scholarly journals Revealing the Diet of Generalist Insect Predators in Strawberry Fields: Not Only Pests, But Other Predators Beware

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1300-1306
Author(s):  
K L Krey ◽  
W R Cooper ◽  
J M Renkema
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Dietary Analysis ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Insect Predators ◽  
Pest Suppression ◽  
Generalist Insect ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
Organically Managed ◽  
Control Service

Abstract Generalist invertebrate predators contribute to pest management in agriculture, providing an important ecosystem service, particularly in organically managed fields. DNA-based methods to study food webs and feeding interactions in unrestricted field conditions have transformed dietary analysis of generalist predators. In this study, we used MiSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and universal arthropod primers to investigate the diet of several generalist insect predators collected in commercial organic Florida strawberry fields from November 2017 to March 2018. Of 12 predator insect taxa, Geocoris spp. (Say) (Hemiptera: Geocoridae) was the most abundant early in the growing season (November) and was collected consistently until the end of the season (early March). DNA sequences from 105 predator samples were matched to 44 arthropod families, and of these, 17 were categorized as pest families, 10 as nonpest or nonpredator families, and 17 as predator families. Drosophilidae was the most detected pest family, and Dolichopodidae was the most detected predator family. Prey diversity differed among the predators. Chrysoperla spp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) consumed more prey earlier in the season than did other predators, whereas the other predators consumed a greater diversity of other predators regardless of month. Our results showed a high amount of intraguild predation, but also that predators are contributing to pest suppression in organic strawberries and providing an important biological control service in Florida organic strawberries.

scholarly journals DNA-based monitoring for assessing the effect of invasive species on aquatic communities in the Amazon basin of Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Van der Heyden ◽  
Lenin Riascos ◽  
Andrea Carrera-Gonzalez ◽  
Katherine Elizabeth Apunte Ramos ◽  
Marcela Carbrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Fast Detection ◽  
Invasive Fishes ◽  
Dna Database ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Ecuador is well-known as one of the most biodiverse countries, but this species richness is being threatened by invasive alien species. The early detection of these invasive species is crucial for their fast and successful eradication and for limiting their effects on aquatic communities. Therefore, a Belgian VLIR-UOS project was started that aims at the development of a fast detection method to monitor the Ecuadorian Amazon river basin for the presence of invasive fishes, macroinvertebrates and amphibians. An (e)DNA field lab, equipped with miniaturized and portable DNA-processing equipment, such as centrifuges, thermal cyclers, and electrophoresis equipment (MiniPCR), was developed. In the next phase, the Nanopore Next-Generation sequencing (NGS) technique (MinION) will be optimized to enable the eDNA-based biomonitoring of tropical aquatic environments in the field. The fast detection of invasive species may help to prevent their further spread and perhaps even facilitate their eradication, and will promote more effective actions for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, new DNA-sequences of amphibians, macroinvertebrates, and fishes are being incorporated into the newly developed Ecuadorian DNA database. We also focus on building and strengthening the capacities of staff and students (Ecuadorian as well as Belgian) through theses, practical courses, field work, trainings and internships.

Influence of intraguild predation among generalist insect predators on the suppression of an herbivore population

Oecologia ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay A. Rosenheim ◽  
Lawrence R. Wilhoit ◽  
Christine A. Armer
Keyword(s):  
Intraguild Predation ◽  
Insect Predators ◽  
Generalist Insect

Aphicidal effects of terpenoids present in Citrus limon on Macrosiphum roseiformis and two generalist insect predators

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1087-1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garima Gupta ◽  
Uday Agarwal ◽  
Harneet Kaur ◽  
Neelima R. Kumar ◽  
Pawan Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Citrus Limon ◽  
Insect Predators ◽  
Generalist Insect

scholarly journals Alternative prey influence the predation of mosquito larvae by three water bug species (Heteroptera: Nepidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-184
Author(s):  
Nabaneeta Saha ◽  
Malini Kundu ◽  
Goutam K. Saha ◽  
Gautam Aditya
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Labeo Rohita ◽  
Apparent Competition ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Mosquito Larvae ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Insect Predators ◽  
Generalist Insect ◽  
Water Bugs

AbstractThe indirect interactions among multiple prey sharing a common predator characterize apparent competition. In conservation biological control involving mosquitoes and controphic prey against generalist insect predators, apparent competition may be a crucial factor determining the extent of success. The possible influence of apparent competition on mosquito prey consumption by three water bugs (Heteroptera: Nepidae): Ranatra elongata, Ranatra filiformis, and Laccotrephes griseus was assessed under laboratory conditions. Tadpoles (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), chironomid larvae, snails (Racesina luteola) and fish fingerlings (Labeo rohita) were considered as alternative prey under two prey or multi prey conditions against instar IV larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus as target prey. Under two prey conditions all the predators exhibited a preference (significant Manly’s α) for mosquito larvae, against fish fingerlings by R. filiformis. In the presence of multiple prey, mosquito larvae were selected by the predators. Using the ratio of mosquito selectivity in two prey and multi-prey conditions as a measure of apparent competition, chironomid larvae had greatest effect in suppressing mosquito selectivity for R. elongata, and fish fingerlings for R. filiformis and L. griseus. It seems that the prey preference of R. elongata, R. filiformis and L. griseus may differentially evoke apparent competition among the prey. In the aquatic community where these predators and prey coexist, mosquito larvae may benefit from apparent competition that reduces their vulnerability to predators. The identity of the alternative prey appears to be an important factor for shielding the vulnerability of mosquito prey to the generalist insect predators.

scholarly journals Sensitivity Levels: Optimizing the Performance of Privacy Preserving DNA Alignment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fernandes ◽  
Jérémie Decouchant ◽  
Marcus Völp ◽  
Francisco M Couto ◽  
Paulo Esteves-Veríssimo
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Privacy Preserving ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
Alignment Algorithms ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
Performance Gains ◽  
Dna Alignment

AbstractThe advent of high throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) machines made DNA sequencing cheaper, but also put pressure on the genomic life-cycle, which includes aligning millions of short DNA sequences, called reads, to a reference genome. On the performance side, efficient algorithms have been developed, and parallelized on public clouds. On the privacy side, since genomic data are utterly sensitive, several cryptographic mechanisms have been proposed to align reads securely, with a lower performance than the former, which in turn are not secure. This manuscript proposes a novel contribution to improving the privacy performance product in current genomic studies. Building on recent works that argue that genomics data needs to be × treated according to a threat-risk analysis, we introduce a multi-level sensitivity classification of genomic variations. Our classification prevents the amplification of possible privacy attacks, thanks to promoting and partitioning mechanisms among sensitivity levels. Thanks to this classification, reads can be aligned, stored, and later accessed, using different security levels. We then extend a recent filter, which detects the reads that carry sensitive information, to classify reads into sensitivity levels. Finally, based on a review of the existing alignment methods, we show that adapting alignment algorithms to reads sensitivity allows high performance gains, whilst enforcing high privacy levels. Our results indicate that using sensitivity levels is feasible to optimize the performance of privacy preserving alignment, if one combines the advantages of private and public clouds.

Sarcopeltis gen. nov. (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta), with S. skottsbergii comb. nov. from southern South America and S. antarctica sp. nov. from the Antarctic Peninsula

Phytotaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 468 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
JEFFERY R. HUGHEY ◽  
GEOFFREY L. LEISTER ◽  
PAUL W. GABRIELSON ◽  
MAX H. HOMMERSAND
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Southern South America ◽  
Complete Mitogenome ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Gigartina skottsbergii is the currently accepted name for the large, peltate species of Gigartinaceae distributed in Argentina, Chile, and along the Antarctic Peninsula. However, phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences for more than twenty years indicate that two species are passing under the name G. skottsbergii, and both DNA sequences and morpho-anatomy indicate that the species are assignable to an undescribed genus. To formally validate the new genus and species, we performed next generation sequencing (NGS) on the lectotype material of G. skottsbergii to document its genetic identity and obtained its complete mitogenome and partial plastid genome. Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL and cox1 sequences of the lectotype along with recent collections of G. skottsbergii from southern South America and Antarctica, confirmed the generic distinction and the presence of two morphologically similar taxa. We propose Sarcopeltis gen. nov., containing the generitype S. skottsbergii comb. nov. from southern South America, and S. antarctica sp. nov. from the Antarctic Peninsula. Sarcopeltis is characterized by the following suite of features: 1) peg-like secondary haptera that adhere to the substratum, 2) absence of an envelope surrounding each cystocarp, 3) presence of extensive, terminal, tubular gonimoblast filaments that fuse with surrounding vegetative cells, and 4) tetrasporangia formed from secondary filaments entirely in the medulla. This study demonstrates that genetic analysis of type material, together with recently obtained DNA sequences from field collected specimens, can provide clear and objective taxonomic conclusions.

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