Host tree resistance against the polyphagous wood-boring beetle Anoplophora glabripennis

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiini) is an invasive wood‐boring beetle with an unusually broad host range and a proven ability to increase its host range as it colonizes new areas and encounters new tree species. The beetle is native to eastern Asia and has become an invasive pest in North America and Europe, stimulating interest in delineating host and non‐host tree species more clearly. When offered a choice among four species of living trees in a greenhouse, adult A. glabripennis fed more on golden‐rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata Laxmann) and river birch (Betula nigra L.) than on London planetree (Platanus × acerifolia (Aiton) Willdenow) or callery pear (Pyrus calleryana Decaisne). Oviposition rate was highest in golden‐rain tree, but larval mortality was also high and larval growth was slowest in this tree species. Oviposition rate was lowest in callery pear, and larvae failed to survive in this tree species, whether they eclosed from eggs laid in the trees or were manually inserted into the trees. Adult beetles feeding on callery pear had a reduced longevity and females feeding only on callery pear failed to develop any eggs. The resistance of golden‐rain tree against the larvae appears to operate primarily through the physical mechanism of abundant sap flow. The resistance of callery pear against both larvae and adults appears to operate through the chemical composition of the tree, which may include compounds that are toxic or which otherwise interfere with normal growth and development of the beetle. Unlike river birch or London planetree, both golden‐rain tree and callery pear are present in the native range of A. glabripennis and may therefore have developed resistance to the beetle by virtue of exposure to attack during their evolutionary history.     

Orchid seed sensitivity to nitrate reflects habitat preferences and soil nitrate content

• Orchids are distributed around the world, however, the factors shaping their specific distribution and habitat preferences are largely unknown. Moreover, many orchids are at risk of becoming threatened as landscapes change, sometimes declining without apparent reason. One important factor affecting plant distribution is nutrient levels in the environment. Nitrates can inhibit not only orchid growth and persistence, but also seed germination.
• We used in vitro axenic cultures to exactly determine the germination sensitivity of seven orchid species to nitrates and correlated this with soil properties of the natural sites and with the species’ habitat preferences.
• We found high variation in response to nitrate between species. Orchids from oligotrophic habitats were highly sensitive, while orchids from more eutrophic habitats were almost insensitive. Sensitivity to nitrate was also associated with soil parameters that indicated a higher nitrification rate.
• Our results indicate that nitrate can affect orchid distribution via direct inhibition of seed germination. Nitrate levels in soils are increasing rapidly due to intensification of agricultural processes and concurrent soil pollution, and we propose this increase could cause a decline in some orchid species.

     

Settling-site selection and survival of two scale insects,Ceroplastes rubens andC. ceriferus,on citrus trees

We studied settling-site selection and the resulting survival of two sessile scale insects, Ceroplastes rubens and C. ceriferus, in the citrus tree, Citrus unshiu, in central Japan. C. rubens preferred 0-year-old twigs most as a settling-site; the density of nymphs settling on 0-year-old twigs was significantly higher than those on ≥1-year-old twigs, and few nymphs settled on ≥3-year-old twigs. The mean survival rates from settling until reproduction in the next year were significantly higher on more preferred twigs than on less preferred ones. In C. ceriferus, nymphs significantly preferred 1- and 2-year-old twigs to 0- and ≥3-year-old ones, and the mean survival rates on the more preferred 1- and 2-year-old twigs were significantly higher than those on less preferred ≥3-year-old twigs. However, the survival rate on less preferred 0-year-old twigs was slightly higher than those on 1- and 2-year-old ones. Thus, in both species of scale, it was the preferred twigs which were more profitable sites for survival after settling, except for less preferred 0-year-old twigs for C. ceriferus. In both scale species, most mortality was due to growth cessation, which is believed to be related to the twig quality as a food source. Predators and parasitoids were minor mortality factors. Both species showed constant survival rates until the density of settled nymphs exceeded double the “upper-limit” density, whereupon they decreased drastically. Nymphs of C. rubens settling on twigs of high scale density showed a spacing-out distribution, those of C. ceriferus did not. In C. rubens, an increase in preference for originally less profitable twigs at the later stage of the settling season was observed, but not in C. ceriferus. Accordingly, individuals of C. rubens showed a stronger tendency to avoid conspecifics than did C. ceriferus. Although nymphs of the two scales clearly preferred more profitable sites, their settling-site selection did not agree with the predictions from the ideal free distribution theory (Fretwell and Lucas, 1970). The discrepancies were (1) frequent settling on less profitable sites at the early stage of the settling season, (2) insufficient utilization of the most profitable twigs, and (3) virtually 100% mortality on overcrowded twigs under conditions where unoccupied profitable twigs still remained. These discrepancies are thought due to the limited dispersal time of nymphs.     

Pattern of movements of adult Barbus haasi in a small Mediterranean stream

Most adult Barbus haasi , at a 1950 m-long site in Vallvidrera creek, were highly sedentary and resided within a home range <20 m (32 m²), while a small group were more mobile. On successive sampling occasions, between 52·3 and 64·9% of fish were recaptured in the same 10-m-long section in which they had previously been captured. Movements over long distances were infrequent, and only 5·6% of the fish moved >100 m. The movement pattern of the population was seasonally stable, although the mean distances were slightly greater in summer because of the medium-range movements of a few individuals. Overall, upstream and downstream movements were equally common but a significant downstream movement occurred in spring. The size of the fish did not influence the movement rate. Fish inhabiting those sections of the stream with greater depth, slower current and more cover had a lower movement rate than fish occupying shallower, exposed sections. The restricted movement of B. haasi could increase the survival of fish by increasing the probability of staying in the remaining pools during summer dry-out, and may therefore be of adaptive significance.     

Comparative phylogeography of two co‐distributed but ecologically distinct rainbowfishes of far‐northern Australia

Aim

To test the influence of historical and contemporary environment in shaping the genetic diversity of freshwater fauna we contrast genetic structure in two co‐distributed, but ecologically distinct, rainbowfish; a habitat generalist (Melanotaenia splendida) and a habitat specialist (M. trifasciata).

Location

Fishes were sampled from far northern Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory).

Methods

We used sequence data from one mitochondrial gene and one nuclear gene to investigate patterns of genetic diversity in M. splendida and M. trifasciata to determine how differences in habitat preference and historical changes in drainage boundaries affected patterns of connectivity.

Results

Melanotaenia splendida showed high levels of genetic diversity and little population structure across its range. In contrast, M. trifasciata showed high levels of population structure. Whereas phylogeographic patterns differed, both species showed a strong relationship between geographical distance and genetic differentiation between populations. Melanotaenia splendida showed a shallower relationship with geographical distance, and genetic differentiation was best explained by stream length and a lower scaled ocean distance (11.98 times coast length). For M. trifasciata, genetic differentiation was best explained by overwater distance between catchments and ocean distance scaled at 1.16 × 10⁶ times coast length.

Main conclusions

Connectivity of freshwater populations inhabiting regions periodically interconnected during glacial periods appears to have been affected by ecological differences between species. Species‐specific differences are epitomized here by the contrast between co‐distributed congeners with different habitat requirements: for the habitat generalist, M. splendida, there was evidence for greater historical genetic connectivity with oceans as a weaker barrier to gene exchange in contrast with the habitat specialist, M. trifasciata.     

The use of volatile cues in recognition of kin eggs by predatory mites

1. Several animal species are known to distinguish between their own eggs and eggs of unrelated conspecifics. However, the cues involved in this discrimination are often unknown. These cues were studied using the predatory mite Gynaeseius liturivorus Ehara.
2. Adult females of these predatory mites oviposit in clusters and avoid oviposition close to eggs laid by other females, resulting in reduced cannibalism between offspring. Because predatory mites are blind, it was tested whether volatiles of eggs were used as a cue for egg recognition.
3. Adult female predatory mites were offered volatile cues of their own eggs and of unrelated conspecific eggs, and females were prevented from contacting the eggs. Predatory mites oviposited closer to their own eggs than to unrelated eggs. This preference was observed even when one own and one unrelated egg were offered as a volatile source.
4. These results suggest that adult female predatory mites can determine kinship using volatiles released from the eggs.

     

Can We Accurately Characterize Wildlife Resource Use When Telemetry Data Are Imprecise?

ABSTRACT Telemetry data have been widely used to quantify wildlife habitat relationships despite the fact that these data are inherently imprecise. All telemetry data have positional error, and failure to account for that error can lead to incorrect predictions of wildlife resource use. Several techniques have been used to account for positional error in wildlife studies. These techniques have been described in the literature, but their ability to accurately characterize wildlife resource use has never been tested. We evaluated the performance of techniques commonly used for incorporating telemetry error into studies of wildlife resource use. Our evaluation was based on imprecise telemetry data (mean telemetry error = 174 m, SD = 130 m) typical of field-based studies. We tested 5 techniques in 10 virtual environments and in one real-world environment for categorical (i.e., habitat types) and continuous (i.e., distances or elevations) rasters. Technique accuracy varied by patch size for the categorical rasters, with higher accuracy as patch size increased. At the smallest patch size (1 ha), the technique that ignores error performed best on categorical data (0.31 and 0.30 accuracy for virtual and real data, respectively); however, as patch size increased the bivariate-weighted technique performed better (0.56 accuracy at patch sizes >31 ha) and achieved complete accuracy (i.e., 1.00 accuracy) at smaller patch sizes (472 ha and 1,522 ha for virtual and real data, respectively) than any other technique. We quantified the accuracy of the continuous covariates using the mean absolute difference (MAD) in covariate value between true and estimated locations. We found that average MAD varied between 104 m (ignore telemetry error) and 140 m (rescale the covariate data) for our continuous covariate surfaces across virtual and real data sets. Techniques that rescale continuous covariate data or use a zonal mean on values within a telemetry error polygon were significantly less accurate than other techniques. Although the technique that ignored telemetry error performed best on categorical rasters with smaller average patch sizes (i.e., ≤31 ha) and on continuous rasters in our study, accuracy was so low that the utility of using point-based approaches for quantifying resource use is questionable when telemetry data are imprecise, particularly for small-patch habitat relationships.