Edge effects on epiphytic lichen diversity in the forest-steppe of the Kazakh Altai

Background: Forests in forest-steppe ecotones are usually highly fragmented and much of the forested area is exposed to climate and land-use-related edge effects.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that the epiphytic lichen diversity at the forest edges was reduced compared with that in the forest interior, and to analyse lichen diversity in comparison with the more highly elevated and more continental Mongolian Altai.

Methods: Six plots each in the interior and the edge with a total of 240 Larix sibirica trees were studied in the Katon-Karagai National Park, East Kazakhstan.

Results: Species richness and evenness at the tree level were higher in the interior than at the edge. The epiphytic lichen diversity in the forest interior was similar in the Kazakh and Mongolian Altai, whereas that at the forest edge was lower in the Mongolian Altai.

Conclusions: Strong degradation of the forest edges in the Kazakh Altai is the probable cause of the reduced epiphytic lichen diversity compared with the interior. The similar species richness in the forest interiors of the Kazakh and Mongolian Altai suggests that the differences at the forest edge are probably, at least partly, due to different land-use regimes and not to differences in macroclimate.     

Epiphytic lichens as indicators of grazing pressure in the Mongolian forest-steppe

The ecological impact of the traditional land use by pastoral nomads on forest ecosystems is little studied. We analyzed the influence of livestock density on epiphytic lichen diversity in larch forests of the Mongolian forest-steppe, which we selected as a case example because pastoral nomadism is here most widespread within Central Asia. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the epiphytic lichen vegetation was strongly influenced by the livestock density within a radius of 1 km around the sampled forests. Goats together with horses were most significant at shaping lichen vegetation in the forest edges as were horses alone in the forest interiors. This result matches with the results of interviews with 169 herder families and own field observations, which substantiate that goats preferably graze at the edges, whereas horses often browse the interiors. The livestock impact is thought to be primarily exerted through fertilization by the animals and mechanical abrasion. Based on an indicator species analyses, we propose to use epiphytic lichens as indicators of the grazing impact at different livestock densities in the Mongolian forest-steppe. The proposed indication system can be used as a tool for the rapid assessment of the livestock grazing impact. It has the advantage that it is thought to average the livestock impact of several years, which is important with regard to the nomadic style of livestock husbandry. The use of lichens as indicator species can at least partly substitute the time-consuming interviewing of the herder families to assess livestock densities and their impact on forest biodiversity. The proposed indicator system could thus be used as a planning tool for purposes of nature conservation.     

Epiphytic lichen diversity and its dependence on bark chemistry in the northern Mongolian dark taiga

Epiphytic lichen diversity was studied in a dark taiga forest of Pinus sibirica, Abies sibirica and Picea obovata in the western Khentey Mountains, northern Mongolia. Though most lichen species occurred on all three tree species, lichen diversity was higher on Abies and Picea than on Pinus. On branches, lichen vegetation differed less between tree species than on the trunk. The occurrence of many Parmeliaceae species with a hydrophilic surface and of many species producing the dibenzofuran usnic acid gives evidence of the low deposition of acidic pollutants in the study area. The Mn content of bark, which is known to limit at high values the abundance of epiphytic lichens in coniferous forests of Europe and North America, is apparently not controlling the spatial distribution of epiphytic lichens in the dark taiga of Mongolia. This is attributed to the dry and cold winters in Mongolia, as high Mn is especially leached from the surface of trees under moist conditions at temperatures around the freezing point, when the contact between water droplets and the tree surface is particularly intensive. Such moist and cold weather conditions are frequent in most parts of the northern coniferous forests of Europe and North America, but are rare events in the most continental parts of Asia, i.e. in Mongolia and eastern Siberia.     

Lead and copper effects on lipid metabolism in cultured lichen photobionts with different phosphorus status

We evaluated the ability of heavy metals (copper, lead) to alter lipid metabolism in four algal lichen photobionts following short term exposure. Metal concentrations (10 microM) were equivalent to environmentally relevant levels that have been reported to have effects on intact algae. The algae were grown under normal or deficient phosphate conditions to assess any interactions with the heavy metal stress. Given the frequent sensitivity of lichens to copper and lead, there were surprisingly small changes on lipid metabolism, as assessed by radiolabelling from [1-14C]acetate. The main effects, which were seen in a number of cases, were an overall inhibition of total lipid labelling and a relative increase in the labelling of triacylglycerols in the non-polar fraction. Both of these changes can be viewed as reflecting general toxicity of heavy metals. The Coccomyxa photobiont species were more sensitive than Trebouxia species, which fits with the general distribution of the latter in lichens inhabiting harsh environments.     

The sister-group relationships of the largest family of lichenized fungi,Parmeliaceae (Lecanorales, Ascomycota)

Parmeliaceae is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. In spite of its importance for fungal diversity, its relationships with other families in Lecanorales remain poorly known. To better understand the evolutionary history of the diversification of lineages and species richness in Parmeliaceae it is important to know the phylogenetic relationships of the closest relatives of the family. A recent study based on two molecular loci suggested that either Protoparmelia s. str. or a group consisting of Gypsoplaca and Protoparmelia s. str. were the possible sister-group candidates of Parmeliaceae, but that study could not distinguish between these two alternatives. Here, we used a four-locus phylogeny (nuLSU, ITS, RPB1, MCM7) to reveal relationships of Parmeliaceae with other potential relatives in Lecanorales. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses showed that Protoparmelia is polyphyletic, with Protoparmelia s. str. (including Protoparmelia badia and Protoparmelia picea) being most closely related to Parmeliaceae s. str., while the Protoparmelia atriseda-group formed the sister-group to Miriquidica. Gypsoplaca formed the sister-group to the Parmeliaceae s. str. + Protoparmelia s. str. clade. Monophyly of Protoparmelia as currently circumscribed, and Gypsoplaca as sister-group to Parmeliaceae s. str. were both significantly rejected by alternative hypothesis testing.     

温郁金内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18对植物病原菌的抑菌谱及拮抗机理

通过体外培养法,研究了药用植物温郁金内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18对几种常见的植物病原菌的抑菌谱及其拮抗机理。结果表明,Chaetomium globosum L18对多种植物病原真菌和细菌均有不同程度的抑制作用,具有较广的抑菌谱,但对不同植物病原菌的抑制作用具有显著性差异(P<0.05),抑制率最高可达到92.9%;抑菌机制结果显示,竞争作用和重寄生作用是其主要的拮抗机制之一;发酵产物抑制作用测定发现,内生真菌Chaetomium globosum L18能够分泌产生抗菌物质抑制病原菌菌丝的生长和孢子萌发,可引起病原菌菌丝菌丝膨大成串珠状,分枝增多,分枝顶端膨胀后细胞壁破裂,原生质外溢,产生溶菌作用;使分生孢子萌发畸形,萌发率降低。     

新疆西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率时空分异研究

气候变化对高海拔物种的生长影响较为显著,高海拔物种的时空分布直接影响区域生态平衡。基于新疆森林资源连续清查数据,使用一元生物量模型估测新疆天山及阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松生物量,计算其固碳速率,利用全局莫兰指数(Moran's I)和热点分析(Getis-Ord Gi~*)研究新疆西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率空间聚集特征,并分析其近年来在空间上的变化趋势,再结合气象数据运用相关和偏相关分析,分析其空间分异的影响因素。结果表明:(1)天山东部西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率高于阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率,2001—2016年期间,新疆西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率整体呈增长趋势,阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率由0.43 t hm~(-2)a~(-1)增长至0.76 t hm~(-2)a~(-1),天山东部西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率由0.89 t hm~(-2)a~(-1)增长至1.06 t hm~(-2)a~(-1)。(2)天山东部西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率呈离散分布但不显著(P0.05),阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率空间聚集特征趋于显著,其高固碳速率逐渐从东南部的青河县向西北部的阿尔泰市和哈巴河县移动,而低固碳速率从阿尔泰山的西北部的阿勒泰市向东南部的青河县移动。(3)通过偏相关分析得出,2001—2016年时期新疆西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率与温度成极显著正相关(P0.01),2001—2006年和2006—2011年时期与降水成正相关,但不显著,至2011—2016年时期转变为与降水成极显著正相关(P0.01),2001—2016年期间,其与纬度梯度成极显著负相关(P0.01)转变成无显著相关性,与海拔梯度无显著相关。新疆西伯利亚落叶松固碳速率与纬度梯度呈显著负相关的空间分布格局已发生显著变化,其空间分布格局由东南部高西北部低,逐渐变成西北部高东南部低。     

Effects of drought on the growth and resource use efficiency of two endemic species in an arid ecotone

Anthropogenic activities and environmental changes have had a significant effect on the fishery ecosystem, biological characteristics, and population dynamics of marine fishes. Overfishing threatens the sustainability of many populations. We evaluated changes in the biological characteristics, distribution, and abundance of Cleisthenes herzensteini using bottom trawl survey data collected from 1985 to 2010 in the central and southern Yellow Sea. The dominant body length of C. herzensteini during spring was 80–160 mm in 1986, 60–160 mm in 1998, and 41–80 mm and 111–170 mm in 2010. During summer, the dominant body length was 80–180 mm and 130–169 mm in 2000 and 2007, respectively. During autumn, the dominant body length was 60–160 mm, 100–180 mm, and 90–149 mm in 1985, 2000, and 2009, respectively. During winter, the dominant body length was 80–200 mm, 120–220 mm, and 100–200 mm in 1985, 1999, and 2010, respectively. The dominant body length decreased gradually from 1985 to 2010 (excluding spring, 2010), illustrating the “miniaturization” of the C. herzensteini population. Growth was significantly different between male and female individuals, with male individuals forming a “smaller-size type”. The sex ratio of C. herzensteini was relatively stable during spring and summer, but significantly different during autumn and winter. The diet of C. herzensteini also changed significantly from 1985 to 2010. During 1985–1986, the diet consisted primarily of Crangon affinis, Eualus sinensis and Gammaridae species. C. affinis, Engraulis japonicus, and Ammodytes personatus were dominant during 1998–2000, whereas C. affinis was the dominant prey species during 2009–2010. Thus, there was a clear decrease in dietary diversity, with a shift to benthos shrimp, particularly C. affinis, which accounted for 82.58% of the total diet (by weight) in 2010. The gastric vacuous rate also decreased in every season and the gonad developmental stage changed with each season. The distribution of C. herzensteini shifted northward and offshore and became more concentrated. The average catch per haul of C. herzensteini decreased in spring and autumn. The average catch per haul ranged from 1.44 kg h^-1 to 0.14 kg h^-1 in spring and the percentage by weight ranged from 6.53% to 1.28%. The average catch per haul ranged from 3.03 kg h^-1 to 0.26 kg h^-1 in autumn and the percentage by weight ranged from 8.00% to 0.60%. The average catch per haul increased significantly during summer, ranging from 0.18 kg h^-1 to 0.58 kg h^-1, with a percentage by weight of 0.03–0.80%. The average catch per haul was relatively stable in winter (around 1.00 kg h^-1), but the percentage by weight gradually increased during 1985–2010. Taken together, our results suggested that the population structure, diet composition, and distribution of C. herzensteini had been altered during the last three decades. To address this, it is essential to initiate measures to conserve the C. herzensteini resource.     

Distribution,diversity and drivers of blood-borne parasite co-infections in Alaskan bird populations

Avian species are commonly infected by multiple parasites, however few studies have investigated the environmental determinants of the prevalence of co-infection over a large scale. Here we believe that we report the first, detailed ecological study of the prevalence, diversity and co-infections of four avian blood-borne parasite genera: Plasmodium spp., Haemoproteus spp., Leucocytozoon spp. and Trypanosoma spp. We collected blood samples from 47 resident and migratory bird species across a latitudinal gradient in Alaska. From the patterns observed at collection sites, random forest models were used to provide evidence of associations between bioclimatic conditions and the prevalence of parasite co-infection distribution. Molecular screening revealed a higher prevalence of haematozoa (53%) in Alaska than previously reported. Leucocytozoons had the highest diversity, prevalence and prevalence of co-infection. Leucocytozoon prevalence (35%) positively correlated with Trypanosoma prevalence (11%), negatively correlated with Haemoproteus prevalence (14%) and had no correlation with Plasmodium prevalence (7%). We found temperature, precipitation and tree cover to be the primary environmental drivers that show a relationship with the prevalence of co-infection. The results provide insight into the impacts of bioclimatic drivers on parasite ecology and intra-host interactions, and have implications for the study of infectious diseases in rapidly changing environments.     

海南岛不同林龄短枝木麻黄凋落物内外真菌多样性分析

以海南海口桂林洋滨海立地上幼龄林、中龄林和成熟林短枝木麻黄为研究对象,采集凋落物和林地土壤样品,利用IlluminaMiseq PE300测序平台对凋落物内外真菌ITS rDNA进行高通量测序,分析了凋落物内外真菌群落多样性及其与凋落物和林地土壤理化性质的关系。结果表明：（1）所有样品获得669476条有效序列,隶属6门23纲59目119科212属314种。3林龄木麻黄凋落物外生真菌多样性和丰富度高于内生真菌。（2）内外真菌群落结构有较大共性,子囊菌门和担子菌门为优势门,煤炱目、炭角菌目和木耳目为内外真菌共同优势目。Coniochaetales、Magnaporthales等4个目仅在凋落物内部分布,而蛙粪霉目、丝孢酵母目为外生真菌特有菌群。（3）木麻黄凋落物pH值和有机碳显著影响着凋落物内生真菌群落结构,而土壤容重和铵态氮显著影响着外生真菌群落结构。研究结果为探讨微生物在木麻黄凋落物降解过程中作用的研究奠定基础。     

Protozoan and intracellular fungal gut endosymbionts in Drosophila: prevalence and fitness effects of single and dual infections

We report on the effect of single and mixed infections with two gut symbionts, trypanosomatids and the intracellular fungus Coccidiascus legeri, on the life history of their host, Drosophila melanogaster. We also provide the first report on the prevalence of C. legeri in natural populations of Drosophila. Prevalence overall was low (3.4%), and differed with host species, but persisted from the first to the second year of our survey. We documented delayed pupation in flies exposed to trypanosomatids, but larvae exposed to the fungus eclosed more quickly than controls. Larvae exposed to mixed infections pupated more slowly, but eclosed more quickly than controls.     

Development of symbionts in triatomine bugs and the effects of infections with trypanosomatids

In the intestinal tract of fifth instars of the hematophagous reduviid bugs Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma infestans blood ingestion induced an initial decrease of the concentration of the respective symbiotic bacteria Rhodococcus rhodnii and Nocardia sp. and then within 10 days a 15- or 18-fold increase of the total population/bug to about 0.8 x 10(9) colony-forming units in R. prolixus and 1.8 x 10(9) colony-forming units in T. infestans. About 95-99% of the total populations of both symbionts developed in the anterior midgut regions, i.e., cardia and stomach. The passage from the blood-storing stomach to the digesting small intestine caused a considerable breakdown of symbiont populations, and only about 0.01% of the total population was present in the rectum. These were excreted mainly within 4 h after a blood meal. After infection with three species of trypanosomatids, R. rhodnii, the symbiont of R. prolixus, was affected by Trypanosoma rangeli, but not by Blastocrithidia triatomae or Trypanosoma cruzi. On the other hand, in T. infestans the concentration of Nocardia sp. was reduced after infection with B. triatomae, but not by T. rangeli nor T. cruzi. In long-term B. triatomae-infected T. infestans, this reduction and a reduced diuretic activity after feeding synergistically lowered the symbiont concentration in the singly deposited feces/urine drops drastically compared to uninfected controls. These data strongly support the theory of the mechanisms of pathogenicity of T. rangeli and B. triatomae for R. prolixus and T. infestans, respectively, that the primal point of attack is the host-specific symbiont, R. rhodnii and Nocardia sp., respectively.     

Adverse effects of members of the Enterobacteriaceae family on boar sperm quality

Semen samples collected in 2012 from 1785 boars belonging to five different breeds were recruited from the quality control laboratory of Magapor SL, Spain. These samples came from 43 boar studs and resulted from diluting the ejaculates in commercial semen extenders. Evaluation of the semen sample characteristics (color, smell, pH, osmolality, concentration, motility of sperm cells, agglutination, acrosome integrity, short hypoosmotic swelling test, and abnormal forms) revealed that they met the international standards. The samples were also tested for the presence of aerobic bacterial contamination. In the present study, 14.73% (n = 263) of the semen samples were contaminated above 3 × 10² colony-forming units/mL with at least one type of bacteria. The Enterobacteriaceae family was by far the major contaminant, being present in 40.68% of the contaminated samples (n = 107). Bacterial strains of the Enterobacteriaceae family isolated from boar semen samples were in order of incidence (percentage of the contaminated samples): Serratia marcescens (12.55%), Klebsiella oxytoca (11.79%), Providencia stuartii (9.12%), Morganella morganii (3.80%), Proteus mirabilis (1.90%), and Escherichia coli (1.52%). We have seen that the presence in semen samples of S. marcescens, K. oxytoca, M. morganii, or P. mirabilis, but not P. stuartii or E. coli, was negatively associated with sperm motility (P < 0.05). The mean sperm concentration (P < 0.05), the mean percentage of spermatozoa with curled tails after the short hypoosmotic swelling test (P < 0.01), and the incidence of morphologically normal acrosomes (P < 0.05) were also lower in semen samples infected with M. morganii compared with uninfected ones. Moreover, P. mirabilis was negatively associated with the presence of abnormal forms. Thus, on the basis of the pathological effects that some of these strains may have on boar sperm quality, bacterial contamination should always be examined in semen samples prepared for artificial insemination.     

中国腹枝衣属地衣的多样性与区系研究

为探讨中国腹枝衣属地衣的物种多样性,进一步明确其分布特征与种类组成,该研究通过野外调查及采集地衣标本,结合形态、解剖、化学等方法,对128份采自中国热带及亚热带地区多个省份的腹枝衣属(Herpothallon)地衣标本进行了分类鉴定,共鉴定出腹枝衣属地衣12种,其中南方腹枝衣 [H. australasicum (Elix)Elix & G. Thor]、颗粒腹枝衣(H. granulosum Jagadeesh Ram & G. P. Sinha)、喜马拉雅腹枝衣(H. himalayanum Jagadeesh & G. P. Sinha)、裂芽腹枝衣(H. isidiatum Jagadeesh Ram & G. P. Sinha)和小腹枝衣(H. minutum Jagadeesh)为中国新记录种。并且对该属所有已知(已报道和本次鉴定)种类进行综合分析。结果表明:(1)中国已知腹枝衣属地衣14种,占世界已报道种类的29.17%。(2)地理成分有5种类型,即泛热带分布、热带亚洲至热带澳大利亚分布、热带亚洲和热带美洲间断分布、热带亚洲分布和中国特有分布。(3)中国腹枝衣属地衣主要分布在海拔300～2 500 m的范围内。(4)生长基物多为树皮,叶生、石生和藓生的物种较少。该研究结果表明,中国南方腹枝衣属地衣的物种多样性较高,这对明确中国该属地衣物种组成以及地衣多样性保护具有重要意义。     

Cytochemical location of urease in the cell wall of two different lichen phycobionts

The enzyme urease has been located in the cell wall of recently isolated phycobionts from Evernia prunastri and Xanthoria parietina lichens. Cytochemical detection is achieved by producing a black, electron-dense precipitate of cobalt sulfide proceeding from CO(2) evolved from urea in the presence of cobalt chloride. Cellular fractionation reveals that about 80% of total urease activity was associated to the cell wall on both phycobionts whereas only 20% was recovered as soluble protein.     

Genetic and pathogenic diversity of Neofusicoccum parvum in New Zealand vineyards

Genetic diversity of 50 isolates of Neofusicoccum parvum, the predominant species of the Botryosphaeriaceae recovered from grapevines displaying symptoms of dieback and decline in New Zealand, was compared to that of isolates from Australia, South Africa, and California. The eight universally primed polymerase chain reaction (UP-PCR) primers distinguished 56 genotypes, with only four clonal pairs found. Seven main groups were identified in a neighbour-joining (NJ) tree with isolates from different regions and vineyards of New Zealand, Australia, and California distributed in different groups, indicating a high level of intra and intervineyard genetic variation. All of the South African isolates were positioned in a separate UP-PCR group, indicating that these isolates were less related to the other N. parvum isolates. When compared to fungi that reproduce sexually the genetic diversity and Shannon diversity indices were low (0.076-0.249; 0.109-0.367, respectively), genetic identity levels were high (0.76-0.95), and genetic distance levels were low (0.04-0.27). The large number of genotypes and the low number of clones in the New Zealand N. parvum populations may be explained by parasexual recombination as anastomosis was observed between nonself pairings. Pathogenicity tests using isolates from different UP-PCR groups inoculated onto either green shoots or 1-y-old grapevines detected virulence diversity, indicating intra and intervineyard variation between isolates, however, no correlation was detected between UP-PCR group and virulence.     

不同海拔温度和降水对新疆阿尔泰山西伯利亚落叶松径向生长的影响

为定量并分离关键气候因子对新疆阿尔泰山不同海拔树木径向生长的影响,通过对高、中和低海拔的西伯利亚落叶松(Larixsibirica)树轮宽度标准年表与气候因子分别进行相关、多元线性回归等统计分析,并进一步计算了线性模型中不同气候因素的绝对和相对贡献率。结果表明,高海拔地区,当年6月温度和上年7月降水分别与径向生长呈显著正相关和负相关,两者共同解释西伯利亚落叶松径向生长变异的33.1%,相对贡献率分别为66.2%和33.8%;中海拔地区,当年6月温度和上年6月降水分别与径向生长呈显著正相关和负相关,两者共同解释径向生长变异的26.8%,相对贡献率分别为40.1%和59.9%;低海拔地区,上年6月温度和7月降水分别与径向生长呈显著负相关和正相关,两者共同解释径向生长变异的29.4%,相对贡献率分别为31.9%和68.1%。这表明限制树木径向生长的主要影响因子随海拔的不同而异,在高海拔地区,温度是主要限制因子;而在低海拔地区,降雨是主要限制因子。     

Microsporidian infections in Lymantria dispar larvae: interactions and effects of multiple species infections on pathogen horizontal transmission

The interactions in multiple species infections and effects on the horizontal transmission of three microsporidian species, Vairimorpha disparis, Nosema lymantriae and Endoreticulatus schubergi, infecting Lymantria dispar were evaluated in the laboratory. Simultaneous and sequential inoculations of host larvae were performed and the resulting infections were evaluated. Test larvae were exposed to the inoculated larvae to measure horizontal transmission. Dual species infections demonstrated interspecific competition between Nosema and Vairimorpha in the host larvae, but no observable competition occurred between Endoreticulatus and either of the other microsporidian species. Timing of inoculation was an important factor determining the outcome of competition between Nosema and Vairimorpha. The species inoculated first showed a higher rate of successful establishment; a time lag of 7 days between inoculations allowed the first species to essentially exclude the second. The microsporidia differed in efficiency of horizontal transmission. Nosema and Endoreticulatus were transmitted at very high rates, close to 100%. Horizontal transmission of Vairimorpha was less efficient, ranging from 25% to a maximum of 75%. The patterns of infection observed in inoculated larvae were reflected in the test larvae that acquired infections in the horizontal transmission experiments. Competition with Vairimorpha suppressed horizontal transmission of Nosema after simultaneous and sequential inoculation. In simultaneous inoculation experiments Endoreticulatus had no effect on transmission of Nosema and Vairimorpha.     

Minor effects of two elicitors of insect and pathogen resistance on volatile emissions and parasitism of Spodoptera frugiperda in Mexican maize fields

Synthetic elicitors can be used to induce resistance in plants against pathogens and arthropod herbivores. Such compounds may also change the emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles, which serve as important cues for parasitic wasps to locate their hosts. Therefore, the use of elicitors in the field may affect biological control of insect pests. To test this, we treated maize seedlings growing in a subtropical field in Mexico with methyl jasmonate (MeJA), an elicitor of defense responses against many insects, and benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH), an elicitor of resistance against certain pathogens. Volatile emission, herbivore infestation, pathogen infection, and plant performance (growth and grain yield) of treated and untreated maize plants were measured. Application of BTH slightly reduced volatile emission in maize, while MeJA increased the emission compared to control treatments. Despite the apparent changes in volatile emissions, the elicitor application did not consistently affect infestation by Spodoptera frugiperda larvae, the main insect pest found on the maize seedlings, and had only marginal effects on parasitism rates. Similarly, there were no treatment effects on infestation by other herbivores and pathogens. Results for the six replications that stretched over one summer and one winter season were highly variable, with parasitism rates and the species composition of the parasitoids differing significantly between seasons. This variability, as well as the severe biotic and abiotic stresses on young seedlings might explain why we measured only slight effects of elicitor application on pest incidence and biological control in this specific field study. Indeed, an additional field experiment under milder and more standardized conditions revealed that BTH induced significant resistance against Bipolaris maydis, a major pathogen in the experimental maize fields. Similar affects can be expected for herbivory and parasitism rates.