The Bactrocera dorsalis complex of tropical fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae) contains 75 described species, largely endemic to Southeast Asia. Within the complex are a small number of polyphagous pests of international significance, including B. dorsalis sensu stricto, B. papayae, B. carambolae, and B. philippinensis. Most species within the complex were described in 1994 and since then substantial research has been undertaken in developing morphological and molecular diagnostic techniques for their recognition. Such techniques can now resolve most taxa adequately. Genetic evidence suggests that the complex has evolved in only the last few million years, and development of a phylogeny of the group is considered a high priority to provide a framework for future evolutionary and ecological studies. As model systems, mating studies on B. dorsalis s.s. and B. cacuminata have substantially advanced our understanding of insect use of plant-derived chemicals for mating, but such studies have not been applied to help resolve the limits of biological species within the complex. Although they are commonly regarded as major pests, there is little published evidence documenting economic losses caused by flies of the B. dorsalis complex. Quantification of economic losses caused by B. dorsalis complex species is urgently needed to prioritize research for quarantine and management. Although they have been documented as invaders, relatively little work has been done on the invasion biology of the complex and this is an area warranting further work.

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Abstract. This is a brief report on the properties of round jets of different densities issuing into the ambient air. Different densities were obtained by premixing helium and air in various proportions. We show that these jets have two types of behaviour depending on the density ratio between the jet and the ambient fluids, one characterized by very sharp peaks in the power spectral density of the velocity in the near field of the jet, and another with broadened and much less prominant spectral peaks. We examine the possibility that the first state corresponds to absolute instability, and the second to convective instability. It appears that the nature of instability can be changed from absolute to convective by very simple means reminiscent of similar possibilities in low Reynolds number wakes of circular cylinders. Flow visualization reveals that the low-density jets intermittently breakdown, and spread spectacularly, beyond a certain small axial distance.

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) has been used as a model organism to develop and test important ecological and evolutionary concepts and is also a major pest of grain and grain products globally. This beetle species is assumed to be a good colonizer of grain storages through anthropogenic movement of grain, and active dispersal by flight is considered unlikely. Studies using T. castaneum have therefore used confined or walking insects. We combine an ecological study of dispersal with an analysis of gene flow using microsatellites to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics and adult flight of T. castaneum in an ecological landscape in eastern Australia. Flying beetles were caught in traps at grain storages and in fields at least 1 km from the nearest stored grain at regular intervals for an entire year. Significantly more beetles were trapped at storages than in fields, and almost no beetles were caught in native vegetation reserves many kilometres from the nearest stored grain. Genetic differentiation between beetles caught at storages and in fields was low, indicating that although T. castaneum is predominantly aggregated around grain storages, active dispersal takes place to the extent that significant gene flow occurs between them, mitigating founder effects and genetic drift. By combining ecological and molecular techniques, we reveal much higher levels of active dispersal through adult flight in T. castaneum than previously thought. We conclude that the implications of adult flight to previous and future studies on this model organism warrant consideration.

The cultivation of plants for the production of hydrocarbon fuels is gaining global momentum. These biofuels offer potential benefits as alternatives to fossil fuels, but mitigating any environmental risks posed by large‐scale cultivation of bioenergy feedstock (biofeedstock) species poses new challenges: some proposed biofuel crops have become naturalized, and even invasive; the relative risks and benefits of growing monocultures versus polycultures of biofeedstock species require more thorough examination; and prompt development of a robust ecological risk assessment framework and careful screening are needed before these biofuel species are widely cultivated. Greater collaboration between agronomists developing crops for biofeedstock production and invasion biologists could substantially lower the risk of new plant invasions.

In Queensland, three tomato ( Lycopersicon lycopersicum ) cultivars, Grosse Lisse, Roma and Cherry, are infested by Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt). In this study, we examined if there was a correlation between oviposition preference and offspring performance of B. tryoni among the three tomato cultivars. We also investigated host plant traits that may explain any variation in preference and performance. Choice and no-choice experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions. A positive correlation between oviposition preference and offspring performance of B. tryoni was observed in the three tomato cultivars. Grosse Lisse and Roma cultivars were highly preferred by B. tryoni over Cherry cultivar. Performance (measured as proportion of eggs developing to the pupal stage) was significantly higher in Grosse Lisse and Roma cultivars than in Cherry cultivar. The pericarp toughness of Cherry cultivar appears responsible for its low rate of infestation, while the presence of 2-butanol and 1,4-butanediamine in Roma and Grosse Lisse, respectively, may partly be responsible for the high oviposition preference shown by B. tryoni towards these cultivars.

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