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Introduction
Publications
Publications (209)
Cattle fever ticks (CFT) represent a significant economic burden to the livestock industry worldwide, and novel methods are needed for treatment of CFT on livestock and wildlife. Two similar botanical pesticides, Stop the Bites®! and Arkion® Fly and Tick Spray, were evaluated in a pen trial to control CFT on cattle using a motion activated 3-D Quik...
Cattle fever ticks, Rhipicelphalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) and Rhipicephlaus (Boophilus) annulatus
(Say) (CFT) are a significant threat to livestock industries in tropical and warm temperate climates world-wide. It
is estimated that an extended outbreak of CFT in the US would result in damages of approximately 1.2 billion
USD. Typical co...
Wildlife are hosts of ectoparasites, such as fleas and ticks that may transmit human and animal pathogens. Little is known about the ecology of many ectoparasite species native to southern Texas, or their role in pathogen maintenance and transmission. Much attention has been given to the role of nonnative nilgai antelope as cattle fever tick hosts...
Reintroduction and dispersal of the livestock and wildlife pest, southern cattle fever tick, rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini), along the U.S.Mexico border in the southernmost counties of Cameron and Willacy has been attributed mostly to nilgai antelope, Boselaphus tragocamelus (Pallas), and to a lesser extent, white-tailed deer, Odo...
The larvae of Lasioptera donacis Coutin feed on fungal communities lining galleries within the mesophyll of leaf sheaths of Arundo donax in an aggregative manner. It has been stated that L. donacis could have established a fundamental symbiotic relationship with one fungus, although the fungal composition of these communities remains unsettled. Usi...
Wildlife plays an important role in the emergence of livestock diseases, and their movements can complicate disease management efforts. One of the most significant vector‐borne diseases of livestock worldwide is bovine babesiosis, spread by cattle fever ticks (CFTs; Rhipicephalus [=Boophilus] microplus and Rhipicephalus [=Boophilus] annulatus). Alt...
Context
Research on large, terrestrial mammals often requires physical captures to attach tags or collars, collect morphological data, and collect biological samples. Choice of capture method should minimise pain and distress to the animal, minimise risk to personnel, and consider whether the method can achieve study objectives without biasing resu...
Hymenopteran parasitoids have an important role in biological control and continue to be effective biological control agents of many economically important pests. Many species of hymenopteran parasitoids have been successfully used in augmentative releases against pests in many different crops. Augmentation biological control depends greatly on the...
Mass-production of arthropods for biological weed control can increase the rate of field establishment of agents for biological control of damaging nonnative, invasive weeds of aquatic, riparian, rangeland and forest environments, with possible application to crop weeds. Mass-rearing of biological control agents (BCAs) of weeds is almost always per...
Net‐wire fencing built to confine livestock is common on rangelands in the Southwestern USA, yet the impacts of livestock fencing on wildlife are largely unknown. Many wildlife species cross beneath fences at defined crossing locations because they prefer to crawl underneath rather than jump over fences. Animals occasionally become entangled jumpin...
Megathyrsus maximus is nonnative in the neotropics, with a tall form that is commonly used as a forage grass and a smaller-statured form that is considered invasive in south Texas, USA. Biological control researchers are challenged to find an agent that will attack the short form, but not the desirable tall form in other parts of the neotropics. We...
The use of scent for communication is widespread in mammals, yet the role of scent-marking in the social system of many species is poorly understood. Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) are native to India, Nepal, and Pakistan. They were introduced to Texas rangelands in the United States during the 1920s to 1940s, and have since expanded int...
Stop the Bites botanical pesticide was evaluated for repellent properties against white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman), at feeders with supplemental corn, Zea mays L., in Cameron County, Texas. The pesticide was tested as a ground treatment around feeders and as spray applied directly to deer as they consumed corn at supplemental f...
Guineagrass is non-native in the neotropics, with a tall form that is commonly used as a forage grass and a smaller statured form that is considered invasive in south Texas, USA. Biological control researchers are challenged to find an agent that will attack the short form, but not the desirable tall form in other parts of the Neotropics. We conduc...
Motion-activated wildlife cameras, or camera traps, are widely used in biological monitoring of wildlife. Studies using camera traps amass large numbers of images and analyzing these images can be a large burden that inhibits research progress. We trained deep learning computer vision models using data for 168 species that automatically detect, cou...
On a global scale, invasive grasses threaten biodiversity and ecosystem function. Nevertheless, the importation of forage grasses is a significant economic force driven by globalization. Pastureland and rangeland are of critical economic and ecological importance, but novel grass species may lead to invasion. Recognizing that economically important...
Camera traps provide a low-cost approach to collect data and monitor wildlife across large scales but hand-labeling images at a rate that outpaces accumulation is difficult. Deep learning, a subdiscipline of machine learning and computer science, can address the issue of automatically classifying camera-trap images with a high degree of accuracy. T...
On a global scale, invasive grasses threaten biodiversity and ecosystem function. Nevertheless, the importation of forage grasses is a significant economic force driven by globalization. Pastureland and rangeland are of critical economic and ecological importance, but novel grass species may lead to invasion. Recognizing that economically important...
Giant reed (Arundo donax L.), a woody grass native to the Mediterranean, has become a cause of concern for national water security in its invaded range of the arid southwestern United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The main objective of this study was to provide the first, landscape-level estimates of water use by giant reed. The...
Arundo donax (giant reed) is invasive in Mediterranean, sub-, and tropical riparian systems worldwide. The armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis is approved for biocontrol in North America, but an adventive population was recently discovered in southern California. We documented this population’s distribution, phylogeny, phenology, potential host sp...
Guineagrass, Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K.Simon & S.W.L.Jacobs, is an African grass that is invasive in Florida, Hawaii, southern Texas, and northeastern Mexico. Buakea kaeuae Moyal et al., a stem-boring African moth found only on M. maximus, was imported from Kenya and evaluated for its ability to feed and develop on Guineagrass naturalized in...
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), Steinernema riobrave and Heterorhabditis floridensis are under evaluation for eradication of the southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus infesting nilgai antelope, in South Texas. Cattle fever ticks are a significant threat to the U.S. livestock industry. Although they have been eradicated in the U.S....
Guineagrass, Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K.Simon & S.W.L.Jacobs, is an African grass that is invasive in Florida, Hawaii, southern Texas, and northeastern Mexico. Buakea kaeuae Moyal et al., a stem-boring African moth found only on M. maximus, was imported from Kenya and evaluated for its ability to feed and develop on Guineagrass naturalized in...
The entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema riobrave is under evaluation for eradication of the southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus infesting nilgai antelope, in South Texas. Previous lab trials have shown that S. riobrave is effective against R. microplus. Remotely operated field sprayers have been developed to directly treat nilgai...
Two Arundo donax biological control agents, Tetramesa romana, the arundo wasp, and Rhizaspidiotus donacis, the arundo scale, have been established in Texas, USA and Morelos, Mexico for ten years. A survey was conducted in these areas to determine if there was any use of non-target plant species, especially where the biological control agents occurr...
The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is a livestock pest worldwide in tropical and subtropi- cal climates, including South Texas, and can vector Babesia spp., the causal agents of bovine babesiosis. Artificial rearing methods for R. microplus are needed, especially for rearing specialist tick parasitoids that are under evalua- t...
Grasses are amongst the most abundant and environmentally damaging invasive weeds worldwide. Biological control is frequently employed as a sustainable and cost-effective management strategy for many weeds. However, grasses have not been actively pursued as targets for classical weed biological control due to a perceived lack of sufficiently specia...
The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is a livestock pest worldwide, including South Texas, and can vector Babesia spp.; the causal agents of bovine babesiosis. Its congener, the brown dog tick, Rhipicepha-lus sanguineus, is also common worldwide and is frequently parasitized by a wasp, Ixodiphagus hookeri. To better understand t...
A remotely activated field sprayer was developed for application of the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema riobrave (Cabanillas, Poinar, and Raulston) for eradication of the southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini) on free-ranging nilgai antelope in South Texas. The battery powered sprayer is activated by sonic sensors t...
Comparative efficacy of infective juveniles of Steinernema riobrave Cabanillas, Poinar, and Raulston (355 strain), S. carpocapsae (Weiser) (All strain), S. feltiae Filipjev (SN strain), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (VS strain), H. indica Poinar, Karunakar, and David (HOM1 strain), and H. floridensis Nguyen, Gozel, Koppenhöfer, and Adams (K2...
Identifying Nilgai antelope using game cameras at latrines in south Texas.
The leaf miner Lasioptera donacis Coutin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a biological control agent of the invasive weed, Arundo donax L. (Poaceae), that was approved for release in the U.S. and Mexico. Pupae are preferred for shipment of living material to quarantine facilities. There is a question of whether emerged females would carry conidia of a p...
Tetramesa romana is a biological control agent of the giant reed, Arundo donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae), which is an invasive weed in the riparian habitats of the Rio Grande Basin of Texas, the southwestern U.S.A. and northern Mexico. Field evaluations were conducted in the native range of T. romana in Mediterranean Europe and in the introduced ran...
Entomopathogenic nematodes are a promising alternative for tick control, especially to protect wildlife. Two entomopathogenic nematode species Steinernema riobrave Cabanillas, Poinar, and Raulston and Heterorhabditis floridensis Nguyen, Gozel, Koppenhöfer, and Adams were tested for in-vivo efficacy against southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus...
Within the cattle fever tick quarantine zone along the Rio Grande, a steady displacement of native vegetation by Arundo donax L. has been occurring for over a century. Arundo rapidly grows to a height of 3-6 m creating a dense wall of vegetation impeding surveillance and interception of stray cattle breaching the cattle fever tick quarantine from M...
The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus Canestrini, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, causing huge economic losses to milk and meat production. Application of acaricides is the most widely used control strategy, but because of increasing evidence of resistance to acaricide and environmental concerns, novel s...
Immersion was used to test adults of six species of entomopathogenic nematodes for their effects on virulence and reproduction of engorged females of southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini) (Deutch strain). The nematodes were in the genera Steinernema (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae)-Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) (All stra...
This proceedings contains papers dealing with issues affecting biological control, particularly pertaining to the use of parasitoids and predators as biological control agents. This includes all approaches to biological control: conservation, augmentation, and importation of natural enemy species for the control of arthropod targets, as well as oth...
Our hypothesis was that there will be greater ant biodiversity in heterogeneous native vegetation compared with Arundo stands. Changes in ant biodiversity due to Arundo invasion may be one of the ecological changes in the landscape that facilitates the invasion of cattle fever ticks from Mexico where they are endemic. Ants collected in pitfall trap...
Wildlife, both native and introduced, can harbor and spread diseases of importance to the livestock industry. Describing movement patterns of such wildlife is essential to formulate effective disease management strategies. Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) are a free-ranging, introduced ungulate in southern Texas known to carry cattle fever...
The fundamental host range of the arundo leafminer, Lasioptera donacis a candidate agent for the invasive weed, Arundo donax was evaluated. L. donacis collects and inserts spores of a saprophytic fungus, Arthrinium arundinis, during oviposition. Larvae feed and develop in the decomposing leaf sheath channel tissue. Thirty-six closely related and ec...
Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) play a major role in nutrient cycling, soil aeration, and biological control of pests and parasites that breed in manure. Habitat fragmentation, pesticide usage, and conventional agricultural practices threaten dung beetle diversity, and their conservation is of growing concern. This study from August to Octo...
Arundo donax L. (giant reed) has been declared a noxious weed in the U.S. and México. Arundo donax has great impact on biodiversity, water availability, and fire regimes. To establish a program for controlling this weed, a binational collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico was initiated. After obtaining the corresponding authorization (TAG/NAPPO/...
Cattle fever ticks (CFT), vectors of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis, were eradicated from the United States by 1943, but are frequently reintroduced from neighboring border states of Mexico via stray cattle and wildlife hosts including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (WTD) and nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus). Nilgai antelop...
Ecological specialization to restricted diet-niches is driven by obligate, and often maternally inherited, symbionts in many arthropod lineages. These heritable symbionts typically form evolutionarily stable associations with arthropods that can last for millions of years. Ticks were recently found to harbor such an obligate symbiont, Coxiella-LE,...
An invasive grass, Arundo donax, occupies thousands of hectares of arid riparian habitat along the Rio Grande in Texas and Mexico, and has negative impacts on national security, water resources, and riparian ecosystems. The shoot-tip-galling wasp Tetramesa romana was released in 2009 between Brownsville and Del Rio, Texas, and has dispersed over 80...
Cogongrass, Imperata cylindrica (L.) Palisot de Beauvois (Cyperales: Poaceae), is a serious invasive weed in the southeastern USA. Surveys for potential biological control agents of cogongrass were conducted in Asia and East Africa from 2013 to 2016. Several insect herbivores were found that may have restricted host ranges based on field collection...
Cattle fever ticks, the southern cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini), and cattle tick, Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say), are livestock pests endemic to Mexico and invasive along the Texas-Mexico border. Resistance to acaricide, alternate wildlife hosts, and pathogenic landscape-forming weeds present challenges for sustainable eradication...
The larval stages of
Lasioptera donacis
Coutin consist of three instars which develop within the mesophyll of the leaf sheaths of
Arundo donax
(L.) (Poaceae). The larvae feed aggregatively on mycelia of an ambrosia fungus. The third instars are similar to other members of the genus except for a three-pronged spatula (typically two-pronged) and five...
Illumina HiSeq technology was used to sequence the transcriptome from the shoot stage of the perennial grass species, Arundo donax. The biological material was collected from an invasive genotype along the Rio Grande River bordering Texas and Mexico. A total of 181,972,782 pair-end raw reads were produced and assembled into 283,603 contigs. Ultimat...
Five years post-release of the arundo gall wasp, Tetramesa romana, into the riparian habitats of the lower Rio Grande River, changes in the health of the invasive weed, Arundo donax, or giant reed, have been documented. These changes in plant attributes are fairly consistent along the study area of 558 river miles between Del Rio and Brownsville, T...
Transboundary zoonotic diseases, several of which are vector borne, can maintain a dynamic
focus and have pathogens circulating in geographic regions encircling multiple geopolitical boundaries. Global change is intensifying transboundary problems, including the spatial
variation of the risk and incidence of zoonotic diseases.The complexity of thes...
The giant reed, Arundo donax, is a perennial grass species that has become an invasive plant in many countries. Expansive stands of A. donax have significant negative impacts on available water resources and efforts are underway to identify biological control agents against this species. The giant reed grows under adverse environmental conditions,...
Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass, Speargrass) is a diploid C4 grass that is a noxious weed in 73 countries and constitutes a significant threat to global biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. We used a cost-effective genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to identify the reproductive system, genetic diversity and geographic origins of invasions...
Supplementary file 1. Functional annotation of Arundo donax high confidence genes.
Supplementary file 2. Functional annotation of Arundo donax low confidence genes.
Classical biological control using specialist parasitoids, predators and/or nematodes from the native ranges of cattle
fever ticks Rhipicephalus microplus and Rhipicephalus annulatus could complement existing control strategies for
this livestock pest in the transboundary region between Mexico and Texas. Methods for field collection of cattle
fever...
As part of a biological control program for the invasive weed, Arundo donax L., several genotypically unique populations of the parthenogenetic stemgalling wasp, Tetramesa romana Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), from Spain and France were released in an infested riparian zone along the Rio Grande from Brownsville to Del Rio, TX. An adventive popu...
The larval stages of Lasioptera donacis feed on an ambrosia fungus which invades the mesophyll of the host plant Arundo donax. The mouth parts are vestigial but the salivary gland is hypertrophied for extra-oral digestion. A structure on the prothorax, the spatula, acts as a slicer and dicer for macerating the fungal mycelium, a sort of extra-oral...