Predicting the invasion range for a highly polyphagous and widespread forest herbivore

Here we compare the environmental niche of a highly polyphagous forest Lepidoptera species, the winter moth (Operophtera brumata), in its native and invaded range. During the last 90 years, this European tree folivore has invaded North America in at least three regions and exhibited eruptive population behavior in both its native and invaded range. Despite its importance as both a forest and agricultural pest, neither the potential extent of this species’ invaded range nor the geographic source of invading populations from its native range are known. Here we fit a climatic niche model, based on the MaxEnt algorithm, to historical records of winter moth occurrence in its native range and compare predictions of suitable distributions to records from the invaded range. We modeled this distribution using three spatial bins to overcome sampling bias for data obtained from public databases and averaged the multi-continental suitable habitat prediction. Results indicate that this species is distributed across a wide range of climates in its native range but occupies a narrower range in its invaded habitat. Furthermore, the lack of a close fit between climatic conditions in parts of its invaded range and its known native range suggests the possibility that this species has adapted to new climatic conditions during the invasion process. These models can be used to predict suitable habitats for winter moth invasions worldwide and to gain insight into possible origins of North American populations.

Human visitation rates to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the introduction of the non-native species Lymantria dispar (L.)

The introduction of non-native species has accelerated due to increasing levels of global trade and travel, threatening the composition and function of ecosystems. Upon arrival and successful establishment, biological invaders begin to spread and often do so with considerable assistance from humans. Recreational areas can be especially prone to the problem of accidental non-native species transport given the number of visitors that arrive from geographically diverse areas. In this paper, we examine camping permit data to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northwestern Wisconsin, USA, from 1999 to 2007 relative to gypsy moth distribution, phenology and outbreak data. During this time, gypsy moth populations became established in this area ahead of the moving population front of the gypsy moth, suggesting anthropogenic introduction. The permit data revealed that the majority of visitors arrived from outside of the gypsy moth established area. However, there was a consistent yearly trend of visitors that arrived from areas of high gypsy moth populations and who arrived during the gypsy moth life stage (egg masses) most likely to be successfully introduced. Using available data on the gypsy moth and its relationship to camping permit data, we describe how recreational managers could optimize park strategies to mitigate unwanted introductions of the gypsy moth as well as develop analogous strategies for managing other biological invaders in recreational areas.

What does "local" firewood buy you? Managing the risk of invasive species introduction

Firewood can serve as a vector in the transport of non-native species, including wood-boring insects that feed within the wood and thus can be transported accidentally. Governments have enacted limitations on the movement of firewood in an effort to limit the anthropogenic movement of non-native species through, for example, recreational camping. Although the movement of invasive species through firewood is a documented invasion pathway, it is not trivial for governments to determine a "safe" allowable distance for moving firewood. We were motivated by this challenge and developed a theoretical simulation to determine the campgrounds that could be potentially exposed to infested firewood based upon the hypothetical distribution of an invasive species and the allowable distance for moving firewood. We extend this concept to the known distributions of emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). We illustrate, based upon theoretical and empirical observations, that as the distribution of an invasive species increases, more rigid constraints on the movement of firewood would be required relative to those species that are distributed over a smaller scale. Also, on the level of management within a state, smaller states have far less margin for error than larger ones, as even extremely rigid restrictions on the movement of firewood could have little management effect unless the infested area is spatially limited. These results collectively suggest the potential for a dynamic management strategy that adjusts allowable distances for firewood movement based upon the distribution of the non-native species.

Motor neurone responses during a postural reflex in solitarious and gregarious desert locusts

Desert locusts show extreme phenotypic plasticity and can change reversibly between two phases that differ radically in morphology, physiology and behaviour. Solitarious locusts are cryptic in appearance and behaviour, walking slowly with the body held close to the ground. Gregarious locusts are conspicuous in appearance and much more active, walking rapidly with the body held well above the ground. During walking, the excursion of the femoro-tibial (F-T) joint of the hind leg is smaller in solitarious locusts, and the joint is kept more flexed throughout an entire step. Under open loop conditions, the slow extensor tibiae (SETi) motor neurone of solitarious locusts shows strong tonic activity that increases at more extended F-T angles. SETi of gregarious locusts by contrast showed little tonic activity. Simulated flexion of the F-T joint elicits resistance reflexes in SETi in both phases, but regardless of the initial and final position of the leg, the spiking rate of SETi during these reflexes was twice as great in solitarious compared to gregarious locusts. This increased sensory-motor gain in the neuronal networks controlling postural reflexes in solitarious locusts may be linked to the occurrence of pronounced behavioural catalepsy in this phase similar to other cryptic insects such as stick insects.

Long-distance dispersal of the gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) facilitated its initial invasion of Wisconsin

Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) spread is dominated by stratified dispersal, and, although spread rates are variable in space and time, the gypsy moth has invaded Wisconsin at a consistently higher rate than in other regions. Allee effects, which act on low-density populations ahead of the moving population that contribute to gypsy moth spread, have also been observed to be consistently weaker in Wisconsin. Because a major cause of an Allee effect in the gypsy moth is mate-finding failure at low densities, supplementing low-density populations with immigrants that arrive through dispersal may facilitate establishment and consequent spread. We used local indicator of spatial autocorrelation methods to examine space-time gypsy moth monitoring data from 1996 to 2006 and identify isolated, low-density colonies that arrived through dispersal. We measured the distance of these colonies from the moving population front to show that long-distance dispersal was markedly present in earlier years when Wisconsin was still mainly uninfested. Recently, however, immigrants arriving through long-distance dispersal may no longer be detected because instead of invading uninfested areas, they are now supplementing high-density colonies. In contrast, we observed no temporal pattern in the distance between low-density colonies and the population front in West Virginia and Virginia. We submit that long-distance dispersal, perhaps facilitated through meteorological mechanisms, played an important role in the spread dynamics of the initial Wisconsin gypsy moth invasion, but it currently plays a lesser role because the portion of Wisconsin most susceptible to long-distance immigrants from alternate sources is now heavily infested.

Oral granisetron for the prevention of acute late onset nausea and vomiting in patients treated with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy

PURPOSE

To demonstrate the efficacy of oral granisetron 1 mg twice daily for the prevention of late onset nausea and vomiting after moderately emetogenic chemotherapy that includes cyclophosphamide, carboplatin, or doxorubicin.

METHODS

Prior to chemotherapy, patients were stratified by gender and randomized to receive oral granisetron (1 mg tablet twice daily) or prochlorperazine (10 mg sustained release capsule twice daily). Study agents were administered 1 h prior to and 12 h after chemotherapy. Antiemetics were administered for seven consecutive days. Efficacy variables were assessed 48 and 72 h after administration of chemotherapy, and included no emesis, no nausea, no moderate or severe nausea, and no antiemetic rescue. Safety analysis included all patients who received medication.

RESULTS

A total of 230 patients were included in the intent-to-treat analysis; 119 patients received granisetron and 111 patients received prochlorperazine. Females, and all patients combined, who received granisetron had significantly higher no-emesis rates at 48 h (p =.010 and p =.016, respectively) than patients who received prochlorperazine. No-nausea rates at 48 h were numerically higher for all patients combined and females who received granisetron rather than prochlorperazine. Response rates for no nausea or mild nausea were also numerically higher in females treated with granisetron, compared to prochlorperazine, at 48 h. Significantly more patients (p <.001) and females (p <.001) in the granisetron group than in the prochlorperazine group did not require rescue antiemetics at 48 h. At 72 h, efficacy results were comparable for granisetron and prochlorperazine.

CONCLUSION

Oral granisetron is well tolerated and more effective than prochlorperazine in preventing nausea and vomiting for up to 48 h following treatment with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

Antiemetic efficacy of single-dose oral granisetron (1 mg vs 2 mg) with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy

PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy of oral granisetron, 1 mg and 2 mg, administered as one dose in patients who receive moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Chemotherapy-naïve patients, scheduled to receive intravenous cyclophosphamide (500 to 1200 mg/m2) or carboplatin (> or = 300 mg/m2), were stratified by dexamethasone/methylprednisolone use (+ DEX, n = 92) or nonuse (- DEX, n = 5). Patients were randomized to one dose of either 1 mg (n = 48) or 2 mg (n = 49) of granisetron administered 60 minutes before chemotherapy. Known important prognostic variables (gender, age, alcohol) were well balanced between groups.

RESULTS

Using the most rigorous criterion of total control (no emetic episodes, no nausea, no rescue therapy during the first 24 hours), response rates were 54.2% (26/48) and 57.1% (28/49) in patients receiving 1 mg and 2 mg of granisetron, respectively (95% confidence interval, -0.17, 0.23). Total control rates in patients who received 1 mg and 2 mg of granisetron + DEX were also comparable: 57.8% (26/45) and 55.3% (26/47), respectively. Response rates were similar for the parameters of nausea, emesis, and complete response (no emetic episodes, no more than mild nausea, no antiemetic rescue). Among all patients, one (2.1%) who received 1 mg of granisetron and three (6.1%) who received 2 mg experienced severe nausea. The proportions of 1- and 2-mg-treated patients who received rescue therapy within the first 24 hours were 31.3% (15/48) and 34.7% (17/49), respectively. Reported adverse experiences were generally mild in severity.

DISCUSSION

The results of this trial demonstrate good control of emesis with a single 1-mg dose of oral granisetron, with efficacy that compares favorably with that of a 2-mg dose.