Field surveys of egg mortality and indigenous egg parasitoids of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, in ornamental nurseries in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive species native to regions of China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In its native and introduced range, H. halys is considered a pest of tree fruits, vegetables, legumes, and ornamental trees. The highly polyphagous nature of this insect as well as its vast dispersal capabilities, require an integrated approach to management. Here we focus on the potential impact of indigenous natural enemies on H. halys in woody ornamental nurseries in Maryland, USA. We sampled naturally field laid H. halys egg masses for mortality and parasitism rates in 2012 and 2013. Overall, egg mortality averaged 54% for both years, and increased within season and between years. The largest source of mortality was from egg parasitoids with mean parasitism rates of 30.73 and 39.63% in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Mortality from predation was much lower and averaged 4.61% by chewing and 2.53% by sucking predators. We found seven species of Hymenopteran egg parasitoids attacking H. halys eggs, with Anastatus reduvii being the dominant species comprising 61.17 and 79.12% of all parasitoids in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The observed increase in parasitism over time and female biased sex ratio of parasitoids suggests that native parasitoids may be responding to the novel host, H. halys. Consequently, the use of these native eupelmid egg parasitoids in augmentative or conservation biological control may be a viable H. halys management strategy in ornamental nurseries.

Significant life events and their impact on alcohol and drug use: a qualitative study.

This study used a life-course perspective to identify and understand life events related to long-term alcohol and other drug (AOD) use trajectories across the life span. Using a purposive sample, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 48 participants (n = 30 abstinent and 18 non-abstinent) from a longitudinal study of AOD outcomes 15 years following outpatient AOD treatment. A content analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti software to identify events and salient themes. Caregiving for an ill or dependent family member was related to better AOD outcomes by reinforcing abstinence and reduced drinking, and contributing to alcohol cessation in most individuals who cited caregiving as a pivotal event. Grandparenting and parenting an adult child were motivational for sustaining abstinence and reduced drinking. Findings were mixed on death of a loved one, which was related to abstinence in some and relapse in others. Redemption and mutual fulfillment as caregivers, reconciliations with adult children, and legacy-building as grandparents were themes associated with maintaining abstinence and reduced drinking. AOD treatment has the opportunity to employ motivational interventions for relapse prevention that address the meaning and lifelong reach of intimate relationships for individuals and their AOD use across the life span.

Mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

In plants, epigenetic regulation mediates both the proper development of the plant and responses to environmental cues. Changes in epigenetic states employ DNA methylation, histone modification, and regulatory RNAs. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DNA methylation as a repressive mark is often associated with constitutively silenced loci, such as repetitive sequences, transposons, and heterochromatin. These sequences regularly give rise to small interfering RNAs, which direct DNA methylation through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. For example, FWA locus is silenced in sporophytes and enriched with DNA methylation. Its methylated state is stable and passes to the next generation. This is an example of meiotically inherited epigenetic states. There are also epigenetic changes that can be inherited mitotically and are subsequently erased in the next generation. In this review, we use the vernalization-mediated epigenetic silencing of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) as an example for this type of mitotically stable epigenetic state. Here, we discuss mechanisms of epigenetic changes that can result in meiotically or mitotically stable states with an emphasis on FWA and FLC as two examples.

Novel functional roles for PERIANTHIA and SEUSS during floral organ identity specification, floral meristem termination, and gynoecial development.

The gynoecium is the female reproductive structure of angiosperm flowers. In Arabidopsis thaliana the gynoecium is composed of two carpels that are fused into a tube-like structure. As the gynoecial primordium arises from the floral meristem, a specialized meristematic structure, the carpel margin meristem (CMM), develops from portions of the medial gynoecial domain. The CMM is critical for reproductive competence because it gives rise to the ovules, the precursors of the seeds. Here we report a functional role for the transcription factor PERIANTHIA (PAN) in the development of the gynoecial medial domain and the formation of ovule primordia. This function of PAN is revealed in pan aintegumenta (ant) as well as seuss (seu) pan double mutants that form reduced numbers of ovules. Previously, PAN was identified as a regulator of perianth organ number and as a direct activator of AGAMOUS (AG) expression in floral whorl four. However, the seu pan double mutants display enhanced ectopic AG expression in developing sepals and the partial transformation of sepals to petals indicating a novel role for PAN in the repression of AG in floral whorl one. These results indicate that PAN functions as an activator or repressor of AG expression in a whorl-specific fashion. The seu pan double mutants also display enhanced floral indeterminacy, resulting in the formation of "fifth whorl" structures and disruption of WUSCHEL (WUS) expression patterns revealing a novel role for SEU in floral meristem termination.