Search

Oobius agriliZhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is an important egg parasitoid of the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennisFairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Methods for laboratory-rearing O. agrilihave been developed but its mass-production depends on the continuous production and storage of freshly laid EAB eggs as well as diapaused parasitoid progeny (inside parasitized EAB eggs). The purpose of this study was to determine optimal environmental conditions for long-term storage of host eggs as well as diapaused parasitoid progeny. Fresh host eggs and diapaused parasitoid progeny were stored at two low storage temperatures (1.7 and 12.8 °C) and three levels of relative humidity (low ~31%, medium ~74%, and high ~99.9%) for various length of time (15–270 days) and then evaluated for host egg suitability and the reproductive fitness of stored parasitoid progeny. EAB eggs were stored for approximately 30 days without significant reduction of their viability and suitability to O. agriliparasitism at low storage temperatures under high and medium relative humidity. Neither storage temperature or humidity had any significant effects on adult parasitoid emergence for storage durations of up to 270 days. When storage durations were over 120 days, however, both adult parasitoid longevity and fecundity declined approximately 20–30% across all temperature and humidity treatments. Relevance of findings to mass-production and storage of O. agrilifor biocontrol is discussed.

ObjectiveTo assess whether Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) attainment is associated with favorable outcomes in patients with recent onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsData from a 13-country longitudinal SLE cohort were collected prospectively between 2013 and 2020. An inception cohort was defined based on disease duration < 1 year at enrollment. Patient characteristics between inception and noninception cohorts were compared. Survival analyses were performed to examine the association between LLDAS attainment and damage accrual and flare.ResultsOf the total 4106 patients, 680 (16.6%) were recruited within 1 year of SLE diagnosis (inception cohort). Compared to the noninception cohort, inception cohort patients were significantly younger, had higher disease activity, and used more glucocorticoids, but had less organ damage at enrollment. Significantly fewer inception cohort patients were in LLDAS at enrollment than the noninception cohort (29.6% vs 52.3%, P< 0.001), but three-quarters of both groups achieved LLDAS at least once during follow-up. Limiting analysis only to patients not in LLDAS at enrollment, inception cohort patients were 60% more likely to attain LLDAS (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.61, P< 0.001) than noninception cohort patients and attained LLDAS significantly faster. LLDAS attainment was significantly protective against flare in both the inception and noninception cohorts. A total of 88 (13.6%) inception cohort patients accrued organ damage during a median 2.2 years of follow-up.ConclusionLLDAS attainment is protective from flare in recent onset SLE. Significant protection from damage accrual was not observed because of low rates of damage accrual in the first years after SLE diagnosis. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03138941)

Spathius galinaeis a larval parasitoid native to the Russian Far East that was approved for release in the United States in 2015 for biological control of the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, an invasive beetle from Asia responsible for widespread mortality of ash trees (Fraxinusspp.) in North America. From 2015 to 2017, 1,340–1,445 females of S. galinaealong with males were released into each release plot, paired with a nonrelease control plot (1–12.5 km apart), at 6 postinvasion forested sites containing abundant pole-sized ash trees in Michigan. By 2018, S. galinaehad spread to all but one control plot. Based on the first year that S. galinaewas found in trees in each control plot and the distances of those trees to the parasitoid release point within each site, we estimated that S. galinaespread at 3.7 (±1.9) km per year after its initial releases in 2015. The proportion of sampled trees with S. galinaebroods, brood densities within sampled trees, and parasitism of EAB larvae increased sharply in both control and release plots after the last field releases in 2017, with the highest parasitism rates (42.8–60.3%) in 2020. Life table analysis showed that S. galinaealone reduced EAB’s net population growth rate by 35–55% across sites from 2018 to 2020. These results demonstrate that S. galinaehas established an increasing population in Michigan and now plays a significant role in reducing EAB populations in the area.

Evidence for the utility of medications in settings lacking randomized trial data can come from studies of treatment persistence. The present study was undertaken to examine patterns of medication use in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using data from a large multicenter longitudinal cohort. Prospectively collected data from the Asia Pacific Lupus Collaboration cohort including disease activity (SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 [SLEDAI‐2K]) and medication details, captured at every visit from 2013–2018, were used. Medications were categorized as glucocorticoids (GCs), antimalarials (AM), and immunosuppressants (IS). Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the time‐to‐discontinuation of medications, stratified by SLE disease activity. Data from 19,804 visits of 2,860 patients were analyzed. Eight medication categories were observed: no treatment; GC, AM, or IS only; GC plus AM; GC plus IS; AM plus IS; and GC plus AM plus IS (triple therapy). Triple therapy was the most frequent pattern (31.4% of visits); single agents were used in 21% of visits, and biologics in only 3%. Time‐to‐discontinuation analysis indicated that medication persistence varied widely, with the highest treatment persistence for AM and lowest for IS. Patients with a time‐adjusted mean SLEDAI‐2K score of ≥10 had lower discontinuation of GCs and higher discontinuation of IS. Most patients received combination treatment. GC persistence was high, while IS persistence was low. Patients with high disease activity received more medication combinations but had reduced IS persistence, consistent with limited utility. These data confirm unmet need for improved SLE treatments.

In nature, most parasitoids attack more than one host species, and nearly all hosts are attacked by several species of parasitoids. This opens many potential opportunities for interactions of invasive species with native parasitoid–host association networks in invaded communities. Despite this, few studies have examined the direct and indirect impacts of biological invasion on parasitoid–host associations. This review examines what is known of these relationships from the most recent literature and suggests future research priorities. We conclude that parasitoid–host association networks in invaded communities are complex, dynamic, and subject to trophic intrusions from invasive plants, herbivores, plant pathogens, parasitoids, and hyperparasitoids. Future studies should take a holistic systems approach to understanding the impact of biological invasion and its consequences in shaping community structure through altering existing native, coevolved parasitoid–host association networks.

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennisFairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)), an invasive phloem-feeding beetle native to Asia, has devastated North American ash forests since its detection in Michigan, United States in 2002. As the emerald ash borer has continued to spread, the potential for successful long-term management hinges upon the release, establishment, and spread of introduced larval and egg parasitoids for biological control. Here, we focus on the establishment and evidence for spatial spread of introduced larval parasitoid, Spathius agriliYang and Spathius galinaeBelokobylskij & Strazanac (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the state of Maryland. To assess each species, we analyzed historical release and recovery data and resampled previous release sites and nonrelease sites for establishment. We found little evidence of establishment or spread for S. agrili, despite a comparatively large number of release locations, events, and individuals. By contrast, despite much lower propagule pressure and shorter history of releases, we detected multiple established populations of S. galinaeat release sites and at sites up to 90 km from the nearest release point approximately 3 yr after its most current release. Our findings show that S. galinaehas established and spread rapidly following field releases whereas its congener, S. agrilihas not. Although it may still be too early to evaluate the level of population control and ash protection afforded by S. galinae, these findings indicate the need for continued investment in S. galinaefor emerald ash borer classical biological control efforts.

Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis(Motschulsky), is a high-risk invasive forest pest worldwide. We surveyed Asian longhorned beetle parasitoid guilds and their seasonal abundance using field-deployed sentinel host logs infested with Asian longhorned beetle eggs or newly hatched (early-instar) larvae in three different sites of China (Beijing City, Shanghai City, and Jilin Province) from 2015 to 2018. Our survey detected 12 species of hymenopteran parasitoids (four Pteromalidae, three Braconidae, two Eupelmidae, one Eurytomidae, one Ichneumonidae, and one Bethylidae) attacking sentinel Asian longhorned beetle larvae or eggs deployed in these sites. Total parasitism by all the parasitoid species varied with different sites and across different years of the survey (averaging 7–16% in Beijing, 4–11% in Shanghai, and 0–0.2% in Jilin Province). In addition, the seasonal pattern of parasitism also differed among different sites, with parasitism peaking in July in the northern site (Beijing, 19%) and June in the southern site (Shanghai, 16%). Among all the parasitoid species recovered, Oxysychussp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was the most abundant parasitoid species in both Beijing and Shanghai (with 42–66% relative abundance and an average of 6% Asian longhorned beetle parasitism). The second most abundant species was Bracon planitibiaeYang, Cao et Gould (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), which accounted for 35% of the species collected and caused an average of 5% Asian longhorned beetle parasitism. Relevance of our findings to Asian longhorned beetle biocontrol is discussed.

Climate change has been linked to shifts in the distribution and phenology of species although little is known about the potential effects that extreme low winter temperatures may have on insect host–parasitoid interactions. In late January 2019, northern regions of the United States experienced a severe cold wave caused by a weakened jet stream, destabilizing the Arctic polar vortex. Approximately 3 mo later at six study sites in southern Michigan and three in southern Connecticut, we sampled the overwintering larvae of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennisFairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), and two larval parasitoids, Spathius galinae(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Tetrastichus planipennisi(Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), that are being introduced as emerald ash borer biocontrol agents in North America. At these nine study sites, emerald ash borer-infested ash trees and/or saplings were debarked and each overwintering emerald ash borer and parasitoid larva was then examined for cold-induced mortality, as indicated by a brown coloration, flaccid, and watery consistency. In early spring in Michigan, we found 4.5–26% of emerald ash borer larvae, 18–50% of S. galinaelarvae, and 8–35% of T. planipennisilarvae were killed by cold. In Connecticut where temperatures were more moderate than in Michigan during the 2019 cold wave, <2% of the larval hosts and parasitoids died from cold injury. Our findings revealed that cold-induced mortality of overwintering larvae of emerald ash borer and its larval parasitoids varied by location and species, with higher mortality of parasitoid larvae in most Michigan sites compared to host larvae. The potential impacts of our findings on the management of emerald ash borer using biocontrol are discussed.

Soil respiration (Rs), the soil‐to‐atmosphere CO2flux produced by microbes and plant roots, is a critical but uncertain component of the global carbon cycle. Our current understanding of the variability and dynamics is limited by the coarse spatial resolution of existing estimates. We predicted annual Rs and associated uncertainty across the world at 1‐km resolution using a quantile regression forest algorithm trained with observations from the global Soil Respiration Database spanning from 1961 to 2011. This model yielded a global annual Rs estimate of 87.9 Pg C/year with an associated global uncertainty of 18.6 (mean absolute error) and 40.4 (root mean square error) Pg C/year. The estimated annual heterotrophic respiration (Rh), derived from empirical relationships with Rs, was 49.7 Pg C/year over the same period. Predicted Rs rates and associated uncertainty varied widely across vegetation types, with the greatest predicted rates of Rs in evergreen broadleaf forests (accounting for 20.9% of global Rs). The greatest prediction uncertainties were in northern latitudes and arid to semiarid ecosystems, suggesting that these areas should be targeted in future measurement campaigns. This study provides predictions of Rs (and associated prediction uncertainty) at unprecedentedly high spatial resolution across the globe that could help constrain local‐to‐global process‐based models. Furthermore, it provides insights into the large variability of Rs and Rh across vegetation classes and identifies regions and vegetation types with poor model performance that should be prioritized for future data collection. Soils emit large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year via the process of soil respiration, which greatly exceeds emissions from human sources. However, rates of soil respiration are highly variable in space, which limits our ability to balance global carbon budgets and forecast climate change. We used a novel application of a machine learning approach to predict annual rates of soil respiration at high resolution (1 km) across the globe and examined spatial patterns of the associated uncertainty of these predictions. Predictions were made based on how observations of soil respiration were related to climate (annual temperature and annual and seasonal precipitation) and vegetation information. Predicted annual soil respiration and prediction uncertainty varied across ecosystem types and regions. Our predictions suggest that evergreen tropical forests dominate global annual soil respiration emissions. Dryland, wetland, and cold ecosystems had the highest associated prediction uncertainties, suggesting that future soil respiration measurements would be especially useful in these areas. The high spatial resolution of our predictions will help researchers studying the carbon cycle at local to global scales. A high spatial resolution machine learning approach was used for estimating soil respiration across the worldPredictions of soil respiration varied widely across ecosystem classes, and allowed for suitable estimates of heterotrophic respirationAssociated prediction uncertainty was highest in high latitudes and data scarce regions, which should be targets for future measurements

The yellow–green leaf mutant can be exploited in photosynthesis and plant development research. A Triticum aestivum mutant with the chlorina phenotype, here called B23, was produced by treatment with the chemical mutagen sodium azide. This B23 mutant showed significantly lower chlorophyll content than wild-type Saannong33, and its chloroplast structure was abnormal. All its yield-related traits, except for the number of spikes per plant, were also significantly decreased. Genetic analysis confirmed that the mutant phenotype was controlled by a recessive gene, here designated cn-A1. Using bulked segregant analysis and the wheat 660K single nucleotide polymorphism array, the cn-A1 gene was mapped to chromosome 7AL, and 11 polymorphic markers were developed. Further analysis showed that cn-A1 was located in a 1.1-cM genetic region flanked by Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers 660K-7A12 and 660K-7A20, which corresponded to a physical interval of 3.48 Mb in T. aestivum cv. Chinese Spring chromosome 7AL containing 47 predicted genes with high confidence. These results are expected to accelerate the process of cloning the cn-A1 gene and facilitate understanding of the mechanisms underlying chlorophyll metabolism and chloroplast development in wheat.

Spinal cord longitudinal axons comprise some of the longest axons in our body. However, mechanisms that drive this extra long-distance axonal growth are largely unclear. We found that ascending axons of rapidly adapting (RA) mechanoreceptors closely abut a previously undescribed population of roof plate-derived radial glial-like cells (RGLCs) in the spinal cord dorsal column, which form a network of processes enriched with growth-promoting factors. In drehermutant mice that lack RGLCs, the lengths of ascending RA mechanoreceptor axon branches are specifically reduced, whereas their descending and collateral branches, and other dorsal column and sensory pathways, are largely unaffected. Because the number and intrinsic growth ability of RA mechanoreceptors are normal in drehermice, our data suggest that RGLCs provide critical non-cell autonomous growth support for the ascending axons of RA mechanoreceptors. Together, our work identifies a developmental mechanism specifically required for long-range spinal cord longitudinal axons.

AbstractTwo new species of egg parasitoids, Oobius saimaensisYao and Mottern new speciesand Oobius fleischeriYao and Duan new species(Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), are described from eggs of Agrilus fleischeriObenberger, 1925 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Agrilus fleischeriis a phloem-feeding woodborer of poplar (PopulusLinnaeus; Salicaceae) in northeastern China. These two species can be distinguished morphologically as O. fleischerihas five tarsomeres and O. saimaensishas four tarsomeres. Although O. saimaensisis morphologically similar to its sympatric congener O. agriliZhang and Hang, 2005, an important natural enemy of the invasive emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennisFairmaire, 1888, molecular phylogenetics and morphological data indicate that they are distinct species. Phylogenetic relationships among the new species and other closely related species are also inferred by using DNA sequence data from several ribosomal and mitochondrial genes. In addition, we expand the known distribution of Oobius primorskyensisYao and Duan, 2016 to include South Korea.

The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis(Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a destructive invasive woodboring insect pest, and efforts are being made to find parasitoids for ALB biological control. Through a four-year survey in Korea using a sentinel log trap associated with host chemical cues potentially important for host finding by parasitoids, two parasitoid species were discovered attacking ALB. One species is Spathius ibarakiusBelokobylskij & Maetô, which is known to also parasitize citrus longhorned beetle, Anoplophora chinensis(Forster). The other parasitoid species, whose offspring were dead before imago, could not be morphologically identified at the adult stage. We attempted molecular and morphological identification of the larvae/pupae of the unidentified parasitoid; however, only superfamily-level identification was possible. The parasitism rate recovered in the logs was 0.3% by the unidentified parasitoid in Gapyeong-gun in 2019, while it reached 29.2% by S. ibarakiusin Busan city in 2022. Future efforts for exploring ALB natural enemies in the pest’s native range may focus on parasitoids with high parasitism rates.