Native insectary plants support populations of predatory arthropods for Australian vineyards

We provide a summary of two recent studies that investigated the role that three native insectary plants can play in promoting predatory arthropods, and thereby to enhance biological control of vineyard pests in Australia. Native plants are preferred as supplementary flora, as they are locally-adapted to Australia's climatic conditions. Stands of mature Bursaria spinosa, Leptospermum continentale and Rytidosperma ssp. located adjacent to, or in vineyards, in South Australia were sampled for arthropods in 2013/14. Grapevines were also sampled to explore relationships between each plant and associated arthropods using common diversity indices. Twenty seven thousand and ninety-one individual invertebrate specimens were collected, comprising 20 orders and 287 morphospecies. These were categorised into functional groups of predators, herbivores and other. Predatory arthropods dominated the diversity of morphospecies present on each plant. The richness of predator morphospecies across all plant types was nearly double the number found in association with grapevines. It may be possible to increase the functional diversity of predatory arthropods by more than 3x when either B. spinosa or L. continentale is present versus grapevines only, and increase the net number of predator morphospecies by around 27% when Rytidosperma ssp. are planted in combination with grapevines. The selected plants provide a suitable habitat to support diverse and functional populations of predatory arthropods. The opportunity to plant selected native insectary species could help wine grape growers save time and resources by producing fruit with lower pest incidence, while enhancing biodiversity associated with vineyards.

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Phytoplankton assemblages in Lake Orta: has functional structure recovered in one of the largest acidic lakes in the world?

Journal of Limnology ◽

10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1381 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 75 (s2) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giuseppe Morabito

Keyword(s):

Functional Groups ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Phytoplankton Species ◽

Phytoplankton Assemblages ◽

Lake Maggiore ◽

Acidic Lakes ◽

Physical Features ◽

She Analysis

Lake Orta (Northern Italy) became one of the world’s largest acidic lakes, following industrial pollution, beginning in the late 1920s. Prior to pollution, Lake Orta supported a rich and diversified phytoplankton community dominated by diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates. Their taxonomic composition was comparable to that of the nearby Lake Maggiore, which provides a useful reference comparison. After pollution, Lake Orta was so acidic and contaminated with trace metals that only a few tolerant phytoplankton species persisted, supplemented by sudden and short living outbursts of occasional colonists. The lake was limed in 1989-1990. This has permitted the gradual recovery of its chemistry and biology, and many phytoplankton species that inhabit Lake Maggiore are now re-appearing in Lake Orta. I tested the two hypotheses that Lakes Orta and Maggiore would now have a similar phytoplankton taxonomic assemblages, and similar diversity of functional groups given their similar morphometry, physical features and trophic states. The two hypotheses were tested by comparing the phytoplankton assemblages of lakes Maggiore and Orta for the first 10 years after liming, i.e. 1990 to 2001. Phytoplankton was classified according the Reynolds' Morpho Functional Groups and five diversity indices were calculated (S, number of units; H, Shannon-Wiener; E, evenness; D, dominance; J, equitability). SHE analysis (an analysis of diversity changes based on the relationship among species richness (S), H Index (H) and evenness (E)) was also carried out, in order to compare the long term trend of both functional groups and taxa biodiversity. Both taxonomic and the functional composition differed in the two lakes, likely because chemical quality have played a role in taxaselection. Moreover, it was quite clear that, during the first post-liming decade, Lake Orta’s phytoplankton was characterized by low diversity and evenness and by marked year-to-year fluctuations. However, SHE analysis showed that the colonization rate was higher in Lake Orta than in Lake Maggiore, and that the environmental modifications caused by the liming were opening new ecological niches, allowing some colonists to thrive in the changing, albeit still unusual chemical environment of the lake.

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Species presence frequency and diversity in different patch types along an altitudinal gradient: Larix chinensis Beissn in Qinling Mountains (China)

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1752 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Minyi Huang ◽

Renyan Duan ◽

Shixiong Wang ◽

Zhigao Wang ◽

Weiyi Fan

Keyword(s):

Functional Groups ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Dispersal Limitation ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Coniferous Forests ◽

Qinling Mountains ◽

Larix Chinensis ◽

Species Groups ◽

Adjacent Patch

Forest communities are mosaic systems composed of patches classified into four different developmental patch types: gap patch (G), building patch (B), mature patch (M) and degenerate patch (D). To study the mechanisms maintaining diversity in subalpine coniferous forests, species presence frequency and diversity in the four distinct patch types (G, B, M and D) of Larix chinensis conifer forests at three altitudinal gradients in the Qinling Mountains were analyzed. Our results were as follows: (1) Different species (or functional groups) had distinct presence frequencie s in the four different patch types along the altitudinal gradient. (2) Some species or functional groups (species groups sharing similar traits and response to environment) only occurred in some specific patches. For seed dispersal, species using wind mainly occurred in G and D, while species using small animals mainly occurred in B and M. (3) Species composition of adjacent patch types was more similar than non-adjacent patch types, based on the lower β diversity index of the former. (4) The maximum numbers of species and two diversity indices (D′ and H′) were found in the middle altitudes. Various gap-forming processes and dispersal limitation may be the two major mechanisms determining species diversity in Larix chinensis coniferous forests at the patch scale.

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Current and future suitable habitat areas for Nasuella olivacea (Gray, 1865) in Colombia and Ecuador and analysis of its distribution across different land uses

Biodiversity Data Journal ◽

10.3897/bdj.8.e49164 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Pablo Medrano-Vizcaíno ◽

Patricia Gutiérrez-Salazar

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Potential Distribution ◽

Wildlife Conservation ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Ecological Niche Models

Nasuella olivacea is an endemic mammal from the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia. Due to its rarity, aspects about its natural history, ecology and distribution patterns are not well known, therefore, research is needed to generate knowledge about this carnivore and a first step is studying suitable habitat areas. We performed Ecological Niche Models and applied future climate change scenarios (2.6 and 8.5 RCP) to determine the potential distribution of this mammal in Colombia and Ecuador, with current and future climate change conditions; furthermore, we analysed its distribution along several land covers. We found that N. olivacea is likely to be found in areas where no records have been reported previously; likewise, climate change conditions would increase suitable distribution areas. Concerning land cover, 73.4% of N. olivacea potential distribution was located outside Protected Areas (PA), 46.1% in Forests and 40.3% in Agricultural Lands. These findings highlight the need to further research understudied species, furthering our understanding about distribution trends and responses to changing climatic conditions, as well as informig future PA designing. These are essential tools for supporting wildlife conservation plans, being applicable for rare species whose biology and ecology remain unknown.

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Predicting growth and habitat responses of Ginkgo biloba L. to climate change

Annals of Forest Science ◽

10.1007/s13595-019-0885-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ying Guo ◽

Yue Lu ◽

Yousry A. El-Kassaby ◽

Lei Feng ◽

Guibing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Response Function ◽

Ginkgo Biloba ◽

Global Climate ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Tree Height ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Climatic Response ◽

Wide Range

Abstract Key message We developed a climatic response function using 20-year tree height observed from 45Ginkgo bilobaplantations in China and used it to predict the growth and habitat responses to anticipated climate change. We projected northward and upward shifts in the species habitat and productive areas, but a dramatic contraction of the species distribution is unlikely to occur at least during the present century. Context Ginkgo biloba is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. The species exists in small natural populations in southeastern China but is cultivated across China and the world. The species’ future under climate change is of concern. Aims This study was initiated to model the species’ growth response to climate change and to predict its range of suitable habitat under future climates. Methods Using height data from 45 20 years old plantations growing under a wide range of climatic conditions across China, we developed univariate and bivariate climatic response functions to identify the climate requirements of the species. Results According to the amount of variance explained (> 70%) and the high level of agreement (> 99%) with independent species occurrence coordinates, the developed climate response function was highly accurate and credible. Projections for future periods (2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100) under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) scenario indicated that the areas of potential suitable habitat would increase (25–67 million hectares). It would also be associated with northward (0.21–0.62° in latitude) and elevational (24–75 m) shifts. Conclusion Global climate change is projected to increase the area of potential suitable habitats for Ginkgo and shift its spatial distributions northward and upward.

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Impact of weather on dynamics of plant functional groups in an abandoned limestone grassland

Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae ◽

10.5586/asbp.2011.038 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 80 (4) ◽

pp. 259-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zbigniew Dzwonko ◽

Stefania Loster

Keyword(s):

Functional Groups ◽

Early Summer ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Plant Functional Groups ◽

Permanent Plots ◽

Plant Groups ◽

Successional Species ◽

Abandoned Grassland ◽

Vegetative Spread ◽

Natural Grassland

We examined to what extend the rate and direction of changes in unmanaged grassland depend on fluctuations in climatic conditions. Vegetation data from permanent plots in a semi-natural grassland in southern Poland collected over 12 years were used. Relations between weather variables, time, and the cover of 41 more frequent species and 14 plant functional groups were analysed. The greatest effect on the dynamics of species and functional groups had precipitation in spring and/or early summer, particularly in the current year. The majority of plant groups were significantly affected also by the temperature in spring and early summer in one of the three previous years. During 12 years, the cover of annuals and biennials, short plants, and plants with small leaves decreased, while the cover of taller plants, plants with larger leaves, and with vegetative spread increased. The analyses suggest that these successional changes were not directly associated with climatic conditions but were affected by them indirectly through interspecific competition. The fluctuations in climatic conditions, chiefly precipitation, had a significant effect on both the composition and the rate of changes in abandoned grassland. The increase in the cover of tall perennial species with broad leaves hindered succession towards woodland despite of the presence of woods in the closed vicinity. It can be expected that during drier periods colonisation of grassland by later successional species could be easier.

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Swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) distribution has dramatically increased following sustained biological control of rabbits

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am19037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 321

Author(s):

B. D. Cooke

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

South Australia ◽

Cumulative Effects ◽

European Rabbit ◽

High Rainfall ◽

South Eastern ◽

European Settlement ◽

Western Victoria ◽

Swamp Wallaby ◽

Tiny Part

Swamp wallabies have dramatically extended their distribution through western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia over the last 40 years. Newspaper reports from 1875 onwards show that on European settlement, wallaby populations were confined to eastern Victoria, including the ranges around Melbourne, the Otway Ranges and Portland District of south-western Victoria, and a tiny part of south-eastern South Australia. Populations contracted further with intense hunting for the fur trade until the 1930s. In the late 1970s, however, wallabies began spreading into drier habitats than those initially recorded. Possible causes underlying this change in distribution are discussed; some seem unlikely but, because wallabies began spreading soon after the introduction of European rabbit fleas as vectors of myxomatosis, the cumulative effects of releases of biological agents to control rabbits appear important. A caution is given on assuming that thick vegetation in high-rainfall areas provides the only habitat suitable for swamp wallabies, but, most importantly, the study shows how native mammals may benefit if rabbit abundance is reduced.

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Developing minimal-input techniques for invasive plant management: perimeter treatments enlarge native grass patches

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1017/inp.2020.9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 108-113

Author(s):

Scott R. Abella ◽

Lindsay P. Chiquoine ◽

Jeremy M. Moss ◽

Eric D. Lassance ◽

Charles D. Schelz

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Native Plants ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Plant Management ◽

Native Grasses ◽

Native Grass ◽

Invasive Plant Management ◽

Wide Ring

AbstractThere is a continual need for invasive plant science to develop approaches for cost-effectively benefiting native over nonnative species in dynamic management and biophysical contexts, including within predominantly nonnative plant landscapes containing only small patches of native plants. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of a minimal-input strategy for enlarging native species patches within a nonnative plant matrix. In Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA, we identified 40 native perennial grass patches within a matrix of the nonnative annual forb kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott]. We mechanically cut B. scoparia in a 2-m-wide ring surrounding the perimeters of half the native grass patches (with the other half as uncut controls) and measured change in native grass patch size (relative to pretreatment) for 3 yr. Native grass patches around which B. scoparia was cut grew quickly the first posttreatment year and by the third year had increased in size four times more than control patches. Treated native grass patches expanded by an average of 25 m2, from 4 m2 in October 2015 before treatment to 29 m2 in October 2018. The experiment occurred during a dry period, conditions that should favor B. scoparia and contraction of the native grasses, suggesting that the observed increase in native grasses occurred despite suboptimal climatic conditions. Strategically treating around native patches to enlarge them over time showed promise as a minimal-input technique for increasing the proportion of the landscape dominated by native plants.

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I Macroeteroceri della Riserva Naturale Orientata “Laghetti di Marinello” (Sicilia nord-orientale) (Lepidoptera Heterocera)

Bollettino della Società Entomologica Italiana ◽

10.4081/bollettinosei.2012.31 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 31-43

Author(s):

Marco Infusino ◽

Concetta Calabrò ◽

Salvatore Saitta ◽

Stefano Scalercio

Keyword(s):

Light Source ◽

Sono State ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Number Of Species ◽

Sono Stati ◽

Natural Reserve ◽

North Eastern ◽

First Time

Riassunto - Gli scopi di questa ricerca sono quelli di contribuire alla conoscenza della macrolepidotterofauna della Sicilia nord-orientale e di caratterizzare la comunità presente nella Riserva Naturale Orientata “Laghetti di Marinello”. Sono stati effettuati 23 campionamenti tra dicembre 2007 e dicembre 2008 col metodo della caccia al lume. Sono stati catturati 2.537 individui appartenenti a 160 specie, tra cui Chloroclystis v-ata e Laelia coenosa, segnalate per la prima volta in Sicilia; importanti anche le segnalazioni di Calamodes subscudularia, Mythimna languida e M. joannisi, specie piuttosto rare e localizzate. Le specie più abbondanti sono state: Eilema caniola, Eublemma viridula, Idaea filicata, Dysauxes famula e Idaea seriata, che da sole rappresentano il 42% di tutta la comunità, favorite dalla presenza delle rispettive piante nutrici e dall’elevato adattamento alle condizioni climatiche del sito. Il numero di specie e i valori degli indici di diversità indicano un basso livello di biodiversità ospitata, ma la fenologia, le analisi corologica e autoecologica delle specie, insieme ai confronti effettuati con altre faune, indicano una comunità ben caratterizzata e peculiare, diretta espressione delle condizioni abiotiche e biotiche della Riserva.Abstract - Macroheterocera of the Oriented Natural Reserve “Laghetti di Marinello” (north-eastern Sicily) (Lepidoptera: Heterocera). The aim of this research is to contribute to the knowledge of the fauna of macrolepidoptera of north-eastern Sicily and to describe the community present in the Oriented Natural Reserve “Laghetti di Marinello”. 23 samples were carried out from December 2007 to December 2008 using a white vertical sheet reflecting a light source. 2.537 specimens belonging to 160 species were captured. Chloroclystis v-ata and Laelia coenosa were reported for the first time in Sicily, Calamodes subscudularia, Mythimna languida and M. joannisi, very rare and localized species, were also reported. The most abundant species were: Eilema caniola, Eublemma viridula, Idaea filicata, Dysauxes famula and Idaea seriata, which represent the 42% of the whole community and are favoured by the presence of their feeding plants and by their high adaptability to the climatic conditions of the place. The number of species and the values of the diversity indices show a low level of biodiversity, but phenology, chorological and autoecological analysis of the species, with comparisons made with other faunae, show a well characterized and peculiar community, direct expression of the abiotic and biotic conditions of the Reserve.

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Is thermal stability a factor that influences environmental heterogeneity and phytoplankton distribution in tropical lakes?

Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia ◽

10.1590/s2179-975x8817 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Luciana Gomes Barbosa ◽

Francisco Antônio Rodrigues Barbosa ◽

Carlos Eduardo de Mattos Bicudo

Keyword(s):

Thermal Stability ◽

Functional Groups ◽

Environmental Heterogeneity ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Light Availability ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Tropical Lakes ◽

Light Limitation ◽

Water Column Stability ◽

Vertical Heterogeneity

Abstract Aim To evaluate the effects of environmental heterogeneity promoted by thermal stratification on the distribution of limnologic variables and phytoplankton functional groups (FGs) in two natural lakes. Methods Monthly measurements were performed over a five-year period in the vertical profile of a warm monomitic shallow lake (Lago Carioca) and in a deep and meromictic (Lake Dom Helvécio). Results The vertical zonation generated by the high thermal stability during the stratification period promoted an increase in the spatial heterogeneity and, consequently, in the richness of functional groups of the two lakes. In the epilimnion, the dominance of small chlorophytes and desmids (NA, A and X1, ≤20μm) and larger dinophyceans (Lo, ≥20μm) were associated with high turbulence and light availability and soluble phosphorus limitation. In the metalimnion, the presence of filamentous cyanobacteria (R) and colonial chlorophyceans (F) of larger size (≥20µm) were associated with stable habitats with high concentrations of N-NH4 and P-PO4-3 and light limiting conditions. Comparatively, Lake Dom Helvécio presented a higher richness of FGs in the meta-hipolimnetic layers (SN, P) as well as a higher number of species per functional group. Seasonal changes in the climatic conditions (e.g. the decrease in air temperature with the consequent heat loss) caused the break of the water column stability, which promoted the redistribution of the dissolved nutrient forms and the increase of light limitation in the two lakes during the mixing period. Therefore, there was a drastic reduction in the richness and population biomass of FGs (≤80%). Conclusions Thermal stability and atelomixis were the main driving forces of vertical heterogeneity during the stratification, favoring the coexistence of FGs and, consequently, their increase in richness and biomass.

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Variation in Occurrence and Aflatoxigenicity of Aspergillus flavus from Two Climatically Varied Regions in Kenya

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins12010034 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ethel Monda ◽

Joel Masanga ◽

Amos Alakonya

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Plant Pathogens ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Aflatoxin Contamination ◽

Maize Cultivation ◽

Bacillus Spp ◽

Study Sites

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic chemical metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. of the section Flavi. In Kenya, Aspergillus flavus is the most prevalent and has been associated with several acute and chronic aflatoxin outbreaks in the past. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence of A. flavus in soils from two agro-ecological regions with contrasting climatic conditions, aflatoxin contamination histories and cropping systems. Aspergillus spp. were first isolated from soils before the identification and determination of their aflatoxigenicity. Further, we determined the occurrence of Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. in soils from the two regions. These bacterial species have long been associated with biological control of several plant pathogens including Aspergillus spp. Our results show that A. flavus occurred widely and produced comparatively higher total aflatoxin levels in all (100%) study sites from the eastern to the western regions of Kenya. For the western region, A. flavus was detected in 4 locations (66.7%) that were previously under maize cultivation with the isolates showing low aflatoxigenicity. A. flavus was not isolated from soils under sugarcane cultivation. Distribution of the two bacterial species varied across the regions but we detected a weak relationship between occurrence of bacterial species and A. flavus. We discuss these findings in the context of the influence of climate, microbial profiles, cropping systems and applicability in the deployment of biological control remedies against aflatoxin contamination.

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