Management of Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata in Western Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
John K. Scott ◽  
Kathryn L. Batchelor

AbstractOne of Australia's most serious weeds, Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata (bitou bush) was recently found for the first time in Western Australia as a well established population in Kwinana, a major port and industrial area south of Perth, the State's capital. This population is remote from other bitou bush infestations in Australia and had escaped detection despite extensive surveys in the same State for the other subspecies that is present in Australia, Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. monilifera (boneseed). The main reasons it went undetected are thought to be the tightly controlled access to this area because of mineral processing and port activities, the unusual invasion route via a heavy industrial area and the morphological similarity to a native species when it is not flowering. Two surveys defined the core population of 1038 plants that are spread along the coast over a 25-ha semi-circle with about a 500-m (1640 ft) diameter. Subsequent surveys of first a 500 m buffer zone and later a 1-km (0.621 mi) buffer found four additional plants, indicating that there is considerable potential for dispersal. We concluded that the survey has not delimited the distribution because of the potential and evidence for long distance dispersal. Cooperation by the various land managers has led to all plants being killed, as an initial step to management of this species. Other steps to be undertaken include an awareness campaign in the area that would need to be surveyed for delimitation of the spatial distribution and seed bank assessment to measure potential dispersal both in space and through time. It remains to be determined what is the best strategic response: eradication or containment.

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-483
Author(s):  
Luděk Šlapanský ◽  
Michal Janáč ◽  
Kevin Roche ◽  
Pavel Jurajda

Understanding non-native species dispersal is vital for their future management. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has greatly extended its range since the 1990s, with commercial shipping being the main vector. However, our knowledge regarding their secondary dispersal from points of introduction is surprisingly limited. In this study, a series of field experiments were undertaken on a mid-sized river to assess goby dispersal patterns within an established population, following a simulated release of a large number of propagules, or at a simulated invasion front. Most of the established population remained stationary and just a few individuals undertook long-distance dispersal (principally upstream). Mean distance travelled was 1.1 m·day−1 (max. 29.6 m·day−1). While site fidelity appeared to last for most of the year (including winter), it was surprisingly relaxed during the spawning season. Concentrated release of a large number of propagules resulted in appreciably greater movement rates than in the established population, with upstream movement again dominating. In general, smaller, mostly male fish tended to move further and appeared as first colonizers in uninvaded areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melquizedec Luiz Silva Pinheiro ◽  
Cleusa Yoshiko Nagamachi ◽  
Talita Fernanda Augusto Ribas ◽  
Cristovam Guerreiro Diniz ◽  
Patricia Caroline Mary O´Brien ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Scolopacidae family (Suborder Scolopaci, Charadriiformes) is composed of sandpipers and snipes; these birds are long-distance migrants that show great diversity in their behavior and habitat use. Cytogenetic studies in the Scolopacidae family show the highest diploid numbers for order Charadriiformes. This work analyzes for the first time the karyotype of Actitis macularius by classic cytogenetics and chromosome painting. Results The species has a diploid number of 92, composed mostly of telocentric pairs. This high 2n is greater than the proposed 80 for the avian ancestral putative karyotype (a common feature among Scolopaci), suggesting that fission rearrangements have formed smaller macrochromosomes and microchromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using Burhinus oedicnemus whole chromosome probes confirmed the fissions in pairs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of macrochromosomes. Conclusion Comparative analysis with other species of Charadriiformes studied by chromosome painting together with the molecular phylogenies for the order allowed us to raise hypotheses about the chromosomal evolution in suborder Scolopaci. From this, we can establish a clear idea of how chromosomal evolution occurred in this suborder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Huang-Takeshi Kohda ◽  
Zhaojie Qian ◽  
Mei-Fang Chien ◽  
Keisuke Miyauchi ◽  
Ginro Endo ◽  
...  

AbstractPteris vittata is an arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator plant that accumulates a large amount of As into fronds and rhizomes (around 16,000 mg/kg in both after 16 weeks hydroponic cultivation with 30 mg/L arsenate). However, the sequence of long-distance transport of As in this hyperaccumulator plant is unclear. In this study, we used a positron-emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) for the first time to obtain noninvasive serial images of As behavior in living plants with positron-emitting 74As-labeled tracer. We found that As kept accumulating in rhizomes as in fronds of P. vittata, whereas As was retained in roots of a non-accumulator plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Autoradiograph results of As distribution in P. vittata showed that with low As exposure, As was predominantly accumulated in young fronds and the midrib and rachis of mature fronds. Under high As exposure, As accumulation shifted from young fronds to mature fronds, especially in the margin of pinna, which resulted in necrotic symptoms, turning the marginal color to gray and then brown. Our results indicated that the function of rhizomes in P. vittata was As accumulation and the regulation of As translocation to the mature fronds to protect the young fronds under high As exposure.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford Bennison ◽  
J. Anthony Friend ◽  
Timothy Button ◽  
Harriet Mills ◽  
Cathy Lambert ◽  
...  

Context House mice (Mus domesticus) are present on Boullanger and Whitlock islands, Western Australia, and could potentially threaten populations of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) and grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer) through competition for resources. A workshop in 2007 recommended a study to assess the feasibility of eradicating house mice from the islands by using poison baits and of the risk posed to non-target native species. Aim We aimed to assess the risk to non-target native species if poison baiting was used to eradicate house mice on Boullanger and Whitlock islands. Methods Non-toxic baits containing the bait marker rhodamine B were distributed on Boullanger Island and on the mouse free Escape Island to determine the potential for primary poisoning. Acceptance of baits by mammals was measured through sampling and analysis of whiskers, and by reptiles through observations of dye in faeces. To determine the potential for secondary exposure to poison, the response of dibblers to mouse carcasses was observed using motion-activated cameras. Bait acceptance was compared using two methods of delivery, namely, scattering in the open and delivery in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes. A cafeteria experiment of bait consumption by dibblers was also undertaken using captive animals held at the Perth Zoo. Ten dibblers were offered non-toxic baits containing rhodamine B in addition to their normal meals; consumption of bait and the presence of dye in whiskers were measured. Key results Bait acceptance on the islands was high for house mice (92% of individuals) and dibblers (48%) and it was independent of bait-delivery technique. There was no evidence of bait acceptance by grey-bellied dunnarts. Dibblers may consume mice carcasses if available; however, no direct consumption of mice carcasses was observed with movement sensor cameras but one dibbler was observed removing a mouse carcass and taking it away. During the cafeteria experiment, 9 of 10 captive dibblers consumed baits. Conclusions This investigation demonstrated that dibblers consume baits readily and island populations would experience high mortality if exposed to poison baits. Poison baiting could effectively eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands but not without mortality for dibblers. Implications Toxic baits could be used to eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands, provided that non-target species such as dibblers were temporarily removed from the islands before the application of baits.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle M Caefer ◽  
Nhat Q Phan ◽  
Jennifer C Liddle ◽  
Jeremy L Balsbaugh ◽  
Joseph P O’Shea ◽  
...  

AbstractOkur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS) is caused by heterozygous mutations to the CSNK2A1 gene, which encodes the alpha subunit of casein kinase II (CK2). The most frequently occurring mutation is lysine 198 to arginine (K198R). To investigate the impact of this mutation, we first generated a high-resolution phosphorylation motif of CK2WT, including the first characterization of specificity for tyrosine phosphorylation activity. A second high resolution motif representing CK2K198R substrate specificity was also generated. Here we report for the first time the impact of the OCNDS associated CK2K198R mutation. Contrary to prior speculation, the mutation does not result in a loss of function, but rather shifts the substrate specificity of the kinase. Broadly speaking the mutation leads to 1) a decreased preference for acidic residues in the +1 position, 2) a decreased preference for threonine phosphorylation, 3) an increased preference for tyrosine phosphorylation, and 4) an alteration of the tyrosine phosphorylation specificity motif. To further investigate the result of this mutation we have developed a probability-based scoring method, allowing us to predict shifts in phosphorylation in the K198R mutant relative to the wild type kinase. As an initial step we have applied the methodology to the set of axonally localized ion channels in an effort to uncover potential alterations of the phosphoproteome associated with the OCNDS disease condition.


Author(s):  
Sheikh Sajan ◽  
Deepti Kumari ◽  
Sonam Jahan ◽  
Arghya Chakrabarty ◽  
Sandeep Kushwaha ◽  
...  

Through the present manuscript, we are reporting for the first time the presence of Cyclophorus pfeifferi Reeve, 1861 in India. Previously, this species of land snail was reported only from South-East Asian countries Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The specimens were collected during field sur- veys in Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram state, India. The presence of C. pfeifferi in India reveals the range expansion and long-distance dispersal abilities of the species. Here we discuss the taxonomy, ecology and possible routes of dispersal of the species in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. e235101321263
Author(s):  
Bruno Santos Francisco ◽  
Felipe Bueno Dutra ◽  
Emerson Viveiros ◽  
Raquel Passaretti ◽  
Rafael Paranhos Martins ◽  
...  

In Brazil, most degraded areas are occupied by exotic and invasive species, which require alternatives for their management. We evaluated the allelopathic effects of Waltheria indica in the laboratory from aqueous extracts of leaves and roots on the germination of the species Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce), Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) RDWebster (brachiaria) and Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex DC.) Mattos (yellow Ipe). We collected adult one-year-old Waltheria indica shrubs in ecological restoration areas by direct seeding. We used two treatments with aqueous extracts of leaves and roots and a control without extract, with ten repetitions of 10 seeds per treatment, totaling 600 seeds per test species. Germination and use of tetrazolium assays to evaluate the potential respiratory activity of the roots were used. The aqueous extract of W.indica leaves affected the number of germinated seeds of all test species, while the aqueous extract of roots affected only L. sativa and H. chrysotrichus. There were no significant differences between treatments (leaf and root extracts) in species germination. The aqueous extracts of Waltheria indica leaves and roots affected germination and cellular respiration of the studied species, mainly in Lactuca sativa. The identification of W. indica allelopathic compounds may be an initial step so that in the future new bioherbicides are produced from extracts of this species, or even that its seeds can be sown together with non-sensitive native species, aiming for control of exotic species in ecological restoration projects.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 299 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
MOJGANSADAT MOHTASHAMIAN ◽  
FARIDEH ATTAR ◽  
KAVEH KAVOUSI ◽  
ALI MASOUDI-NEJAD

As the largest genus of broad leaved deciduous trees, Acer L. contains about 126 species distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. With eight native species in Iran, maples are among the most important tree species in the country. Micromorphological traits of 39 populations of Iranian native species indicated the value of leaf epidermal characteristics in identification and classification of maples. A number of epidermal morphological features of the abaxial surface were investigated using LM and SEM images. The occurrence of stomata in clusters is reported for the first time in Acer. The shape of the epidermal cells, anticlinal cell wall patterns, type of indumentum, and epicuticular waxes were the most significant variables in this study. The ability of quantitative and qualitative variables in segregating the studied taxa was evaluated by statistical methods, including PCA, MCA and Non-parametric analyses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 106 ◽  
pp. 392-423
Author(s):  
Ana Verónica Ortiz ◽  
Pablo Moroni ◽  
Fabiana Mirra ◽  
Rosa María Villanueva Espinoza ◽  
Nataly O'Leary

Morphological boundaries between South American species of Euphrasia L. are controversial, rendering determination of specimens an arduous task. In this context, a comprehensive taxonomic revision of Euphrasia in South America is here provided for the first time. This study, based upon a classical morphological study of ca. 400 herbarium specimens, supports the recognition of eight species and one subspecies distributed in the Andean regions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. From among native species, six belong to section Trifidae Benth. and one to the monotypic section Paradoxae Pugsley, endemic to Juan Fernández Islands; one adventive species, E. officinalis L., belongs to the section Euphrasia. The previously misunderstood presence of E. cockayniana Petrie is here untangled, and, consequently, the species is excluded from South America. A key to all Euphrasia taxa in South America, plus morphological descriptions, nomenclature items, geographical distribution and maps, habitat notes, illustrations, photographs, and discussion notes are included for the nine taxa. Eleven names are here synonymized, and lectotypes are designated for E. andicola Benth., E. debilis Wettst., E. flavicans Phil., E. intricata Phil., and E. philippii Wettst. Euphrasia andicola is reported for the first time for Argentina. This collaborative effort will represent a baseline for further investigations on Euphrasia in South America.


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