The Role of Weed Seed Contamination in Grain Commodities as Propagule Pressure

The international grain trade is a major pathway for the introduction of alien plants because grain commodities can be contaminated with various weed seeds. To evaluate how alien weed seeds derived from imported grain commodities affect local vegetation in international trading ports, we conducted a vegetation survey on a set of grain landing ports and non-grain landing ports in nine regions throughout Japan to compare the vegetation between these two types of ports. We also surveyed weed seed contamination of wheat imported into Japan, and the contamination rate was calculated for each species based on our survey and previous studies on weed seed contamination. The vegetation clearly differed between the grain landing ports and the non-grain ports. In the grain landing ports, alien species were more abundant than in non-grain landing ports. All indicator species of the grain landing ports were reported to be contaminants in grain commodities. Furthermore, there was a tendency for the more abundant species at the grain landing ports to show higher contamination rates in grain commodities. These results indicate that contaminant seeds spill from imported grain in grain landing ports, and highly contaminated species are likely to become established. We clearly show that weed seed contamination in grain commodities plays an important role in propagule pressure. Gathering information about the prevalence of weeds in grain-exporting countries and monitoring the weed species composition in imported grain commodities is becoming increasingly important for predicting the unintentional introduction of troublesome weeds and identifying effective weed management options.

History of the Biodiversity of Ladybirds (Coccinellidae) at the Black Sea Coast of the Russian Caucasus in the Last 120 Years—Does the Landscape Transformation and Establishment of Harmonia axyridis Have an Impact?

Studies of the history of regional insect fauna are important for understanding the changes in ecosystems. We analyzed the dynamics of ladybird fauna at the main sea resort of Russia over a period of 120 years to determine the following: (1) what species disappeared and what species appeared during landscape transformation; (2) what alien species introduced for pest control have been observed to date; and (3) whether the establishment of the global invader Harmonia axyridis (Coccinellidae) caused the extinction of some ladybird species in the Caucasus. We examined specimens collected by us and 54 other collectors including specimens from old museum collections and detected 62 species, 50 of which were collected in recent years (2011–2020). Landscape transformation and recreational use have caused not a decrease but an increase in ladybird biodiversity. Twenty-nine of 34 species recorded before 1930 have been observed in the region to date. Twenty-three other species have spontaneously spread to the region between 1930 and 2020 because of the creation of suitable anthropogenic habitats or because of unintentional introduction. Rodolia cardinalis, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, Lindorus lophanthae, and Serangium montazerii were released for pest control, and they occur in gardens and streets but not in natural habitats. Harmonia axyridis, which appeared approximately 10 years ago, is abundant in urban and natural habitats, but there is no evidence that it caused the elimination of any ladybird species.

First insights into the molecular population structure and origins of the invasive Chinese sleeper, Perccottus glenii, in Europe

The aim of our study was to provide a first overview of the population genetic structure of the invasive Chinese sleeper, Perccottus glenii, (Actinopterygii: Odontobutidae) in European water bodies. This species originates from inland waters of north-eastern China, northern North Korea and the Russian Far East. The 1172 bp long portion of the cytochrome b gene was sequenced from Chinese sleeper specimens collected from a variety of water bodies in Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia (European part) and Ukraine. Our study revealed that the invasive Chinese sleeper in Europe consists of at least three distinct haplogroups that may represent independent introduction events from different parts of its native area; i.e. three founding populations: (1) Baltic haplogroup that may originate either from fish introduced inadvertent from Russia or from some unidentified source (release by aquarists). So far, this haplogroup has been found only in the Daugava basin in Latvia. (2) East-European haplogroup that may originate from an unintentional introduction to the Volga basin in Russia and has expanded westward. So far, this group was recorded in the Volga, Upper Dnieper and Neman drainages in Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia. (3) Carpathian haplogroup, that originated from individuals unintentionally introduced with Asian cyprinid fishes to Lviv region in Ukraine and are now widely distributed in Central Europe.

Massive Upper Body and Cervicofacial Subcutaneous Emphysema Following Robotic Myomectomy

Subcutaneous emphysema is defined as the unintentional introduction of air or carbon dioxide in the subcutaneous tissues. The use of robotic surgical techniques has greatly expanded over the past decade specifically to treat intraperitoneal pathology. In general, advantages of these minimally invasive procedures are reported to decrease operating time, patient morbidity, and shorten hospital stay providing a safe alternative to traditional surgery. However, as with any surgery, potential complications may occur. We describe an unusual case of massive subcutaneous emphysema involving the upper body and cervicofacial region, with bilateral pneumothoraces following robotic intraperitoneal surgery. Written authorization was obtained from the patient.

A Comparative Study of the Pathogenicity of Fusarium circinatum and other Fusarium Species in Polish Provenances of P. sylvestris L.

The fungal pathogen Fusarium circinatum is the causal agent of Pine Pitch Canker (PPC), a disease which seriously affects different species of pine in forests and nurseries worldwide. In Europe, the fungus affects pines in northern Spain and Portugal, and it has also been detected in France and Italy. Here, we report the findings of the first trial investigating the susceptibility of Polish provenances of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L., to infection by F. circinatum. In a greenhouse experiment, 16 Polish provenances of Scots pine were artificially inoculated with F. circinatum and with six other Fusarium species known to infect pine seedlings in nurseries. All pines proved highly susceptible to PPC and displayed different levels of susceptibility to the other Fusarium spp. tested. The findings obtained indicate the potentially strong threat of establishment of an invasive pathogen such as F. circinatum following unintentional introduction into Poland.

First report of the parasitic copepod Lernaea cyprinacea (Copepoda: Lernaeidae) on gobioid fishes (Teleostei: Gobonellidae) in southern Europe

Lernaea cyprinacea is a non host-specific parasitic copepod known to infest many freshwater fish species. Outbreaks of infestations by this ectoparasite may cause mass mortality of parasitized fishes. L. cyprinacea has been found mostly on pelagic species. Records on small benthic fish species are less common. Especially rare are infestations of Gobioidei adapted to a benthic life style, with reports restricted to Asia and, in Europe, to the Ponto-Caspian region. Although it is cosmopolitan, L. cyprinacea has rarely been found in Italy. One of the few Italian localities with documented infestations is Lake Trasimeno, a lake with an economically important fishery. Although endoparasites of commercially interesting fish species in this lake are well documented, information about ectoparasites is rare. In May 2015, specimens of two gobioids − Knipowitschia panizzae and Pomatoschistus canestrinii − infested with L. cyprinacea were sampled at the south shore of Lake Trasimeno. Both gobies are not native to the lake. This is the first documentation of gobioid fishes as hosts of L. cyprinacea in Italy and in Europe (outside of the Ponto-Caspian region). Although both gobies are not optimal hosts (small size, short life expectancy) they have the potential to carry and to transmit the parasite in freshwater habitats, e.g. by unintentional introduction with fry of other fish species.

Communities of mites (Acari) in litter and soil under the invasive red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and native pedunculate oak (Q. robur L.)

Because of thoughtless decisions or unintentional introduction, alien species disturb native ecosystems. Red oak (Quercus rubra), among other alien woody plants, is still used to rehabilitate degraded land because of its better resistance to pollution and faster growth, as compared to native tree species. Soil mites, especially Oribatida, are good bioindicators of ecosystem disturbance, so the main goal of this study was to explore the influence of invasive and native oaks on mite communities. F orest stands dominated by 40-year-old Q. rubra or 35-year-old Q. robur were compared. Over 2300 soil mites were extracted from 20 soil and 20 litter samples. M ite densities in the communities were higher in red oak litter, which is probably a result of the thicker layer of shed leaves. Changes in species composition of oribatid communities were observed in litter, in contrast to a lack of differences in soil. These observations are consistent with other researches on invasive woody plants. W e expect that over time these changes will also be noticeable in the soil and will increase in litter.

Optimal Planning of Pollution Emergency Response with Application of Navigational Risk Management

According to the HELCOM AIS, there are about 2,000 ships in the Baltic marine area at any given moment. The main environmental effects of shipping and other activities at sea include air pollution, illegal deliberate and accidental discharges of oil, hazardous substances and other wastes, and the unintentional introduction of invasive alien organisms via ships’ ballast water or hulls. Original oil pollution model and optimal allocation of response resources was proposed in the paper.