How Climate Warming Influences the Phenology of Grapholita molesta (Busck, 1916) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in China: Insight from Long-Term Historical Data.

Grapholita molesta (Busck, 1916), a significant pest affecting various fruits such as pears, apples, peaches, etc., is highly adaptable to changing temperatures. However, the phenological response mechanism of this pest to climate warming remains unclear. To address this issue, we collected population dynamics data of G. molesta in China over the years along with corresponding climate data. We analyzed five phenological indexes: the first, end, and peak occurrence dates of contemporary adults as well as the first and peak occurrence dates of overwintering adults in China. Results revealed an upward trend in the annual average temperature and average temperature of the four seasons in regions infested by G. molesta in eastern, northeastern, northwestern, northern, and southwestern China from 1980 to 2020. Notably, the population peak date of overwintering adults in northeastern and eastern China significantly advanced along with the first occurrence date and the population peak date of overwintering adults in northern China. Additionally, the population peak date of contemporary adults in northwestern China significantly advanced. However, the end occurrence date of contemporary adults in northern China was significantly delayed, as was the first occurrence date of overwintering adults in northwestern China. Furthermore, our study demonstrated spatial heterogeneity in the phenological response of G. molesta to climate warming across China. This study elucidates the phenological response of G. molesta to climate warming, offering valuable insights for predicting future pest infestations and informing adaptive pest management strategies in fruit tree cultivation.

Forecasting the Expansion of Bactrocera tsuneonis (Miyake) (Diptera: Tephritidae) in China Using the MaxEnt Model.

The invasive pest, Bactrocera tsuneonis (Miyake), has become a significant threat to China's citrus industry. Predicting the area of potentially suitable habitats for B. tsuneonis is essential for optimizing pest control strategies that mitigate its impact on the citrus industry. Here, existing distribution data for B. tsuneonis, as well as current climate data and projections for four future periods (2021-2040, 2041-2060, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) were obtained. The distribution of B. tsuneonis under current and different climate change scenarios in China was predicted using the optimized MaxEnt model, ArcGIS, and the ENMeval data package. Model accuracy was assessed using ROC curves, and the primary environmental factors influencing the distribution of the pest were identified based on the percent contribution. When the regularization multiplier (RM) was set to 1.5 and the feature combination (FC) was set to LQH, a model with lower complexity was obtained. Under these parameter settings, the mean training AUC was 0.9916, and the mean testing AUC was 0.9854, indicating high predictive performance. The most influential environmental variables limiting the distribution of B. tsuneonis were the Precipitation of Warmest Quarter (Bio18) and Temperature Seasonality (standard deviation ×100) (Bio4). Under current climatic conditions, potentially suitable habitat for B. tsuneonis in China covered an area of 215.9 × 104 km2, accounting for 22.49% of the country's land area. Potentially suitable habitat was primarily concentrated in Central China, South China, and East China. However, under future climatic projections, the area of suitable habitat for B. tsuneonis exhibited varying degrees of expansion. Furthermore, the centroid of the total suitable habitat for this pest gradually shifted westward and northward. These findings suggest that B. tsuneonis will spread to northern and western regions of China under future climate changes. The results of our study indicate that climate change will have a major effect on the invasion of B. tsuneonis and have implications for the development of strategies to control the spread of B. tsuneonis in China.

Antennal transcriptome analysis of Psyttalia incisi (silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): identification and tissue expression profiling of candidate odorant-binding protein genes.

BACKGROUND: Olfaction plays an important role in host-seeking by parasitoids, as they can sense chemical signals using sensitive chemosensory systems. Psyttalia incisi (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is the dominant parasitoid of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) in fruit-producing regions of southern China. The olfactory behavior of P. incisi has been extensively studied; however, the chemosensory mechanisms of this species are not fully understood. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis of 64,515 unigenes from the antennal transcriptome of both male and female adults P. incisi identified 87 candidate chemosensory genes. These included 13 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), seven gustatory receptors (GRs), 55 odorant receptors (ORs), 10 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Phylogenetic trees were constructed to predict evolutionary relationships between these chemosensory genes in hymenopterans. Moreover, the tissue expression profiles of 13 OBPs were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, revealing high expression of seven OBPs (1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 13) in the antennae. CONCLUSION: This study represents the first identification of chemosensory genes and the determination of their expression patterns in different tissues of P. incisi. These results contribute to a better understanding of the function of the chemosensory system of this parasitoid species.

Complete chloroplast genomes of five classical Wuyi tea varieties (Camellia sinensis, Synonym: Thea bohea L.), the most famous Oolong tea in China.

Wuyi tea (Camellia. sinensis, Synonym: Thea Bohea L.) is recognized as the most prestigious oolong tea in China. For germplasm identification and protection, the complete chloroplast genomes of five classical Wuyi tea varieties were determined by next-generation sequencing. These chloroplast genomes showed highly conserved structures and are 157,024-157,126 bp in length, consisting of a pair of reverse repeats (IR) regions of 25,944-26,095 bp, one large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,594-86,859 bp, and one small single copy (SSC) region of 18,276-18,291 bp. A total of 137 genes were observed and overall GC contents were all about 37.3%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed Wuyi tea varieties did not cluster together, suggesting that these Wuyi tea varieties might have diverged early in their evolutionary history and the complete chloroplast genome could be used as a super-barcode to identify these varieties. This study will be valuable for future studies of evolution and intraspecific identification in Wuyi tea.

Comparative chloroplast genomes: insights into the evolution of the chloroplast genome of Camellia sinensis and the phylogeny of Camellia.

BACKGROUND: Chloroplast genome resources can provide useful information for the evolution of plant species. Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is among the most economically valuable member of Camellia. Here, we determined the chloroplast genome of the first natural triploid Chinary type tea ('Wuyi narcissus' cultivar of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, CWN) and conducted the genome comparison with the diploid Chinary type tea (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, CSS) and two types of diploid Assamica type teas (Camellia sinensis var. assamica: Chinese Assamica type tea, CSA and Indian Assamica type tea, CIA). Further, the evolutionary mechanism of the chloroplast genome of Camellia sinensis and the relationships of Camellia species based on chloroplast genome were discussed. RESULTS: Comparative analysis showed the evolutionary dynamics of chloroplast genome of Camellia sinensis were the repeats and insertion-deletions (indels), and distribution of the repeats, indels and substitutions were significantly correlated. Chinese tea and Indian tea had significant differences in the structural characteristic and the codon usage of the chloroplast genome. Analysis of sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) using sequences of the intergenic spacers (trnE/trnT) showed none of 292 different Camellia sinensis cultivars had similar sequence characteristic to triploid CWN, but the other four Camellia species did. Estimations of the divergence time showed that CIA diverged from the common ancestor of two Assamica type teas about 6.2 Mya (CI: 4.4-8.1 Mya). CSS and CSA diverged to each other about 0.8 Mya (CI: 0.4-1.5 Mya). Moreover, phylogenetic clustering was not exactly consistent with the current taxonomy of Camellia. CONCLUSIONS: The repeat-induced and indel-induced mutations were two important dynamics contributed to the diversification of the chloroplast genome in Camellia sinensis, which were not mutually exclusive. Chinese tea and Indian tea might have undergone different selection pressures. Chloroplast transfer occurred during the polyploid evolution in Camellia sinensis. In addition, our results supported the three different domestication origins of Chinary type tea, Chinese Assamica type tea and Indian Assamica type tea. And, the current classification of some Camellia species might need to be further discussed.

Ultrastructure analysis of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).

In this study, two aspects of the ultrastructure of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) were identified: (i) The virus nucleocapsids were disassembled, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image analysis confirmed that the nucleocapsids were composed of stacked ring segments rather than the usual helix system, with each ring segment consisting of three rows of subunits linked by filaments. (ii) In addition, the morphological characteristics of virus self-assembly at different stages were observed, and two different enveloping morphologies were found, implying that the virion matures through two distinct envelopments. Thus, we propose a viral membrane assembly process for WSSV virion.

VP19 is important for the envelope coating of white spot syndrome virus.

VP19 is a major envelope protein of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), an important pathogen of farmed shrimp. However, the exact function of VP19 in WSSV assembly and infection is unknown. To understand the function of VP19, the gene was knocked down by RNA interference. We found that the dsRNA specific for vp19 gene dramatically reduced the replication of WSSV genomic DNA in infected animals. Further investigation by transmission electron microscopy showed that inhibition of VP19 prevented envelope coating of progeny virions, resulting in a high amount of immature virus particles without outer layer (envelope) in the host cells. This finding was further confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis, which showed the loss of VP19 and other envelope proteins from the improperly assembled virions. These results suggest that VP19 is essential for WSSV envelope coating.