The diet of a declining Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax population on Islay,Scotland

Capsule: We quantify Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax diet from faecal samples collected on Islay. Dung invertebrates formed the majority of prey biomass in dune pasture and Tipulid larvae in mixed pasture but Aphodius larvae were scarce in the diet, whereas they had been a major component in the 1980s. There are management implications from the indication of a reduction in availability of preferred food.     

饲料类型对茶尺蠖幼虫肠道细菌多样性及幼虫存活率的影响

【目的】茶尺蠖是茶园中的重要害虫。研究茶尺蠖寄主食物-肠道菌群-茶尺蠖生长发育三者之间的关系对于茶尺蠖的防治具有重要的理论指导价值。【方法】分析不添加茶叶因子的纯人工饲料和茶树鲜叶对茶尺蠖幼虫的存活影响;用高通量测序技术分析不同饲料饲喂的茶尺蠖幼虫的肠道菌群异同。【结果】取食人工饲料的幼虫死亡率远远高于取食茶树鲜叶的幼虫;取食人工饲料的幼虫肠道细菌多样性和丰富度高于取食茶树鲜叶的幼虫;茶尺蠖幼虫肠道中存在很多促进宿主生长的细菌。【结论】饲料类型影响茶尺蠖幼虫的存活;饲料类型影响茶尺蠖幼虫肠道菌群结构。     

Transgenic tobacco plants expressing Tarin 1 inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and the development of Spodoptera frugiperda

The protein Tarin 1, from Colocasia esculenta, was expressed in Nicotiana tabacum. Bioassays were done on plants expressing Tarin 1 at different levels using Spodoptera frugiperda larvae, various bacteria and fungi and the root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. It was found that S. frugiperda larvae fed on transformed plants had retarded and lower pupation, lower accumulated biomass and higher mortality rate than larvae fed on control plants. Also, Tarin 1 was found to inhibit the growth in vitro of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. For Meloidogyne javanica, both relative replication and root damage were greater in control plants than in transformed plants, but the results were not statistically significant. This work illustrates the effects of plants expressing Tarin 1, on the growth and development of insects and bacteria, and shows its potential for pest management.     

Who’s in the hood? Assessing a novel rodent deterrent at pest fencing in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Fenced ecosanctuaries may reduce predator presence at reserves by incorporating deterrents into pest management programmes. We quantified rodent visits to the steel hood of ecosanctuary fencing and illuminated our experimental sites to assess whether light could deter ship rats (Rattus rattus) and house mice (Mus musculus). Additionally, we assessed how mice used fencing in the presence and absence of ship rats by utilising two types of fence sections: one accessible to mice alone (along fencing within an ecosanctuary) and one accessible to mice and rats (at perimeter fence sites opposite pasture or forest habitat). We monitored sites using cameras and tracking cards within the fence hood and at tunnels at the fence base. Along the internal fence, mice were never observed within the hood but marked 40% of tunnels at the fence base. Along the perimeter fence, mice made four visits to the hood and marked 28% of tunnels at the fence base. Rats travelled exclusively within the fence hood (n?=?42). Light did not reduce rat sightings but adjacent habitat affected their presence (forest > pasture; p?≤?0.01). Positioning future ecosanctuary fencing alongside pasture and maintaining open corridors opposite fences at current ecosanctuaries may reduce rat presence.     

A virus of black beetle,Heteronychus arator (F.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

During a survey for pathogens of black beetle, high mortality was observed in a population in kikuyu pasture at Wharepapa, near Helensville. Several pathogens were isolated from larvae and adults, including a protozoan (possibly Adelina sp.), a rickettsia, a fungus (Beauvaria sp.), a neoaplectanid nematode, and a small RNA virus. The virus was transmitted to larvae of Pseudaletia separata, Galleria mellonella, Aphodius tasmaniae, and Pericoptus truncatus, and a fatal paralysis ensued after 14–37 days. The potential of the neoaplectanid nematode and the virus in control is discussed.     

Genetic transformation of Medicago truncatula using Agrobacterium with genetically modified Ri and disarmed Ti plasmids

Summary Fertile transgenic plants of the annual pasture legume Medicago truncatula were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, utilising a disarmed Ti plasmid and a binary vector containing the kanamycin resistance gene under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Factors contributing to the result included an improved plant regeneration protocol and the use of explants from a plant identified as possessing high regeneration capability from tissue culture. Genes present on the T-DNA of the Ri plasmid had a negative effect on somatic embryogenesis. Only tissue inoculated with Agrobacterium strains containing a disarmed Ti plasmid lacking the T-DNA region or a Ri plasmid with an inactivated rol A gene regenerated transgenic plants. Fertile transgenic plants were only obtained with disarmed A. tumefaciens, and the introduced NPT II gene was transmitted to R₁ progeny.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - NPT neomycin phosphotransferase     

新疆野果林苹果腐烂病病原菌鉴定及药用植物内生细菌对其抑菌效果

【背景】药用植物内生细菌能产生与寄主植物相同或相似的化合物及一些新的次级代谢产物等,具有促进宿主植物生长、抵抗病虫害、降解有毒有害化合物等作用。【目的】进一步提高苹果腐烂病生物防治的效率,丰富新疆药用植物内生细菌拮抗功能菌株的资源库。【方法】从新疆伊犁新源县和塔城额敏县野果林中采集带腐烂病病斑的果树枝条,分离鉴定苹果腐烂病病原菌,并采用平板对峙法从药用植物内生细菌中筛选对苹果腐烂病具有抑制作用的拮抗菌株。【结果】从两地共分离获得234株分离株,筛选鉴定出25株Valsa malicola和2株Valsa mali;同时,筛选出92株具有抑菌效果的内生细菌菌株,其中70株来自甘草植物内生细菌。【结论】药用植物甘草中富含较为丰富的抗苹果腐烂病病原菌的微生物菌株资源。本研究在新疆野果林苹果腐烂病的生物防治及药用植物内生细菌的开发利用等方面具有重要意义。     

Unexpected larval habit of Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) raises questions about population dynamics analysis and management

Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) is a pest of agriculturally important graminaceous species, with mining larvae that kill the stems of the host plants. In this study, larval populations were measured in spring and summer in irrigated dairy grassland comprising Lolium perenne L. (cv. Nui) with and without the endophyte Epichloë festucae var. lolii Latch, M.J. Chr. and Samuels and Poa annua L.. Larvae were extracted from tillers taken from the swards of these two grass species and extracted from turves, and L. bonariensis population densities were estimated from tiller and turf larval counts on a m⁻² basis. Over the study period, the total number of larvae and larval densities extracted from turves was on average 2× greater than indicated from tillers. In most seasons, larval densities from turves were significantly higher than those from the tillers, though there was no correlation between tiller and turf larval densities. Mean head capsule widths of larvae emerging from turf samples showed significant seasonal effects compared with tillers, while mean head capsule widths of all four instars were significantly greater when extracted from tillers compared with turves. There was a significant endophyte effect on head capsule widths of larvae collected in summer, but the effect was not consistent across instars or source. Conversely, no significant endophyte effect on head capsule width was found in spring populations from either tillers or turves. This study shows that in irrigated dairy pasture, a high proportion of L. bonariensis larvae can live externally of tillers, presumably among the organic matter around the base of grasses in irrigated dairy pasture, and that density estimates based only on tiller populations will have significantly underestimated actual numbers. Having a precise indication of larval population densities is essential when developing life tables or determining economic damage threshold levels.     

Delayed larval development in Anopheles mosquitoes deprived of Asaiabacterial symbionts

Background

In recent years, acetic acid bacteria have been shown to be frequently associated with insects, but knowledge on their biological role in the arthropod host is limited. The discovery that acetic acid bacteria of the genus Asaia are a main component of the microbiota of Anopheles stephensi makes this mosquito a useful model for studies on this novel group of symbionts. Here we present experimental results that provide a first evidence for a beneficial role of Asaia in An. stephensi.

Results

Larvae of An. stephensi at different stages were treated with rifampicin, an antibiotic effective on wild-type Asaia spp., and the effects on the larval development were evaluated. Larvae treated with the antibiotic showed a delay in the development and an asynchrony in the appearance of later instars. In larvae treated with rifampicin, but supplemented with a rifampicin-resistant mutant strain of Asaia, larval development was comparable to that of control larvae not exposed to the antibiotic. Analysis of the bacterial diversity of the three mosquito populations confirmed that the level of Asaia was strongly decreased in the antibiotic-treated larvae, since the symbiont was not detectable by PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), while Asaia was consistently found in insects supplemented with rifampicin plus the antibiotic-resistant mutant in the diet, and in those not exposed to the antibiotic.

Conclusions

The results here reported indicate that Asaia symbionts play a beneficial role in the normal development of An. stephensi larvae.

     

Predation on Australian soldier fly,Inopus rubriceps (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), in pasture

Abstract

Invertebrate predation on the soil-living stages of Australian soldier fly may be a significant factor in the regulation of this pest of North Island grasslands. Laboratory and field experiments on larvae of Conoderus exsul and Agrypnus variabilis (Elateridae), adults and larvae of Thyreocephalus orthodoxus (Staphylinidae), and adults of Rhytisternus miser (Carabidae) suggest that all may influence the densities of soldier fly through predation on larvae and/or eggs. The functional responses of C. exsul, A. variabilis, and T. orthodoxus to soldier fly larval density are discussed. Selective removal of predators from pasture with insecticide showed that predation may account for up to 75% loss of the early instars of soldier fly.     

普洱地区茶叶内生细菌与根际土壤细菌群落结构分析

[目的]茶叶内生细菌、根际土壤细菌在普洱茶的发酵中起着重要的作用,还可以促进茶树生长,诱导茶树抗病性.研究其群落结构组成及相互关系可为微生物资源开发利用提供理论依据.[方法]本研究以普洱地区茶树叶片和根际土壤为材料,采用高通量测序技术,对茶叶及根际土壤细菌的16S核糖体RNA基因(16S rRNA)进行测序,比较分析茶...     

Past and present vegetation in relation to solifluction on Ben Arkle,Sutherland

Background: Forest succession in tropical pastures usually starts from woody vegetation patches. Patches may arise within the grass matrix at microsites with favourable soil conditions or through facilitation by established nurse plants.

Aims: We report the formation of woody vegetation patches in tropical pastures after investigating whether patch formation was associated with micro-scale terrain features and whether facilitation was important for patch initiation.

Methods: The study was conducted in three pasture sites in the Atlantic forest domain of Brazil. We compared soil, terrain and species abundance patterns among pairs of woody patch and open pasture plots.

Results: The effect of variation in soil physical and chemical attributes was limited. Some species were able to establish in the grass matrix and survive disturbance from grazing and fire, while other species only established in patches, under other already established trees or shrubs. Some of these species were exotics, which are commonly eliminated in restoration efforts.

Conclusions: Allowing the establishment of species capable of withstanding pasture environments, including exotics, can accelerate succession. Furthermore, the abilities to endure competition from grasses and survive fire are key features of species suitable for the initial stages of forest restoration in tropical pastures.     

Inhibition of methanogenesis by sulphate reducing bacteria competing for transferred hydrogen

A methanogenic bacterial consortium was obtained after inoculation of benzoate medium under N₂/CO₂ atmosphere with intertidal sediment. A hydrogen donating organotroph andMethanococcus mazei were isolated from this enrichment. H₂-utilising sulphate reducing bacteria were isolated under H₂/CO₂ in the absence of organic electron donors. TheMethanococcus was able to produce methane in yeast extract medium under N₂/CO₂ if the H₂ donating organism was present, and sulphate reduction occurred if the hydrogen utilising sulphate reducing bacteria were grown with the H₂ donating organism. The ability of the H₂ utilising sulphate reducing bacteria to inhibitMethanococcus competitively was shown in cultures containing both of these H₂ utilising bacteria.Abbreviations HDO hydrogen donating organism - SRB sulphate reducing bacteria - HSRB hydrogen utilising sulphate reducing bacteria     

Substratum/bacterial interactions and larval attachment: Films and exopolysaccharides of Halomonas marina (ATCC 25374) and their effect on barnacle cyprid larvae,Balanus amphitrite Darwin

Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the interaction between adhesion of the bacterium Halomonas marina to substrata of different wettabilities, the combination of which has been demonstrated to influence the attachment response of cyprid larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Cyprid attachment in the presence of bacterial films was shown to be inhibited when films were on polystyrene but not on tissue‐culture polystyrene or glass. Using an enzyme‐linked lectin assay, bacteria on polystyrene showed an increase in binding of the lectin concanavalin A compared to bacteria on tissue‐culture treated polystyrene, indicating a difference in surface polymers associated with H. marina when attached to different substrata. Although bacterial growth supernatants when adsorbed to polystyrene were inhibitory to barnacle attachment, exopolysaccharides, to which the lectins may be binding, were not inhibitory. The data indicate that adhesion of films of bacteria to polystyrene alters the exopolymer production by H. marina and it is suggested that this change may be involved in the inhibition of cyprid attachment. However, the inhibition of cyprid larvae does not appear to be associated with the exopolysaccharides of the bacterium.     

Phenological asynchrony between host plant and gypsy moth reduces insect gut microbiota and susceptibility to Bacillus thuringiensis

The phenological synchrony between the emergence of overwintering herbivorous insects and the budding of host plants is considered a crucial factor in the population dynamics of herbivores. However, the mechanisms driving the interactions between the host plant, herbivores, and their pathogens are often obscure. In the current study, an artificially induced phenological asynchrony was used to investigate how the asynchrony between silver birch Betula pendula and gypsy moth Lymantria dispar affects the immunity of the insect to bacteria, its susceptibility to the entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, and the diversity in its midgut microbiota. The lysozyme‐like activity in both the midgut and hemolymph plasma and the nonspecific esterase activity and antimicrobial peptide gene expression in the midgut were studied in both noninfected and B. thuringiensis‐infected larvae. Our results provide the first evidence that phenologically asynchronous larvae are less susceptible to B. thuringiensis infection than phenologically synchronous larvae, and our results show that these effects are related to the high basic levels and B. thuringiensis‐induced levels of lysozyme‐like activities. Moreover, a 16S rRNA analysis revealed that dramatic decreases in the diversity of the larval gut bacterial consortia occurred under the effect of asynchrony. Larvae infected with B. thuringiensis presented decreased microbiota diversity if the larvae were reared synchronously with the host plant but not if they were reared asynchronously. Our study demonstrates the significant effect of phenological asynchrony on innate immunity‐mediated interactions between herbivores and entomopathogenic bacteria and highlights the role of nonpathogenic gut bacteria in these interactions.     

两种象甲幼虫肠道微生物组成及对高单宁食物的适应

【目的】象甲是栎属植物橡子中主要的寄生昆虫,但其适应高单宁食物(橡子)的肠道微生物基础尚待揭示。本研究分析了蒙古栎和辽东栎橡子中两种柞栎象(Curculio arakawai和C.dentipes)幼虫的肠道菌群结构和多样性,试图阐明柞栎象幼虫适应高单宁食物的肠道微生物基础。【方法】分别提取蒙古栎和辽东栎橡子中象甲幼虫各50头的肠道DNA,利用Illumina MiSeq技术对肠道菌群的V3–V4区序列进行16S rRNA测序,统计样品操作分类单元(OTU)数量,分析物种组成丰度、α多样性和β多样性。【结果】结果表明,可用于物种分类的OTU分别有2054和2308个,C. arakawai和C. dentipes共有的OUT 481个。在两种柞栎象C. arakawai和C. dentipes肠道菌群中,共注释到的主要分类阶元有27个门、145个科和274个属。变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)在两种象甲肠道菌群中占优势;假单胞菌属Pseudomonas(63.8%)、沙雷氏菌属Serratia(6%)和不动杆菌属Acinetobacter (5.2%)是C. arakawai肠道中的主要类群,而沙雷氏菌属Serratia (32%)、拉恩菌属Rahnella(24.2%)、气单胞菌属Aeromonas(6.8%)和立克次体属Rickettsia(6.6%)在C.dentipes肠道菌群中占主导优势。C. arakawai和C. dentipes肠道菌群α多样性无显著差异,β多样性则差异显著。具有单宁酶活性的肠道细菌,如粘质沙雷菌Serratia marcescens、乳球菌Lactococcus lactis、假单胞菌Pseudomonas spp.在C. arakawai和C. dentipes之间差异不显著。【结论】寄生在蒙古栎和辽东栎橡子中的C. arakawai和C.dentipes肠道菌群组成迥异,这可能与遗传因素和食物特点有关。具有单宁酶活性的粘质沙雷氏菌Serratia marcescens和乳球菌Lactococcus lactis等菌类可能是两种象甲幼虫适应高单宁食物的肠道微生物基础。     

Impact of non‐pathogenic bacteria on insect disease resistance: importance of ecological context

1. The aerial surface of plants is a habitat for large and diverse microbial communities; termed the phyllosphere. These microbes are unavoidably consumed by herbivores, and while the entomopathogens are well studied, the impact of non‐pathogenic bacteria on herbivore life history is less clear. 2. Previous work has suggested that consumption of non‐entomopathogenic bacteria induces a costly immune response that might decrease the risk of infection. However, we hypothesised that insect herbivores should be selective in how they respond to commonly encountered non‐pathogenic bacteria on their host plants to avoid unnecessary and costly immune responses. 3. An ecologically realistic scenario was used in which we fed cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni Hübner, larvae on cabbage or cucumber leaves treated with the common non‐entomopathogenic phyllosphere bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. syringae. Their constitutive immunity and resistance to a pathogenic bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis; Bt) and a baculovirus (T. ni single nucleopolyhedrovirus) were then examined. 4. While feeding on bacteria‐treated leaves reduced the growth rate and condition of T. ni, there was no effect on immunity (haemolymph antibacterial and phenoloxidase activities and haemocyte numbers). Phyllosphere bacteria weakly affected the resistance of T. ni to Bt but the direction of this effect was concentration dependent; resistance to the virus was unaffected. Host plant had an impact, with cucumber‐fed larvae being more susceptible to Bt. 5. The lack of evidence for a costly immune response to non‐entomopathogenic bacteria suggests that T. ni are probably adapted to consuming common phyllosphere bacteria, and highlights the importance of the evolutionary history of participants in multi‐trophic interactions.     

Cytosolic LOX overexpression in Arabidopsis enhances the attractiveness of parasitic wasps in response to herbivory and incidences of parasitism

Abstract

In response to herbivory by cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) larvae, crucifer plants emit green leaf volatiles (GLVs) that attract Cotesia glomerata, a carnivorous natural enemy of the larvae. To artificially increase GLV production by crucifers, we created transgenic Arabidopsis that constitutively expressed cucumber cytosolic lipoxygenase (CsLOX2). Transgenic Arabidopsis (p35S::CsLOX2.6 and p35S::CsLOX2.14) infested with P. rapae larvae were more attractive to C. glomerata than wild type (wt) and produced more jasmonic acid. p35S::CsLOX2.14 had a higher incidence of parasitism of the larvae than did wt. Infested transgenic plants emitted more (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, (Z)-β-ocimene, and DMNT than infested wt plants; (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate is known to attract Cotesia wasps. Transforming cruciferous crops with cytosolic CsLOX2 could aid integrated pest management via tritrophic interactions.     

Egg clumping,host plant selection and population regulation in Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera)

Summary Since the successful control of prickly pear cactus by Cactoblastis cactorum in Australia, populations of plants and moths have persisted at low densities in open woodland sites. A contagious egg distribution causes overcrowding of larvae on some plants but insures low levels or no attack of other plants. This prevents extinction of plants and insects. Cactoblastis moths choose plants with characteristics which may increase the success of their larvae. Field observations and cage experiments indicate that large, green cactuses near previously attacked cactuses receive more eggs. Plants which are actively photosynthesizing are also more attractive as oviposition sites. These oviposition preferences contribute to the observed contagious egg distribution.While open woodland Opuntia and Cactoblastis populations fluctuate around an equilibrium, pasture populations may better be described by the hide and seek model, with the woodland populations serving as refuges. Average plant quality and variation in quality are suggested as important components in the dynamics of this system.This paper is dedicated to the memory of our friend Mike Sabath.