scholarly journals Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Method of Assessing Environmental Stress in Two Predatory Carabid Species within Mediterranean Agroecosystems

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1890
Author(s):  
Lara Ivanković Tatalović ◽  
Barbara Anđelić ◽  
Mišel Jelić ◽  
Tomislav Kos ◽  
Hugo A. Benítez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Bilateral Symmetry ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Species Response ◽  
Olive Groves ◽  
Development Stability ◽  
Different Levels

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is used in assessing the effect of environmental stress on the development stability of individuals by measuring small random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry. Here, we checked for FA on two predatory carabid beetles, Pterostichus melas and Poecilus koyi, in order to evaluate species response to agricultural practices within Mediterranean agroecosystems, as well as FA as a method. The samples were collected in vineyards and olive groves, both under integrated pest management (IPM) and ecological pest management (EPM), and in pristine habitats in the Mediterranean region of Croatia. Geometric morphometrics (GMMs) were used to analyze the pronotum and abdomen shape variations and left–right asymmetries of each population. In respect to the FA measurements, analyzed species responded differently, with P. koyi displaying a lower intensity of FA than P. melas. On the other hand, P. melas beetles from vineyards showed a higher intensity of FA compared with populations from pristine habitats and olive groves. Accordingly, FA pointed out olive groves as potentially less adverse habitats to predatory carabids, keeping in mind the different levels of asymmetry between the two species. Our study singled out P.melas as a more suitable species for further research, in the effect that different agricultural practices can have their impact on non-target invertebrates analyzed by measuring the FA.

scholarly journals Diversity of plant-eating invertebrates as potential prey of carabid beetles in olive groves and vineyards in southern Croatia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Kos ◽  
Barbara Anđelić ◽  
Mišel Jelić ◽  
Lucija Šerić Jelaska ◽  
Kristijan Franin
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Karst Area ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Olive Groves ◽  
Predatory Arthropods ◽  
Southern Croatia

Predatory arthropods, among them carabid beetles (fam. Carabidae), play a key role in regulating the plant eating invertebrates in different agroecosystems. Croatian part of Mediterranean is extremely reach in biodiversity, and poorly investigated. Especially, studies on impact of different agricultural practices and use of various pesticides on diversity of beneficial predatory fauna and their trophic interactions have been scarce. Prior to molecular trophic analyses, we sampled invertebrate fauna, as a potential food for predatory arthropods, including carabid beetles, in olive groves and vineyards, both in ecological (EPM) and integrated (IPM) productions, and in pristine natural habitat, typical for that part of karst area. The knowledge on diversity and phenology of potential prey groups is important for developing molecular assays for detecting consumed species, and for better taxonomic resolution of consumed prey species accessed via DNA metabarcoding analysis of stomach content. During vegetation season in 2018 in hinterland of Zadar county “Ravni Kotari”, in southern Croatia, a survey in the canopy and the ground layer was done using yellow sticky traps Plantella©, beating net, pitfall traps and Tullgren funnels. Diversity indices were calculated for each collecting method and for each type of agroecosystem. Results showed that with betting net at least 16 groups, with Tullgren funnels at least 11 and 8 groups of potential invertebrate prey with yellow sticky trap was found. In olive groves 2 and in vineyards 3 of found plant eating groups, respectively could be economically important for production. Diversity and phenology on sites will be presented and discussed in details. This survey contributes to understanding diversity and phenology of different invertebrate prey groups in Mediterranean agroecosystems that could help in sustaining predatory carabids in the field under different pest control practice. The study was conducted under the project activity of HRZZ – Mediteratri and EU INTERREG CBC Pescar.

scholarly journals Body burden of pesticides and shape asymmetry in carabid beetles in different agricultural practices in Mediterranean agroecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucija Šerić Jelaska ◽  
Barbara Anđelić ◽  
Mišel Jelić ◽  
Tomislav Kos ◽  
Hugo Benitez
Keyword(s):  
Body Shape ◽  
Body Burden ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Trophic Guilds ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Olive Groves ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Soil Distribution

Neonicotinoids have been the most commonly used insecticides worldwide in the last two decades, whereas application of Copper (Cu) has a much longer history, especially in Mediterranean agriculture, (e.g. vineyards). Lately, large numbers of studies have shown negative effects of neonicotinoids on non-target species (especially on bees but also on other insects, and indirectly on insectivorous species like birds) being thus recently banned by EU commission. On the other hand, intensification of production in favour of ecological pest management increases the use of copper in pest control schemes and its absorption in agroecosystems. In this study we aimed to quantify the relationships between pesticide concentrations, including those with copper compounds, in soil, carabids and its prey at four sampling sites, in vineyards and olive groves under integrated (IPM) and ecological pest managements (EPM), and in pristine habitats in Zadar County, in Mediterranean region of Croatia. Soil, carabids, earthworms, snails and woodlice were sampled using pitfall traps and by hand. LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS technique were utilised to quantify pesticides and Cu concentrations in the soil and in the animals representing different trophic guilds. In addition we analysed changes in body shape symmetry of Poecilus koyi, one of the most dominant predatory carabid species in the study sites, in order to evaluate the potential environmental stress between maned and pristine habitats that can affect carabids during their development. Geometric morphometrics (GMM) has been used to analyse pronotum and abdomen shape variations, and left/right asymmetries in up to100 individuals of P. koyi per study site. Some preliminary results showed that body burden with pesticides differ between prey and predator organisms, and body concentrations of certain pesticides in carabid beetles did not correlate with those in the soil. Distribution of pesticide along different trophic guilds and changes in body shape and fluctuating asymmetry in P. koyi populations will be presented and discussed in details.

scholarly journals Fluctuating Asymmetry and Developmental Instability, a Guide to Best Practice

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
John H. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Size Scaling ◽  
Research Designs

Best practices in studies of developmental instability, as measured by fluctuating asymmetry, have developed over the past 60 years. Unfortunately, they are haphazardly applied in many of the papers submitted for review. Most often, research designs suffer from lack of randomization, inadequate replication, poor attention to size scaling, lack of attention to measurement error, and unrecognized mixtures of additive and multiplicative errors. Here, I summarize a set of best practices, especially in studies that examine the effects of environmental stress on fluctuating asymmetry.

A comparison of adaptive and adaptable automation under different levels of environmental stress

Ergonomics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 840-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juergen Sauer ◽  
Chung-Shan Kao ◽  
David Wastell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Different Levels

scholarly journals MEDITERATRI project - assessing the trophic ecology of predatory arthropods in Mediterranean agriculture via DNA metabarcoding diet analyses

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucija Šerić Jelaska ◽  
Barbara Anđelić ◽  
Mišel Jelić ◽  
Tomislav Kos
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Diet Analyses ◽  
Predatory Arthropods

A type of management and the use of pesticides in arable land may negatively affect a range of soil biota and thus their food webs important for ecosystem functioning. By analysing trophic interactions we could reveal the extent of potential benefits that certain organisms can provide in biocontrol and maintaining healthy ecosystems. To evaluate the role of predatory arthropods within olive orchards and vineyards under Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Ecological Pest Management (EPM) we collected carabid beetles together with other dominant predatory arthropods in the field (e.g. ladybugs, antlions, spiders, centipedes) and subdued the individuals to molecular gut content analyses using NGS. DNA metabarcoding diet analysis approach allowed detecting a wide variety of taxa from gut contents of the predators. In addition, using ICP-MS and LC-MS/MS we quantified Cu, pesticides and its residues in soil and animals representing different trophic guilds. Since concentrations of some toxic compounds detected in carabids body were negatively correlated with those in the soil, we aim to identify a potential vector for possible transfer of toxicants to general predators via predation. The results contribute to the risk assessment of proliferation of detected chemical compounds including copper in the ecosystem and to the knowledge on the overall field sustainability of predatory invertebrates to maximize their role in pest control. The study was conducted under the project activity of HRZZ – Mediteratri.

Susceptibility of different developmental stages of Trichogramma parasitoids to insecticides commonly used in the Mediterranean olive agroecosystem

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
P. G. Milonas ◽  
G. Partsinevelos ◽  
A. Kapranas
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Application Time ◽  
Parasitoid Species ◽  
Management Scheme ◽  
Time Scheduling ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract Insecticide application and augmentative parasitoid releases are often considered incompatible. However, pesticide applications and parasitoid releases can be integrated into a pest management scheme if there is careful time scheduling of these interventions. In this study, we assessed the influence of commonly used insecticides (chlorpyrifos-methyl, deltamethrin, pyriproxyfen, thiamethoxam) in olive agroecosystems to two currently present Trichogramma parasitoids in the Mediterranean basin. Exposure to insecticides in relation to parasitoid's development was also tested. Both, insecticide type and application time influenced parasitism and the emergence rates of the two parasitoid species. Chlorpyrifos-methyl had the strongest impact on parasitoids resulting in low numbers of emerged adults followed by deltamethrin. The two parasitoids also exhibited different levels of susceptibility to the insecticides used. Potential integration of insecticides to integrated pest management using Trichogramma parasitoids is discussed.

scholarly journals Phytotoxicity of Essential Oils: Opportunities and Constraints for the Development of Biopesticides. A Review

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Yves Werrie ◽  
Bastien Durenne ◽  
Pierre Delaplace ◽  
Marie-Laure Fauconnier
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oils ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Molecular Targets ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Major Drawback ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
Potential Applicability ◽  
Societal Expectations ◽  
Chemical Pesticides

The extensive use of chemical pesticides leads to risks for both the environment and human health due to the toxicity and poor biodegradability that they may present. Farmers therefore need alternative agricultural practices including the use of natural molecules to achieve more sustainable production methods to meet consumer and societal expectations. Numerous studies have reported the potential of essential oils as biopesticides for integrated weed or pest management. However, their phytotoxic properties have long been a major drawback for their potential applicability (apart from herbicidal application). Therefore, deciphering the mode of action of essential oils exogenously applied in regards to their potential phytotoxicity will help in the development of biopesticides for sustainable agriculture. Nowadays, plant physiologists are attempting to understand the mechanisms underlying their phytotoxicity at both cellular and molecular levels using transcriptomic and metabolomic tools. This review systematically discusses the functional and cellular impacts of essential oils applied in the agronomic context. Putative molecular targets and resulting physiological disturbances are described. New opportunities regarding the development of biopesticides are discussed including biostimulation and defense elicitation or priming properties of essential oils.

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