Palearctic flea beetle and pest of hops and Cannabis, Psylliodesattenuata (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), new to North America.

Background: The univoltine leaf beetle Psylliodesattenuata (Koch, 1803) is a pest of Cannabis and Humulus (Cannabaceae) and native to the Palaearctic Region, known from eastern Asia to western Europe. New information: First North American records are presented for P.attenuata from Canada: Ontario and Québec. Adult beetle feeding damage to hops Humuluslupulus L. (Cannabacaea) plants is recorded from Québec. Diagnostic information is presented to distinguish P.attenuata from other North American Chrysomelidae and a preliminary assessment of its potential to spread in North America is presented. While our climate analysis is limited by a lack of data, it appears P.attenuata is physiologically capable of persisting throughout the range of Humulus in North America.The United States of America and Canada are now known to be home to 71 or more species of adventive Chrysomelidae.

Forecasting potential invaders to prevent future biological invasions worldwide.

The ever-increasing and expanding globalisation of trade and transport underpins the escalating global problem of biological invasions. Developing biosecurity infrastructures is crucial to anticipate and prevent the transport and introduction of invasive alien species. Still, robust and defensible forecasts of potential invaders are rare, especially for species without known invasion history. Here, we aim to support decision-making by developing a quantitative invasion risk assessment tool based on invasion syndromes (i.e., generalising typical attributes of invasive alien species). We implemented a workflow based on 'Multiple Imputation with Chain Equation' to estimate invasion syndromes from imputed datasets of species' life-history and ecological traits and macroecological patterns. Importantly, our models disentangle the factors explaining (i) transport and introduction and (ii) establishment. We showcase our tool by modelling the invasion syndromes of 466 amphibians and reptile species with invasion history. Then, we project these models to amphibians and reptiles worldwide (16,236 species [c.76% global coverage]) to identify species with a risk of being unintentionally transported and introduced, and risk of establishing alien populations. Our invasion syndrome models showed high predictive accuracy with a good balance between specificity and generality. Unintentionally transported and introduced species tend to be common and thrive well in human-disturbed habitats. In contrast, those with established alien populations tend to be large-sized, are habitat generalists, thrive well in human-disturbed habitats, and have large native geographic ranges. We forecast that 160 amphibians and reptiles without known invasion history could be unintentionally transported and introduced in the future. Among them, 57 species have a high risk of establishing alien populations. Our reliable, reproducible, transferable, statistically robust and scientifically defensible quantitative invasion risk assessment tool is a significant new addition to the suite of decision-support tools needed for developing a future-proof preventative biosecurity globally.

[Protecting biodiversity and sustainable sciences]. / Protection de la biodiversité et sciences durables.

The latest IPBES report clearly showed that pollution and proliferation of invasive alien species constituted two of the five major factors responsible for the biodiversity decline. Faced with this situation, we present here the development of nature-based solutions in response to these two challenges. This approach has firstly made it possible to progress in understanding the adaptation strategies of plants and associated micro-organisms to respond to attacks such as pollution. Thus, relevant studies showed that certain plant species are able to grow in environments contaminated with metallic elements, or even to sequester toxic pollutants in their leaves or their roots. This research has made it possible to provide original solutions for the ecological restoration of soils and the decontamination of aquatic systems using dead invasive exotic plant species. The promotion of these solutions through the concept of ecocatalysis, at the interface of ecology and chemistry, contributed to make them sustainable and economically viable.

Title: Protection de la biodiversité et sciences durables. Abstract: Le dernier rapport de l'IPBES a clairement montré que la pollution et la multiplication des espèces exotiques envahissantes constituaient deux des cinq facteurs majeurs responsables du déclin de la biodiversité. Face à cette situation, nous présentons dans cette brève revue le développement de solutions fondées sur la nature pour répondre à ces deux défis. Cette approche a tout d'abord permis de progresser dans la compréhension des stratégies d'adaptation des plantes et des microorganismes associés, pour répondre à des agressions telles que celle de la pollution. Ainsi, il a pu être démontré que certaines espèces végétales sont capables de se développer dans des milieux contaminés par des éléments métalliques, voire de séquestrer les polluants toxiques dans leurs feuilles ou leurs racines. Ces recherches ont permis d'apporter des solutions originales pour la restauration écologique des sols et la décontamination des systèmes aquatiques à l'aide d'espèces végétales exotiques envahissantes mortes. Afin de les rendre pérennes et économiquement viables, ces solutions ont été valorisées à travers le concept de l'écocatalyse, à l'interface de l'écologie et de la chimie.

Food web collapse and regime shift following goldfish introduction in permanent ponds.

In a global context of invasive alien species (IAS), native predators are often eradicated by functionally different IAS, which may induce complex cascading consequences on ecosystem functioning because of the key role predators play in structuring communities and stabilizing food webs. In permanent ponds, the most abundant freshwater systems on Earth, global human-mediated introductions of alien omnivores such as the pet trade goldfish are driving broad-scale patterns of native predators' exclusion, but cascading consequences on food web structure and functioning are critically understudied. We compared food webs of naturally fishless ponds versus ponds where dominant native predators (newts) had been extirpated by invasive goldfish within the last decade. Integrating community-wide isotopic, taxonomic and functional traits approaches, our study reveals that pond food webs collapsed in both vertical and horizontal dimensions following goldfish introduction and the associated exclusion of native predators. Consumer taxonomic diversity was drastically reduced, essentially deprived of amphibians as well as predatory and mobile macroinvertebrates to the profit of burrowing, lower trophic level consumers (detritivores). Changes in community structure and function underlined a regime shift from a macrophyte-dominated system mainly characterized by benthic primary production (periphyton), to a macrophyte-depleted state of ponds hosting communities mainly associated with phytoplankton primary production and detritus accumulation, with higher tolerance to eutrophication and low dissolved oxygen concentration. Results underline major impacts of widely introduced omnivores such as the goldfish on the functioning of pond ecosystems with potentially dramatic consequences on the key ecosystem services they deliver, such as global biodiversity support or water quality improvement. They also shed light on the key role of submerged aquatic vegetation in supporting diverse communities and complex food webs in shallow lentic systems and call for urgent consideration of threats posed by IAS on ponds' ecosystems by managers and policymakers.

The role of species thermal plasticity for alien species invasibility in a changing climate: A case study of Lophocladia trichoclados.

The Mediterranean Sea provides fertile ground for understanding the complex interplay between invasive species and native habitats, particularly within the context of climate change. This thermal tolerance study reveals the remarkable ability of Lophocladia trichoclados, a red algae species that has proven highly invasive, to adapt to varying temperatures, particularly thriving in colder Mediterranean waters, where it can withstand temperatures as low as 14 °C, a trait not observed in its native habitat. This rapid acclimation, occurring in less than a century, might entail a trade-off with high temperature resistance. Additionally, all sampled populations in the Mediterranean share the same haplotype, suggesting a common origin and the possibility that we might be facing an exceptionally acclimatable and invasive strain. This high degree of acclimatability could determine the future spread capacity in a changing scenario, highlighting the importance of considering both acclimation and adaptation in understanding the expansion of invasive species' ranges.

Alien ants spreading through Europe: Brachyponerachinensis and Nylanderiavividula in Italy.

The number of known alien ant species throughout Europe has been steadily increasing during the last few decades and Italy has been no exception, with four new taxa reported in the last five years. Here, we document new data on the Asian needle ant Brachyponerachinensis (Emery, 1895), an invasive alien species whose first establishment in Europe was detected in the southern Italian city of Naples in 2022 and which has now been found near Lake Como in northern Italy, representing the second European record, about 730 km distant from the first. Furthermore, we report for the first time the presence of Nylanderiavividula (Nylander, 1846) in the country, based on specimens collected both in Rome and near Lake Como. This is at least the second Nylanderia species established in the country after N.jaegerskioeldi, first reported in 2018. Unlike B.chinensis, N.vividula is not considered an ecological and health threat in the invaded range and is already known to occur in several other European countries. While only a few introduced ants in Europe are considered serious ecological, economic or health threats, the increasing circulation of several alien species and the poor ability to swiftly track their movements and detect their establishment can render management very difficult.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) in Brazil.

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis that affects warm-blooded animals, including humans. Wild animals can act as intermediate hosts of this pathogen; thus, this study aims to detect Toxoplasma gondii infection in invasive European brown hares in Brazil. For this, 72 wild European brown hares were captured from July 2020 to June 2022 in three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul. The diagnostic of Toxoplasma gondii infection was performed by bioassay in mouse, histopathology in Hematoxylin-Eosin-stained tissue sections (brain, liver, lungs, kidneys, and small intestine), serology by IFAT, and molecular techniques by conventional PCR and qPCR. The combined prevalence of the different diagnostic methods was 51.4% (37/72, CI= 40.1 - 62.6 %), and there was no statistical difference between sexes, age range, or geographical region of the hosts. Mouse bioassay was the technique that detected more positive hares. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in invasive European brown hares in Brazil. These animals act as reservoirs and potential infection source for carnivores and other wild and domestic animals, including humans, thus contributing to perpetuate the disease cycle in São Paulo, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul States. Research such as the present study is necessary to raise awareness about the role of animals in the disease cycle.

Fire suppression and land-use strategies drive future dynamics of an invasive plant in a fire-prone mountain area under climate change.

Woody invasive alien species can have profound impacts on ecosystem processes and functions, including fire regulation, which can significantly affect landscape resilience. Acacia dealbata, a widespread invasive alien plant in the Iberian Peninsula, holds well-known fire-adaptation traits (e.g., massive soil seed banks and heat-stimulated seed germination). In this study, we assess to what extent fire suppression and land-use strategies could affect the potential distribution of A. dealbata in a fire-prone transboundary protected mountain area of Portugal and Spain, using Habitat Suitability Models. Specifically, we predicted changes in habitat suitability for A. dealbata between years 2010 and 2050. We explored the potential impacts of two land-use strategies ('Business-as-usual' or 'High Nature Value farmlands') combined with three levels of fire suppression effectiveness using the biomod2 package in R. We also considered the potential effects of two climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Our modeling approach demonstrated a strong capacity to predict habitat suitability using either climate or land-cover information alone (AUC climate = 0.947; AUC LC = 0.957). According to climate-based models, A. dealbata thrives under conditions characterized by higher precipitation seasonality, higher precipitation in the warmest month, and higher minimum temperature in the coldest month. Regarding land cover, A. dealbata thrives mainly in landscapes dominated by urban areas and evergreen forest plantations. Our models forecasted that habitat suitability by 2050 could either increase or decrease depending on the specific combinations of fire suppression, land-use, and climate scenarios. Thus, a combination of business-as-usual and fire-exclusion strategies would enhance habitat suitability for the species. Conversely, management promoting High Nature Value farmlands would decrease the available suitable habitat, particularly under low fire suppression efforts. These findings suggest that promoting sustainable farming activities could impede the spread of A. dealbata by reducing habitat availability, while strategies aiming at fire-exclusion could facilitate its expansion, likely by enabling establishment and large seed production. This study highlights the complex interplay between fire-prone invasive species, fire and land-use strategies, and climate change; and thus the need to consider the interactions between land-use and fire management to promote invasive species control and landscape resilience.

Matrix-based key to the click beetle genera of Canada and USA with a summary of habitat use (Coleoptera, Elateridae).

The Elateridae, or click beetles are abundant and diverse in most terrestrial ecosystems in North America, acting as plant pests and filling many other ecological roles. The 112 genera of Elateridae Leach, 1815, or click beetles, known from Canada and USA are included in a first comprehensive digital interactive key to adults. A link to an online peer-reviewed LUCID key to elaterid genera and downloadable LUCID files are provided. Diagnostic morphological summaries using information from the 61 characters and 158 character states of the matrix key are presented for all genera. A table summarizes current understanding of habitat use by all elaterid genera in Canada and USA from literature, collections, citizen science, and our own observations. Diversity of elaterid genera was high throughout warm and cool temperate regions, especially in mountainous areas and mesic woodlands. Larvae of most genera were associated with soil, litter and decaying wood.

Assessment of Human Health Impacts from Invasive Pufferfish (Attacks, Poisonings and Fatalities) across the Eastern Mediterranean.

The silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin 1789), and to a lesser degree the orange spotted toadfish Torquigener hypselogeneion (Bleeker, 1852), pose threats to human health from physical attacks and poisonings in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. This study reviewed human health-related impacts resulting from these pufferfish, compiling and assessing records from online sources, the peer-reviewed literature, medical records, personal interviews, and observations across the Eastern Mediterranean in the years 2004 to 2023. A total of 198 events impacting human health were documented: 28 records of physical attacks, at least 144 non-lethal poisoning episodes, and 27 human fatalities resulting from consumption. The majority of the reported incidences occurred in Syria, Türkiye, and Lebanon. Most physical attacks occurred in summer, while most poisoning events occurred during winter. The number of recorded incidents greatly increased after 2019, especially with regard to poisonings, yet whether this is related to greater media attention, or to increased fish abundance is unclear. This is the first comprehensive study to collate findings on attacks, poisonings and fatalities caused by these pufferfish in the Mediterranean Sea, and may help in improving national health policies. We urge the continuation of national campaigns to caution residents and tourists of these species' high toxicities and potential aggressiveness.

Rabies Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies in Free-Ranging Invasive Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) from Brazil.

Rabies, one of the most lethal global zoonoses, affects all mammals. It remains circulating worldwide in sylvatic cycles through terrestrial and airborne reservoirs, and in Brazil, bats are currently the main reservoirs and source of transmission. Wild boars, an important invasive alien species in Brazil, are a proven food source for hematophagous bats and may participate in the Brazilian sylvatic cycle of rabies. We evaluated the presence of this pathogen in hunted wild boars from the São Paulo state using histopathology, the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA), viral isolation in cell culture (VICC), the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT), and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results of histopathological, DFA, VICC, and RT-qPCR analysis were negative for all samples; seven serum samples tested positive in the RFFIT, and titers ranged from 0.13 IU/mL to 0.5 IU/mL. The presence of rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies in the studied wild boars suggests the circulation of the virus in these animals. Educative actions directed at hunters should include information on the prevention of this important zoonosis.

Invading new climates at what cost? Ontogenetic differences in the thermal dependence of metabolic rate in an invasive amphibian.

Global warming can either promote or constrain the invasive potential of alien species. In ectotherm invaders that exhibit a complex life cycle, success is inherently dependent on the capacity of each developmental stage to cope with environmental change. This is particularly relevant for invasive anurans, which disperse on land while requiring water for reproduction. However, it remains unknown how the different life stages respond in terms of energy expenditure under different climate change scenarios. We here quantified the oxygen uptake of frogs at rest (a proxy of the standard metabolic rate) in the aquatic phase (at the tadpole and climax, i.e. during metamorphosis, stages) and in the terrestrial phase (metamorphosed stage) at three environmental temperatures. To do so, we used marsh frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus), an amphibian with the largest invasive range within the palearctic realm and for which their adaptation to global warming might be key to their invasion success. Beyond an increase of metabolic rate with temperature, our data show variation in thermal adaptation across life stages and a higher metabolic cost during metamorphosis. These results suggest that the cost to shift habitat and face changes in temperature may be a constraint on the invasive potential of species with a complex life cycle which may be particularly vulnerable during metamorphosis.

Comparative Analysis of Parasite Load on Recently Established Invasive Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Actinopterygii: Centrarchidae) in Europe.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was the comparative analysis of the parasite communities of new populations of invasive pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) in western Ukraine with pumpkinseed from Czechia, where populations have rapidly expanded over the last two decades. METHODS: Sampling took place at three localities in the western part of Ukraine (i.e. Dobrotvir Reservoir (Vistula basin), Burshtyn Reservoir (Dniester basin), Mynai Pond (Danube basin)) and four in Czechia (i.e. Oxbow D2, Herspický Pond (Danube basin), and Kolín oxbow and Rímov Reservoir (Elbe basin). RESULTS: In total, 11 parasite taxa were recorded in Ukraine and 17 in Czechia. Four species were co-introduced from North America with their host, i.e. the myxosporean Myxobolus dechtiari, the monogeneans Onchocleidus dispar and Onchocleidus similis, and metacercariae of a trematode Posthodiplostomum centrarchi. High dominance indices were related to a high abundance of co-introduced parasites, i.e. O. similis in Mynai pond and P. centrarchi in Dobrotvir Reservoir. Overall abundance of acquired parasites was generally low. CONCLUSION: This study shows that parasite communities in recently established pumpkinseed populations in the western part of Ukraine and Czechia are less diverse than those established in Europe for decades. The generally low parasite load in these new populations may play an important role in their ability to successfully establish and create strong populations by providing a competitive advantage over local species.

Exploring patterns of female house mouse spatial organisation among outbreaking and stable populations.

The size and distribution of home ranges reflect how individuals within a population use, defend, and share space and resources, and may thus be an important predictor of population-level dynamics. Eruptive species, such as the house mouse in Australian grain-growing regions, are an ideal species in which to investigate variations in space use and home range overlap between stable and outbreaking populations. In this study, we use spatially explicit capture-recapture models to explore if space use and home range overlap among female mice could serve as indicators of changes in population density leading into summer. Additionally, we assess the sensitivity of space use and home range estimates to reduced recapture rates. Our analysis did not reveal variations in the spring spatial organisation of female mice based on existing capture-mark-recapture data. However, our study highlights the need to balance monitoring efforts within regions, emphasising the importance of exploring studies that can improve spatial recaptures by optimising trapping efforts. This is particularly important in Australian agricultural systems, where varying farm management practices may drive differences in population dynamics.

Reptile Identification for Endemic and Invasive Alien Species Using Transfer Learning Approaches.

The Canary Islands are considered a hotspot of biodiversity and have high levels of endemicity, including endemic reptile species. Nowadays, some invasive alien species of reptiles are proliferating with no control in different parts of the territory, creating a dangerous situation for the ecosystems of this archipelago. Despite the fact that the regional authorities have initiated actions to try to control the proliferation of invasive species, the problem has not been solved as it depends on sporadic sightings, and it is impossible to determine when these species appear. Since no studies for automatically identifying certain species of reptiles endemic to the Canary Islands have been found in the current state-of-the-art, from the Signals and Communications Department of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University (ULPGC), we consider the possibility of developing a detection system based on automatic species recognition using deep learning (DL) techniques. So this research conducts an initial identification study of some species of interest by implementing different neural network models based on transfer learning approaches. This study concludes with a comparison in which the best performance is achieved by integrating the EfficientNetV2B3 base model, which has a mean Accuracy of 98.75%.

Piecing the barcoding puzzle of Palearctic water frogs (Pelophylax) sheds light on amphibian biogeography and global invasions.

Palearctic water frogs (genus Pelophylax) are an outstanding model in ecology and evolution, being widespread, speciose, either threatened or threatening to other species through biological invasions, and capable of siring hybrid offspring that escape the rules of sexual reproduction. Despite half a century of genetic research and hundreds of publications, the diversity, systematics and biogeography of Pelophylax still remain highly confusing, in no small part due to a lack of correspondence between studies. To provide a comprehensive overview, we gathered >13,000 sequences of barcoding genes from >1700 native and introduced localities and built multigene mitochondrial (~17 kb) and nuclear (~10 kb) phylogenies. We mapped all currently recognized taxa and their phylogeographic lineages (>40) to get a grasp on taxonomic issues, cyto-nuclear discordances, the genetic makeup of hybridogenetic hybrids, and the origins of introduced populations. Competing hypotheses for the molecular calibration were evaluated through plausibility tests, implementing a new approach relying on predictions from the anuran speciation continuum. Based on our timetree, we propose a new biogeographic paradigm for the Palearctic since the Paleogene, notably by attributing a prominent role to the dynamics of the Paratethys, a vast paleo-sea that extended over most of Europe. Furthermore, our results show that distinct marsh frog lineages from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Near East, and Central Asia (P. ridibundus ssp.) are naturally capable of inducing hybridogenesis with pool frogs (P. lessonae). We identified 14 alien lineages (mostly of P. ridibundus) over ~20 areas of invasions, especially in Western Europe, with genetic signatures disproportionally pointing to the Balkans and Anatolia as the regions of origins, in line with exporting records of the frog leg industry and the stocks of pet sellers. Pelophylax thus emerges as one of the most invasive amphibians worldwide, and deserves much higher conservation concern than currently given by the authorities fighting biological invasions.

Hosts and impacts of elongate hemlock scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae): A critical review.

Fiorinia externa Ferris, elongate hemlock scale, was inadvertently introduced to North America from Japan. This insect is particularly problematic on hemlock, Tsuga spp., though it has been reported in association with several other conifers. The evidence that other conifers might be hosts, capable of supporting growing populations of the insect, has not been previously reviewed. Our review confirms that F. externa is an oligophagous pest of members of Pinaceae. Although species of Cupressaceae and Taxaceae have been reported as hosts of F. externa, they seem unable to support population growth of this pest. Evidence of the tree-killing potential of the insect, even on suitable hosts, is remarkably scant. The degree of pest risk posed by F. externa with respect to tree mortality in areas beyond the geographic range of hemlock seems modest, but uncertain.

Physiological stress response to urbanisation differs between native and invasive squirrel species.

Novel pressures derived from urbanisation can alter native habitats and ultimately impact wildlife. Coping with such human-driven changes might induce shifts in species phenotypic traits, such as physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors. Preadaptation to face those challenges has been suggested to favour settlement and spread of invasive alien species in urbanised areas which, consequently, might respond differently than ecologically similar native species to stressors posed by urbanisation. The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the subsequent release of glucocorticoids (GCs) has been suggested to mediate responses to anthropogenic disturbance in vertebrates. Furthermore, intraspecific competition, in conjunction with stressors related to urbanisation, might affect invasive and native species physiological stress responses differently. Using a parallel pseudo-experimental study system we measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations of the native Eurasian red squirrel and the invasive alien Eastern grey squirrel along a rural-urban gradient and in relation to conspecific density. The two species responded differently to challenges posed by the synergic effect of urbanisation and intraspecific competition. Association of FGMs and conspecific density in native red squirrels varied between rural and suburban sites, potentially depending on differential HPA axis responses. In urban sites, this relationship did not differ significantly from that in rural and suburban ones. Conversely, invasive grey squirrels' FGMs did not vary in relation to conspecific density, nor differed along the rural-urban gradient. Improving knowledge about native and competing invasive species' physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors can support conservation strategies in habitats altered by man. Our findings suggested that the invasive squirrels might be preadapted to cope with these challenges in urbanised areas, potentially increasing their success under the future global change scenario.

Heat Treatment of Seeds to Control Invasive Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), Narrow-Leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens) and Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum).

The intended or unintentional transport of soil material contaminated with weed seeds is one of the most important drivers in the spreading dynamics of invasive alien plants (IAPs). This phenomenon can be observed at any kind of construction site. Typical transfer of soil contaminated with IAP seeds can be observed along with road construction (soil translocation) or road maintenance services (deposit of mown plant biomass). Thus, an effective inactivation of these seeds by heating can avoid the spread of IAPs substantially. In the present study, the effects of various thermal control techniques (dry air heating and wet heating with hot steam, hot water, and hot foam) on seed survival of the widespread European IAPs common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), narrow-leaved ragwort (Senecio inaequidens), and giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) are discussed. Dry and wet seeds which were either uncovered or covered with soil were tested for survival at different treatment temperatures and different exposure times. Results revealed that particularly dry seeds of all three species could withstand temperatures of 100 °C for at least 6 h in climate chambers. Dry seeds of common ragweed and narrow-leaved ragwort survived exposure times of up to 48 h. Wet seeds were significantly more susceptible to heat treatments. Giant hogweed seeds were completely killed after 12 h at 70 °C. The exposure of IAP seeds to hot water was generally more effective than the treatment with hot steam. The treatment with hot foam was only effective when seeds were lying unprotected on the soil surface. Dry seeds of all the three species survived hot foam application in the field when they were covered by vegetation and leaf litter or soil. Due to the robustness of the seeds, a preventive management of IAPs by an efficient control before seeds formation is substantial to avoid their further dispersal.

Austrian farmers perception of new weeds.

The composition of weed floras in Central European fields has shifted creating a novel management issue: new weeds, that is, species that are currently spreading and increasing in impact. In their role as primary decision makers on the ground, farmers' perception of these new weeds plays a pivotal role in collecting information on their occurrence and control. We conducted an online survey to determine if Austrian farmers recognized 15 selected new weed taxa (12 species and 3 genera) from their farm. The 181 surveyed farmers also estimated the required management effort for these species and elicited their current management practices. Additional questions were posed to understand farmers' general perception of changes in the weed flora. We used a generalized linear mixed model to estimate differences in management effort and identify new weeds that merit monitoring and management programs. Two weed genera (Fallopia spp. and Panicum spp.) showed significantly higher than average management effort. The most commonly used management measures were manual removal, herbicide use and crop rotation. A majority of farmers reported changes in the weed flora; over two thirds reported new species and over one third reported new weeds that were difficult to control. In summary, our results suggest that respondents were aware of the challenges posed by new weeds but required more information on management and prevention strategies.