Upcoming themed week! Articles about species' population status

Recently, there have been a few posts on various scientific and government websites about the rebounding and decreasing populations of species in the U.S.  So this week, we will be featuring some of those articles!

If you are interested in learning more about endangered species and their current population status, check out the following websites.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources evaluates species for their extinction risk and makes this information available to the public as the ICUN Red List.  Species are listed as: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, or Extinct.  You can search for individual species and the results will tell you the all about the species including: Status, Taxonomy, Assessment Information, Geographic Range, Population, and more.

The Wold Wildlife Federation website runs a Species Directory which links to information for dozens of endangered species.  Choosing a specific animal will take you to a page describing the animal, threats to their survival, conservation efforts, and ways that the public can help that species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also has a page for Endangered Species.  Not only does it have information similar to the other resources above, but you can also search on their interactive map for endangered species in your area.

Stay tuned for our articles next week!

African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) adult with chick by Joy Viola, Northeastern University, Bugwood.org

Using Crops to Create Art

Rice (Oryza sativa) by Keith Weller, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

As home gardeners and farmers alike know, the same plant species can have many different varieties with wildly different looks.  Farmers in China have used different varieties of rice to create huge "paintings" in their fields.  Rice plants come in many different colors and using those to create 3D art has become a tradition for the farmers in Xibo, where the fields are a part of theme park.

To see some of the art: In pictures: 3D art in China's rice paddy fields

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Attracted to Mature Fruit

Brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys) are native to Asia and were first found in the U.S. in 1998.  In its native range, it has multiple generations per year, but it hasn't been found to have more than one generation per year in the U.S., though it could have more than one in the southern states.  It is considered to be a destructive agricultural and home pest.

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) by David R. Lance, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org

They feed on leaves and fruit of a wide variety of crop, horticultural, and ornamental plants, totaling over 120 species. This is of particular concern to plants grown as crops, as the feeding sites become necrotic and damage the fruit making it unmarketable.

 

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) feeding on peach (Prunus persica) by Gary Bernon, USDA APHIS, Bugwood.org

Researchers have studied these insects to discover ways of controlling them and reducing the damage that they cause to food and structures.  A study conducted on the feeding habits of these bugs show that they are highly preferential to attacking plants which have mature fruit on them.  By removing the fruit from the trees, the bugs almost entirely disappeared from those trees.  This indicates that the bugs could be drastically reduced in areas that choose varieties in which the fruit matures outside of the feeding period of the bug or varieties which are non-fruit bearing, especially for ornamental plantings.  These bugs are known for their attraction to homes as overwintering locations, and the ornamental plantings around home provide food for them in the spring and fall.  By planting species that don't fruit at those times, or at all, the bugs also won't be attracted to the structure as an overwintering location.

Source Article: Stink bugs have strong taste for ripe fruit
BMSB Images: Halyomorpha halys
BMSB BugwoodWiki: Halyomorpha halys
BMSB Distribution Map: Halyomorpha halys

Dogs put to work doing what they do best

Overly energetic and enthusiastic shelters dogs may not be as attractive to families looking for a pet, but their personalities can be put to use by researchers trying to locate and track wildlife.  These dogs can be trained to find scat of all kinds of wildlife, from wolves to impalas to whales, which the researchers will use to analyze for diet, diseases, hormone levels, and other factors.  Not only does using dogs to locate animals allow researchers to collect better information and faster, it also reduces the bias that can come with other, traditional methods of tracking, such as game cameras, traps, and snares.

Dog (domestic) (Canis lupus familiaris) by Terry Spivey, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 

To read more about these hard-working dogs: Poop-sniffing dogs work for wildlife researchers

Feral Hogs Workshop in Texas

On August 5, 2015 Big Ticket National Preserve in Kountze, Texas will be hosting a free program with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Hardin County called Wild Hogs Gone Hog Wild In The Big Thicket.  It will cover everything from how hogs came to the U.S., their behavioral and physiological qualifications for invasiveness, how to safely process them, hunting lands, and more.

Wild pig (Sus scrofa (feral type)) by Craig Hicks, Bugwood.org

Source Announcement: Wild Hogs Gone Hog Wild In The Big Thicket
Program Schedule: Wild Hogs Gone Hog Wild In The Big Thicket Program

Spotted Wing Drosophila Repellent Discovered

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is an invasive fly that feeds on soft-skinned fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and others.  It was first detected in California in 2008 and has since spread to many states throughout the U.S. While flies are normally attracted to over-ripe fruit, SWD will lay its eggs in the flesh of ripening fruit and the larvae will hatch and consume the fruit through its development into an adult.

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) adult on raspberry by Hannah Burrack, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside found that a chemical produced naturally by fruits, Butyl anthranilate (BA), acts as a repellent for the fly.  BA is only produced in small amounts by fruit, by applying a 2.5% solution of BA to blueberries the researchers noted a substantial decrease in the number of larvae and pupae emerging from the fruit.  Nearly complete protection of the fruit was observed at a 10% solution of BA. This means that not only does BA reduce the amount of damage to fruit, but it also reduces the overall population by dissuading SWD from laying eggs.  BA is a commonly used flavor and fragrance ingredient and is generally recognized as safe by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This chemical could serve as a safe and affordable option for fruit growers in place of other insecticides.

Source Article: Safe repellents that protect fruit from spotted wing Drosophila found
Spotted wing drosophila images: Drosophila suzukii
Spotted wing drosophila BugwoodWiki article: Drosophila suzukii
Spotted wing drosophila distribution map: Drosophila suzukii

Colorado Releases Biocontrol Agent for Emerald Ash Borer

Oobius agrili is an egg parasitoid wasp native to Asia, the same region as the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis).  The wasp seeks out and lays their eggs in the borers eggs and when the wasp larva hatch, they eat the unhatched borer eggs.  The wasps have been studied and have not been found to affect other, native borers in North America; they specifically seek out emerald ash borer eggs.  The wasps have been released in several northeastern states and have now been released in Colorado.

Oobius agrili parasitizing an emerald ash borer egg on an ash tree by Houping Liu, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

Source Article: Colorado Hopes This Asian Wasp Can Save its Trees
Emerald Ash Borer Bugwood Wiki: Agrilus planipennis
Oobius agrili Images: Oobius agrili
Emerald Ash Borer Distribution Maps: Agrilus planipennis

More Articles:
The invasive emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees, but researchers hope a wasp can save some of the survivors

Biological Control of Emerald Ash Borer

OOBIUS AGRILI (HYMENTOPTERA: ENCYRTIDAE), A SOLITARY EGG PARASITOID OF EMERALD ASH BORER FROM CHINA

Development of methods for the field evaluation of Oobius agrili (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in North America, a newly introduced egg parasitoid of the emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)