The distribution and abundance of insect pests are influenced by landscape structure and composition, particularly through modifications to biocontrol services and the proportion of suitable habitats within the landscape. In addition, pest populations are affected by agricultural practices at different landscape scales, ranging from field-by-field to area-wide. Our study focuses on one of the world’s most invasive and polyphagous pests of fruits and vegetables: the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel, 1912) (Diptera: Tephritidae). We analysed how farmer practices, landscape composition, and mango varieties were related to B. dorsalis infestation in an insular tropical agroecosystem with disparate farming systems, where crop plots are of modest size and interconnected with various habitat types. Fruit infestations were regularly recorded during 18 months in different plots on all mango varieties of the study area. Agricultural practices were determined through semi-structured interviews and categorised according to the farm structure and practices related to B. dorsalis management. Landscape composition was determined from high-resolution satellite imagery and local surveys, and the area of landscape cover was calculated within a 500 m buffer around each sampled orchard plot. We demonstrate that both landscape and local factors influence the infestation indexes of B. dorsalis in mango orchards. At a landscape scale, B. dorsalis was favoured by habitat diversity, which probably provided complementary larval food resources and enabled populations to maintain throughout the year. On a local scale, individual farmers’ practices had a significant influence on infestation indexes. The proportion of infested fruits was lower in plots managed by farmers who practised sanitation.

The Earth’s poles have always aroused great interest and fascination, first for explorers looking for the Northern Pass in the Arctic or for a new continent and natural resources to exploit, and today for scientists due to the significant role that the Arctic and Antarctic oceans play in the dynamics and future of our planet, especially in the current context of global change. To raise awareness of the importance and vulnerability of the polar oceans and to bring scientific advances in marine science to schools and the general public, we have worked from different approaches: 1) the online participation of students in polar oceanographic expeditions (through the ICM Divulga educational website), 2) face-to-face talks and workshops on polar ecosystems involving the observation of samples and/or videos, 3) the coordination and the edition of the book Observando los polos with a global and multidisciplinary vision of the state of scientific knowledge on polar areas, 4) the elaboration of the photographic exhibition ‘Una mirada polar’ and 5) the multi-institutional collaborative project surrounding the XIth Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) International Biology Symposium. These approaches, some of which involved Dr Andrés Barbosa’s collaboration, align with his objective of disseminating the results of research and scientific experience to the public. An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the diverse strategies used to provide education about polar science is presented.

This research article aimed to evaluate the effect of a commercial nutraceutical additive in milk replacer on the health and weight gain of dairy calves during the pre-weaning phase. A total of 126 female Holstein calves were randomly assigned to two groups: a treatment group (TRT, n = 63) receiving a commercial nutraceutical additive in the milk replacer, and a control group (CON, n = 63) receiving only the milk replacer. Health assessments included clinical diagnosis, Wisconsin scores and lung ultrasonography to assess the incidence and severity of respiratory and enteric diseases, as well as the average daily gain (ADG). The TRT group showed a reduction in the number of antibiotic treatments for respiratory diseases compared to the CON group. However, calves in the TRT group exhibited greater lung consolidation scores at 75 days of age and lower odds of recovery from pulmonary lesions. No differences were observed between groups in ADG and weaning weight. Additionally, the use of the product did not reduce the incidence or severity of diarrhoea. In fact, calves in the TRT group experienced the first episode of diarrhoea earlier than those in the CON group. These findings indicate that the nutraceutical additive did not contribute to improved enteric or respiratory health. Under real farm conditions, the use of the applied nutraceutical does not consistently lead to beneficial or additive effects across health parameters. These results underscore the importance of context-specific evaluation, as well as the consideration that formulation and environmental factors can significantly influence the outcomes of such interventions.

James Croxall Palmer served during the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 as assistant surgeon aboard the Peacock from late February to mid-April 1839 when it sailed with the pilot boat Flying-Fish on a difficult and treacherous high-latitude foray west of the Antarctic Peninsula. The papers of the Flying-Fish were lost with the destruction of the Peacock at the mouth of the Columbia River in July 1841, thus the book Palmer authored in 1843 under the title Thulia (a pseudonym for the Flying-Fish) became both the sole surviving firsthand account of the excursion and the first Antarctic poetry. A quarter century later, Palmer revisited, revised, and expanded Thulia, publishing it as Antarctic Mariner’s Song in 1868. Palmer’s own proof copies of Antarctic Mariner’s Song were retained by his descendants but were otherwise unknown until they recently surfaced. The proofs with Palmer’s numerous annotations contribute to the expedition’s history. A presentation and discussion constitute this report.

Haritalodes derogata (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), commonly known as the cotton leaf roller, is an important polyphagous pest that causes damage to various agricultural and forest plants, especially those of the Malvaceae family, but also to crops such as cotton, cashew, bamboo, oats, and jute. While microbial control agents are known for their efficacy and environmental friendliness, there are few studies demonstrating their effect on H. derogata. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioefficacy of microbial agents from different pathogen groups against this pest. To this end, we investigated the insecticidal potential of fifteen indigenous microbial isolates from our entomopathogen collection. These included five Bacillus thuringiensis strains (Bn1, MnD, Mm2, Xd3, Lyd8), five entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium flavoviride As2, M. anisopliae KTU-51 and Beauveria bassiana Pa4, Pa5, Hp5), and five baculoviruses (HycuGV-Hc1, LdMNPV-T2, AcMNPV, DapuNPV-T1, SeMNPV-U), applied at concentrations of 1.8 × 109 cfu/mL, 1 × 107 conidia/mL, and 1 × 107 PIB/mL, respectively, against H. derogata larvae under laboratory conditions. Among these, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Bn1, B. bassiana Pa4, Hyphantria cunea granulovirus (HycuGV-Hc1), and Spodoptera exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV-U) showed strong insecticidal activity and were selected for virulence assays, each achieving 100% mortality in third instar larvae. The median lethal concentrations (LC50) were determined to be 7.1 × 104 cfu/mL, 3.3 × 103 conidia/mL, 1.2 × 103 PIB/mL, and 1 × 103 PIB/mL, respectively. These results indicate that indigenous microbial agents are a promising environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides in the control of H. derogata.

This study was undertaken to investigate the molecular detection of biofilm-producing Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from goat mastitis. An overall 384 milk samples were initially screened for subclinical mastitis (SCM) followed by molecular characterization of S. aureus isolates. The biofilm formation was assessed using Congo Red agar (CRA), a microtiter plate and the presence of the icaA gene. The results revealed a molecular prevalence of 53.24% (115/216) for pathogenic S. aureus in milk samples of goats. The phenotypic prevalence of biofilm production by CRA and microtitre methods was recorded to be 38.26% (44/115) and 26.96% (31/115) respectively, while the molecularly confirmed biofilm-forming S. aureus through polymerase chain reaction targeting icaA gene was 58.26% (67/115). The phylogenetic analysis of icaA gene revealed high identity between sequences of study isolates and the isolates of other neighbouring countries. The antibiogram profiling of pathogenic S. aureus showed increased resistance to cefoxitin and oxytetracycline followed by gentamicin. Out of 115, 45.22% (52/115) were declared as multiple drug resistant with multiple antibiotic resistance index greater than 0.2. The study concluded that biofilm-producing S. aureus strains are considered to be a common cause of SCM in dairy goats of Pakistan and biofilm formation is associated with multidrug resistance of study isolates.

With the increasing number and diversity of reptile species kept in zoological facilities and households, their welfare in captivity warrants structured and consistent evaluation. However, focused research on reptile welfare remains limited within the broader field of animal welfare science. Recognising such a gap, this study adopts an evidence-informed approach to review existing literature and proposes two conceptual welfare assessment frameworks — one for zoo settings and another for private keeping. We first identify the intended audiences for each framework and discuss common challenges reptile caretakers may face when conducting welfare assessments in different contexts. The frameworks are grounded in established principles from the Five Domains model and the European Welfare Quality® protocol, incorporating both resource- and animal-based indicators under the domains of Environment, Nutrition, Physical Health, and Behaviour. The design rationale is also explained to support future refinement. Finally, these conceptual frameworks are intended as a foundation for the development and validation of adaptable tools, capable of guiding improved husbandry practices and resource allocation for better welfare outcomes across a broad range of reptile taxa.

Dietary patterns are prerequisites for health and integral components of ecological systems. For over a century researchers have been building a body of evidence of associations between dietary patterns and health and sustainability outcomes while policymakers have been synthesising and translating this evidence into policies to promote public health. During this period, food systems have dramatically changed and driven the emergence of food supplies and dietary behaviours with no ecological or evolutionary precedent. Now, the relevance of conventional nutrition research and policymaking approaches for understanding food system transitions and protecting against unhealthy and unsustainable diets is being questioned. This review aims to examine how the ecological nutrition paradigm might guide a transformed approach to nutrition research and policymaking to promote healthy and sustainable diets. It shows the ecological nutrition paradigm is transdisciplinary integrating biological, social and environmental dimensions into nutrition research and policymaking. The paradigm operates to a ‘fit-for-purpose’ policymaking orientation. It draws on ecological and evolutionary theories to provide insights to conceptualise the causes of, and solutions to, nutrition problems and help design relevant decision-making processes. These research and policymaking features contrast with the ‘one-size-fits-all’ policymaking orientation and prescriptive decision-making processes of the conventional medical nutrition paradigm. Their attention to a relevance criterion engenders confidence in the likely effectiveness, and ability to avoid unintended consequences, of policies informed within an ecological nutrition paradigm. The review proposes a shift to the ecological nutrition paradigm to transform nutrition research and policymaking for promoting healthy and sustainable diets is overdue.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the resistance of advanced tomato genotypes resulting from an interspecific cross between Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum pennellii to Tetranychus urticae and Phthorimaea absoluta. The plant materials included nine lines, 14 hybrids, Leblon F1 (commercial control), and the wild accession S. pennellii LA716 as a resistance standard. Acylsugar content was then determined. For mite bioassays, oviposition, adult mortality/survival, egg hatching, and nymphs were evaluated using a no-choice bioassay. For P. absoluta bioassays, the oviposition, intensity of damage, type of lesions, and percentage of damaged leaflets were evaluated. F1 (TOM-808 × BPX-443E-03-02-113-02), F1(TOM-810 × BPX-443E-03-02-113-02), F1(TOM-808 × TOM-717), F1(TOM-808 × TOM-757), and F1(TOM-810 × TOM-717) were the most resistant to the mite, exhibiting higher female mortality, reduced oviposition, and no nymph emergence observed. The genotypes F1(TOM-808 × TOM-667), F1(TOM-808 × TOM-717), F1(TOM-810 × TOM-615), and several lines, which exhibited reduced oviposition and foliar damage. The results of the bioassays indicated that high acylsugar content reduced oviposition and foliar damage of the tested pests. The hybrid F1(TOM-808 × TOM-717) is the most promising at this stage of the breeding program, as it shows resistance to both tested pests.