Observing population changes of thrips (Thysanoptera) species damaging forced pepper and their natural enemies

By the strengthening of environmental protection and food safety efforts in Hungary, integrated and especially biological pest control methods should increasingly put forward, for which a solid knowledge on the life course and efficiency of natural enemies applied against certain pests is necessary. Pepper has distinguished significance in domestic vegetable forcing, and the profitability of production is determined primarily by the efficiency of the control of thrips pests. This is why we attached great importance to study what results may be expected by introducing arthropod predators (Amblyseius cucumeris, Orius laevigatus) to control thrips species under domestic conditions on rock wool in a long vegetation period pepper culture. We also liked to find out what kind of role the cultivars play in the change of phytophagous and zoophagous populations. The A. cucumeris predatory mite introduced in late January proved to be effective in controlling thrips pests until mid-April. Despite repeated introductions, the predatory bug O. laevigatus (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) did not proliferate. Among the three pepper cultivars (Hó, Keceli, Titán) grown at Ráckeve, thrips species proliferated in the highest number on cultivar ‘Hó’, while the population of predatory mites was lowest on the cultivar ‘Titán’, compared to the other two cultivars.

Stylization: a method for preserving the character of climate sensitive habitat

Stylization is a method of ornamental plant use usually applied in urban open space and garden design based on aesthetic consideration. Stylization can be seen as a nature-imitating ornamental plant application which evokes the scenery rather than an ecological plant application which assists the processes and functions observed in the nature. From a different point of view, stylization of natural or semi-natural habitats can sometimes serve as a method for preserving the physiognomy of the plant associations that may be affected by the climate change of the 21st century. The vulnerability of the Hungarian habitats has thus far been examined by the researchers only from the botanical point of view but not in terms of its landscape design value. In Hungary coniferous forests are edaphic and classified on this basis. The General National Habitat Classification System (Á-NÉR) distinguishes calcareous Scots pine forests and acidofrequent coniferous forests. The latter seems to be highly sensitive to climate change according to ecological models. The physiognomy and species pool of its subtypes are strongly determined by the dominant coniferous species that can be Norway spruce (Picea abies) or Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We are going to discuss the methodology of stylization of climate sensitive habitats and briefly refer to acidofrequent coniferous forests as a case study. In the course of stylization those coniferous and deciduous tree species of the studied habitat that are water demanding should be substituted by drought tolerant ones with similar characteristics. A list of the proposed taxa is going to be given.

An ArcGIS Tool for Modeling the Climate Envelope with Feed-Forward ANN

This paper is about the development and the application of an ESRI ArcGIS tool which implements multi-layer, feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) to study the climate envelope of species. The supervised learning is achieved by backpropagation algorithm. Based on the distribution and the grids of the climate (and edaphic data) of the reference and future periods the tool predicts the future potential distribution of the studied species. The trained network can be saved and loaded. A modeling result based on the distribution of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) is presented as a case study.

Molecular phylogenetics of the palm tribe Geonomeae, and differentiation of Geonoma macrostachys western Amazonian varieties

Phylogenetic analyses were performed on six genera and 46 species of the Neotropical palm tribe Geonomeae. The analyses were based on two low copy nuclear DNA sequences from the genes encoding phosphoribulokinase and RNA polymerase II. The basal node of the tribe was polytomous. Pholidostachys formed a monophyletic group. The currently accepted genera Calyptronoma and Calyptrogyne formed a well-supported clade with Calyptronoma resolved as paraphyletic to Calyptrogyne. Geonoma formed a strongly supported monophyletic group consisting of two main clades. ^ An evaluation of the genetic distinctness between Geonoma macrostachys varieties at a local and regional scale using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers was performed. Clustering, ordination, and AMOVA suggested a lack of genetic distinctness between varieties at the regional level. A hierarchical AMOVA revealed that the genetic diversity mainly lies among the four localities sampled. A significant genetic differentiation between sympatric varieties occurred in one locality only. The current taxonomy of G. macrostachys, which recognizes only one species, was therefore supported. ^ The preferred habitat of sympatric G. macrostachys varieties with respect to edaphic, topographic, and light factors in three Peruvian lowland forests was studied. The two varieties were mostly encountered in different physiographically defined habitats, with variety acaulis occurring more often in floodplain forest and variety macrostachys in the tierra firme. Comparison of means tests revealed that nine to eleven of the 16 environmental variables were significantly different between varieties. Edaphic factors, mainly soil texture and K content, were better contributors than light conditions to distinguish the habitats occupied by the two varieties in all three study sites. It is concluded that habitat differentiation plays a role in the coexistence of these closely related species taxa. ^

Forest Resource Islands in a Sub-tropical Marsh: Soil–Site Relationships in Everglades Hardwood Hammocks

Spatial heterogeneity in soils is often characterized by the presence of resource-enriched patches ranging in size from a single shrub to wooded thickets. If the patches persist long enough, the primary constraint on production may transition from one limiting environmental factor to another. Tree islands that are scattered throughout the Florida Everglades basin comprise nutrient-enriched patches, or resource islands, in P-limited oligotrophic marshes. We used principal component analysis and multiple regressions to characterize the belowground environment (soil, hydrology) of one type of tree island, hardwood hammocks, and examined its relationship with the three structural variables (basal area, biomass, and canopy height) indicative of site productivity. Hardwood hammocks in the southern Everglades grow on two distinct soil types. The first, consisting of shallow, organic, relatively low-P soils, is common in the seasonally flooded Marl Prairie landscape. In contrast, hammocks on islands embedded in long hydroperiod marsh have deeper, alkaline, mineral soils with extremely high P concentrations. However, this edaphic variation does not translate simply into differences in forest structure and production. Relative water depth was unrelated to all measures of forest structure and so was soil P, but the non-carbonate component of the mineral soil fraction exhibited a strong positive relationship with canopy height. The development of P-enriched forest resource islands in the Everglades marsh is accompanied by the buildup of a mineral soil; however, limitations on growth in mature islands appear to differ substantively from those that dominate incipient stages in the transformation from marsh to forest. Key words: resource island; tree

Vegetation:environment relationships and water management in Shark Slough, Everglades National Park

The hydrologic regime of Shark Slough, the most extensive long hydroperiod marsh in Everglades National Park, is largely controlled by the location, volume, and timing of water delivered to it through several control structures from Water Conservation Areas north of the Park. Where natural or anthropogenic barriers to water flow are present, water management practices in this highly regulated system may result in an uneven distribution of water in the marsh, which may impact regional vegetation patterns. In this paper, we use data from 569 sampling locations along five cross-Slough transects to examine regional vegetation distribution, and to test and describe the association of marsh vegetation with several hydrologic and edaphic parameters. Analysis of vegetation:environment relationships yielded estimates of both mean and variance in soil depth, as well as annual hydroperiod, mean water depth, and 30-day maximum water depth within each cover type during the 1990’s. We found that rank abundances of the three major marsh cover types (Tall Sawgrass, Sparse Sawgrass, and Spikerush Marsh) were identical in all portions of Shark Slough, but regional trends in the relative abundance of individual communities were present. Analysis also indicated clear and consistent differences in the hydrologic regime of three marsh cover types, with hydroperiod and water depths increasing in the order Tall Sawgrass , Sparse Sawgrass , Spikerush Marsh. In contrast, soil depth decreased in the same order. Locally, these differences were quite subtle; within a management unit of Shark Slough, mean annual values for the two water depth parameters varied less than 15 cm among types, and hydroperiods varied by 65 days or less. More significantly, regional variation in hydrology equaled or exceeded the variation attributable to cover type within a small area. For instance, estimated hydroperiods for Tall Sawgrass in Northern Shark Slough were longer than for Spikerush Marsh in any of the other regions. Although some of this regional variation may reflect a natural gradient within the Slough, a large proportion is the result of compartmentalization due to current water management practices within the marsh.We conclude that hydroperiod or water depth are the most important influences on vegetation within management units, and attribute larger scale differences in vegetation pattern to the interactions among soil development, hydrology and fire regime in this pivotal portion of Everglades.

Across-scale patterning of plant-soil-water interactions surrounding tree islands in Southern Everglades landscapes

The freshwater Everglades is a complex system containing thousands of tree islands embedded within a marsh-grassland matrix. The tree island-marsh mosaic is shaped and maintained by hydrologic, edaphic and biological mechanisms that interact across multiple scales. Preserving tree islands requires a more integrated understanding of how scale-dependent phenomena interact in the larger freshwater system. The hierarchical patch dynamics paradigm provides a conceptual framework for exploring multi-scale interactions within complex systems. We used a three-tiered approach to examine the spatial variability and patterning of nutrients in relation to site parameters within and between two hydrologically defined Everglades landscapes: the freshwater Marl Prairie and the Ridge and Slough. Results were scale-dependent and complexly interrelated. Total carbon and nitrogen patterning were correlated with organic matter accumulation, driven by hydrologic conditions at the system scale. Total and bioavailable phosphorus were most strongly related to woody plant patterning within landscapes, and were found to be 3 to 11 times more concentrated in tree island soils compared to surrounding marshes. Below canopy resource islands in the slough were elongated in a downstream direction, indicating soil resource directional drift. Combined multi-scale results suggest that hydrology plays a significant role in landscape patterning and also the development and maintenance of tree islands. Once developed, tree islands appear to exert influence over the spatial distribution of nutrients, which can reciprocally affect other ecological processes.

Survival and growth responses of eight Everglades tree species along an experimental hydrological gradient on two tree island types

Questions: How are the early survival and growth of seedlings of Everglades tree species planted in an experimental setting on artificial tree islands affected by hydrology and substrate type? What are the implications of these responses for broader tree island restoration efforts? Location: Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA), Boynton Beach, Florida, USA. Methods: An experiment was designed to test hydrological and substrate effects on seedling growth and survivorship. Two islands – a peat and a limestone-core island representing two major types found in the Everglades – were constructed in four macrocosms. A mixture of eight tree species was planted on each island in March of 2006 and 2007. Survival and height growth of seedlings planted in 2006 were assessed periodically during the next two and a half years. Results: Survival and growth improved with increasing elevation on both tree island substrate types. Seedlings' survival and growth responses along a moisture gradient matched species distributions along natural hydrological gradients in the Everglades. The effect of substrate on seedling performance showed higher survival of most species on the limestone tree islands, and faster growth on their peat-based counterparts. Conclusions: The present results could have profound implications for restoration of forests on existing landforms and artificial creation of tree islands. Knowledge of species tolerance to flooding and responses to different edaphic conditions present in wetlands is important in selecting suitable species to plant on restored tree islands

Everglades Ridge, Slough, and Tree Island Mosaics: Year 2 Annual Report

Status and history of the Ridge-Slough Mosaic The Florida Everglades is a large subtropical wetland with diverse hydrologic, edaphic, and vegetative characteristics. Historically, a significant portion of this system was a slow moving river originating from the Kissimmee River floodplain, flowing into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee, and draining south-southwest over extensive peatlands into Florida Bay (McVoy 2011). Human-induced alterations to the hydrologic regime, including reduction, stabilization, and impoundment of water flow through diversion and compartmentalization of water via canals and levees have degraded pre-drainage vegetation patterns and microtopographic structure (Davis and Ogden 1994, Ogden 2005, McVoy 2011). The Everglades peatland emerged 5,000 years ago with the stabilization of sea level at approximately current elevations (Loveless 1959, Gleason and Stone 1994). This, combined with subtropical rainfalls, allowed a vast mass of water to slowly flow over a limestone bedrock platform 160 km long and 50 km wide at a near uniform descent totaling about 6 m, ultimately reaching Florida Bay (Stephens 1956, Gleason and Stone 1994, McVoy 2011). Vegetation quickly colonized the area, and peat, in the absence of adequate respiration, accumulated on the limestone bedrock to a depth of 3-3.7 m (Gleason and Stone 1994, McVoy et al. 2011). The “River of Grass” referenced by Douglas (1947) alludes to the dually intertwined processes of the historic riverine nature of the Everglades and the vast sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) communities that have dominated the landscape for about the last 1,000 years (Bernhardt and Willard 2009).

Descrição de novas espécies de Entomobryoidea, Womersley, 1934 (Collembola, Hexapoda) em remanescentes urbanos de mata atlântica no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Springtails are commonly recognized microarthropods edaphic environments. Among the most common (and most visible) forms of these animals are the Entomobryoidea, one of the most diverse groups of springtails. Although more than 8,300 species of Collembola are registered on the globe, in Brazil a little over 310 species are recorded, mostly in the Southeast. In the Northeast, particularly in Rio Grande do Norte, these records are still reduced, even in the Atlantic Forest domain for this admittedly diverse fauna and specifically, for Entomobryoidea. This study aimed to describe new species of Entomobryoidea in urban remnants of Atlantic Forest in Rio Grande do Norte, specifically in Parque das Dunas, Natal in the Environmental Protection Area Genipabu, Extremoz. The collections were made in the months July and August 2012 and January and February 2013, using entomological vacuums and plastic trays. The specimens were identified in the laboratory and described in detail by looking at the literature. In this paper four new species were described Entomobryidae family: Entomobrya sp. nov. 1, Seira sp. nov. 1, Seira sp. nov. 2 and Trogolaphysa sp. nov. 1. Seira sp. nov. 1 has clear similarities to S. paraibensis, however the chaetotaxy of the mesothorax and abdomen IV distinguishes both species. The number of phylogenetic proximity suggests similarities between species. Seira sp. nov. 2 is characterized by its chaetotaxy, mainly in the 'M' head and his mesothorax. There is possibility of a phylogenetic relationship with S. praiana and S. Potiguara due to some similarities. Entomobrya sp. nov. 1 has little resemblance to Brazilian species, from the point of view of color, however there is for the latter detailing the dorsal chaetotaxy, which might obscure evolutionary relationships of proximity. Even so, the main diagnostic feature Entomobrya sp. nov. 1 compared to other species of the genus is the complexity of the chaetotaxy of the fifth abdominal segment. Descriptions of new species of Collembola, potentially endemic to their habitats of occurrence may help to understand the morphological and evolutionary patterns in the sampled taxa, as well as the preservation of the environments in which they were found.

Travel, back and forth, to the myth. Cinema´s contribution to the formation of the tourist iconography of Mallorca

Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, is a well-known summer holidays destination; an ideal place to relax and enjoy the sun and the sea. That tourist gaze reflected on postcards results from advertising campaigns, where cinema played an important role with documentaries and fiction films. The origins of that iconography started in the decades of the 1920’s and 1930’s, reflecting the so-called myth of the “island of calm”. On the other hand, the films of the 1950’s and 1960’s created new stereotypes related to the mass tourism boom. Busy beaches and the white bodies of tourists replaced white sandy beaches, mountains and landscapes shown up in the movies of the early decades of the 20th century. Besides, hotels and nightclubs also replaced monuments, rural landscapes and folk exhibitions. These tourist images mirror the social and spatial transformations of Mallorca, under standardization processes like other seaside mass tourist destinations. The identity was rebuilt on the foundations of "modernity". Although "balearization" has not ceased, nowadays filmmaking about Mallorca is advertising again a stereotype close to that one of the 1920s and 1930s, glorifying the myth of the "island of calm". This singular identity makes the island more profitable for capital that searches socio-spatial differentiation in post-fordist times.

Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa-infested colonies

Over the past 50 years, many millions of European honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies have died as the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has spread around the world. Subsequent studies have indicated that the mite’s association with a group of RNA viral pathogens (Deformed Wing Virus, DWV) correlates with colony death. Here, we propose a phenomenon known as superinfection exclusion that provides an explanation of how certain A. mellifera populations have survived, despite Varroa infestation and high DWV loads. Next-generation sequencing has shown that a non-lethal DWV variant ‘type B’ has become established in these colonies and that the lethal ‘type A’ DWV variant fails to persist in the bee population. We propose that this novel stable host-pathogen relationship prevents the accumulation of lethal variants, suggesting that this interaction could be exploited for the development of an effective treatment that minimises colony losses in the future.

Superinfection exclusion and the long-term survival of honey bees in Varroa-infested colonies

Over the past 50 years, many millions of European honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies have died as the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, has spread around the world. Subsequent studies have indicated that the mite’s association with a group of RNA viral pathogens (Deformed Wing Virus, DWV) correlates with colony death. Here, we propose a phenomenon known as superinfection exclusion that provides an explanation of how certain A. mellifera populations have survived, despite Varroa infestation and high DWV loads. Next-generation sequencing has shown that a non-lethal DWV variant ‘type B’ has become established in these colonies and that the lethal ‘type A’ DWV variant fails to persist in the bee population. We propose that this novel stable host-pathogen relationship prevents the accumulation of lethal variants, suggesting that this interaction could be exploited for the development of an effective treatment that minimises colony losses in the future.

Diversity in a honey bee pathogen: first report of a third master variant of the Deformed Wing Virus quasispecies

Treatment of emerging RNA viruses is hampered by the high mutation and replication rates that enable these viruses to operate as a quasispecies. Declining honey bee populations have been attributed to the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and its affiliation with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In the current study we use next-generation sequencing to investigate the DWV quasispecies in an apiary known to suffer from overwintering colony losses. We show that the DWV species complex is made up of three master variants. Our results indicate that a new DWV Type C variant is distinct from the previously described types A and B, but together they form a distinct clade compared with other members of the Iflaviridae. The molecular clock estimation predicts that Type C diverged from the other variants ~319 years ago. The discovery of a new master variant of DWV has important implications for the positive identification of the true pathogen within global honey bee populations.

Diversity in a honey bee pathogen: first report of a third master variant of the Deformed Wing Virus quasispecies

Treatment of emerging RNA viruses is hampered by the high mutation and replication rates that enable these viruses to operate as a quasispecies. Declining honey bee populations have been attributed to the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor and its affiliation with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In the current study we use next-generation sequencing to investigate the DWV quasispecies in an apiary known to suffer from overwintering colony losses. We show that the DWV species complex is made up of three master variants. Our results indicate that a new DWV Type C variant is distinct from the previously described types A and B, but together they form a distinct clade compared with other members of the Iflaviridae. The molecular clock estimation predicts that Type C diverged from the other variants ~319 years ago. The discovery of a new master variant of DWV has important implications for the positive identification of the true pathogen within global honey bee populations.