Different diets affecting biology,physiology and cold tolerance of Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Biology, some physiological processes and cold hardiness of Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) on ten diets (barley, corn, millet, rice, rye, sorghum, triticale, wheat groundnut, and walnut) were studied under laboratory conditions (33 ± 1 °C with 65 ± 5% RH, 14L: 10D). According to the results, the insects reared on triticale had shortest development time, and the highest fecundity and fertility. By contrast, the longest development time, and the lowest fecundity and fertility were on groundnut. The survival rates ranged from 40 to 87% with the lowest values observed on groundnut. T. granarium larvae fed on triticale and millet had the highest amylolytic activity. In contrast, groundnut-fed larvae possessed the lowest amylolytic activity. The highest and lowest proteolytic activity was on rice and millet, respectively. Different diets had a significant effect on larval energy reserves (total body sugars, glycogen, lipid, and protein), which were at the highest levels on triticale and rye, and lowest levels on sorghum. The highest level of trehalose was on triticale, groundnut and rye, and the lowest level was on barley and sorghum. The supercooling point (SCP) of larvae reared on triticale was −20.6, which was significantly lower than on the other diets. Exposures to −5 and −10 °C/24 h were somewhat endured by larvae fed on triticale, rye, walnut, and groundnut whilst exposure to −20 °C/24 h caused 100% mortality in these food groups. These results suggest that larval food quality can affect biological and physiological characteristics and influence the supercooling point and cold hardiness of T. granarium.     

Significant population structure in Australian Cryptolestes ferrugineus and interpreting the potential spread of phosphine resistance

An analysis of the population genetics of Cryptolestes ferrugineus, across all major regions in Australia where grain is grown and stored in bulk, provides an initial step in investigating the movement of these insects and implications for the spread of phosphine resistance. Microsatellite data revealed two levels of genetic structure. Across Australia, two clusters were detected, one in eastern Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania) and Western Australia (Cluster 1) and one in South Australia (Cluster 2). Intermediate between them, in eastern South Australia, are a couple of populations that are equally admixed for the two clusters. Populations in Western Australia and western SA belong to different clusters suggesting that the extensive and arid Nullarbor Plain restricts the natural dispersal of these beetles. Isolation-by-distance and the detection of clustering among local populations suggests there is considerable gene flow at a local scale in C. ferrugineus, and we infer this is by flight. Limited natural gene flow between eastern and western Australia might, in part, explain why extremely high resistance has not been detected in Western Australia.     

Protective effect of nanosilica on irradiated dates against saw toothed grain beetle,Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) adults

The insecticidal activity of nanosilica particles (NSPs) [20 ± 4 nm] was determined using the saw-toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L) adults as the experimental insect. When the unsexed adults were exposed to different doses of nanosilica (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mg/Petri dish) for different periods (1, 2 and 3 days), it was found that NSPs had more insecticidal activity against O. surinamensis. Moreover, it was found that as the exposure time and dose increased, the mortality percentages of the adults increased. When the adult fed on irradiated dates which treated with different doses of nanosilica (0.5, 1,2 and 4 mg/1date) the mortality was higher than in nanosilica alone. The LD₅₀ of the bioassay tests showed that the calculated LD₅₀ values of each treatment were 0.468, 1.201 and 0.572 mg/1date. The adult of O. surinamensis (untreated, treated with LD₅₀ of nanosilica and fed on unirradiated or irradiated dates) examined by a scanning electron microscope. The examination showed the same malformations in all treatments which caused abrasion and damage on the outer surface. Nanosilica can be effectively replacing chemical insecticides to protect stored products.     

Laboratory evaluation of diatomaceous earths, when applied as dry dust and slurries to wooden surfaces, against stored-product insect and mite pests

The efficacy of Silico-sec^® and Diasecticide^™ applied as dry dust and slurry applications to wooden surfaces was assessed in the laboratory against adult Sitophilus granarius, and Lepidoglyphus destructor and against larvae of Ephestia kuehniella. Wood was used as the test substrate as it was considered to present a realistic challenge to efficacy due to its 3-dimensional structure. Against the insects, doses of 10 g/m² Silico-sec^® and 20 g/m² Diasecticide^™ were evaluated. Against the mite 1 and 3 g/m² of the respective Silico-sec^® and Diasecticide^™ dry dusts and 20 g/m² of the slurries were assessed. The effects on the insects and mites were assessed one day, 4 weeks and 12 weeks after treatment of the wood. Mortalities were evaluated after exposure times of 24 h and 7 days for the mite and insects, respectively, at conditions of 15 °C and 80% r.h., chosen to represent typical UK conditions after harvest. Of the four treatments, the Silico-sec^® dry dust was the most effective against all the pest species, producing 80-95, 100 and 93-100% mean mortalities of S. granarius, E. kuehniella and L. destructor, respectively, over the 12-week experimental period. The Diasecticide^™ dry dust produced <11, >99 and 68-93% mortalities of the respective species. The slurry treatments were less effective than the dry dusts with the Silico-sec^® slurry producing 29-46, 83-97 and <8% mortalities of the respective species and the Diasecticide^™ slurry being ineffective against S. granarius and L. destructor and producing 34-61% mortality of E. kuehniella. This study built on information gained from preliminary work and assessed DEs against tolerant pests on a surface where control was expected to be difficult, in order to provide dose recommendations which would encompass a range of infestation situations in the field.     

Different diets affecting biology and digestive physiology of the Khapra beetle,Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

The Khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), is a serious pest of grain and other stored products through the world. In this research, effect of five host diets including barley, rice, rye, wheat and walnut was studied on some of biological traits, nutritional indices and digestive enzymatic activity of T. granarium at 33 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. The Khapra beetle larvae reared on walnut had the highest number of larval instar and longest duration of larval and pupal stages (91.30 ± 0.4 days). The heaviest pupal weight of T. granarium was on rye (4.22 ± 0.01 mg) and the lightest weight was on rice (3.99 ± 0.01 mg) and walnut (4.00 ± 0.01 mg). The highest realized fecundity and fertility were recorded for the females reared on rye (45.88 ± 1.08 eggs/female and 69.39 ± 0.68%, respectively) and wheat (49.02 ± 1.55 eggs/female and 67.54 ± 0.69%, respectively), and the lowest ones were observed for the females came from larvae fed walnut (15.45 ± 0.71 eggs/female and 34.55 ± 0.82%, respectively). Also, the results showed that T. granarium larvae reared on walnut had the lowest values of the efficiency of conversion of ingested food (7.67 ± 0.04%) and relative growth rate (0.044 ± 0.0002 mg/mg/day). The lowest midgut amylolytic (0.044 ± 0.0005 and 0.047 ± 0.0005 mU/individual, respectively) and proteolytic (0.015 ± 0.0004 and 0.016 ± 0.0001 mU/individual, respectively) activity of the sixth instar was detected on walnut and rice. The highest inhibition of amylase (53.37 ± 0.75%) and protease activity (48.54 ± 0.96%) was estimated by incubating midgut extracts from the last instars with wheat and barley proteinaceous extracts, respectively. The results indicated that walnut was the most unsuitable diet for feeding and development of T. granarium.     

蜣螂优化算法在 Canny 边缘检测算法中的应用

针对传统 Canny 边缘检测需要手动选取阈值以及不能有效提取边缘轮廓的问题,提出了一种基于改进的蜣螂优化算 法(DBO) 来优化 Canny 算子的边缘检测算法。首先通过快速引导滤波代替传统高斯滤波对图像进行保边去噪;其次用4方 向的 Sobel 模板来计算图像的梯度幅值和梯度方向;最后利用蜣螂优化算法优化的二维大津法自适应获取高低阈值。针对蜣 螂优化算法种群多样性不强问题,提出用 tent 映射初始化种群;为了提高算法跳出局部最优的能力,采用精英差分变异策略 对最优蜣螂个体进行变异扰动。实验结果表明,在边缘准确度和连接性上,该算法与传统 Canny 边缘检测算法对比有一定程 度的提升,能够有效提取图像的边缘轮廓,提高了Canny 边缘检测的边缘连接性,具有一定的实用性。     

基于 VMD-DBO-LSTM 的空气质量预测

针对传统空气质量预测模型收敛速度慢,精度低的问题,提出一种基于变分模态分解(variational mode decom posi- tion,VMD) 和蜣螂优化算法(dung beetle optimizer,DBO)优化长短期记忆网络(long short term memory,LSTM)的预测模 型。首先,针对 AQI原始数据具有大量噪声的问题,使用VMD方法对非平稳信号进行模态分解以降低噪声对预测结果的影 响从而获得多个不同特征的模态分量;其次,针对 LSTM 靠人工经验调参存在一定局限性,利用DBO算法对LSTM 模型参数 进行优化;最后,对分解后的各个子序列使用LSTM 模型预测,将各个子序列进行叠加得到最后的预测结果。实验结果表明, VMD对非平稳数据的分解有助于提高预测精度,VMD-DBO-LSTM 模型的性能较其他模型均有不同程度的提高,该模型预 测的均方根误差为4.73μg/m³, 平均绝对误差为3.61μg/m³, 拟合度达到了97.8%。     

Analysis of Volatiles Induced by Oviposition of Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola on Ulmus minor

Egg deposition of the elm leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola causes the emission of volatiles from its food plant, Ulmus minor. These volatiles are exploited by the egg parasitoid, Oomyzus gallerucae, to locate its host. In contrast to other tritrophic systems, the release of volatiles is not induced by feeding but by egg deposition. Previous investigations showed that the release is systemic and can be triggered by jasmonic acid. Comparison of headspace analysis revealed similarities in the blend of volatiles emitted following egg deposition and feeding. The mixture consists of more than 40 compounds; most of the substances are terpenoids. Leaves next to those carrying eggs emit fewer compounds. When treated with jasmonic acid, leaves emit a blend that consists almost exclusively of terpenoids. Dichloromethane extracts of leaves treated with jasmonic acid were also investigated. After separation of extracts of jasmonate induced elm leaves on silica, we obtained a fraction of terpenoid hydrocarbons that was attractive to the parasitoids. This indicates that jasmonic acid stimulates the production of terpenoid hydrocarbons that convey information of egg deposition to the parasitoid.     

Interspecific response to sex pheromones,and calling behavior of severalAttagenus species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Females of severalAttagenus species demonstrated calling behaviors similar to those previously reported forA. elongatulus. Attagenus rufipennis females did not call until they were 12–14 days old. OtherAttagenus species called at approx. 4 days of age. All species exhibited diurnal periods of calling activity. Interspecific pheromone responses were tested, withA. megatoma megatoma, A. megatoma canadensis, A. megatoma japonicus, andA. schaefferi spurcus showing equal cross-responses. Male response to females was demonstrated inA. rufipennis andA. bicolor. Attagenus rufipennis, bicolor, andelongatulus males responded only to female extracts of their own species.Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the USDA.     

基于非参数乘法回归模型的农业景观步甲空间分布模拟

农业生产引起的景观变化是导致生物多样性丧失的重要原因,为评估农业景观结构变化对物种多样性的影响,探索农业景观物种空间模拟的方法,研究应用非参数乘法回归(NPMR)模型结合田间步甲取样数据,分析了步甲群落多样性、主要物种存在/不存在与取样点周围边长为200 m景观内景观结构之间的关系,建立研究区物种-景观分布预测模型,结合地理信息系统(GIS)技术建立研究区群落/物种空间分布预测图。结果表明:在群落水平上,景观结构对步甲群落多样性的影响不显著; 在物种水平上,黄斑青步甲(Chlaenius micans)、淡鞘婪步甲(Harpalus pallidipennis)受斑块密度的影响显著(p<0.05),黄斑青步甲、后斑青步甲(Chlaenius posticalis)和单齿婪步甲(Harpalus simplicide)受半自然生境类型数的影响显著(p<0.05),单齿蝼步甲(Scarites terricola)受半自然生境比例的影响显著(p<0.05),而蠋步甲(Dolichus halensis)受景观结构的影响较为复杂。通过模型预测,输出研究区域6个主要物种的空间分布模拟图,进一步分析发现在研究区域内,对景观结构较为敏感的6个步甲物种主要分布在农田与半自然生境相接的狭长地带。因此,利用非参数乘法回归模型可以很好地模拟步甲物种对农田景观结构的响应及其在景观中的空间分布变化。200 m×200 m尺度下,尽管步甲群落多样性不受景观结构的显著影响,但是存在部分步甲物种对景观结构响应显著,但不同物种对景观结构的响应不同。增加农田地块间半自然生境,并合理改善景观配置异质性将有利于对景观结构变化敏感步甲物种的维持。