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F I G U R E 2 Fitted logistic curves with 95 in Circadian and seasonal flight activity differences between the sexes of the biocontrol agent Eadya daenerys (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the impact of host size on adult emergence

F I G U R E 2 Fitted logistic curves with 95% confidence intervals for the effect of Paropsisterna agricola beetle prepupal weight (mg) for three post-beetle prepupal outcomes (dead beetle prepupa, beetle or E. daenerys wasp).

F I G U R E 3 in Circadian and seasonal flight activity differences between the sexes of the biocontrol agent Eadya daenerys (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the impact of host size on adult emergence

F I G U R E 3 Host beetle prepupal weight (mg) (using both Paropsisterna agricola <80 mg and Paropsis charybdis>80 mg) and the head capsule width (mm) of laboratory-reared Eadya daenerys across both host species (n = 96).

F I G U R E 1 in Circadian and seasonal flight activity differences between the sexes of the biocontrol agent Eadya daenerys (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the impact of host size on adult emergence

F I G U R E 1 Weekly adult total malaise trap counts for three paropsine leaf beetle hosts of E. daenerys at Runnymede for the 2015/2016 season.

F I G U R E 4 in Circadian and seasonal flight activity differences between the sexes of the biocontrol agent Eadya daenerys (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and the impact of host size on adult emergence

F I G U R E 4 Head capsule width (mm) of adult Eadya daenerys (left) reared in the laboratory on Paropsisterna agricola (n = 179) or (right) collected in the field (n = 253).

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2015View details →

Fig. 1 in The red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the West Indies: distribution of natural enemies and a possible test bed for release of self-sustaining biocontrol agents

Fig. 1. Distribution of 2 fire ant microsporidian pathogens (Kneallhazia solenopsae, Vairimorpha invictae) and 2 fire ant viruses (SINV-1, SiDNV) among collections of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, from islands in the West Indies. The fire ant RNA viruses SINV-2 and SINV-3 were not detected in any of the collections. The number of collections from monogyne colonies is shown over the total number of collections for each island or island group (Tortola [1/5], St. John [0/1], and St. Thomas [3/4]).

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2015View details →

Fig. 1 in Field host range of Apanteles opuntiarum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Argentina, a potential biocontrol agent of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in North America

Fig. 1. Distribution of Apanteles opuntiarum (circles) and Apanteles alexanderi (triangles) that emerged from species of Pyralidae collected in Argentina, Aug 2007–Mar 2014.

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Climate matching models for Ceratapion basicorne (Coleoptera: Apionidae), a biocontrol agent of yellow starthistle

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publicDec 2024View details →

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →

Data from: Genome assembly of the ragweed leaf beetle, a step forward to better predict rapid evolution of a weed biocontrol agent to environmental novelties

Rapid evolution of weed biological control agents (BCAs) to new biotic and abiotic conditions is poorly understood and so far, only little considered both in pre-release and post-release studies, despite potential major negative or positive implications for risks of non-targeted attacks or for colonizing yet unsuitable habitats, respectively. Provision of genetic resources, such as assembled and annotated genomes, is essential to assess potential adaptive processes by identifying underlying genetic mechanisms. Here, we provide the first sequenced genome of a phytophagous insect used as a BCA, i.e. the leaf beetle Ophraella communa, a promising BCA of common ragweed, recently and accidentally introduced into Europe. A total 33.98 Gb of raw DNA sequences, representing c. 43-fold coverage, were obtained using the PacBio SMRT-Cell sequencing approach. Among the five different assemblers tested, the SMARTdenovo assembly displaying the best scores was then corrected with Illumina short reads. A final genome of 774 Mb containing 7,003 scaffolds was obtained. The reliability of the final assembly was then assessed by benchmarking universal single-copy orthologous genes (> 96.0% of the 1,658 expected insect genes) and by remapping tests of Illumina short reads (average of 98.6% ± 0.7% without filtering). The number of protein-coding genes of 75,642, representing 82% of the published antennal transcriptome, and the phylogenetic analyses based on 825 orthologous genes placing O. communa in the monophyletic group of Chrysomelidae, confirm the relevance of our genome assembly. Overall, the genome provides a valuable resource for studying potential risks and benefits of this BCA facing environmental novelties.

opencc-zeroAug 2020View details →

An experimental application of Hypena opulenta as a biocontrol agent for the invasive vine Vincetoxicum rossicum

1. Pre-release testing for biological control agents is focused primarily on assessment of host-range specificity and safety of potential agents. Agent impact is considered pre-release, however the ultimate assessment of an agent must occur following release in the field under the target population levels and conditions of the invaded ecosystems. The invasive Eurasian vine, Vincetoxicum rossicum, has spread aggressively through its invaded range of eastern North America since its initial introduction in the late 1800's. In laboratory tests, the Eurasian moth Hypena opulenta has shown great promise as a potential control agent for V. rossicum. 2. We were interested in the defoliating ability of H. opulenta and its subsequent effect on the seed production of V. rossicum under field conditions. To examine this, we established a field site near Kirkfield, Ontario that consisted of meadow and forest understory plots, both of which were highly invaded by V. rossicum. 3. We report highly significant feeding by H. opulenta in both light conditions. Unexpectedly, we observed a significant increase in seed production following folivory in shade conditions. We observed no significant effect of larval folivory on seed production under sun conditions, where V. rossicum seed production is greater by a factor of ten as compared to shade conditions. 4. Synthesis and application: It is unclear how continuous exposure to folivory by H. opulenta will affect mature V. rossicum stands, although it might be expected that such populations would invest in defenses to herbivory, possibly at the expense of reproductive output. In order to better understand if V. rossicum populations in either light condition could exhibit longer-term compensatory growth in response to folivory, further experimental work is needed that examines inter-annual variability in V. rossicum reproduction at variable H. opulenta densities.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Multi-level in vivo selection of the biocontrol agent Akanthomyces muscarius, virulence, growth, sporulation, and variant data

Changes in parasite virulence are commonly expected to lead to trade-offs in other life history traits that can affect fitness. Understanding these trade-offs is particularly important if we want to manipulate the virulence of microbial biological control agents. Theoretically, selection across different spatial scales, i.e. between- and within-hosts, shapes these trade-offs. However, trade-offs are also dependent on parasite biology. Despite their applied importance the evolution of virulence in fungal parasites is poorly understood: virulence can be unstable in culture and commonly fails to increase in simple passage experiments. We hypothesized that manipulating selection intensity at different scales would reveal virulence trade-offs in a fungal pathogen of aphids, Akanthomyces muscarius. Starting with a genetically diverse stock we selected for speed of kill, parasite yield, or infectivity by manipulating competition within and between hosts and between populations of hosts over 7 rounds of infection. We characterized ancestral and evolved lineages by whole genome sequencing and by measuring virulence, growth rate, sporulation, and fitness. While several lineages showed increases in virulence, we saw none of the trade-offs commonly found in obligately-killing parasites. Phenotypically similar lineages within treatments often shared multiple single-nucleotide variants, indicating strong convergent evolution. The most dramatic phenotypic changes were in the timing of sporulation and spore production in vitro. We found that early sporulation led to reduced competitive fitness but could increase the yield of spores on media, a trade-off characteristic of social conflict. Notably, the selection regime with the strongest between-population competition and lowest genetic diversity produced the most consistent shift to early sporulation, as predicted by social evolution theory. Multi-level selection therefore revealed social interactions novel to fungi and showed that these biocontrol agents have the genomic flexibility to improve multiple traits - virulence and spore production - that are often in conflict in other parasites.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

No impact of biocontrol agent's predation cues on development time or size of surviving Aedes albopictus under optimal nutritional availability

Cyclopoid copepods have been applied successfully to limit populations of highly invasive Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that can transmit diseases of public health importance. However, there is concern that changes in certain mosquito traits, induced by exposure to copepod predation, might increase the risk of disease transmission. In this study, third instar Ae. albopictus larvae, hereafter referred to as "focal individuals", were exposed to Megacyclops viridis predator cues associated with both consumption of newly-hatched mosquito larvae and attacks on focal individuals. The number of newly-hatched larvae surrounding each focal larva was held constant to control for density effects on size, and the focal individual's day of pupation and wing length were recorded for each replicate. Exposing late instar Ae. albopictus to predation decreased their chances of surviving to adulthood, and three focal larvae that died in the predator treatment showed signs of melanization, indicative of wounding. Among surviving focal Ae. albopictus, no significant difference in either pupation day or wing length was observed due to copepod predation. The absence of a significant sublethal impact from M. viridis copepod predation on surviving later-stage larvae in this analysis supports the use of M. viridis as a biocontrol agent against Ae. albopictus.

opencc-zeroFeb 2023View details →

Bacterial predation of a fungal wheat pathogen: Prelude to experimental evolution of enhanced biocontrol agents

Research to identify appropriate biological agents for controlling pathogens might exploit experimental evolution to select for enhanced antagonism against pathogens. We report development of an experimental regime facilitating this approach featuring the broad-spectrum bacterial predator Myxococcus xanthus and the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We demonstrate that Z. tritici, a major cause of crop loss and fungicide use worldwide, both fuels growth of and is killed by M. xanthus on wheat straw, a likely source of vernal seedling infection. M. xanthus is first found capable of density-dependent growth on moistened straw alone, unaided by Z. tritici as prey, growth that also depends on how long straw was moistened before M. xanthus inoculation. Such growth of non-cellulolytic myxobacteria on plant detritus may have implications for understanding their roles in nutrient cycling. However, straw with Z. tritici is found to fuel greater M. xanthus growth than straw alone under many conditions. After shorter moistening, growth by low-density M. xanthus populations is found to be fully dependent on Z. tritici. Such pathogen-dependent M. xanthus populations could be sustained with population replacement over five one-week growth cycles, indicating feasibility of conducting long-term experimental evolution with this system. Further, M. xanthus is found to kill majorities of Z. tritici populations on both buffered agar and straw. Our results suggest that myxobacteria may serve as effective biocontrol agents of Z. tritici and are amenable to long-term experimental selection for enhanced killing of this pathogen, an approach broadly applicable to many potential biocontrol agents and target pathogens.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

A difference in larval mosquito size allows a biocontrol agent to target the invasive species

As the global temperature rises in the coming decades, Aedes albopictus is expected to invade and establish in South East England, where Culex pipiens is currently the most common native mosquito species. Biocontrol measures that use local cyclopoid copepods against Ae. albopictus may be compromised if the copepods prefer alternate Cx. pipiens prey. In this study, I assessed the predation efficiency of Megacyclops viridis copepods against French Ae. albopictus larvae and larvae that hatched from egg rafts of Cx. pipiens collected in South East England. The experiments were conducted at 15°C and 25°C, which are representative of present and future summer temperatures in South East England. Ae. albopictus larvae that survived the course of the experiment in the predator-absent controls were significantly smaller than Cx. pipiens larvae that survived in the absence of predation. The background mortality of Cx. pipiens larvae increased with the ten-degree increase in temperature, and the smaller size of surviving Cx. pipiens larvae at 25°C, relative to survivors at 15°C, suggests that larger Cx. pipiens larvae were more likely to die at the higher temperature setting. Across all experimental treatments, the ratio of copepod body length to mean prey length, based on larval lengths of survivors from the corresponding predator-absent controls, was a significant predictor of the copepod's predation efficiency. Adding temperature setting to the predation efficiency model as a predictor did not improve model fit. Within the mixed prey treatments, the predation efficiency of M. viridis was 34.5 percentage points higher against Ae. albopictus prey than against Cx. pipiens prey. The higher predation efficiency that M. viridis exhibited against invasive Ae. albopictus prey, likely due to the smaller size of these larvae, supports the future use of M. viridis as a biocontrol agent in the UK.

publicMay 2020View details →

Data from: Genome assembly of the ragweed leaf beetle, a step forward to better predict rapid evolution of a weed biocontrol agent to environmental novelties

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publicMar 2024View details →

Multi-level in vivo selection of the biocontrol agent Akanthomyces muscarius, virulence, growth, sporulation, and variant data

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publicNov 2024View details →

Computer code for a model describing the emergence of a long transient regular spatial pattern from interaction of competing aquatic macrophytes and a biocontrol agent

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publicAug 2020View details →

An experimental application of Hypena opulenta as a biocontrol agent for the invasive vine Vincetoxicum rossicum

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publicFeb 2023View details →

Bacterial predation of a fungal wheat pathogen: Prelude to experimental evolution of enhanced biocontrol agents

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publicFeb 2022View details →

No impact of biocontrol agent’s predation cues on development time or size of surviving Aedes albopictus under optimal nutritional availability

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