Search results for "INVASIVE SPECIES"
showing 10 items of 175 documents
Pre-invasion history and demography shape the genetic variation in the insecticide resistance-related acetylcholinesterase 2 gene in the invasive Col…
2012
Abstract Background Invasive pest species offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of genetic architecture, demography and selection on patterns of genetic variability. Invasive Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) populations have experienced a rapid range expansion and intense selection by insecticides. By comparing native and invasive beetle populations, we studied the origins of organophosphate (OP) resistance-associated mutations in the acetylcholinesterase 2 (AChE2) gene, and the role of selection and demography on its genetic variability. Results Analysis of three Mexican, two US and five European populations yielded a total of 49 haplotypes. Contrary to the exp…
The paradox of the alien plant Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata (Rose) S. Zárate in Sicily: another threat for the native flora or a valuable re…
2020
With this contribution, an updated picture of the rapid expansion of Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata in Sicily is provided. On the one hand, this is a quite worrying sign, as this woody species figures among the world’s worst invasive alien species. On the other hand, the species shows interesting potential for production purposes (for wood, biomass and for feeding livestock), also considering its nitrogen fixation ability. Consequently, the two opposite options to cope with this species, i.e. cultivation and control/eradication, should accurately take into account the possible uses as well as its invasive behaviou.
Are Sicilian forests at less risk of invasion by alien plants?
Climate change could facilitate the spread of invasive alien plants by making plant communities and individuals weaker and less competitive. Indeed, alien plants are generally more adapted to the rapidly changing environmental conditions that are being determined in the coming decades. Moreover, while alien plants have, until recent years, mainly affected synanthropic communities and man-made habitats, they are increasingly able to affect also more complex natural communities such as forests. The talk will show some Sicilian cases.
First record in Algeria of two eulophid wasps: Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) and its host, the eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Asmead) …
2010
The endophagous parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon, released in Israel, Italy and Corsica, for classical biological control programs, and its host, the gall-maker Ophelimus maskelli, were recorded for the first time in Algeria, in a straight line 450 km far from the Sardinian release site and 700 km far from the closest Sicilian release site. Their presence is confirmed in Andalucia (Spain), about 2000 km far from release sites of Sicily and Campania. In about two years the parasitoid spread and was established in many Mediterranean countries.
First record of Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera Pentatomidae) in Sicily. Naturalista Siciliano, 61(2): 139-145
2017
The occurrence of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855), in Sicily is here recorded for the first time. The species, native of Eastern Asia, has been introduced in North America and Europe, and found in northern Italy in 2012. In Sicily, the insect was detected in two different part of Palermo town, in the neighborhood of the maritime port and near the Botanical Garden. Detection of H. halys in Sicily was expected, due to the high spread rate shown in the different areas in which it was introduced.
An updated overview of invasive Caulerpa taxa in Sicily and circum- Sicilian Islands, strategic zones within the NW Mediterranean Sea
2017
The spread dynamics of invasive Caulerpa taxa (i.e. Caulerpa cylindracea, C. taxifolia var. taxi- folia and C. taxifolia var. distichophylla) in Sicily and circum-Sicilian Islands, based on relevant publications, grey literature, unpublished data and in situ observations during the last 23 years, is presented here and discussed. Their known distribution is mapped. New records are also reported. Transport-stowaway is considered the most plausible vector of introduction of invasive Caulerpa in the area. The three invasive taxa showed different spread dynamics. Caulerpa cylindracea and C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, behaved as highly successful and fast-spreading taxa, i.e. as true invasive…
Invasive Amphisteginids conquer the Sicily Channel and knock on the door of the Western Mediterranean Sea
2018
This study reports an updated overview of the current distribution and establishment status of the invasive species Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, 1979 and of other non-indigenous foraminifera in the Sicily Channel. The dispersal of marine non-indigenous species (NIS) by human activities is redefining the biogeography of the oceans and is one aspect of global change. Understanding the role of NIS in altering the structure of marine communities requires accurate information on their temporal occurrence, spatial distribution and effect on native ecosystems. However many NIS, particularly those belonging to small-sized unicellular taxa, such as benthic foraminifera, are largely unrecognized and…
Una nuova popolazione isolata di xenopo liscio in Sicilia sud-occidentale
2017
African clawed frog is a sub-saharan native anuran that has been introduced in various states of the old and the new world. The only Italian population of this species is located in western Sicily, and it is known as the European clawed frog population with wider distribution area. This paper describes a new Sicilian population of this species, and sets out to verify the effective isolation from the currently known distribution. The new site is a disused swimming pool, located near the mouth of the Belice River (province of Trapani), 31 km away from the nearest edge of the African clawed frog distribution area. To test whether this new population is the result of natural expansion of its ra…