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Transmission of Xylella fastidiosa to Grapevine by the Meadow Spittlebug
Full text linkThere is little information available on Xylella fastidiosa transmission by spittlebugs (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea). This group of insect vectors may be of epidemiological relevance in certain diseases, so it is important to better understand the basic parameters of X. fastidiosa transmission by spittlebugs. We used grapevines as a host plant and the aphrophorid Philaenus spumarius as a vector to estimate the effect of plant access time on X. fastidiosa transmission to plants; in addition, bacterial population estimates in the heads of vectors were determined and correlated with plant infection status. Results show that transmission efficiency of X. fastidiosa by P. spumarius increased with plant access time, similarly to insect vectors in another family (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae). Furthermore, a positive correlation between pathogen populations in P. spumarius and transmission to plants was observed. Bacterial populations in insects were one to two orders of magnitude lower than those observed in leafhopper vectors, and population size peaked within 3 days of plant access period. These results suggest that P. spumarius has either a limited number of sites in the foregut that may be colonized, or that fluid dynamics in the mouthparts of these insects is different from that in leafhoppers. Altogether our results indicate that X. fastidiosa transmission by spittlebugs is similar to that by leafhoppers. In addition, the relationship between cell numbers in vectors and plant infection may have under-appreciated consequences to pathogen spread
A pathogen of good taste: genetics of a bacterial host jump of the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa from coffee to wine grapes
No full textBeyond Xylella, Integrated Management Strategies for Mitigating Xylella fastidiosa Impact in Europe (BeXyl) (Grant Agreement 101060593). Partner/Coordinador principal: Blanca B. Landa del Castillo, Investigadora Científica del Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS-CSIC).When pathogens are repeatedly introduced into new environments, host jumps may occur into naïve taxa. Given the magnitude of the global plant trade, this process can lead to frequent disease emergence as interactions between previously isolated pathogens and new plant hosts become possible. Xylella fastidiosa is a recurring nuisance. This bacterial pathogen has recently emerged in novel geographic locations infecting a breadth of host plants. An introduction of X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa from Central America to the USA several hundred years ago has since been the source of outbreaks across the globe. In the USA, particularly in California, the introduced bacterium is frequently found in European grapevine (Vitis vinifera). In this study, we demonstrated that the introduced strains do not persistently infect Coffea arabica. Furthermore, we did not observe an overall increase in the virulence of the introduced strains towards coffee, indicating a lack of hypervirulence. Then, using X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa whole-genome sequences, 15 from the source region of Costa Rica and 289 from the introduced clade, we tested for traces of adaptation to grapevines. We found both genes and SNPs that are associated with the host shift to grapevines. These results support the hypothesis that a host jump with genetic adaptation occurred following the introduction of the pathogen into the USA.We would like to thank the CDFA PD/GWSS Board and the BeXyl Project (HORIZON, ID: 101060593) for funding this work.Peer reviewe
Functional anatomy of the precibarial valve in Philaenus spumarius (L.)
Full text linkIn phytophagous sap-sucking insects, the precibarial valve plays an important role in sap
ingestion. We used light and electron microspcopy to study the morphology and the ultrastructure
of the precibarial valve of the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera,
Aphrophoridae), in order to better understand the operative mechanism of this
structure. The precibarial valve revealed to be a complex structure with a bell-like invagination
in the middle of the precibarium (on the epipharynx). Unlike the current hypothesis, we
propose that the valve opens by dilator muscles and closes through cuticular and fluid tensions,
the latter leading to morphological changes to the plane of the valve based on sap
flow. Moreover, the presence of a precibarial secretory structure is described for the first
time for auchenorrhynchan insects. In light of these observations, functions are hypothesized
and discussed for this secretory structure.
Introductio
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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Assessing Vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in California: From Ecology to Transmission Dynamics
Full text linkAlthough spittlebugs were first confirmed as vectors of Xylella fastidiosa in the 1950s, their role in epidemics of Pierce’s disease of grapevine in the California North Coast remains unknown. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the biology and ecology of spittlebug vectors, Philaenus spumarius and Aphrophora nr. permutata, in California North Coast vineyards in relation to Pierce’s disease and to characterize differences in X. fastidiosa transmission following acquisition by spittlebug and sharpshooter leafhopper vectors.In chapter 1, I provide a brief background on the plant pathogenic bacterium, X. fastidiosa, its associated diseases, and its relationship with plant hosts and insect vectors. I also contextualize and summarize the subsequent chapters of my dissertation. Chapter 2 explores the seasonal abundance and infectivity of P. spumarius in California North Coast vineyards. Analysis of sweep and trap data revealed significant effects of survey month, vineyard site, and year on adult abundance in sweep and trap surveys. Analysis of X. fastidiosa natural infectivity in groups of field-collected spittlebug adults showed significant difference in transmission rates among months. I propose hypotheses on how to contextualize P. spumarius infectivity within the established framework of Pierce’s disease winter recovery.
In chapter 3, I present results from a four-year field study analyzing the effects of site characteristics and host plant community on the abundance and development of A. nr. permutata nymphs. Woodland and riparian sites hosted larger nymphal populations than sites surrounded by vineyards. Among plant cover taxa surveyed in 2020, A. nr. permutata nymph abundance was positively associated with Helminthotheca echoides, Vicia sativa, and Daucus carota cover and negatively associated with Taraxacum officinale cover. Analysis of the development surveys found a significant effect of site, year, and plant taxa on first detection of nymphs as well as a significant effect of site and year on the estimated development time between 1st and 5th instars.
In chapter 4, I assess differences in X. fastidiosa transmission efficiency over time between P. spumarius and the blue green sharpshooter, Graphocephala atropunctata. There was a significant effect of days post-acquisition on the proportion of plants infected by P. spumarius but the effect of days post-acquisition on G. atropunctata transmission efficiency was not significant. I consider species specific feeding behaviors and mouthpart fluid dynamics to explain the observed transmission patterns
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Complete Genome Sequence of the Olive-Infecting Strain Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca De Donno
Full text linkWe report here the complete and annotated genome sequence of the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca strain De Donno. This strain was recovered from an olive tree severely affected by olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), a devastating olive disease associated with X. fastidiosa infections in susceptible olive cultivars
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Definitive elucidation of the inoculation mechanism of Xylella fastidiosa by sharpshooter leafhoppers
No full textXylella fastidiosa is a vector-borne xylem-limited bacterium of agricultural and economic importance, yet it remains to be demonstrated how this pathogen is inoculated into plants by insect vectors. Recent DC-EPG (Electrical Penetration Graph) research with the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius tentatively correlated bacterial inoculation with a non-stereotypical “spiking waveform” termed Xe; this behavior occurred within the first minutes from initial stylets contact with a xylem vessel. Here, using the Graphocephala atropunctata-grapevine-X. fastidiosa pathosystem, we conclusively demonstrate that the DC-EPG waveform Xe represents the vector probing behavior correlated with X. fastidiosa inoculation into a host plant, and successful systemic persistent pathogen infection. Our work supports the previous hypothesis that Xe represents an egestion behavior, with a mixture of xylem sap-bacterial cells propelled by the collapse of the cibarial diaphragm while the precibarial valve is fluttering, potentially to remove obstructions from the precibarium and its chemosensilla. The outward flow delivering the mixture sap-bacterial cells into the plant is permitted by the valve that flutters instead of sealing the food canal. The inoculation behavior Xe is more frequent in vectors harboring X. fastidiosa cells within the foregut, independent of the bacterial population size in insects
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