Adult Female Mortality Research Articles

Can waterfowl buffer the mortality risk induced by GPS tags? A cautionary tale for applied inference across species

GPS tags have become a common tool in ecological studies of animal behaviour and demography despite previous research indicating negative impacts on vital rates across a variety of taxa. Many researchers face tradeoffs when deciding whether they are an appropriate tool because GPS tags may impact vital rates, but they provide detailed data on movements and behaviour that often cannot be obtained in other ways. Using band recovery data, we evaluated the strength of effects induced by GPS tags on annual mortality of adult females across 13 waterfowl taxa, and examined whether taxa with a slower life-history strategy and larger body size were more resilient to GPS tag effects than their fast-lived counterparts with small body size. All species were exposed to hunting, which may interact with underlying processes affecting the impact of GPS tags on mortality, but also allowed for robust analysis of overall annual mortality. Hazard ratios, indicating the risk of death for individuals wearing GPS tags compared to those wearing only metal bands, ranged from 1.13 to 3.25 and the mean proportional difference in survival between marker types across species was 0.33. The magnitude of tag effects was surprisingly consistent across life-history tempo and body size, indicating that slower-lived species did not buffer the effect of wearing GPS tags. Our results highlight that even large, long-lived species, which are generally better at buffering their mortality against environmental adversity, are not immune to the effects GPS tags can have on survival and mortality. The results of our study emphasize the importance of testing for such effects across taxa in future research as technology advances.

The moderating roles of healthcare expenditure in the fossil fuel consumption‐ mortality rate conflicts in fossil fuel‐dependent sub‐Saharan African countries

AbstractThis current study contributes to the extant literature by providing the first empirical evidence on the functional relationship between fossil fuel consumption, environmental pollution, and mortality rate in selected fossil fuels‐dependent nations in sub‐Saharan African countries with the moderating role of healthcare expenditures from 1982 to 2021. The empirical evidence relies on a battery of techniques comprising fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and panel quartile regression estimators. In order to establish sturdy empirical insights, fossil fuel is proxy by four indices including oil, coal, natural gas (at the disaggregated level), and fossil fuel (at the aggregated level). Mortality rate is also disaggregated into mortality rate, adult male, mortality rate, adult female, and infant mortality rate. Based on this disaggregation, the findings from the study reveal the following: First, the indicators for fossil fuel consumption have positive statistically significant impact on all three measures of mortality rate. Second, environmental pollution positively impacts the three indicators of mortality rate. Third, healthcare expenditure significantly reduces mortality rate, while its interaction with fossil fuel consumption moderates their unfavorable impacts on mortality rate. Fourth, with the exception of natural gas, the indicators of fossil fuel consumption and environmental pollution exert unfavorable impacts on mortality rate across all the quartiles. Emerging from these empirical findings, the study recommends promotion of cleaner sources of energy while at the same time improving healthcare expenditure as an interim measure pending full transition to renewable energy towards the attainment of a good health outcome in sub‐Saharan Africa countries.

Mule deer mortality in the northern Great Plains in a landscape altered by oil and natural gas extraction

AbstractA worldwide increasing demand for renewable and non‐renewable energy resources has been ongoing since the mid‐1970s and is projected to increase for the next 2 decades. The effects of oil and natural gas development on wildlife mortality risk may play an important role in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population dynamics. We evaluated the potential effects of oil and natural gas development on mortality risk of mule deer in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, USA. We assessed adult and juvenile female mule deer mortality risk with Poisson point process models using 265 deer fitted with global positioning system (GPS) radio‐collars that were deployed from 2013–2016. Mortality covariates included proportion of area disturbed by oil and natural gas development, distance to oil and natural gas development, distance to roads, temperature, snow depth, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and age of deer. During the study there was no effect of oil and natural gas development or roads on mule deer mortality, though <1% of all deer locations were within 500 m of active drilling rigs. Mule deer mortality was greatest in winter and spring, and positively related to temperature during these seasons. Estimated annual adult survival probability was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.71–0.85). Given the strong influence of season and temperature variables on mortality risk, weather had the strongest influence on mule deer mortality during this study. Although we did not detect an effect of energy development on mule deer mortality, effects on space use resulting from development could influence deer dynamics in the region through displacement and could occur over longer time scales than we evaluated. This study can be used in pre‐development planning in a risk assessment framework to minimize effects of development on mule deer.

Control dengue with Wolbachia: Insights from a two-strain vector-host model with larval competition

Due to deficient treatments and vaccines for dengue viruses, dengue control mainly depends on controlling mosquitoes. Suppressing wild mosquito population size by releasing male-only Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes into the field has become an eco-friendly alternative for traditional mosquito control methods. By assuming an ideal continuous proportional release strategy, we formulate a two-strain vector-host model incorporating larval competition to describe the affected cross-transmission dynamics of two dengue viruses serotypes. Moreover, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and temporal cross-immunity are considered in this model. Theoretical analysis including the well-posedness, the existence and local stability of dengue-free equilibria in terms of the basic reproduction numbers is conducted. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the basic reproduction numbers are most sensitive to the adult female mortality rate and mosquito bite rate. As expected, intensifying larval competition can prevent the spread of dengue viruses. Unexpectedly, increasing the release ratio can delay the peak time while increase the peak level of both primary and secondary infections. To efficiently eliminate dengue outbreaks, other control methods such as spraying larvicides/adult insecticides and avoiding mosquito bites should be employed simultaneously during the time period gained by releasing Wolbachia-carrying males.

Cougars, wolves, and humans drive a dynamic landscape of fear for elk.

To manage predation risk, prey navigate a dynamic landscape of fear, or spatiotemporal variation in risk perception, reflecting predator distributions, traits, and activity cycles. Prey may seek to reduce risk across this landscape using habitat at times and in places when predators are less active. In multipredator landscapes, avoiding one predator could increase vulnerability to another, making the landscape of fear difficult to predict and navigate. Additionally, humans may shape interactions between predators and prey, and induce new sources of risk. Humans can function as a shield, providing a refuge for prey from human-averse carnivores, and as a predator, causing mortality through hunting and vehicle collisions and eliciting a fear response that can exceed that of carnivores. We used telemetry data collected between 2017 and 2021 from 63 Global Positioning System-collared elk (Cervus canadensis), 42 cougars (Puma concolor), and 16 wolves (Canis lupus) to examine how elk habitat selection changed in relation to carnivores and humans in northeastern Washington, USA. Using step selection functions, we evaluated elk habitat use in relation to cougars, wolves, and humans, diel period (daytime vs. nighttime), season (summer calving season vs. fall hunting season), and habitat structure (open vs. closed habitat). The diel cycle was critical to understanding elk movement, allowing elk to reduce encounters with predators where and when they would be the largest threat. Elk strongly avoided cougars at night but had a near-neutral response to cougars during the day, whereas elk avoided wolves at all times of day. Elk generally used more open habitats where cougars and wolves were most active, rather than altering the use of habitat structure depending on the predator species. Elk avoided humans during the day and ~80% of adult female mortality was human caused, suggesting that humans functioned as a "super predator" in this system. Simultaneously, elk leveraged the human shield against wolves but not cougars at night, and no elk were confirmed to have been killed by wolves. Our results add to the mounting evidence that humans profoundly affect predator-prey interactions, highlighting the importance of studying these dynamics in anthropogenic areas.

Reconstructing mountain goat history in the Olympic Mountains, USA

AbstractBetween 1925 and 1930, 11 or 12 non‐native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) were translocated from Alaska and British Columbia to the foothills of the Olympic Range. By 1970, descendants of these goats had colonized the entire range and concerns about the management of this introduced species developed as damage to alpine soil and vegetation occurred. A series of removals reduced the population from 1175 in 1983 to 389 by 1990, eventually growing to 584 in 2016. We used demographic and genetic data to parameterize a population genetics individual‐based simulation model of the Olympic Range mountain goats. We calibrated the model to replicate the population trajectory for Olympic mountain goats from establishment in the 1920s through the 1983 first census. As expected, modeled population dynamics from 1928 to 1983 mimicked parameter initialization from expanding populations. However, simulated heterozygosity did not align with observations, suggesting a process not accounted for within the simulation model, such as a bottleneck or founder effect. Sensitivity analyses showed changes in annual reproductive rate, juvenile mortality, and adult female mortality influencing population trajectories, but variation in male mortality revealed no changes. Evaluating the population dynamics of the model after removals showed that approximately 80% of the total animals removed during the 1980s needed to be female in order for the observed population estimates to occur. This model has the potential to be used more widely with established or introduced mountain goat populations, as well as to provide an approach for studying other introduced species and their population dynamics.

Isolation, identification and pathogenicity of local entomopathogenic bacteria as biological control agents against the wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) on cactus pear in Morocco

The Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) cactus, a crucial crop in Morocco, is threatened by the wild cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell). The aim of this research was to investigate the efficacy of nine bacterial strains against both D. opuntiae nymphs and adults females applied individually or after black soap in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions. Using the partial 16S ribosomal DNA, the bacterial isolates were identified as Pseudomonas koreensis, Pseudomonas sp., Burkholderia sp. and Bacillus sp. Under laboratory conditions, the insecticidal activity of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 showed the level mortality (88%) of adult females’ at 108 CFU/mL, 7 days after application. At a concentration of 108 CFU/mL, P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 and Pseudomonas sp. (strains 37 and 5) caused 100% nymphs mortality rate three days after application. Under greenhouse conditions, the use of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 at 108 CFU/mL following the application of black soap (60 g/L) demonstrated the maximum levels of females and nymphs’ mortalities with 80 and 91.25%, respectively, after 8 days of treatment. In field conditions, the combined application of the P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 at 108 CFU/mL with black soap at 60 g/L, for an interval of 7 days, significantly increased the mortality of adult females to 93.33% at 7 days after the second application. These findings showed that the combined treatment of P. koreensis strain 66Ms.04 with black soap can be a potent and eco-friendly pesticide against D. opuntiae.

Reduced survival of Steller sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska following marine heatwave

The North Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016 (PMH), one of the most geographically-extensive and severe marine heatwaves on record, resulted in widespread and persistent perturbation of the Gulf of Alaska and California Current ecosystems. Negative effects of the PMH on marine mammals have been observed, but are not yet well understood. The endangered Steller sea lion Eumetopias jubatus is an important top predator in the Gulf of Alaska that is also particularly vulnerable to sudden or severe ecosystem shifts. We examined survival of 4,178 known-aged Steller sea lions marked from 2000 to 2016 from Kodiak Island through Southeast Alaska, using mark-recapture models and 12,811 resightings collected from 2001 to 2021. Survival of adult females aged 3–15 was reduced -0.05 to -0.23 during the PMH in the areas east, but not west, of Cook Inlet. Survival of Kodiak females was unaffected by the PMH, but survival of Sugarloaf females aged 5–8 was reduced -0.13 from summer 2015 to summer 2016. Lowest survival in Southeast Alaska occurred from summer 2016 to summer 2017, but was also reduced from summer 2014 to summer 2016. Reduced survival continued post-PMH in Kenai Peninsula/Prince William Sound, but not in Southeast Alaska. Survival of adult males was insensitive to the PMH, except in Southeast Alaska where male survival was reduced -0.25 from summer 2016 to summer 2017. Prolonged or intermittent high adult female mortality may reduce population growth and initiate regional declines. Survival response of Steller sea lions to the PMH varied regionally despite similar patterns of ocean warming throughout our study area, suggesting areas east versus west of Cook Inlet were affected differently by the PMH, perhaps due to habitat and oceanographic differences.

Chemical profiling of Artemisia herba-alba, Cuminum cyminum, Cinnamomum camphora, and Salvia rosmarinus essential oils and assessment of their insecticidal potential to control the wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell)

The wild cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae), has become a serious pest of prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica L. in the Mediterranean region. The present study investigated the insecticidal activity of four essential oils, namely Cuminum cyminum, Cinnamomum camphora, Artemisia herba-alba, and Salvia rosmarinus against D. opuntiae nymphs and adult females in laboratory and greenhouse bioassays. Laboratory tests showed that at a concentration of 2.5%, C. cyminum oil was the most effective (inducing 100% nymph mortality at 3 h after treatment), followed by C. camphora, A. herba-alba and S. rosmarinus oils which recorded comparable mortality rates ranging from 89.40 to 100%, while S. rosmarinus and C. cyminum oils induced the highest mortality rates on adult females (88% and 86%, respectively) 8 days after treatments. Under greenhouse conditions, the combined application of C. cyminum oil (2.5%) and black soap (10 g/L) showed the highest nymphs’ mortality (100%) at 3 days after application. Adult female mortality in the greenhouse was lower than in the laboratory bioassay for all tested oils, with S. rosmarinus inducing 47% mortality at 2.5% at 14 days after the second spray. Eucalyptol was the main constituent of S. rosmarinus (41.20%) and C. camphora (56.47%) oils, and thujon-camphor was the major chemotype of A. herba-alba (30.55%/28.16%), while cuminaldehyde was the main compound of C. cyminum oil seeds (32.53%). These findings showed that the compounds of the two essential oils S. rosmarinus and C. camphora potential sources of insecticidal compounds and warrant further investigation.

Differentials in Maternal Mortality Pattern in Sub-Saharan Africa Countries: Evidence from Demographic and Health Survey Data

Maternal mortality ratios in sub-Saharan Africa remain high and worrisome. Moreover, maternal health indicators have remained poor despite large efforts in the last two decades. This study assesses maternal mortality patterns by age and country. The demographic and health survey data were used for the study. Based on the results, countries with the lowest adult female mortality rate include Senegal, Comoros, Rwanda, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Gambia, and Ethiopia. In addition, Chad (44.7%), Niger (38.7%), the Congo Democratic Republic (34.8%), Nigeria (34.2%), Mauritania (32.0%), Senegal (29.2%), Liberia (28.8%), Benin (27.8%), and Guinea (27.5%), respectively, reported the highest female deaths that are pregnancy-related. Overall, Lesotho (1024; 95% CI: 731–1318), Liberia (913; 95% CI: 638–1189), Chad (860; 95% CI: 728–993), Congo Democratic Republic (846; 95% CI: 690–1003), Sierra Leone (796; 95% CI: 632–960) and Guinea (724; 95% CI: 531–916) had the leading pregnancy-related mortality ratio per 100,000 live births. The study found that the patterns of death vary across different countries. There is a need for concerted efforts to reduce pregnancy-related deaths in sub-Saharan countries.

Daily roadkill monitoring and long-term population census reveal female-biased mortality for a small mammal along a wildland-urban interface

Expanding road networks in the wildland-urban interface may increase wildlife mortality from vehicle collisions. However, our knowledge of long-term roadkill rates and impacts on vertebrate populations is poor. We capitalized on a 31-year study to determine how roadkill rates varied with demography and traffic volume in a population of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis; GMGS) along 1 km of rural road in Colorado, USA. Despite low annual numbers of roadkill events (0–7 GMGS), adult female mortality was high (10.9 %) and increased with female cohort size. Adult roadkill rates increased with our traffic volume index. We estimate 71 % of roadkill events would have been undetected if we performed weekly instead of daily surveys. Hence, population-level impacts of road mortalities are likely underestimated in short-term studies that lack paired demographic data. Understanding true rates of roadkill in wildland and developing areas will help inform conservation strategies.

Estimation of national and subnational all-cause mortality indicators in Nepal, 2017

BackgroundDespite the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system in Nepal operating for several decades, it has not been used to produce routine mortality statistics. Instead, mortality statistics rely on irregular surveys and censuses that primarily focus on child mortality. To fill this knowledge gap, this study estimates levels and subnational differentials in mortality across all ages in Nepal, primarily using CRVS data adjusted for incompleteness.MethodsWe analyzed death registration data (offline or paper-based) and CRVS survey reported death data, estimating the true crude death rate (CDR) and number of deaths by sex and year for each province and ecological belt. The estimated true number of deaths for 2017 was used with an extension of the empirical completeness method to estimate the adult mortality (45q15) and life expectancy at birth by sex and subnational level. Plausibility of subnational mortality estimates was assessed against poverty head count rates.ResultsAdult mortality in Nepal for 2017 is estimated to be 159 per 1000 for males and 116 for females, while life expectancy was estimated as 69.7 years for males and 73.9 years for females. Subnationally, male adult mortality ranges from 129 per 1000 in Madhesh to 224 in Karnali and female adult mortality from 89 per 1000 in Province 1 to 159 in Sudurpashchim. Similarly, male life expectancy is between 64.9 years in Karnali and 71.8 years in Madhesh and female male life expectancy between 69.6 years in Sudurpashchim and 77.0 years in Province 1. Mountain ecological belt and Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces have high mortality and high poverty levels, whereas Terai and Hill ecological belts and Province 1, Madhesh, and Bagmati and Gandaki provinces have low mortality and poverty levels.ConclusionsThis is the first use of CRVS system data in Nepal to estimate national and subnational mortality levels and differentials. The national results are plausible when compared with Global Burden of Disease and United Nations World Population Prospects estimates. Understanding of the reasons for inequalities in mortality in Nepal should focus on improving cause of death data and further strengthening CRVS data.

Entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents of Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions

The cactus Opuntia ficus-indica L. is widly cultivated in Morocco and has a very an important economic role as a source of food, livestock feed and not forgetting that it is considered to be an income for people in rural communities. This crop is subject to the attack of a serious insect pest, the Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell), which sucks the sap from the plant causing huge production losses since its introduction to the country in 2014. The present study investigated the entomopathogenic effect of six fungal isolates {Beauveria bassiana [HASS; RFSL10; SPT 011(a)]; Akanthomyces lecanii [RFSLV; SPT R 215] and Cordyceps farinosa [SPSBI4]} for controlling of both nymphs and adult females of D. opuntiae in laboratory and greenhouse bioassays. Under laboratory conditions, the highest mortality of female D. opuntiae was registered by B. bassiana strain HASS at 108 conidia ml−1 with 100%, followed by B. bassiana strain RFSL10, A. lecanii RFSLV, and C. farinosa SPSBI4 isolates with 98%, respectively, 10 days after treatments. Similarly, the highest level of nymph mortality (100%) was recorded by B. bassiana RFSL10 and HASS isolates at 108 conidia ml1, respectively, 4 and 5 days after application. Under greenhouse conditions, B. bassiana (HASS and RFSL10) and A. lecanii (RFSLV) isolates sprayed alone expressed a higher toxicity on nymphs with 75, 68.5 and 58%, respectively, 12 days after treatments. However, no significant difference was observed in adult female's mortality between different fungal isolates, where B. bassiana (HASS) at 108 conidia ml−1 presented a moderate mortality rate with 55%, 12 days after application. In fact, the combination of black soap (60 g/L) with B. bassiana HASS and RFSL10 and A. lecanii (RFSLV) isolates at 108 conidia ml−1 caused the highest toxic activity on D. opuntiae adult females, with 70.5, 68.75 and 67.65%, respectively. These findings showed that entomopathogenic fungi are promising for developing a biopesticide formulation for the management of D. opuntiae as an adequate and safe alternative to chemical pesticides.

Demographics and viability of an estuarine community of Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphins

AbstractWildlife management requires reliable demographic information to assess the status of a population and its vulnerability to threats. This study calculated age class‐ and sex‐specific demographic parameters and assessed the viability of a community of Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) resident to the Peel‐Harvey Estuary in Western Australia. Boat‐based photo‐identification surveys (n = 483) were conducted between 2016 and 2019. A population viability analysis (PVA) was used to assess the community status and evaluate the effects of adult female and calf mortality, and reproduction on population growth rate. The community comprised 88 (SD = 4.43) individuals with a sex ratio close to parity in all but the adult age class where it was skewed towards females. Demographic changes in this community are driven by births, deaths, and the likely permanent emigration of juvenile males. No immigration was observed. The population is stable (r = −0.004, SD = 0.062) given the current demographic rates. To maintain a community of ~90 individuals, management should consider action to lower adult female and calf mortality. This should involve aiming for zero human caused mortality and ensuring adverse impacts to the population are considered in future development planning.

Moroccan entomopathogenic nematodes as potential biocontrol agents against Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae)

Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) or prickly pear cochineal, is the most damaging pest on cactus species with heavy economic losses worldwide. The efficacy of two Moroccan EPN isolates; Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Poinar) (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) (applied at 25, 50, and 75 IJs cm−2) against D. opuntiae nymphs and young females were evaluated under both laboratory bioassays and field conditions. Results showed that S. feltiae was more effective, causing higher mortality of nymphs and adult females (98.8% and 97.5%, respectively) after 8 days of exposure, resulting in an LT50 value of 5.9 days (nymph) and 6.0 days (young female). While, H. bacteriophora had lower mortalities (83.8% for nymph and 81.3% for adult females). For the cochineal nymphs and adult females, no significant difference was observed among S. feltiae at 25, 50, and 75 IJs cm−2, and the positive control, d-limonene applied at 0.5 g/L which was used due to its high effectiveness against nymphs and females of D. opuntiae. In the field experiment, d-limonene at 0.5 g/L and S. feltiae applied at 75 IJs cm−2 were effective in reducing nymph and adult female populations by 85.3–93.9% at 12 days of post exposure period. To our knowledge, this work is the first report on the use of EPNs to control D. opuntiae. Thus, in addition to d-limonene, both Moroccan EPN isolates S. feltiae, and H. bacteriophora could be used as part of the integrated pest management strategy against D. opuntiae. Many factors such as temperature can affect the establishment and effectiveness of EPNs under field conditions. Therefore, additional studies under field conditions are needed.

Acaricidal, ovicidal and fagoinhibition activities of seed extracts from Swietenia humilis against Tetranychus urticae under laboratory conditions

Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) has been considered among the most important phytophagous pest both in field and greenhouse crops around tropical areas of the globe. Although synthetic pesticides have remained as the main method to control mite populations, alternatives strategies as biopesticides based on secondary metabolites derived from plants should be considered. Ascending polarity seed extracts of Swietenia humilis Zucc. (Meliaceae: Magnoliopsida) were evaluated for their egg and adult female toxicity, fagoinhibition as well as repellent activities against T. urticae under laboratory conditions. Ethyl acetate (EtOAc) medium polarity extract showed the highest ovicidal activity (92.54% at 1% concentration), adult female corrected mortality (EC50 = 0.0738%) as well as fagoinhibition (100% at 0.25% concentration). On the other hand, high polarity Methanol (MeOH) extract exhibits a predominant repellent profile (62% repellency) that was observed at 0.125% concentration with no significant toxicity. Our findings suggest different activity of extracts depending on their polarity. Otherwise, 13C NMR of a fraction from EtOAc extract led to detection of two major mexicanolide-type limonoids named humilinolides G and H. Finally, this study provides important bases for further research on the value of S. humilis seed extracts (ShSE) as an acaricide and the comprehensive use of the seeds for industrial multipurpose.

Chemical Composition and Insecticidal Potential of Six Essential Oils from Morocco against Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) under Field and Laboratory Conditions.

Simple SummaryThe prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica L. has an important economic role as a source of food for human consumption, for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes, and as fodder for livestock in Morocco. This crop is now attacked by a new sap-sucking insect pest, the wild-scale Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell). The aim of this study was to investigate the insecticidal potential of essential oils as alternative to synthetic insecticides for the control of D. opuntiae nymphs and adult females under laboratory and field conditions. Results revealed that Mentha pulegium and Origanum vulgare oils provided a rich source of bioactive compounds and exhibited high contact toxicity against D. opuntiae. In addition, M. pulegium and O. vulgaris oils applied in combination with black soap induced the highest toxic activity on adult females under field conditions.The carmine cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) is the major insect pest of the prickly-pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) in Morocco. The present study investigated the insecticidal activities of six essential oils (EOs) against nymphs and adult females of D. opuntiae applied singly or in combination with a detergent under laboratory and field conditions. Under laboratory conditions, M. pulegium and O. vulgare L. essential oils showed a high level of insecticidal activity at 5%, with 98% and 92% females’ mortality, respectively, 5 days after treatments. The M. pulegium and O. vulgaris oils at 5% applied in combination with black soap at (60 g/L) induced the highest toxic activity on adult females, 100% and 96% at 5 days after treatments, respectively. Under field conditions, M. pulegium and O. vulgare oils at 5% in combination with black soap (60 g/L) showed the highest adult female mortalities with 96.33 and 92.56%, respectively, 7 days after the first application. The double application of M. pulegium oil at 5% significantly increased the mortality of adult females up to 91%, 5 days after the second spray. GC-MS analysis revealed that the most abundant constituent of M. pulegium and O. vulgare oils was pulegone (84.69%) and durenol (76.53%), respectively. These findings showed that the use of M. pulegium and O. vulgare in combination with black soap or in double sprays could be incorporated in the management package for the control of the wild cochineal D. opuntiae, as a safe and natural alternative to chemical insecticides.

Acaricidal and repellent effects of <em>Aloe vera</em> L. leaf extracts against <em>Tetranychus urticae</em> Koch (Acari: (Tetranychidae)

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a cosmopolitan pest that causes considerable damage to vegetables, fruit and flower plants. The acaricidal, ovicidal and repellent activity of four different extracts of Aloe vera L. (Asphodelaceae) leaves were evaluated against T. urticae under laboratory conditions. Four different solvents of A. vera leaf extracts were tested against T. urticae at concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, 1.0 and 2.0%. The results indicated that all extracts had lethal and repellent effects on T. urticae. The acetone extract showed the highest mortality (95.0%) of adult females followed by ethanol (83.0%) at 2.0% concentration. The LC50 values of acetone, ethanol, methanol and petroleum ether extract for adult females were 0.446, 0.667, 0.953 and 1.279, respectively and for eggs were 0.950, 1.406, 2.115 and 3.312, respectively. The ethanol extract was found to be more effective as a repellent against adult females of T. urticae followed by acetone, methanol and petroleum ether causing a reduction in egg production per female by 96.0, 94.0, 85.0 and 83.0%, respectively. In the residual test, the acetone extract showed the highest mortality (49%) after 1 hour of treatment followed by ethanol (43.0%), methanol (29.0%) and petroleum ether (25.0%). The percent of mortality decreased after 48 and 72 hours after treatments. The results show that A. vera has a high potential to become a botanical acaricide for controlling T. urticae.

The role of access to electricity, female education, and public health expenditure on female health outcomes: evidence from SAARC-ASEAN countries

BackgroundThe importance of the status of female health should have research priority due to the unique medical needs of women. Hence this paper attempts to explore the nexus of access to electricity, female education, and public health expenditure with female health outcomes in the SAARC-ASEAN countries.MethodsUsing the data of 2002–2018, and applying the cross-sectional dependence test, Modified Wald test, Wooldridge test, the Panel corrected standard error (PCSE) model, the Feasible generalized least square (FGLS) model, and the pair-wise Granger causality test, the robust outcomes on female health are found.ResultsAccess to electricity, female education rate, public health expenditure, economic growth, and immunization rate, all have a positive effect on female life expectancy at birth, and a negative effect on the female adult mortality rate. The urbanization rate has a significantly positive impact on female life expectancy at birth but an insignificant impact on female adult mortality rate. The one-way causal relationship between the variables are also revealed.ConclusionsAll the results are rational and have important milestone for the health sector. The health status of females should be improved and protected by formulating effective policies on access to electricity, female education, public health expenditure, immunization, economic growth, and urbanization.

Predicting the population consequences of acoustic disturbance, with application to an endangered gray whale population.

Acoustic disturbance is a growing conservation concern for wildlife populations because it can elicit physiological and behavioral responses that can have cascading impacts on population dynamics. State-dependent behavioral and life history models implemented via Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) provide a natural framework for quantifying biologically meaningful population changes resulting from disturbance by linking environment, physiology, and metrics of fitness. We developed an SDP model using the endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) as a case study because they experience acoustic disturbance on their summer foraging grounds. We modeled the behavior and physiological dynamics of pregnant females as they arrived on the feeding grounds and predicted the probability of female and offspring survival, with and without acoustic disturbance and in the presence/absence of high prey availability. Upon arrival in mid-May, pregnant females initially exhibited relatively random behavior before they transitioned to intensive feeding that resulted in continual fat mass gain until departure. This shift in behavior co-occurred with a change in spatial distribution; early in the season, whales were more equally distributed among foraging areas with moderate to high energy availability, whereas by mid-July whales transitioned to predominate use of the location that had the highest energy availability. Exclusion from energy-rich offshore areas led to reproductive failure and in extreme cases, mortality of adult females that had lasting impacts on population dynamics. Simulated disturbances in nearshore foraging areas had little to no impact on female survival or reproductive success at the population level. At the individual level, the impact of disturbance was unequally distributed across females of different lengths, both with respect to the number of times an individual was disturbed and the impact of disturbance on vital rates. Our results highlight the susceptibility of large capital breeders to reductions in prey availability, and indicate that who, where, and when individuals are disturbed are likely to be important considerations when assessing the impacts of acoustic activities. This model provides a framework to inform planned acoustic disturbances and assess the effectiveness of mitigation strategies for large capital breeders.