;中氮素水平下,黄花蒿＜豚草＜蒙古蒿;高氮素水平下,豚草＞两个本地种.氮素添加显著提高了豚草的种间竞争力,改变了豚草与本地种之间的竞争关系,使竞争有利于入侵种.据此推测,在全球变化的背景下,氮沉降的增加将会促进外来种豚草的入侵,增加本地群落的可入侵性.     

A Novel Device for the Collection, Storage, Transport, and Delivery of Beneficial Insects, and its Application to Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

A multi-use device was developed for the collection, short-term storage, transport, and delivery of Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. The device is made from a 125-ml plastic specimen container that can hold O. communa adults or pupae. When used as an aspirator, insect collection and counting times are reduced. O. communa adults and pupae can be stored inside the container at 3°C with median survival of 41 and 21 days, respectively. A cotton wick saturated with water or a 5% sugar solution nourishes insects during transport and the container design minimizes insect mortality by providing an optimum microclimate during insect storage and transport. Designed to protect insects from rainfall and to limit encounters with predators and parasites, the containers can be used for field releases of O. communa adults and pupae. Although the container has been designed and tested for O. communa, it is highly versatile and could possibly be used with a variety of insect species.     

High genetic diversity in French invasive populations of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, as a result of multiple sources of introduction

Ambrosia artemisiifolia is an aggressive North American annual weed, found particularly in sunflower and corn fields. Besides its economic impact on crop yield, it represents a major health problem because of its strongly allergenic pollen. Ragweed was imported inadvertently to Europe in the 18th century and has become invasive in several countries, notably in the Rhône Valley of France. It has recently expanded in both the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Bourgogne regions. As first steps towards understanding the causes and mechanisms of ragweed invasion, genetic variability of French and North American populations was analysed using microsatellites. Overall genetic variability was similar in North America and in the Rhône-Alpes region, but within-population levels of genetic variability were surprisingly lower in native than in invasive French populations. French populations also exhibited lower among-population differentiation. A significant pattern of isolation by distance was detected among North American populations but not among French populations. Assignment tests and distribution of rare alleles did not point to a single origin for all French populations, nor for all individuals within populations and private alleles from different North American populations were found in the same French populations. Indeed, within all French populations, individual plants were roughly equally assigned to the different North American populations. Altogether, these results suggest that the French invasive populations include plants from a mixture of sources. Reduced diversity in populations distant from the original area of introduction indicated that ragweed range expansion probably occurred through sequential bottlenecks from the original populations, and not from subsequent new introductions.     

Variation in cold hardiness among geographic populations of the ragweed beetle, Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), in China

The ragweed beetle, Ophraella communa, is a potential biological control agent of common ragweed that appeared in Nanjing City in 2001 and has since dispersed throughout southeast China. We compared the cold hardiness of five different O. communa populations by measuring the supercooling point (SCP), water and glycerol contents of adult beetles. All indices of cold hardiness varied significantly among the sampled populations. Male beetles from the most northerly population (Nanjing) had the lowest water content of any sampled and, although female beetles from Nanchang and Miluo had water content similar to those from Nanjing, they were still lower than those of females from Fuzhou and Wuchang. Beetles from the most southerly population (Fuzhou) had the highest SCP, although Nanchang males were not significantly different from Fuzhou males. Glycerol content yielded resolution of populations as follows: Nanjing > Wuchang = Miluo = Nanchang > Fuzhou, with beetles from Nanjing yielding twice the glycerol content of Fuzhou beetles. These results suggest that overwintering O. communa use freeze avoidance to survive winter cold and that geographically separated populations of O. communa are diverging with respect to their baseline cold hardiness in accordance with the severity of low temperatures experienced during the coldest winter months in each locality. The apparent ability of O. communa to rapidly adapt to different climatic conditions is predicted to facilitate its continued range expansion across mainland China, with consequent benefits in terms of fortuitous biological control of common ragweed.     

Impact of simulated acidic rain on growth, photosynthetic pigments, cell metabolites, and leaf characteristics of green gram

Seedlings of green gram (Vigna radiata cv. ADT-1 and CO-5) were exposed to daily showers of simulated acidic rain (H2SO4 : HNO3 : HCl, 4 : 2 : 1, v/v) for 10 d. The effects were analysed after 5 and 10 showers, respectively. Rain of pH 2.5 inhibited seedling growth and biomass accumulation, though in other acidic levels the effects were mostly inconsistent. Both cultivars had high degree of surface wettability indicated by high leaf surface contact angles and water-holding capacity. Treated leaves were thinner with smaller mesophyll cells. Stomatal index and trichome density were lower in contrast to epidermal cell density and stomatal frequency which increased with increasing acidity. Decreases in chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoid (Car), and starch contents in cv. ADT-1 at pH 2.5 were observed after 5 showers, while in cv. CO-5 decreases were noted only after 10 showers. In contrast to total sugar levels, the protein content of cv. CO-5 was augmented significantly after simulated acidic rain (SAR) treatment.     

Host range validation,molecular identification and release and establishment of a Chinese biotype of the Asian leaf beetle Lilioceris cheni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae) for control of Dioscorea bulbifera L. in the southern United States

Dioscorea bulbifera, an Asian vine, is invasive in the southeastern USA. It rarely flowers but propagates from potato-like bulbils formed in leaf axils, which persist into the subsequent growing season. Lilioceris cheni Gressitt and Kimoto, a foliage-feeding beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae) from Nepal, had been tested, proven to be a specialist and approved for release as a biological control agent. Regulatory delays, however, resulted in the demise of quarantine-held colonies, and acquisition of new Nepalese stock proved untenable. Searches then undertaken in southern China resulted in the collection of over 300 similar beetles. Two Chinese Lilioceris species were identified: one confirmed to be L. cheni and the other identified as Lilioceris egena (Weise). Mitochondrial analysis revealed an exact DNA match between some Chinese and one of the two Nepalese c oxidase subunit I haplotypes and all Chinese L. cheni haplotypes clustered as a single species but the comingling of the two species aroused concerns over possible hybridisation. These concerns were allayed by nuclear D2 analysis showing the absence of dual parental sequences. Nonetheless, diligence was exercised to ensure that the Chinese strains were safe to release. Abridged host testing using critical test species verified specificity. Caged releases during autumn 2011 documented the ability of adult beetles to overwinter in south Florida despite a prolonged lack of foliage. Open releases the following year produced vigorous populations that caused extensive defoliation. Preliminary observations indicate that L. cheni now contributes to the control of D. bulbifera and the bulbil-feeding L. egena should complement these effects if its host range proves appropriate.     

Life history parameters of the coccinellid beetle, Oenopia conglobata contaminata, an important predator of the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea)

The predatory beetle, Oenopia conglobata contaminata, is associated with the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae, the major pistachio pest in Iran. Successful development and reproduction on both A. pistaciae and Aphis gossypii (the major weed aphid in the pistachio orchards) indicated they were suitable prey for O. conglobata contaminata. Under ample prey supply, larval development on A. pistaciae was shorter and mortality was lower compared to those reared on A. gossypii. Furthermore, this ladybird attacks and destroys a large number of psyllid nymphs during the whole of its larval period (620±17 fourth stage nymphs) and also in its adult stage (191±7.5 4^th stage nymphs daily). The optimum temperature for development was 30°C, the theoretical threshold for development was 13°C and thermal requirements from egg to adult was estimated as 196 degree-days (°D). Fecundity for the first 21 days of adult life was 387 and 355 eggs when females fed on A. pistaciae and A. gossypii nymphs, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) at 27.5°C was 0.19 and 0.18 when ladybirds were fed on psyllid and aphid nymphs, respectively. In a laboratory choice experiment, the adult ladybirds showed a strong preference for A. pistaciae compared to A. gossypii. This was in agreement with our field observation that O. conglobata contaminata is almost always found on psyllid colonies, even when aphids were plentiful on weeds in the pistachio orchards. The influence of the predator on psyllid seasonal population under natural condition was not studied in this investigation and this subject must be measured in subsequent trials.     

三种酰胺类新农药对水稻孕穗期稻纵卷叶螟的防效试验

单季杂交晚稻孕穗期稻纵卷叶螟Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guenée发生不整齐,为害重,在主治药剂氟虫腈即将禁用之际,急需防治高龄幼虫的长效药剂,酰胺类农药是满足这一条件的新一代农药。3种酰胺类农药试验结果,在单季稻孕穗期防治稻纵卷叶螟,20%氟虫双酰胺(WDG)150g/hm2处理速效性与持效性表现最好,药后3d防效达90.3%,药后15d防效高达96.2%;20%氯虫苯甲酰胺(SC)150mL/hm2处理速效性略低于氟虫双酰胺,持效接近,药后3d、15d防效分别达75.2%、91.2%;40%氯虫·噻虫嗪(WDG)120mL/hm2处理速效介于氟虫双酰胺和氯虫苯甲酰胺之间,持效略低于前二者,药后3d、15d防效分别为83.2%、88.3%。对照药剂5%氟虫腈(SC)750mL/hm2和90%杀虫单3000g/hm2处理药后3d、15d的防效均低于上述3种酰胺类新药剂。保叶效果以氯虫苯甲酰胺、氟虫双酰胺处理最高,药后15d保叶率分别为83.6%和85.0%,二者无显著差异,其次为氯虫·噻虫嗪处理为59.6%,3种酰胺类新药剂保叶效果均显著高于对照药剂氟虫腈和杀虫单。结果表明,3种酰胺类农药孕穗期防治稻纵卷叶螟的药效、持效性和保叶效果均高于当前主治药剂氟虫腈、杀虫单,可在生产上推广应用。     

Morpho-molecular analysis as a prognostic model for repulsive feedback of the medicinal plant “Andrographis paniculata” to allogamy

Andrographis paniculata Nees. (AP) is a self-pollinated medicinal herb with a wide range of pharmaceutical properties, facing a low diversity in Malaysia. Cross-pollination of AP accessions leads to considerable rates of heterosis in the agro-morphological characteristics and anticancer phytochemicals of this eminent medicinal herb. However, the poor crossability of the plant at the interpopulation or intraspecific levels is an obstacle from the evolutionary and breeding points of view as an average of 4.56% crossability was recorded for AP in this study. Hence, this research aimed to elicit the impact of parental genetic distances (GDs) on the rate of crossability of AP using seven accessions in 21 possible cross combinations. To this end, a set of 55 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers and a total of 13 agro-morphological markers were employed to test the hypothesis. Twenty-two out of the 55 RAPD primers amplified a total of 257 bands of which 107 bands were found to be polymorphic. The principal component analysis (PCA) based on the RAPD markers revealed that the studied AP accessions were distributed to three distinct groups. Furthermore, it was noticed that even a minor increase in GD between two parents can cause a decline in their crossability. Unlike, the morphological-based GDs acted neutrally to crossability. This finding suggests that, despite the low genetic diversity among the Malaysian APs, a population prescreening using RAPD markers would be useful to enhance the rate of fruit set through selecting the genetically adjacent parents.