The role of climate change perceptions and sociodemographics on reported mitigation efforts and performance among households in northeastern Mexico

Managing and reducing the impacts of climate change depends on efficient actions from all societal scales. Yet, the household component is often missing from climate research, debate, and policies. This is problematic because households have been found to significantly contribute to of global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore have the potential to be part of a solution to climate change by mitigating climate change. This study seeks to understand which factors drive household-level mitigation actions. We conducted a household survey in Nuevo Leon, located in northeastern Mexico, to explore the extent to which climate change perceptions and the sociodemographic characteristics of households influence their reported mitigation performances and their perceived mitigation efforts. Results from linear regression analyses and generalized linear models revealed that sociodemographic characteristics are key drivers of the households’ perceived mitigation efforts and reported mitigation performances and. We also found that climate change perceptions drive a household’s efforts to mitigate climate change. These results could partly explain why despite the efforts households take to mitigate climate change, achieving an effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is challenging without further access to resources such as education and financial support. If governments intend to realize substantial reductions in future emission pathways, then household-level mitigation should be addressed with proper support.

Seasonal and microclimatic effects on leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in a tropical forest fragment in northeastern Mexico

Leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) constitute a family of abundant, diverse, and ecologically important herbivorous insects, due to their high specificity with host plants, a close association with vegetation and a great sensitivity to microclimatic variation (factors that are modified gradually during the rainy and dry seasons). Therefore, the effects of seasonality (rainy and dry seasons) and microclimate on the community attributes of chrysomelids were evaluated in a semideciduous tropical forest fragment of northeastern Mexico. Monthly sampling was conducted, between March 2016 and February 2017, with an entomological sweep net in 18 plots of 20 × 20 m, randomly distributed from 320 to 480 m a.s.l. Seven microclimatic variables were simultaneously recorded during each of the samplings, using a portable weather station. In total, 216 samples were collected at the end of the study, of which 2,103 specimens, six subfamilies, 46 genera, and 71 species were obtained. The subfamily Galerucinae had the highest number of specimens and species in the study area, followed by Cassidinae. Seasonality caused significant changes in the abundance and number of leaf beetle species: highest richness was recorded in the rainy season, with 60 species, while the highest diversity (lowest dominance and highest H’ index) was obtained in the dry season. Seasonal inventory completeness of leaf beetles approached (rainy season) or was higher (dry season) than 70%, while the faunistic similarity between seasons was 0.63%. The outlying mean index was significant in both seasons; of the seven microclimatic variables analyzed, only temperature, heat index, evapotranspiration and wind speed were significantly related to changes in abundance of Chrysomelidae. Association between microclimate and leaf beetles was higher in the dry season, with a difference in the value of importance of the abiotic variables. The results indicated that each species exhibited a different response pattern to the microclimate, depending on the season, which suggests that the species may exhibit modifications in their niche requirements according to abiotic conditions. However, the investigations must be replicated in other regions, in order to obtain a better characterization of the seasonal and microclimatic influence on the family Chrysomelidae.

Biology of Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell, 1897 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A New Pest of Tropical Hibiscus

Originating in northeastern Mexico and southern Texas, the hibiscus bud weevil (HBW), Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell 1897, was discovered infesting China rose hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.) in south Florida in May 2017. Although the biologies of the congeneric boll weevil, A. grandis Boheman 1843, and pepper weevil, A. eugenii Cano 1894 are well documented, no data are available regarding the biology of HBW. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the biology of this pest when reared at 10, 15, 27 and 34 °C and on different food sources. This weevil has three larval instars and its life cycle was completed only at 27 ± 1 °C. Weevil development was similar on an artificial diet when compared with a diet of hibiscus buds. Adult HBW could survive solely on pollen, but reproduction did not occur. Without water, HBW survived for ≈15 days; survival times reached nearly 30 days when water was accessible. Our results suggest that if left unmanaged, HBW has the potential to cause significant economic damage to the hibiscus industry. Given that a comprehensive understanding of a pest’s biology is critical for development of effective integrated pest management, our results provide a foundation for future research endeavors to mitigate the impact of this weevil in south Florida.

Molecular Detection of Bartonella sp. in Psathyromyia shannoni and Lutzomyia cruciata From Northeastern Mexico

Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of Leishmania spp., Bartonella bacilliformis, and several arboviruses worldwide. In Mexico, the presence of Bartonella species is associated sporadically with arthropods and little is known on the diversity of insects that could be incriminated with its transmission. The aim of this study was to perform a molecular detection of Bartonella DNA in sand fly species collected in northeastern Mexico. Sand flies were collected at the states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas from June to August 2010, using 16 light traps per night. Sand fly species were morphologically identified, and for Bartonella detection, we amplified ~378 bp of the citrate synthase gene (gltA). DNA sequences were compared in a phylogenetic reconstruction based on maximum likelihood. A total of 532 specimens from seven sand fly species were morphologically identified, where 11 specimens from Tamaulipas tested positive for the presence of a new lineage of Bartonella sp. associated with Psathyromyia shannoni and Lutzomyia cruciata. This work represents the second record of Bartonella-associated with sand flies outside of the endemic area of Carrion’s disease. More studies are necessary to understand their life cycle, transmission dynamics, and their relationship with sand fly species.