The introduction to Japan of the Titan barnacle,Megabalanus coccopoma (Darwin, 1854) (Cirripedia: Balanomorpha) and the role of shipping in its translocation

The Titan Acorn barnacle, Megabalanus coccopoma, a native of the tropical eastern Pacific, has become established in the western Atlantic (Brazil and the northern Gulf of Mexico to the Carolinas), northwestern Europe and the western Indian Ocean (Mauritius), and therefore its dispersal capabilities are well known. This study reports its introduction to Japan and confirms its occurrence in Australia. In an attempt to determine the source of this introduction, phylogeographic techniques, involving cytochrome c oxidase I sequences of various widely separate populations of M. rosa and M. volcano, were utilized. No significant genetic differentiation or haplotype patterns between widely separated populations of each of the three species were found. Lack of such differentiation indicates recent geographical isolation and thus negates a null hypothesis predicting that the occurrence of one of more of these species in Australia was natural.     

Lifespan of a Ceratitis fruit fly increases with higher altitude

Variation in lifespan may be linked to geographic factors. While latitudinal variation in lifespan has been studied for a number of species, altitude variation has received much less attention, particularly in insects. We measured the lifespan of different populations of the Natal fruit fly Ceratitis rosa along an altitudinal cline. For the different populations we first measured the residual longevity of wild flies by captive cohort approach and compared F(1) generation from the same populations. We showed an increase in lifespan with higher altitude for a part of our data. For the field collected flies (F0) the average remaining lifespan increased monotonically with altitude for males but not for females. For the F(1) generation, longevity of both males and females of the highest-altitude population was longer than for the two other lower-altitude populations. This relationship between altitude and lifespan may be explained by the effects of temperature on reproduction. Reproductive schedules in insects are linked to temperature: lower temperature, characteristic of high-altitude sites, generally slows down reproduction. Because of a strong trade-off between reproduction and longevity, we therefore observed a longer lifespan for the high- altitude populations. Other hypotheses such as different predation rates in the different sites are also discussed.     

Genetic characterization of 12 heterologous microsatellite markers for the giant tropical tree Cariniana legalis (Lecythidaceae)

Twelve microsatellite loci previously developed in the tropical tree Cariniana estrellensis were genetically characterized in Cariniana legalis. Polymorphisms were assessed in 28 C. legalis individuals found between the Pardo and Mogi-Guaçu River basins in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 12 loci, 10 were polymorphic and exhibited Mendelian inheritance. The allelic richness at each locus ranged from 2-11, with an average of 7 alleles per locus, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.07-0.88. These loci showed a high probability of paternity exclusion. The characteristics of these heterologous microsatellite markers indicate that they are suitable tools for investigating questions concerning population genetics in C. legalis.     

利用CLIMEX预测纳塔尔实蝇在中国的潜在地理分布

纳塔尔实蝇Ceratitis rosa Karsch属双翅目实蝇科腊实蝇属,为害30余种经济植物,被我国列为进境植物检疫性有害生物。本研究运用CLIMEX 3.0及ArcGIS 9.3对纳塔尔实蝇在我国目前及未来的潜在地理分布进行了预测。结果显示：在目前的气候条件下,纳塔尔实蝇在我国的潜在地理分布区为18.250°N-30.250°N,其中,华南和东南地区为高度潜在地理分布区,包括四川、重庆、云南、福建、广东、广西、海南以及台湾等地。在未来的气候条件下,2020和2050年潜在地理分布区的北界分别移至31.250°N和32.250°N,且中度潜在地理分布区北移明显;2100年潜在地理分布区的北界移至33.750°N,且高度适生区北移明显。因此建议目前应加强纳塔尔实蝇检疫措施,完善监测体系,监测网点主要设在我国的南方地区,尤其应对云南、广西、广东、福建和海南等地进行长期监测;同时,应对湖南、贵州、江西、湖北、江苏、安徽等省进行定期监测,严防该虫入侵。     

Occurrence of the rotifer,Habrotrocha cf. rosa Donner,in the purple pitcher plant,Sarracenia purpurea L., (Sarraceniaceae) along the eastern seaboard of North America

Sarracenia purpurea L. plants were studiedin seven bogsalong the eastern seaboard of the United States fromNew Jersey to Georgia. Water sampled from 225 leaveswas found to contain several invertebrates. A singlebdelliod rotifer, a form of Habrotrocha cf. rosaDonner very similar to that described by Bateman(1987) in S. purpurea in western Newfoundland,was identified in 70% of the leaves. Investigationsare in progress to examine the possibility that thisstrong association indicates H. cf. rosa isspecific to S. purpurea.     

Investigation of native isolates of entomopathogenic fungi for the biological control of three citrus pests

The pathogenicity of 15 isolates of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, five isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin and one isolate of M. flavoviride (Gams and Rozsypal) were tested under laboratory conditions against the subterranean life stages of the citrus pests, Ceratitis rosa Karsch, C. capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). When these citrus pests were treated with a concentration of 1×10⁷ conidia mL^?1, fungal isolates had a significantly greater effect on the adults of C. rosa and C. capitata than they did on the puparia of these two fruit fly species. Further, C. rosa and C. capitata did not differ significantly in their response to entomopathogenic fungi when adult and pupal mycosis were considered. Depending on fungal isolate, the percentage of T. leucotreta adults which emerged from fungal treated sand ranged from 5 to 60% and the percentage of pupae with visible signs of mycosis ranged from 21 to 93%. The relative virulence of the four most promising fungal isolates, as well as the commercially available B. bassiana product, BroadBand® (Biological Control Products, South Africa), were compared against one another as log-probit regressions of mortality against T. leucotreta which exhibited a dose-dependent response. The estimated LC₅₀ values of the three most virulent B. bassiana isolates ranged from 6.8×10⁵ to 2.1×10⁶ conidia mL^?1, while those of the least pathogenic ranged from 1.6×10⁷ to 3.7×10⁷ conidia mL^?1.     

Ecological niches and potential geographical distributions of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) and Natal fruit fly (Ceratitis rosa)

Aim To predict and compare potential geographical distributions of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) and Natal fruit fly (Ceratitis rosa). Location Africa, southern Europe, and worldwide. Methods Two correlative ecological niche modelling techniques, genetic algorithm for rule‐set prediction (GARP) and a technique based on principal components analysis (PCA), were used to predict distributions of the two fly species using distribution records and a set of environmental predictor variables. Results The two species appear to have broadly similar potential ranges in Africa and southern Europe, with much of sub‐Saharan Africa and Madagascar predicted as highly suitable. The drier regions of Africa (central and western regions of southern Africa and Sahelian zone) were identified as being less suitable for C. rosa than for C. capitata. Overall, the proportion of the region predicted to be highly suitable is larger for C. capitata than for C. rosa under both techniques, suggesting that C. capitata may be tolerant of a wider range of climatic conditions than C. rosa. Worldwide, tropical and subtropical regions are highlighted as highly suitable for both species. Differences in overlap of predictions from the two models for these species were observed. An evaluation using independent records from the adventive range for C. capitata and comparison with other predictions suggest that GARP models offer more accurate predictions than PCA models. Main conclusions This study suggests that these species have broadly similar potential distributions worldwide (based on climate), although the potential distribution appears to be broader for C. capitata than for C. rosa. Ceratitis capitata has become invasive throughout the world, whereas C. rosa has not, despite both species having broadly similar potential distributions. Further research into the biology of these species and their ability to overcome barriers is necessary to explain this difference, and to better understand invasion risk.     

不同密度棉花粉蚧种群对扶桑生长的影响

棉花粉蚧Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley是我国一种重要外来入侵害虫.关于该害虫入侵发生对作物的危害程度一直是关注的重要方面.本文通过定量接种虫量的方法,研究了棉花粉蚧初孵若虫不同初始密度(50头/株、100头/株、200头/株、400头/株、800头/株)下扶桑苗生长规律.结果植株生长表明,...     

玫瑰高原鳅肠道微生物多样性研究

研究旨在分析玫瑰高原鳅(Triplophysa rosa)肠道微生物的结构组成和多样性,探索其肠道微生物的潜在功能。提取了5尾玫瑰高原鳅的肠道总DNA,运用Illumina Miseq平台对肠道微生物16S rRNA的V3—V4区进行了测序,统计样品肠道微生物的操作分类单元(Operational Taxonomic Units, OTUs)数量,分析物种组成、丰度及Alpha多样性,并预测肠道微生物的功能。结果显示,玫瑰高原鳅的肠道微生物有19门、31纲、87目、146科、253属、 320种, 451个OTUs。在门水平上,优势菌群为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes);在属水平上,优势菌群为气单胞菌属(Aeromonas)、爱德华菌属(Edwardsiella)、邻单胞菌属(Plesiomonas)和希瓦氏菌属(Shewanella)。功能预测表明,肠道微生物编码的大多数基因与新陈代谢相关,其中"碳水化合物运输和代谢"和"氨基酸转运与代谢"功能类群的相对丰度较高。玫瑰高原鳅肠道内微生物组成复杂,...