In: Biological Control, 2020, vol. 150, p. 104356
In 2013, the North American oligophagous leaf beetle, Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was found in Europe for the first time. Recent studies in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland record extensive defoliation by O. communa on its preferred host, common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asteraceae, Tribe Heliantheae), and reductions in its flowering and seeding. In...
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In: NeoBiota, 2020, vol. 55, p. 117–146
One of the biggest challenges in classical biological control of invasive weeds is predicting the likelihood of success. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, a North American plant species that has become invasive in Europe, causes economic losses due to health problems resulting from its huge amount of highly allergenic pollen and as a weed to agricultural crops resulting from high seed densities. Here...
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In: Ecological Applications, 2020, vol. 30, no. 1, p. e02003
Species distribution models can predict the suitable climatic range of a potential biological control agent (BCA), but they provide little information on the BCA's potential impact. To predict high population buildup, a prerequisite of biocontrol impact, studies are needed that assess the effect of environmental factors on vital rates of a BCA across the environmental gradient of the BCA's...
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In: Journal of Molecular Evolution, 2004, vol. 59, no. 2, p. 258-266
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In: Journal of Molecular Evolution, 2004, vol. 59, no. 3, p. 400-415
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In: Journal of Heredity, 2001, vol. 92, no. 1, p. 23-29
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In: FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2000, vol. 24, no. 1, p. 1-7
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In: Nucleic Acids Research, 2000, vol. 28, no. 16, p. 3022-3030
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In: Weed Technology, 2013, vol. 27, no. 2, p. 405–411
This study determined the potential of the tortoise beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to control Canada thistle (Asteraceae) in Iran. Genetic analysis of the tortoise beetle, based on mitochondrial DNA, confirmed the presence of the species in Iran. A field experiment using five insect densities (0 to 20 larvae plant−1) showed a positive correlation between the number of larvae transferred and...
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In: Evolutionary Ecology, 2007, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 561-575
Local adaptation is a powerful mechanism to maintain genetic diversity in subdivided populations. It counteracts the homogenizing effect of gene flow because immigrants have an inferior fitness in the new habitat. This picture may be reversed in host populations where parasites influence the success of immigrating hosts. Here we report two experiments testing whether parasite abundance and...
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