https://bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1365-3059.1999.0411b.x

Biological Control of Weeds. A World Catalogue of Agents and their Target Weeds.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stal), is an invasive pentatomid introduced from Asia into the United States, Canada, multiple European countries, and Chile. In 2010, BMSB populations in the mid-Atlantic United States reached outbreak levels and subsequent feeding severely damaged tree fruit as well as other crops. Significant nuisance issues from adults overwintering inside homes were common. BMSB is a highly polyphagous species with a strong dispersal capacity and high reproductive output, potentially enabling its spread and success in invaded regions. A greater understanding of BMSB biology and ecology and its natural enemies, the identification of the male-produced aggregation pheromone, and the recognition that BMSB disperses into crops from adjacent wooded habitats have led to the development of behavior-based integrated pest management (IPM) tactics. Much is still unknown about BMSB, and continued long-term collaborative studies are necessary to refine crop-specific IPM pr...

Impact of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in North America and Europe: History, biology, ecology, and management.

Studies on invasive plant management are often short in duration and limited in the methods tested, and lack an adequate description of plant communities that replace the invader following removal. Here we present a com- prehensive review of management studies on a single species, in an effort to elucidate future directions for research in invasive plant management. We reviewed the literature on Phragmites management in North America in an effort to synthesize our understanding of management efforts, identify gaps in knowledge and improve the efficacy of man- agement. Additionally, we assessed recent ecological findings concerning Phragmites mechanisms of invasion and integrated these findings into our recommendations for more effective management. Our overall goal is to examine whether or not current management approaches can be improved and whether they promote reestablishment of native plant communities. We found: (i) little information on community-level recovery of vegetation following removal of Phragmites; and (ii) most management approaches focus on the removal of Phragmites from individual stands or groups of stands over a relatively small area. With a few exceptions, recovery studies did not monitor vege- tation for substantial durations, thus limiting adequate evaluation of the recovery trajectory. We also found that none of the recovery studies were conducted in a landscape context, even though it is now well documented that land-use patterns on adjacent habitats influence the structure and function of wetlands, including the expansion of Phragmites. We suggest that Phragmites management needs to shift to watershed-scale efforts in coastal regions, or larger man- agement units inland. In addition, management efforts should focus on restoring native plant communities, rather than simply eradicating Phragmites stands. Wetlands and watersheds should be prioritized to identify ecosystems that would benefit most from Phragmites management and those where the negative impact of management would be minimal.

/pdf/phragmites-australis-management-in-the-united-states-40-a4ojrwje0j.pdf

Phragmites australis management in the United States: 40 years of methods and outcomes

Management and control methods of invasive alien freshwater aquatic plants: a review

Ecological explanations for the success and persistence of invasive species vastly outnumber evolutionary hypotheses, yet evolution is a fundamental process in the success of any species. The Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis (Blossey and Notzold 1995) proposes that evolutionary change in response to release from coevolved herbivores is responsible for the success of many invasive plant species. Studies that evaluate this hypothesis have used different approaches to test whether invasive populations allocate fewer resources to defense and more to growth and competitive ability than do source populations, with mixed results. We conducted a meta-analysis of experimental tests of evolutionary change in the context of EICA. In contrast to previous reviews, there was no support across invasive species for EICA's predictions regarding defense or competitive ability, although invasive populations were more productive than conspecific native populations under noncompetitive conditions. We found broad support for genetically based changes in defense and competitive plant traits after introduction into new ranges, but not in the manner suggested by EICA. This review suggests that evolution occurs as a result of plant introduction and population expansion in invasive plant species, and may contribute to the invasiveness and persistence of some introduced species.

/pdf/meta-analysis-reveals-evolution-in-invasive-plant-species-3lafpyoh4d.pdf

Meta-analysis reveals evolution in invasive plant species but little support for Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA).

https://d2vsp3qmody48p.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/07/Van-Driesche-et-al.-2010.pdf

Classical biological control for the protection of natural ecosystems

Background While head and neck cancer treatment regimens, including surgical resection, irradiation, and chemotherapy, are effective at removing tumors, they lead to muscle atrophy, denervation, and fibrosis, contributing to the pathogenesis of tongue dysphagia – difficulty swallowing. Current standard of care is ineffective; we propose an alternative approach utilizing an acellular and minimally invasive biomaterial to preserve muscle content and reduce fibrosis of the tongue after injury. Here, we investigate a decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogel for the treatment of tongue fibrosis in a partial glossectomy injury model. Methods Skeletal muscle extracellular matrix (SKM) hydrogel was fabricated by decellularizing porcine skeletal muscle tissue through established protocols. A partial glossectomy injury in the rat was used as a model of tongue fibrois, and SKM hydrogels along with saline controls were injected to the site of scarring two weeks after injury. Tissues were harvested at 3 and 7 days post-injection for gene expression analysis of immune and myogenic pathways, and at 4 weeks post-injection to evaluate histomorphological changes in skeletal muscle and scar formation. Results SKM hydrogel reduced scar formation and improved muscle fiber cross-sectional area in the region of injury compared to saline controls. SKM upregulated pro-regenerative immune response while downregulating pro-inflammatory response and further promoted angiogenic gene expression. Conclusion This study demonstrates the immunomodulatory and tissue-regenerative capacity of an acellular and minimally invasive biomaterial in a rodent model of tongue fibrosis.

A. Perez Panduro

Papers

Classical biological control for the protection of natural ecosystems

Immunomodulatory Extracellular Matrix Hydrogel Mitigates Scar Formation in a Model of Tongue Fibrosis