Climate Change Impacts on the Potential Distribution of Apocheima cinerarius (Erschoff) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Among the impacts of ongoing and projected climate change are shifts in the distribution and severity of insect pests. Projecting those impacts is necessary to ensure effective pest management in the future. Apocheima cinerarius (Erschoff) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is an important polyphagous forest pest in China where causes huge economic and ecological losses in 20 provinces. Under historical climatic conditions, the suitable areas for A. cinerarius in China are mainly in the northern temperate zone (30–50° N) and the southern temperate zone (20–60° S). Using the CLIMEX model, the potential distribution of the pest in China and globally, both historically and under climate change, were estimated. Suitable habitats for A. cinerarius occur in parts of all continents. With climate change, its potential distribution extends northward in China and generally elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, although effects vary depending on latitude. In other areas of the world, some habitats become less suitable for the species. Based on the simulated growth index in CLIMEX, the onset of A. cinerarius would be earlier under climate change in some of its potential range, including Spain and Korea. Measures should anticipate the need for prevention and control of A. cinerarius in its potential extended range in China and globally.

A record of Botrychium lanceolatum (S. G. Gmel.) Ångstr., a new species for the flora of the middle zone of European Russia from Kostroma Region

The article reports on a find of a new plant native to the flora of central European Russia – Botrychium lanceolatum (S. G. Gmel.) Ångstr., which was discovered during a survey of a 60-year-old clearcut in the course of floristic work on the territory of M. G. Sinitsyn “Kologrivskiy Les” State Nature Reserve (the Kostroma Region). Collection and determination were carried out by the author of the article I. G. Krinitsyn. For the Kostroma Region, the species was not indicated in any floristic checklist. Herbarium specimens of the aboveground part of the sporophyte are kept in the Herbarium of the Kostroma State University and the “Kologrivskiy Les” State Nature Reserve Herbarium, as well as transferred to the Herbarium of the Altai State University (ALTB). B. lanceolatum is a relict species of the forest zone of the Holarctic with a fragmented range mainly in the subarctic, northern temperate zone and in the mountains of the warm temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. In Russia, it is sporadically found in the forest zone from the Murmansk and Leningrad Regions to Kamchatka and Sakhalin, inclusively; it enters the Arctic on the Chukchi Peninsula. The species is rare throughout its range; the populations are represented by single individuals. It is included in many regional Red Data Books of the Russian Federation. B. lanceolatum became the fifth species of the Botrychiaceae Nakai family in the pteridoflora of the Kostroma Region (and the middle zone of European Russia as a whole). In the Kostroma Region, the species is located on the extreme southern border of the range in the middle zone of the European part of Russia. The population of B. lanceolatum at the time of the discovery was represented by 4 individuals in different ontogenetic states. The data on the new location and phytocenotic conditions of growth of the species are given; a brief morphological description and information on the dynamics of the population are presented.

Component Endoparasite Communities Mirror Life-History Specialization in Syntopic Reed Frogs (Hyperolius spp.)

Most of our knowledge on the processes structuring parasite communities in amphibians originate from temperate-zone taxa, whereas Afrotropical communities have been neglected so far. We found evidence that ecological fitting of the hosts and, probably, differential immune response may influence the variation in parasite species richness, prevalence, and infestation intensity of East African frogs Hyperolius kivuensis and H. viridiflavus. The most closely related host species share the same macrohabitat (that implies the same pool of potential parasites), but differ in microhabitat preference, so that a comparative analyses of syntopic and allopatric populations is expedient to reveal ecological fitting. We detected 11 parasite species (one annelid, four nematodes, five trematodes, one cestode) and two endocommensal species (protozoans). The component parasite communities included 4–5 helminth species in H. kivuensis and 6–8 in the more aquatic H. viridiflavus, supporting the hypothesis that trematode diversity increases with the amount of time spent in water. Five parasite species (Orneoascaris chrysanthemoides, Clinostomum chabaudi, an undetermined echinostomatid) and two protozoans (Nyctotheroides sp., and Protoopalina sp.) are shared among the syntopic amphibian populations. This finding indicates a similar susceptibility of these amphibians to infestation from the local parasite pool. Yet, the low prevalence of single- and multi-species infestations in H. kivuensis indicates that parasite clearing by its immune response is probably more effective and prominent than in H. viridiflavus. Therefore, H. viridiflavus suffered from significantly reduced short-term survival due to the infection. Thus, we conclude that the processes structuring component parasite communities in amphibians do not differ generally between temperate-zone and Afrotropical host species, but they do in the magnitude of ecological fitting.

Seasonal change in heat flux at the water-bottom sediment boundary in a small lake

Heat exchange with bottom sediments is the main component of the thermal regime of ice-covered shallow lakes of the temperate zone, which explains the importance of its study and parameterization for inclusion in numerical models. Circulations arising in ice-covered lakes due to heat exchange with bottom sediments, and existing for several months, can make a significant contribution to the transport of dissolved and suspended particles along the water column. The aim of this work was to study the seasonal variability of the heat flux at the waterbottom boundary in a shallow lake during the under-ice period, including the period of spring under-ice convection. Based on the analysis of data from high-frequency (minute) long-term measurements of water temperature in the bottom area of a small lake in the temperate zone, a wide range of variability of the heat flux across the water-bottom boundary during the winter from minute to daily fluctuations was established. The role of the spring under-ice heating in the change in the heat flow at the water-bottom boundary is shown. It is shown that shallow areas of the lake bottom, falling into the zone of influence of spring subglacial convection, can accumulate heat already at the end of the ice period. The comparison of temperature fluctuations in the deep-water part of the lake and tin he area with depths close to the average is carried out. It is shown that the spectrum of temperature fluctuations has similar periods, however, in time, sharp temperature jumps in different areas of the lake do not coincide.

The Productivity of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Kagoshima, Japan, Which Belongs to the Temperate Zone

The cultivation period of cassava in Kagoshima, Japan, which belongs to the temperate zone, is limited by the low temperature in winter. To maximize productivity under this limited period, investigations were conducted on the gas exchange rate and production structure relating to light utilization in a plant community of cassava grown under different nitrogen fertilization conditions. Fertilization either at planting or three months after planting significantly increased stomatal conductance in the upper canopy and root dry weight compared to the control. In addition, the dry matter distribution to stem and root dry matter rate of initial fertilization treatment were significantly higher, and the dry matter distribution to root of the latter fertilization treatment tended to be higher than that of the control. However, light transmittance at 80 cm below the top of the canopy was almost the same as that at the ground surface, which was a common tendency among the treatments. In conclusion, it was revealed that the effects of fertilization on yield were mainly the increase in the gas exchange rate of individual leaves and the change of dry matter distribution rather than an improvement in light transmittance.