scholarly journals Environmental DNA detection of an invasive ant species (Linepithema humile) from soil samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsu Yasashimoto ◽  
Masayuki K. Sakata ◽  
Tomoya Sakita ◽  
Satoko Nakajima ◽  
Mamiko Ozaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Detection ◽  
Linepithema Humile ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAlien ant species (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) cause serious damage worldwide. Early detection of invasion and rapid management are significant for controlling these species. However, these attempts are sometimes hindered by the need for direct detection techniques, such as capture, visual observation, or morphological identification. In this study, we demonstrated that environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis can be used as a monitoring tool for alien ants using Linepithema humile (Argentine ant), one of the most invasive ants, as a model species. We designed a new real-time PCR assay specific to L. humile and successfully detected eDNA from the surface soil. The reliability of eDNA analysis was substantiated by comparing eDNA detection results with traditional survey results. Additionally, we examined the relationship between eDNA concentration and distance from nests and trails. Our results support the effectiveness of eDNA for alien ant monitoring and suggest that this new method could improve our ability to detect invasive ant species.

scholarly journals Behavioral responses to numerical differences when two invasive ants meet: the case of Lasius neglectus and Linepithema humile

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gema Trigos-Peral ◽  
Sílvia Abril ◽  
Elena Angulo
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
Linepithema Humile ◽  
Behavioral Sequence ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
Dear Enemy ◽  
Lasius Neglectus ◽  
Numerical Abundance

AbstractTwo of the world’s most invasive ants, Linepithema humile and Lasius neglectus, are destined to overlap in range as they continue to spread throughout Europe. Although L. humile arrived first, and is therefore more numerically abundant, L. neglectus is the more behaviorally dominant of the two. We performed lab trials to determine whether L. humile could use numerical abundance to overcome the behavioral dominance of L. neglectus and whether the ants’ behavioral patterns shifted when the species co-occurred. We found that L. neglectus was more aggressive when less abundant, whereas the opposite was true of L. humile. When L. neglectus was outnumbered, it employed aggressive behaviors, such as biting or chemical attacks, more frequently than L. humile; it also utilized a behavioral sequence that included mandible opening and biting. Our results for these species support the hypothesis that species modulate their behavior towards competitors, which facilitates the understanding of how multiple invasive ant species can co-occur in a given area. Moreover, our study shows that the co-occurrence of invasive species could result from the use of two strategies: (1) the Bourgeois strategy, in which aggressiveness changes based on numerical dominance and (2) the dear-enemy strategy, in which aggressiveness is reduced when competitors co-occur. Since these strategies may lead to territory partitioning, we suggest that the behavioral flexibility displayed by both species when they overlap may allow local co-occurrence and increase their likelihood of co-occurrence during their range expansion in Europe, which could have a negative cumulative impact on invaded areas.

Statistical analysis and modeling to examine the exterior and interior building damage pertaining to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake

2021 ◽  
pp. 875529302110354
Author(s):  
Haoyi Xiu ◽  
Takayuki Shinohara ◽  
Masashi Matsuoka ◽  
Munenari Inoguchi ◽  
Ken Kawabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake ◽  
Damage Grade ◽  
Damage Grades ◽  
Distinct Stage ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Post Disaster

After an earthquake occurs, field surveys are conducted by relevant authorities to assess the damage suffered by buildings. The field survey is essential as it ensures the safety of residents and provides the necessary information to local authorities for post-disaster recovery. In Japan, a primary (mandatory) exterior survey is conducted first, and a secondary (voluntary) interior survey is performed subsequently if the residents request a reinvestigation. However, a major challenge associated with field surveys is the substantial time cost of determining the damage grades. Moreover, an interior survey is performed only after receiving the reinvestigation request from occupants, which further delays the decision-making process. In addition, the risk of incorrect damage estimation during the exterior survey must be considered because underestimating the damage can endanger the residents. Therefore, in this study, a three-part analysis (Parts I–III), where each part corresponds to a distinct stage of the standard damage assessment procedure, was performed to characterize the relationship between the building parameters and damage grades at different stages. To further explore the possibility of accelerating decision-making, predictive modeling was performed in each part. The Part I results indicate that estimating the final damage grade for all buildings immediately after the exterior survey is similar to treating the exterior survey results as the final ones. The Part II results show that buildings that potentially require an interior survey can be predicted with reasonable accuracy after the exterior survey. In buildings for which reinvestigations have been requested, Part III demonstrates that the risk of underestimation in the exterior survey can be predicted reliably.

Past and recent biodiversity profiling in ancient Lake Chalco Mexico by a metagenomics analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Moguel ◽  
Liseth Pérez ◽  
Luis David Alcaraz ◽  
Socorro Lozano-García ◽  
Luis Herrera-Estrella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Belt ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mexican Volcanic Belt ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Throughput Dna Sequencing ◽  
High Altitude Lake ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
The Relationship

<p>For decades, paleoecological studies in lake sediments have focused on reconstructing the environments of the past and explaining phenomena linked to climatic variations. Recent advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have allowed access to environmental DNA (eDNA) and ancient sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA) as a new and efficient proxy for past and present biodiversity. The basin of Mexico (BM) is located in the central part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt at 2,200 m a.s.l.; with the southern portion harboring the Chalco sub-basin. Lake Chalco is one of the last remaining natural aquatic ecosystems within the ever-expanding urban area surrounding Mexico City. The paleoenvironmental history of this lake has been previously characterized using sedimentological and geochemical proxies, as well as preserved microfossils (diatoms, pollen) with a temporal framework based on multiple radiocarbon dates. However, information for the remaining taxonomic groups and metabolic pathways remained unexplored. Here, we present the first metagenomics-based study for the Holocene in a high-altitude lake in Central Mexico –Lake Chalco. We explored the relationship between the lake’s paleoenvironmental condition and estimations of taxonomic and metabolic profiles across the sedimentary sequence (2.5 meters long). Multiple biological and abiotic variables revealed three main environmental phases: 1) a cool freshwater lake (FW1: 11,500-11,000 cal years BP), 2) a warm hyposaline lake (HS2: 11,000-6,000 cal years BP), and 3) a temperate, subsaline lake (SS3, <6,000 cal years BP). We describe the structure of the microbiota community and taxonomy richness turnover in the three Holocene paleoenvironmental phases. During the past 12 000 years BP the most abundant domains in Lake Chalco sediments were Bacteria, followed by Archaea, and Eukarya (36,722 genera). The analysis of functional proteins showed high biodiversity with a total of 27,636,243 proteins identified, but it was only possible to annotate 3,227,398 of them. Also, we identified several genes associated with some relevant pathways, such as methanogenesis. Altogether, this study allowed us to reconstruct the natural history of lake Chalco and its surroundings.</p>

scholarly journals NÍVEL DE EVIDENCIAÇÃO AMBIENTAL E DESEMPENHO ECONÔMICO DE EMPRESAS: APLICANDO A ANÁLISE ENVOLTÓRIA DE DADOS

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-226
Author(s):  
Ilse Maria Beuren ◽  
Sabrina Do Nascimento ◽  
Irani Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Complete Information ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Environmental Information Disclosure ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship

The study poses to investigate the relationship between the level of environmental disclosure and economic performance of open capital companies as classified by the Você S/A – As Melhores Empresas para Você Trabalhar (The Best Companies to Work) guide. A descriptive study, employing a quantitative approach, was conducted via documental analysis of financial statements of the therein featured, 21 open capital companies. Survey results evidence that: a) in the environmental disclosure categorization, 680 data entries were found, ranging from 99 deemed complete information, 126 as incomplete and 455 absent; b) in terms of environmental disclosure score levels, 55% of the companies were graded as unsatisfactory, 35% regular and 9% good; and c) the relationship between corporate environmental disclosure levels and economic performance revealed bleak correlation. Thus, once employing the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology, the study concludes that not all companies that presented higher environmental information disclosure levels attained efficient economic performance.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Relationship of Professionals towards the Vertical Equity of the Slovenian Tax System and Its Comparison with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 145-166
Author(s):  
Jelena Klopčič ◽  
Maja Klun
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vertical Equity ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Equity Principle ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Vertical equity states that taxpayers whose positions are not the same should be treated differently while taking into consideration all the relevant characteristics. The main purpose of using the vertical equity principle is to require the redistribution of income in a way that reduces the income inequality of the society. The presented research aims to check the opinion of Slovenian tax system professionals on the principle of vertical equity. Slovenian results have been compared to a similar analysis carried out in Croatia, and partly with survey results from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States of America. The results show that the professional public agrees with the principle of vertical equity in the implementation of tax systems. All of the compared countries are similarly favourable towards vertical equity. However, this is also affected by the current tax arrangements of the individual countries.

scholarly journals Influence of Perceived Service Quality on Customer Loyalty

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121
Author(s):  
Madumere Humphrey Ikenna ◽  
Dickson Ben Uche ◽  
Agu Godswill Agu
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
The Road ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Transport Industry ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this was to investigate the relationship between perceived service quality and customer loyalty in the road transport industry in Nigeria. Leveraging the RATER service quality model, only reliability, tangibles and responsiveness were explored. Participants were drawn from the customer base of organized road transport firms operating in the South East of Nigeria. Being a quantitative survey, results from 318 valid responses were analyzed with SPSS version 21.  Findings indicate that the three constructs (reliability, tangibles, and responsiveness) are significant predictors of customer loyalty, with reliability having the greatest influence, followed by responsiveness and tangibles. The study recommends steady monitoring of service quality as a step towards customer loyalty in the highly competitive road transport industry in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Unexplored diversity of microscopic myxomycetes: evidence from environmental DNA

2019 ◽  
Vol 152 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg N. Shchepin ◽  
Martin Schnittler ◽  
Nikki H.A. Dagamac ◽  
Dmitry V. Leontyev ◽  
Yuri K. Novozhilov
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
18S Rdna ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Rdna Sequences ◽  
18S Rdna Sequences ◽  
Environmental Sequences

Background and aims – Recent studies showed the position of two slime mould species with microscopic sporocarps, Echinosteliopsis oligospora and Echinostelium bisporum, within the class Myxomycetes. These minute species are seldom seen in studies based on detection of sporocarps and can easily be confused with protosteloid amoebozoans.Methods – We searched all published ePCR data sets that targeted myxomycete 18S rDNA for the presence of environmental sequences similar to E. oligospora and Echinosteliales in traditional circumscription, and performed phylogenetic analyses that included short environmental sequences and full-length 18S rDNA sequences representing all the major groups of myxomycetes.Key results – We report 19 unique sequences which are closely related to E. bisporum or E. oligospora based on sequence similarity (73.1–95.2% similarity) and which form well-supported monophyletic clades with these species in phylogenetic analyses. They may represent new species that are not yet described. Our phylogeny based on full-length 18S rDNA sequences further confirms the position of E. bisporum and E. oligospora within myxomycetes and the paraphyly of the order Echinosteliales in its traditional circumscription.Conclusions – Our results show that ePCR-based studies can reveal myxomycete taxa that often escape detection by traditional approaches, including potentially new species, and thus provide valuable new data on diversity and ecology of myxomycetes. As such, strategies for studying myxomycetes biodiversity should be revised, focusing also on molecular detection techniques in addition to the sporocarp-based ones.

scholarly journals Update on the invasion status of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868), in Madrid, a large city in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 161-177
Author(s):  
Diego López-Collar ◽  
Francisco J. Cabrero-Sañudo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Necessary Conditions ◽  
Large City ◽  
Linepithema Humile ◽  
Argentine Ant ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Personal Communications ◽  
Great Capacity ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The City

New geolocated records of the invasive ant Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868) are added to the previous references for the city of Madrid and its surroundings, and the possible causes of the occurrence and permanence of this species in urban areas are discussed. The data collection corresponds to a series of samplings carried out for the last three years in green areas of the city, bibliographic searches, citizen science platforms and personal communications. To date, eleven locations in the urban area of Madrid and four points outside the city have been registered. The city of Madrid is undergoing a colonisation by the Argentine ant, although it is not widespread yet, since observations over time and space are isolated and apparently unrelated. However, this species has a great capacity to disperse and establish new colonies, mainly human-mediated through the transport of goods, plants, gardening tools, etc. Considering the numerous colonizable urban green areas in the city that can provide the necessary conditions for its expansion, the Argentine ant should not be underestimated, and immediate action is strongly recommended.

scholarly journals The effect of subordinate motivation on performance

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-574
Author(s):  
Euijin Kang ◽  
EunKyoung Chung ◽  
YoungWoo Sohn
Keyword(s):  
Achievement Motivation ◽  
Attributional Style ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Attribution Style ◽  
Personal Need For Structure ◽  
Emotional Display ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
And Performance ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study is to examine whether subordinate attribution style on leader emotional (positive and negative) display moderates the relationship between subordinate achievement motivation/personal need for structure(PNS) and performance. 75 employees in the sales department of a pharmaceutical company participated in the survey. Results showed that subordinates using person-attribution style on leader negative emotional display performed better than those using performance-attribution style, though they had the same high level of explicit achievement motivation and PNS. That is, the moderating role of subordinate attributional style on leader negative emotional display was verified. On the contrary, subordinate attributional style on leader positive emotional display did not moderate the relationship between subordinate explicit achievement motivation/PNS and performance. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Immigrant Context and Opportunity

2015 ◽  
Vol 660 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenoa Flippen ◽  
Eunbi Kim
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Survey ◽  
National Origin ◽  
Immigrant Incorporation ◽  
New Destinations ◽  
Socioeconomic Attainment ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Relationship

Immigrant-origin populations, once overwhelmingly concentrated in a handful of receiving gateways, have dispersed in recent decades to scores of new destinations throughout the United States. This pattern and its implications for immigrant incorporation have received a great deal of attention, but the vast majority of research has focused on Hispanics. This article examines the relationship between settlement patterns and socioeconomic attainment (income, occupational status, and homeownership) among Asians. Drawing on individual- and metro-level information from the 2009 to 2011 American Community Survey, results suggest that Asians in new destinations face an important tradeoff between income and homeownership, and that differences across contexts are largely attributable to metropolitan labor and housing market conditions, rather than the ethnic context per se. However, there are important differences in outcomes among Asians by national origin and sex, and a comparison with whites suggests that inequality differs across new and more established Asian settlement areas.

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