Large numbers of birds, wild mammals and domestic stock from a variety of localities within the Republic of South Africa were examined for infestation with the ixodid ticks Amblyomma hebraeum and Amblyomma marmoreum. Every warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli), impala (Aepyceros melampus) and kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) from the Kruger National Park in the n...

Infestations by the weedy perennial plant Lantana camara L. (lantana) cause major disruptions to biodiversity; however, the effects of lantana on soil fungal communities are poorly understood, yet may interrupt important mutualisms in natural and semi-natural ecosystems. This research is aimed at understanding the impacts of lantana on the soil fungal community of five sites on contrasting soil...

We examined the physiological and biochemical responses of resistant ('Halt' and 'Prairie Red') and susceptible ('TAM 107') wheat, Triticum aestivum L., to injury by the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko). Photosynthetic capacity was evaluated by measuring assimilation/internal CO2 (A/Ci) curves, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll, and nonstructural carbohydrate content. Total ...

Honey bees (Apis melliferaL.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) have been selectively bred for varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH), which is the removal of pupae that are infested byVarroa destructor Anderson&Trueman fromcappedbrood cells. This hygienic behavior is a complex interactionof bees and brood inwhich brood cells are inspected, and then brood is either removed or recapped. Previous work has shown that...

Although monitoring insect pest populations in the fields is essential crop management, it still a laborious and sometimes ineffective process. Imprecise decision-making an integrated management program may lead to control infested areas or excessive use of insecticides. In addition, high infestation levels diminish photosynthetic activity soybean, reducing their development yield. Therefore, w...

An invasive shrub, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.), was removed from heavily infested riparian forests in the Georgia Piedmont in 2005 by mulching machine or chainsaw felling. Subsequent herbicide treatment eliminated almost all privet by 2007. Recovery of plant communities, return of Chinese privet, and canopy tree growth were measured on removal plots and heavily invaded control plot...

Pine wood nematode disease has harmed forests in several countries, and can be reduced by locating clearing infested pine trees from forests. The target detection model of deep learning was utilized to monitor a nematode-infested wood. detecting effect good, but limited low-resolution photos with poor accuracy speed. Our work presents staged classification approach for dead based using You Only...

Monitoring the population dynamics of a biocontrol agent in soil is important for understanding, predicting and increasing its efficacy. In this study, the population dynamics and the efficacy of a promising biocontrol agent against nematode, the fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis, were investigated in greenhouse experiments with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bioassay....

We investigated whether the proportion of remotely sensed arable fields increased along a tsetse eradication gradient in the Sebungwe region. We also investigated whether and to what extent this increase in arable fields affected the distribution of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) between the 1980s and 1990s. Results showed a relatively higher increase in the proportion of arable fiel...

In the western United States, mountain pine beetles (MPBs) have killed pine trees across 71,000 km(2) of forest since the mid-1990s, leading to widespread concern that abundant dead fuels may increase area burned and exacerbate fire behavior. Although stand-level fire behavior models suggest that bark beetle-induced tree mortality increases flammability of stands by changing canopy and forest f...