Asymmetric succession in soil microbial communities enhances the competitive advantage of invasive alien plants.

Background: Biological invasions pose an escalating threat to native ecosystems. The accumulation of invasive alien plants worldwide is not saturated yet, underscoring the persistent and growing impact of invasions. Soil microorganisms play a key role in the process of alien plant invasion.

Silencing of the Gene via dsRNA Affects Root Development and Growth in the Invasive Weed .

("mile-a-minute" weed) is a global invasive alien weed that can cause severe damage to agroforestry ecosystems and significant agricultural losses worldwide. Although chemical, manual, or mechanical control methods are widely used to control , RNA interference (RNAi)-based biocontrol methods have rarely been reported for this species. The () gene, encoding an auxin response factor, plays an essential role in embryonic root initiation in .

Allelopathic Molecular Mechanisms of the Two Main Allelochemicals in Sweet Potato.

Sweet potato ( L.) is one of the most important global food crops. This crop exhibits excellent allelopathic potential against various weeds, but its allelopathic mechanism at the molecular level is unclear.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the heteronomous hyperparasitoid wasp Encarsia sophia.

Encarsia sophia, a heteronomous hyperparasitoid wasp, is a well-known biological control agent, but its genomic information is limited, hindering molecular investigations and understanding of multitrophic interactions. In this study, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for E. sophia using Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C technologies.

A Proposed Coupling Framework of Biological Invasions: Quantifying the Management Prioritization in Mealybugs Invasion.

Prioritizing potential invasive alien species, introduction pathways, and likely places susceptible to biological invasions is collectively critical for developing the targeting of management strategies at pre-border, border, and post-border. A framework for prioritizing the invasion management that considered all these elements in combination is lacking, particularly in the context of potential coinvasion scenarios of multispecies. Here, for the first time, we have constructed a coupling framework of biological invasions to evaluate and prioritize multiple invasion risks of 35 invasive alien mealybugs (IAMs) that posed a significant threat to the agri-horticultural crops in China.

Unveiling temporal and spatial research trends in precision agriculture: A BERTopic text mining approach.

This study leverages the BERTopic algorithm to analyze the evolution of research within precision agriculture, identifying 37 distinct topics categorized into eight subfields: Data Analysis, IoT, UAVs, Soil and Water Management, Crop and Pest Management, Livestock, Sustainable Agriculture, and Technology Innovation. By employing BERTopic, based on a transformer architecture, this research enhances topic refinement and diversity, distinguishing it from traditional reviews. The findings highlight a significant shift towards IoT innovations, such as security and privacy, reflecting the integration of smart technologies with traditional agricultural practices.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the Brontispa longissima.

Brontispa longissima is a highly destructive pest that affects coconut and ornamental palm plants. It is widely distributed across Southeast and East Asia and the Pacific region, causing production losses of up to 50-70%. While control methods and ecological phenomena have been the primary focus of research, there is a significant lack of studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying these ecological phenomena.

Disparities in Genetic Diversity Drive the Population Displacement of Two Invasive Cryptic Species of the Complex in China.

Within the whitefly (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) complex, two cryptic species, namely Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) and Mediterranean (MED), are important invasive pests affecting global agriculture and horticulture. They were introduced into China sequentially in the mid-1990s and around 2003, respectively. Subsequently, the latter invader MED has outcompeted the earlier invader MEAM1, becoming the dominant population in the field.

The Food Source and Gut Bacteria Show Effects on the Invasion of Alien Pests-A Case of (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae).

How alien pests invade new areas has always been a hot topic in invasion biology. The spread of the from southern to northern China involved changes in food sources. In this paper, in controlled conditions, we take as an example to study how plant host transformation affects gut bacteria by feeding it its favorite host oranges in the south, its favorite host peaches and apples in the north, and feeding it cucumbers as a non-favorite host plant, thereby further affecting their fitness during invasion.

An effector of oral secretions inhibits host plant defense.

Insects have evolved effectors to regulate host defenses for efficient feeding, yet their impact on chewing insects, like the tomato leaf miner (), a significant pest, is poorly understood. We used RNAi to target the REPAT38 gene in larvae, monitoring changes at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h in leaf stomata, plant hormone concentrations (jasmonic acid (JA), jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile), salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and abscisic acid (ABA)), and 12 hormone-responsive genes to explore the molecular mechanism of REPAT38-mediated plant-insect interactions.

A ghost moth olfactory prototype of the lepidopteran sex communication.

Sex role differentiation is a widespread phenomenon. Sex pheromones are often associated with sex roles and convey sex-specific information. In Lepidoptera, females release sex pheromones to attract males, which evolve sophisticated olfactory structures to relay pheromone signals.

Male-derived phospholipase A2 enhances WD46 expression and increases fertility in Ophraella communa.

Successful bisexual reproduction requires interactions between males and females. Male-derived seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) transferred to females during mating profoundly affect females from pre- to post-mating, and the subsequent shift in female physiology enhances their fertility. SFPs have important evolutionary implications for the fitness of many insects.

Antibiotics suppress the expression of antimicrobial peptides and increase sensitivity of Cydia pomonella to granulosis virus.

Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) is a highly specific and environmentally friendly pathogenic virus successfully used as a biological insecticide against codling moth larvae. Continuous application of CpGV has led to high levels of resistance in codling moth, Cydia pomonella (C. pomonella).

Phototactic Changes in Long-Wavelength Opsin Gene Mutants () and Short-Wavelength Opsin Gene Mutant () Strains.

(Meyrick) is an invasive pest that has caused damage to tomatoes and other crops in China since 2017. Pest control is mainly based on chemical methods that pose significant threats to food safety and environmental and ecological security. Light-induced control, a green prevention and control technology, has gained attention recently.

Predicting global geographical distribution and latitudinal suitability gradient for light Brown apple moth.

, commonly known as the light brown apple moth (LBAM), is native to Australia and has a restricted global distribution. Its polyphagous nature and the recent surge in interceptions have emphasized the need for focused risk assessments to guide effective measures to curb the entry of this pest into new countries. This study aimed to perform a detailed global invasion risk assessment using an optimized MaxEnt model that incorporated 19 bioclimatic variables and elevation.

Temperature extremes nip invasive macrophyte A. Gray in the bud: potential geographic distributions and risk assessment based on future climate change and anthropogenic influences.

A. Gray, an ornamental submerged plant indigenous to tropical America, has been introduced to numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania, impacting native aquatic ecosystems. Given this species is a popular aquarium plant and widely traded, there is a high risk of introduction and invasion into other environments.

DNA methylase 1 influences temperature responses and development in the invasive pest Tuta absoluta.

DNA methylase 1 (Dnmt1) is an important regulatory factor associated with biochemical signals required for insect development. It responds to changes in the environment and triggers phenotypic plasticity. Meanwhile, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)-a destructive invasive pest-can rapidly invade and adapt to different habitats; however, the role of Dnmt1 in this organism has not been elucidated.

Tandemly expanded OR17b in Himalaya ghost moth facilitates larval food allocation via olfactory reception of plant-derived tricosane.

Herbivorous insects utilize intricate olfactory mechanisms to locate food plants. The chemical communication of insect-plant in primitive lineage offers insights into evolutionary milestones of divergent olfactory modalities. Here, we focus on a system endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to unravel the chemical and molecular basis of food preference in ancestral Lepidoptera.

Ecological niche shift and suitable area expansion of a globally invasive species .

is a major potato pest of global importance, early warning and detection of which are of significance. In this study, we analyzed the climate niche conservation of during its invasion by comparing the overall climate niche from three dimensions, including the differences between native range (South America) and entire invaded region (excluding South America), the differences bwtween native range (South America) and five invaded continents (North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa, and Europe), as well as the differences between native region (South America) and an invaded region (China). We constructed ecological niche models for its native range (South America) and invaded region (China).

Projecting the Global Potential Geographical Distribution of (Diptera: Tephritidae) under Current and Future Climates.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, (Wiedemann), which is native to tropical Africa, has invaded more than 100 countries and constitutes a risk to the citrus sector. Studying its potential geographical distribution (PGD) in the context of global climate change is important for prevention and control efforts worldwide. Therefore, we used the CLIMEX model to project and assess the risk of global invasion by under current (1981-2010) and future (2040-2059) climates.

Effects of periodic heat events on the reproduction and longevity of female and male Agasicles hygrophila (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Alternanthera philoxeroides (Amaranthaceae), commonly known as alligator weed, is a globally invasive and detrimental perennial weed. Agasicles hygrophila serves as an important biocontrol agent for alligator weeds. However, during mid-summer, when temperatures increase, A.

Opsin mutants alter host plant selection by color vision in the nocturnal invasive pest Tuta absoluta.

In insects, vision is crucial in finding host plants, but its role in nocturnal insects is largely unknown. Vision involves responses to specific spectra of photon wavelengths and opsins plays an important role in this process. Long-wavelength sensitive opsin (LW opsin) and blue-sensitive opsin (BL opsin) are main visual opsin proteins and play important in behavior regulation.

Molecular and Functional Characterization of Three General Odorant-Binding Protein 2 Genes in (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

General odorant-binding proteins (GOBPs) play a crucial role in the detection of host plant volatiles and pheromones by lepidopterans. Previous studies identified two duplications in the gene in . In this study, we employed qRT-PCR, protein purification, and fluorescence competitive binding assays to investigate the functions of three genes in .