Veni, vidi, vici? Future spread and ecological impacts of a rapidly expanding invasive predator population.

Economic and ecological consequences of invasive species make biological invasions an influential driver of global change. Monitoring the spread and impacts of non-native species is essential, but often difficult, especially during the initial stages of invasion. The Jorō spider, (L.

Effects of rootstocks on the flavor quality of huanglongbing-affected sweet orange juices using targeted flavoromics strategy.

Citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases affecting all varieties of citrus worldwide. Aimed at optimizing the scion/rootstock combination to improve HLB-affected orange juice quality, a flavoromics strategy was used to investigate the effects of six different rootstocks (CH, blue, 1804, FG, SW, and Volk) on flavor quality of HLB affected orange juices. A sensory quality test was conducted by a panel to evaluate the sensory attributes of different orange juices.

Seasonal polyphenism of spotted-wing is affected by variation in local abiotic conditions within its invaded range, likely influencing survival and regional population dynamics.

Overwintering often display adaptive phenotypic differences beneficial for survival at low temperatures. However, it is unclear which morphological traits are the best estimators of abiotic conditions, how those traits are correlated with functional outcomes in cold tolerance, and whether there are regional differences in trait expression.We used a combination of controlled laboratory assays, and collaborative field collections of invasive in different areas of the United States, to study the factors affecting phenotype variability of this temperate fruit pest now found globally.

Effects of -aminolevulinic acid dehydratase silencing on the primary and secondary metabolisms of citrus.

-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) is an important enzyme in tetrapyrrole synthesis. ALAD combines two -aminolevulinic acid (-ALA) molecules to form the pyrrole molecule, porphobilinogen, an important precursor for plant pigments involved in photosynthesis, respiration, and nutrient uptake. In this study, we investigated the effects of silencing of gene on citrus leaf pigments and metabolites.

Identification of sieve elements and companion cell protoplasts by a combination of brightfield and fluorescence microscopy.

Premise Of The Study: Phloem-limited diseases are becoming increasingly pervasive, threatening the existence of crops worldwide. Studies of phloem diseases are complicated by the inaccessibility of the phloem tissue. Phloem cells are located deep inside the plant body, are interspersed with other cell types, are among the smallest cells in the plant kingdom, and make up a small percentage of the total cell population in a plant.

Bacterial phytopathogen infection disrupts belowground plant indirect defense mediated by tritrophic cascade.

Plants can defend themselves against herbivores through activation of defensive pathways and attraction of third-trophic-level predators and parasites. Trophic cascades that mediate interactions in the phytobiome are part of a larger dynamic including the pathogens of the plant itself, which are known to greatly influence plant defenses. As such, we investigated the impact of a phloem-limited bacterial pathogen, Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), in cultivated citrus rootstock on a well-studied belowground tritrophic interaction involving the attraction of an entomopathogenic nematode (EPN), , to their root-feeding insect hosts, larvae.

Concilience in Entomopathogenic Nematode Responses to Water Potential and Their Geospatial Patterns in Florida.

The geospatial patterns of four species of native entomopathogenic nematodes in Florida were previously shown to be related to soil properties that affect soil water potential. Here we compared the responses to water potential of third stage, infective juvenile (IJ), Steinernema sp. (Sx), and Steinernema diaprepesi (Sd) in controlled conditions.

Analyzing spatial patterns linked to the ecology of herbivores and their natural enemies in the soil.

Modern agricultural systems can benefit from the application of concepts and models from applied ecology. When understood, multitrophic interactions among plants, pests, diseases and their natural enemies can be exploited to increase crop production and reduce undesirable environmental impacts. Although the understanding of subterranean ecology is rudimentary compared to the perspective aboveground, technologies today vastly reduce traditional obstacles to studying cryptic communities.

Citrus tristeza virus-host interactions.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is a phloem-limited virus whose natural host range is restricted to citrus and related species. Although the virus has killed millions of trees, almost destroying whole industries, and continually limits production in many citrus growing areas, most isolates are mild or symptomless in most of their host range. There is little understanding of how the virus causes severe disease in some citrus and none in others.

Maintenance of xylem Network Transport Capacity: A Review of Embolism Repair in Vascular Plants.

Maintenance of long distance water transport in xylem is essential to plant health and productivity. Both biotic and abiotic environmental conditions lead to embolism formation within the xylem resulting in lost transport capacity and ultimately death. Plants exhibit a variety of strategies to either prevent or restore hydraulic capacity through cavitation resistance with specialized anatomy, replacement of compromised conduits with new growth, and a metabolically active embolism repair mechanism.

Citrus tristeza virus: Evolution of Complex and Varied Genotypic Groups.

Amongst the Closteroviridae, Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is almost unique in possessing a number of distinct and characterized strains, isolates of which produce a wide range of phenotype combinations among its different hosts. There is little understanding to connect genotypes to phenotypes, and to complicate matters more, these genotypes are found throughout the world as members of mixed populations within a single host plant. There is essentially no understanding of how combinations of genotypes affect symptom expression and disease severity.