Mikania micrantha is one of the top 100 worst invasive species that can cause serious damage to natural ecosystems and substantial economic losses. Here, we present its 1.79 Gb chromosome-scale ...reference genome. Half of the genome is composed of long terminal repeat retrotransposons, 80% of which have been derived from a significant expansion in the past one million years. We identify a whole genome duplication event and recent segmental duplications, which may be responsible for its rapid environmental adaptation. Additionally, we show that M. micrantha achieves higher photosynthetic capacity by CO
absorption at night to supplement the carbon fixation during the day, as well as enhanced stem photosynthesis efficiency. Furthermore, the metabolites of M. micrantha can increase the availability of nitrogen by enriching the microbes that participate in nitrogen cycling pathways. These findings collectively provide insights into the rapid growth and invasive adaptation.
The transformer (tra) gene appears to act as the genetic switch that promotes female development by interaction with the transformer2 (tra-2) gene in several dipteran species including the Medfly, ...housefly and Drosophila melanogaster. In this study, we describe the isolation, expression and function of tra and tra-2 in the economically important agricultural pest, the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). Bdtra and Bdtra-2 are similar to their homologs from other tephritid species. Bdtra demonstrated sex-specific transcripts: one transcript in females and two transcripts in males. In contrast, Bdtra-2 only had one transcript that was common to males and females, which was transcribed continuously in different adult tissues and developmental stages. Bdtra-2 and the female form of Bdtra were maternally inherited in eggs, whereas the male form of Bdtra was not detectable until embryos of 1 and 2 h after egg laying. Function analyses of Bdtra and Bdtra-2 indicated that both were indispensable for female development, as nearly 100% males were obtained with embryonic RNAi against either Bdtra or Bdtra-2. The fertility of these RNAi-generated males was subsequently tested. More than 80% of RNAi-generated males could mate and the mated females could lay eggs, but only 40-48.6% males gave rise to progeny. In XX-reversed males and intersex individuals, no clear female gonadal morphology was observed after dissection. These results shed light on the development of a genetic sexing system with male-only release for this agricultural pest.
•The IAPsNet was used to monitor 7 kinds of invasive alien plants in the wild simultaneously and the results showed that this method has potential to operate in real wild conditions.•High ...anti-interference capacity against blur, environment and multi-scales.
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are considered to be among the greatest global threats to biodiversity and ecosystems. Timely and effective monitoring is important for their prevention and control. However, monitoring remains mainly dependent on satellite remote sensing and manual inspection, which has a high cost and rather low accuracy and efficiency. We considered that this problem could be solved using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intelligent monitoring. Accurate and rapid identification of IAPs in the wild is the core of intelligent monitoring. We intended to acquire colour images of the monitoring area in a field environment using an UAV and proposing a novel IAPsNet based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify the IAPs appearing in the images. 6400 samples were one by one manually divided into seven IAP categories and one background category as training set. IAPsNet incorporated AlexNet local response normalization (LRN), GoogLeNet inception models, and continuous VGG convolution. Through training and testing, the IAPsNet performance for 893 testing samples was rather satisfactory, reaching an accuracy of 93.39% within a time of 1.8846 s and the average recall, average precision and average F1-score can reach 93.3%, 93.74% and 93.52% respectively. Moreover, in quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis, IAPsNet not only has high accuracy, high recall, high precision, high F1-score and efficiency but also has a high anti-interference capacity against blur, environment and multi-scales. Additionally, IAPsNet was applied to 4 different real wild conditions, proving that it is able to adapt to different scenes and simultaneously identify multiple species; it has potential to be used in the wild. High-quality distributional data of invasive plants are provided for subsequent ecological analysis. The data will help management authorities to implement the necessary steps in an identified area to develop a comprehensive strategy for IAP control.
Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm, causes major damage to maize and >80 other crops worldwide. Since S. frugiperda successfully invaded China in 2018 via long-distance migration from Myanmar, ...it has caused major maize yield losses and posed a severe threat to maize production and food security. The biocontrol approach for S. frugiperda using natural enemies is environmentally safe and effective. Estimating the potential suitable area (PSA) for S. frugiperda and its natural enemies can provide insights for its biocontrol and management. Therefore, based on the global distribution records and bioclimatic variables, we modeled the PSA of S. frugiperda and three egg parasitoids in China using an ensemble model (EM). We found that the prediction results of the EM were more reliable than those of a single model. The PSAs of S. frugiperda and its three egg parasitoids were mainly attributed to temperature variables. The PSA of S. frugiperda was divided into migratory and overwintering areas using the mean January 10 °C isotherm from 2018 to 2022. In the overwintering area, Trichogramma chilonis had the largest PSA overlap with S. frugiperda (94.57 %), followed by Telenomus remus (68.64 %) and Trichogramma dendrolimi (67.53 %). Telenomus remus and Tr. chilonis were the most effective egg parasitoids against S. frugiperda in the overwintering area. In the migratory area, Tr. chilonis had the largest PSA overlap with S. frugiperda (91.36 %), followed by Tr. dendrolimi (81.70 %) and Te. remus (15.23 %). Trichogramma dendrolimi would be the most effective egg parasitoid against S. frugiperda in the Yangtze River Basin and northeastern China. Trichogramma chilonis was the most effective egg parasitoid against S. frugiperda in central China. Our findings indicate that the three native egg parasitoids would be “good regulators” of S. frugiperda outbreaks in China.
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•Temperature variables shape the geographical distributions of the study species.•Telenomus remus and Trichogramma chilonis would be effective in southern China.•Trichogramma dendrolimi would be effective in the central and northeastern China.•The three native egg parasitoids would be “good regulators” of fall armyworm outbreaks.
Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora) is one of the most hazardous invasive plant species, which causes serious economic losses and environmental damages worldwide. However, the sequence resource and ...genome information of A. adenophora are rather limited, making phylogenetic identification and evolutionary studies very difficult. Here, we report the complete sequence of the A. adenophora chloroplast (cp) genome based on Illumina sequencing.
The A. adenophora cp genome is 150, 689 bp in length including a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18, 358 bp and a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84, 815 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 23, 755 bp. The genome contains 130 unique genes and 18 duplicated in the IR regions, with the gene content and organization similar to other Asteraceae cp genomes. Comparative analysis identified five DNA regions (ndhD-ccsA, psbI-trnS, ndhF-ycf1, ndhI-ndhG and atpA-trnR) containing parsimony-informative characters higher than 2%, which may be potential informative markers for barcoding and phylogenetic analysis. Repeat structure, codon usage and contraction of the IR were also investigated to reveal the pattern of evolution. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a sister relationship between A. adenophora and Guizotia abyssinica and supported a monophyly of the Asterales.
We have assembled and analyzed the chloroplast genome of A. adenophora in this study, which was the first sequenced plastome in the Eupatorieae tribe. The complete chloroplast genome information is useful for plant phylogenetic and evolutionary studies within this invasive species and also within the Asteraceae family.
The codling moth Cydia pomonella, a major invasive pest of pome fruit, has spread around the globe in the last half century. We generated a chromosome-level scaffold assembly including the Z ...chromosome and a portion of the W chromosome. This assembly reveals the duplication of an olfactory receptor gene (OR3), which we demonstrate enhances the ability of C. pomonella to exploit kairomones and pheromones in locating both host plants and mates. Genome-wide association studies contrasting insecticide-resistant and susceptible strains identify hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) potentially associated with insecticide resistance, including three SNPs found in the promoter of CYP6B2. RNAi knockdown of CYP6B2 increases C. pomonella sensitivity to two insecticides, deltamethrin and azinphos methyl. The high-quality genome assembly of C. pomonella informs the genetic basis of its invasiveness, suggesting the codling moth has distinctive capabilities and adaptive potential that may explain its worldwide expansion.
is a classical biological agent used to control alligator weed (
). Previous research has indicated that the heat shock factor (HSF) is involved in regulating the transcriptional expression of
in ...response to heat resistance in
However, the regulatory mechanism by which
regulates the expression of
remains largely unknown. Here, we identified and cloned a 944 bp
promoter (
p) region from
Subsequent bioinformatics analysis revealed that the
p sequence contains multiple functional elements and has a common TATA box approximately 30 bp upstream of the transcription start site, with transcription commencing at a purine base approximately 137 bp upstream of ATG. Promoter deletion analyses revealed that the sequence from -944 to -744 bp was the core regulatory region. A dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that overexpressed
significantly enhanced the activity of
p. Furthermore, qPCR showed that
expression increased with time in
(Sf9) cells, and
overexpression significantly upregulated
expression in vitro. Characterization of the upstream regulatory mechanisms demonstrated that
binds to upstream
-acting elements in the promoter region of
from -944 to -744 bp to activate the AhHSF-AhHSP pathway at the transcriptional level to protect
from high temperature damage. Furthermore, we proposed a molecular model of
modulation of
transcription following heat shock in
. The findings of this study suggest that enhancing the heat tolerance of
by modulating the upstream pathways of the
family can improve the biocontrol of
.
The insect cuticle consists of chitin and cuticular proteins (CPs), which stabilize the body shape and provide an effective physical barrier against the external environment. They are also potential ...target sites for developing environmentally friendly insect management through the utilization of physiology-based methods. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella, is a pest afflicting fruit orchards worldwide. This study used a comparative genomic approach, whole-genome resequencing, and transcriptome data to understand the role that CPs played in the environmental adaptation of the codling moth. A total of 182 putative CPs were identified in the codling moth genome, which were classified into 12 CP families. 119 CPR genes, including 54 RR-1, 60 RR-2, and 5 RR-3 genes were identified and accounted for 65.4% of the total CPs. Eight and seven gene clusters are formed in RR1 and RR2 subfamily and the ancestor-descendant relationship was explained. Five CPAP genes were highly expressed during the egg stage and exposed to high temperature, which indicated their potential role in aiding codling moth eggs in acclimating to varying external heat conditions. Moreover, six CPs belonging to the CPR and CPLCP families were identified in association with insecticide resistance by population resequencing. Their expression levels increased after exposure to insecticides, suggesting they might be involved in codling moth resistance to the insecticides azinphos-methyl or deltamethrin. Our results provide insight into the evolution of codling moth CPs and their association with high temperature adaptation and insecticide resistance, and provide an additional information required for further analysis of CPs in environmental adaptation.
General odorant-binding proteins (GOBPs) play a crucial role in the detection of host plant volatiles and pheromones by lepidopterans. Previous studies identified two duplications in the
gene in
. In ...this study, we employed qRT-PCR, protein purification, and fluorescence competitive binding assays to investigate the functions of three
genes in
. Our findings reveal that
and
are specifically highly expressed in antennae, while
exhibits high specific expression in wings, suggesting a potential divergence in their functions. Recombinant proteins of CpomGOBP2a, CpomGOBP2b, and CpomGOBP2c were successfully expressed and purified, enabling an in-depth exploration of their functions. Competitive binding assays with 20 host plant volatiles and the sex pheromone (codlemone) demonstrated that CpomGOBP2a exhibits strong binding to four compounds, namely butyl octanoate, ethyl (
,
)-deca-2,4-dienoate (pear ester), codlemone, and geranylacetone, with corresponding dissolution constants (Ki) of 8.59993 μM, 9.14704 μM, 22.66298 μM, and 22.86923 μM, respectively. CpomGOBP2b showed specific binding to pear ester (Ki = 17.37481 μM), while CpomGOBP2c did not exhibit binding to any tested compounds. In conclusion, our results indicate a functional divergence among
,
, and
. These findings contribute valuable insights for the development of novel prevention and control technologies and enhance our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of olfactory genes in
.
As one of the 100 most-threatening invasive alien species, the giant African snail (
) has successfully invaded and established itself in most areas of southern China. Protection against recurrent ...pathogen infections is vital to biological invasion. Enhanced immune protection has been previously found in other invertebrates, but not in the unique immune system of the giant African snail. In the present study, the survival rate of the giant African snail was recorded following a second infection with lethal doses of
after a previous first injection using lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the mechanism of immune enhancement was investigated by examining the cellular and transcriptomic response of the giant African snail after two successive stimuli using LPS. Snails injected first with LPS, sterilized physiologic (0.9%) saline (SPS), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or untreated (Blank) were rechallenged at 7d with
(Ec), and were named as LPS + Ec, SPS + Ec, PBS + Ec, Ec, and Blank. The log-rank test shows the survival rate of the LPS + Ec group as significantly higher than that of other control groups after the second injection (
< 0.05). By performing cell counting and BrdU labeling on newly generated circulating hemocytes, we found that the total hemocyte count (THC) and the ratio of BrdU-positive cells to total cells increased significantly after primary stimulation with LPS and that they further increased after the second challenge. Then, caspase-3 of apoptosis protease and two antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and SOD) increased significantly after infection, and were significantly higher in the second response than they had been in the first round. Moreover, transcriptome analysis results showed that 84 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were expressed at higher levels in both the resting and activating states after the second immune response compared to the levels observed after the first challenge. Among them, some DEGs, including Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its downstream signaling molecules, were verified using qRT-PCR and were consistent with the transcriptome assay results. Based on gene expression levels, we proposed that these genes related to the TLR signaling cascade participate in enhanced immune protection. All results provide evidence that enhanced immune protection exists in the giant African snail.
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