Magnolia Stellata Research Articles

Перспективный гибрид Magnolia × loebneri на юге Дальнего Востока России: возможности использования в декоративном садоводстве региона

The report presents some results of Magnolia × loebneri cultivation in the Botanical GardenInstitute FEB RAS (Vladivostok). In the climatic conditions of southern Far East of Russia, M. × loebneri showed significant winter hardiness and stable abundant flowering, exceeding the characteristics of parental species (Magnolia kobus × Magnolia stellata), as well as high resistance to diseases and pests. In this regard, it seems very promising to include M. × loebneri in the assortment of ornamental woody plants, used in landscaping and develop its introduction tests in Primorsky Krai.

Reciprocal crosses between Magnolia stellata and Magnolia kobus do not show significant reproductive barriers in seed formation

AbstractCongeneric invasive species reduce genetic endemism of native species through hybridization and sometimes cause extinction through genetic or demographic swamping. In the range of Magnolia stellata, a native rare subtree species, Magnolia kobus, an invasive planted/escaped tree species, can also be found. In order to examine possible natural hybridization between the two species, a reciprocal cross‐pollination experiment was conducted, and fruit set, seed set, female reproductive success in seed formation (FRS; fruit set × seed set) and seed weight were estimated. With M. stellata as the maternal tree, there were no significant differences in all measurements between intra‐ and interspecific crosses. With M. kobus as the maternal tree, there were also no significant differences in all measurements except fruit set. These results suggest that there are no reproductive barriers between the two species and planted/escaped M. kobus near the natural habitat of M. stellata presents a threat through hybridization.

Survival, growth and reproduction of sprouted individuals of star magnolia two years after clearcutting

ABSTRACT Star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, is an endemic rare subcanopy tree species in the Pacific Ocean side of central Japan and an important component of Satoyama coppice forests in the area. This species is now faced with possible extinction due to the abandonment of Satoyama forests. To understand sprouting regeneration patterns of this species, to assist in its conservation, we defined four study plots whose area ranged from 156.25 to 500 m2 and clearcut all vegetation in 2012–2019. We recorded survival, growth and formation of flower buds at the individual level for two years after clearcutting. The average survival rate was 95.8%. Average tree heights in the first and the second year were 0.85 m and 1.36 m, respectively. Tree height in the first year was significantly positively correlated with the total basal area of stumps (TBA), which is assumed to be proportional to the amount of carbohydrates stored in stumps. The average percentage of individuals forming flower buds in the second year after clearcutting was 32.0%. The probability for forming of flower buds in the second year was increased with increasing in TBA and the model predicted that individuals whose TBA was above 381 cm2 had more than 50% probability of forming flower buds. Tree height in the second year for individuals with flower buds was significantly greater than those without. However, annual height growth of individuals with flower buds was significantly lower than those without. This indicates that a significant trade-off between height growth and reproduction exists.

Comparative Performance of Chemical and Biological-based Products in Management of Algal Leaf Spot on Magnolia

Magnolia trees (Magnolia sp.) are a popular choice for consumers when choosing flowering woody plants for landscapes. Magnolia species grow in a wide variety of both temperate and tropical locations. Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of the more popular magnolias due to its pleasing aesthetics: large showy flowers in a range of colors and evergreen foliage. However, magnolias can be affected by algal leaf spot. Algal leaf spot is caused by Cephaleuros virescens, which is a widespread plant parasitic green alga. There has been little research on how to treat algal leaf spot on magnolia plants. This study focuses on identifying effective biological- and chemical-based fungicides for the management of algal leaf spot disease of magnolia plants. Two experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with six replications per treatment and a total of 12 treatments, including a nontreated control. The first experiment (Expt. 1) was conducted in a shade house (56% shade) at McMinnville, TN, using southern magnolia plants. The second experiment (Expt. 2) was conducted at a commercial nursery in McMinnvillle, TN, in a field plot planted with ‘Jane’ magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora ‘Nigra’ × Magnolia stellata ‘Rosea’). The algal leaf spot disease severity, disease progression, plant marketability and growth parameters were evaluated. In both experiments, all treatments reduced algal leaf spot disease severity and disease progress in comparison with the nontreated control. In Expt. 1, copper octanoate, copper oxychloride, chlorothalonil water-dispersible granules, chlorothalonil suspension concentrate, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr, hydrogen peroxide + peroxyacetic acid, and mono- and di-potassium salts of phosphorus acid + hydrogen peroxide reduced the disease severity and disease progress the most and were not statistically different from one another. In Expt. 2, azoxystrobin + benzovindiflupyr, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, and copper oxychloride significantly reduced disease severity and disease progress (area under disease progress curve). Treatments had no deleterious effect on plant growth parameters such as height and width, and no phytotoxicity of applied treatments or defoliation was observed. Treated magnolia plants had better plant marketability compared with the nontreated control plants. The findings of this study will help growers to achieve better management of algal leaf spot disease on magnolia trees.

Evaluation of a field experiment for the conservation of a Magnolia stellata stand using clear-cutting

Magnolia stellata is a rare subcanopy tree species that grows in secondary forests in warm temperate zones. It is now endangered due to habitat degradation by vegetation succession. In an attempt to improve the habitat, a 30 m × 10 m plot (0.03 ha) was set up with all vegetation including M. stellata being clear-cut in January 2012. The number of sprouts increased for 1–2 years after clear-cutting and then gradually decreased or remained constant. Five years after clear-cutting, the numbers of individuals and stems, and the total basal area (BA), were 87.0, 165.5 and 3.2%, respectively, of the values before clear-cutting. BA was highest for Ilex pedunculosa, followed by M. stellata and Hydrangea paniculata. Some sprouted individuals of M. stellata produced flower buds in the second year after clear-cutting, and flowered and fruited in the spring and summer of the third year, respectively. The densities of potential canopy species were 18,533 ha−1 (height > 0.5 m) and 7,267 ha−1 (height > 1.2 m), vastly exceeding the value of the criterion for successful natural regeneration after clear-cutting of warm temperate forests in the region (3,000 ha−1). Based on this criterion, it is thus considered that the natural regeneration has reached completion. However, 45.1% (height > 0.5 m) and 95.5% (height > 1.2 m) of M. stellata individuals were regenerated by sprouting. Further research is needed into how individuals, regenerated from seedlings, develop and reach sexual maturity, and how successive generations change.

Effects of temperature on germination of sporangia, infection and protein secretion by Phytophthora kernoviae

Phytophthora kernoviae is a pathogen on a wide range of plants, but little is known of optimal infection conditions. Rhododendron ponticum leaves were inoculated with six different isolates of P. kernoviae sporangia and incubated at different temperatures from 10 to 28 °C. After 1 week, lesion development and pathogen recovery were only observed from all isolates at 15 and 20 °C and a few isolates at 10 °C. In an experiment with temperatures ranging from 20 to 25 °C, lesion development and pathogen recovery on R. ponticum, Magnolia stellata and Viburnum tinus occurred consistently at 20 and 21 °C, was limited at 22 °C, and did not occur at 23 °C and above. There was no difference in sporangia and zoospore germination at 20–25 °C. In a temperature fluctuation experiment, the necrotic area of inoculated R. ponticum leaves increased with longer incubation at 20 °C and decreased with longer incubation at 24 °C. Crude extracts of secreted proteins from P. kernoviae cultures grown at 20 and 24 °C were compared to determine any effects of temperature on pathogenicity. When spot tested on R. ponticum leaves, crude protein suspensions from cultures grown at 20 °C induced necrosis, while proteins from cultures grown at 24 °C did not. Proteomic analysis confirmed that a 10 kDa protein secreted at both 20 and 24 °C shared sequence homology to the conserved domains of known elicitins of other Phytophthora spp. The protein secreted at 20 °C that was responsible for necrosis has not been identified.

Reduced incompatibility in the production of second generation hybrids between two Magnolia species revealed by Bayesian gene dispersal modeling.

Hybrid zones are areas where gene flow between related species is currently occurring, so information on the compatibility between related species and their hybrids is essential for predicting the dynamics of such zones generated by introgressive hybridization. In this study, we quantified the compatibility among Magnolia stellata, M. salicifolia, and their hybrids in a hybrid zone using gene dispersal modeling. After determining the genealogical classes of adult trees in the hybrid zone, the paternity of 574 open-pollinated seeds from 37 known maternal trees was analyzed with microsatellite markers. A neighborhood-based Bayesian gene dispersal model developed by us for estimating compatibility was then applied to the paternity data. When M. stellata or M. salicifolia were mothers, interspecific mating to produce F1 hybrids yielded significant incompatibility, but backcrossing with F1 hybrids did not. Furthermore, when F1 hybrids became mothers, no significant incompatibility resulted from backcrossing to parental species or intra-F1 mating to produce F2 hybrids. The estimated proportion of F1 hybrids in the outcrossed seeds (1.7%) in the hybrid zone was much lower than that in the adult trees (14.0%). While it is difficult to obtain F1 hybrids, their low incompatibility makes it easy to produce advanced generation hybrids, once they have been successfully obtained. Although the production of F1 seeds is rare, heterosis and/or weak selection pressure in an empty niche between the parental species' niches may have contributed to the increased proportion of adult F1 hybrids in the hybrid zone.

Genetic diversity and structure of remnant Magnolia stellata populations affected by anthropogenic pressures and a conservation strategy for maintaining their current genetic diversity

Understanding the factors shaping rare species’ current genetic diversity and structure, particularly the impact of recent anthropogenic pressures, is important in order to develop appropriate conservation strategies based on robust predictions. Thus, we have genotyped all 585 surviving individuals of Magnolia stellata from six remnant populations and seven isolated tree sites in northern Mie Prefecture, Japan, using nuclear and chloroplast microsatellites. Three genetic clusters were detected by STRUCTURE analysis, with an oldest divergence time between pairs within 25 generations according to coalescent analysis. We attribute this recent divergence to recent anthropogenic environmental changes. Evidence of only one significant recent migration event between pairs of the six populations was detected, indicating that most of the remnant populations are isolated now. Their future genetic status was predicted using Monte Carlo simulations, under four scenarios. It declined more than twice as rapidly in a scenario assuming variations in fecundity among both female and male parents than in a scenario assuming no fecundity variations, but strongly improved in a scenario including promotion of migrations between adjacent pairs of populations. These predictions indicate that sexual reproduction of the species should be promoted by providing more suitable habitats and migration between populations should be enhanced by restoring remnant isolated tree sites and extinct populations. In addition, all the remnant populations should be conserved because they host current genetic variation that may be important for coping with future climate change, and they could provide important stepping-stones for gene flow.

Alternative splicing of the AGAMOUS orthologous gene in double flower of Magnolia stellata (Magnoliaceae)

Magnolia stellata is a woody ornamental shrub with more petaloid tepals than related plants from family Magnoliaceae. Recent studies revealed that expression changes in an AGAMOUS (AG) orthologous gene could resulted in double flowers with increased numbers of petals. We isolated three transcripts encoding different isoforms of a single AG orthologous gene, MastAG, mastag_2 and mastag_3, from M. stellata. Sequence alignments and Southern blot analyses suggested that MastAG was a single-copy gene in M. stellata genomes, and that mastag_2 and mastag_3 were abnormally spliced isoforms of MastAG. An 144bp exon skipping in MastAG results in the truncated mastag_2 protein lacking the completely I domain and 18 aa of the K1 subdomain, whereas an 165bp exon skipping of MastAG produces a truncated mastag_3 protein lacking 6 aa of the K3 subdomain and the completely C terminal region. Expression analyses showed that three alternative splicing (AS) isoforms expressed only in developing stamens and carpels. Functional analyses revealed that MastAG could mimic the endogenous AG to specify carpel identity, but failed to regulate stamen development in an Arabidopsis ag-1 mutant. Moreover, the key domain or subdomain deletions represented by mastag_2 and mastag_3 resulted in loss of C-function. However, ectopic expression of mastag_2 in Arabidopsis produced flowers with sepals converted into carpeloid organs, but without petals and stamens, whereas ectopic expression of mastag_3 in Arabidopsis could mimic the flower phenotype of the ag mutant and produced double flowers with homeotic transformation of stamens into petals and carpels into another ag flower. Our results also suggest that mastag_3 holds some potential for biotechnical engineering to create multi-petal phenotypes in commercial ornamental cultivars.

Seedling survival and growth during the 2 years following seed germination of Magnolia stellata, a threatened subcanopy tree, after clearcutting

The two-year survival and growth of seedlings of Magnolia stellata were monitored at a site following clearcutting. The mortality rate during the growing season of the first year was 3.4 %, much lower than reported in previous studies, possibly because of the high light levels due to clearcutting. In contrast, the mortality rate during the winter season of the first year was 7.7 %, and 10 of 13 individuals were killed by uprooting due to frost heave in wet locations. Individuals that grew in wet sites and germinated early exhibited good height growth in the first year. However, in the second year, no effects of the moisture conditions or germination timing on the relative growth rate were detected, although there was a correlation between initial height and height growth. This result suggests that the soil moisture conditions and the length of the growing period have strong effects during the early period of life but gradually reduce in influence as the plants grow. We found that soil moisture conditions had positive and negative effects on seedling growth and survival in the growing and winter seasons, respectively, of the first year, but not in the second year. This suggests that effects of the particular environment can vary greatly depending on life stage.

Differences in Virulence and Sporulation of Phytophthora kernoviae Isolates Originating From Two Distinct Geographical Regions.

Phytophthora kernoviae has only been isolated from the United Kingdom and New Zealand. To understand what differences may exist between isolates from these two distinct geographical regions, virulence studies on three host plants and sporulation on host leaves were conducted on select isolates. Three host plant species (Rhododendron ponticum, Magnolia stellata, and Annona cherimola) were inoculated individually with sporangia of six different isolates from each geographical region. Results showed an overall higher virulence on all three hosts from isolates originating from the United Kingdom. After inoculation, P. kernoviae sporangia and oospore formation on different host leaves were observed and compared with P. cactorum and P. syringae. Results were host dependent, with P. kernoviae producing generally similar or higher amounts of both propagules compared with the other U.S. indigenous species. These results have implications for regulatory agencies and scientists who are interested in preventing its entrance into the United States and learning more about its potential spread.

シデコブシとタムシバの正逆種間交配間における種子形成と発芽率の差異

シデコブシとタムシバの雌雄を入れ替えた種間交配（正逆種間交配）を行い，種間交配の方向によって果実と種子の形成程度および形成された種子の発芽率に差異が生じるかを調べた。授粉から約60～90日後において，タムシバを母樹とする種間交配よりシデコブシを母樹とする種間交配で果実の脱落が多かった。また，結果率（成熟果実数／初期生残果実数）と結実率（成熟果実の種子数／成熟果実の胚珠数），雌性繁殖成功度（結果率×結実率）は，いずれもシデコブシを母樹とする種間交配の方が低い値を示した。種子の発芽率は，タムシバを母樹とする種間交配よりシデコブシを母樹とする種間交配で低かったが，統計的な差は認められなかった。したがって，自然条件下においてタムシバが母樹，シデコブシが父樹となる一方向性の種間交雑が生じるのは，主に，シデコブシを母樹とする種間交配において果実の成熟と種子の形成に障害が生じるためであると考えられる。

シデコブシ自生地の皆伐後1 年目の萌芽・実生更新

シデコブシ自生地の皆伐後1 年目の萌芽・実生更新

Magnolia sinostellata and relatives (Magnoliaceae)

Magnolia sinostellata has been considered a synonym of Magnolia stellata by several taxonomists due to many shared morphological characters. With similar leaves and twigs, Magnolia amoena is distributed in areas near M. sinostellata. These three species were studied by comparing morphological, cytological and palynological characters, creating a maximum parsimony phylogenetic tree based on plastid DNA sequences and studying these taxa in the field. The results are as follows: M. sinostellata is a diploid, 2n=2x=38, and there are heterozygotes with paracentric inversion chromosomes in wild populations. Magnolia stellata is also a diploid, and there are heterozygotes with pericentric inversion chromosomes in wild populations. The abnormal chromosome behaviour in meiosis has serious effects on survival of the two species. Magnolia amoena is diploid with more or less normal meiosis except for a few lagging chromosomes in anaphase I and II. Magnolia stellata has a more complicated exine sculpture than the other two; exine structure is different in all three species. Separate species status for M. sinostellata is also supported by results of the plastid DNA phylogenetic study. Distributions, population descriptions and observations are provided, and based on all the evidence presented we conclude that M. sinostellata is a distinct species in M. subgenus Yulania.

The “fossilized” mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera: ancestral gene content and order, ancestral editing sites, and extraordinarily low mutation rate

BackgroundThe mitochondrial genomes of flowering plants vary greatly in size, gene content, gene order, mutation rate and level of RNA editing. However, the narrow phylogenetic breadth of available genomic data has limited our ability to reconstruct these traits in the ancestral flowering plant and, therefore, to infer subsequent patterns of evolution across angiosperms.ResultsWe sequenced the mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera, the first from outside the monocots or eudicots. This 553,721 bp mitochondrial genome has evolved remarkably slowly in virtually all respects, with an extraordinarily low genome-wide silent substitution rate, retention of genes frequently lost in other angiosperm lineages, and conservation of ancestral gene clusters. The mitochondrial protein genes in Liriodendron are the most heavily edited of any angiosperm characterized to date. Most of these sites are also edited in various other lineages, which allowed us to polarize losses of editing sites in other parts of the angiosperm phylogeny. Finally, we added comprehensive gene sequence data for two other magnoliids, Magnolia stellata and the more distantly related Calycanthus floridus, to measure rates of sequence evolution in Liriodendron with greater accuracy. The Magnolia genome has evolved at an even lower rate, revealing a roughly 5,000-fold range of synonymous-site divergence among angiosperms whose mitochondrial gene space has been comprehensively sequenced.ConclusionsUsing Liriodendron as a guide, we estimate that the ancestral flowering plant mitochondrial genome contained 41 protein genes, 14 tRNA genes of mitochondrial origin, as many as 7 tRNA genes of chloroplast origin, >700 sites of RNA editing, and some 14 colinear gene clusters. Many of these gene clusters, genes and RNA editing sites have been variously lost in different lineages over the course of the ensuing ∽200 million years of angiosperm evolution.

Asymmetric introgression between Magnolia stellata and M. salicifolia at a site where the two species grow sympatrically

In order to understand the ongoing evolutionary relationships between species, it is important to elucidate patterns of natural hybridization. In the zone where two species are sympatrically distributed, we examined 274 individuals of Magnolia stellata, Magnolia salicifolia, and their putative hybrids by means of 16 nuclear and three chloroplast microsatellite markers. Hybrid classes of individuals were estimated by admixture analyses. Morphological traits were also investigated for 64 of the 274 individuals. Admixture analyses revealed that 66 of the 274 individuals were classified as hybrids, comprising 17 F1 and 19 F2 individuals, 27 backcrosses to M. salicifolia, and 3 individuals of unknown origin. Morphological data from the 64 individuals agreed well with their genetic admixture rates. Spatial locations of F1 and F2 hybrids at the study site were intermediate between the two purebred species, indicating that the site preferences of hybrids are intermediate. The occurrences of F2 and backcross hybrids indicate that F1 hybrids are fertile. The chloroplast DNA haplotypes of all F1 hybrids corresponded to those detected in M. salicifolia, so that maternal parents of the F1 hybrids were all M. salicifolia. Furthermore, no hybrid individuals derived from a backcross to M. stellata were detected. These results suggest that the direction of hybridization and the subsequent introgression have been quite asymmetric and that the introgression occurred from M. stellata into M. salicifolia.

Nectar production in the pollen flower of Anemone nemorosa in comparison with other Ranunculaceae and Magnolia (Magnoliaceae)

The observation that the flowers of Anemone nemorosa offer nectar to pollinating bee-flies (Bombylius major) prompted this investigation into the site of nectar secretion and nectary tissue. To allow comparison on a broader basis, other nectar-secreting pollen flowers of the Ranunculaceae and Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) were included in the analysis. The contradictory information available on the function of the mouthparts of bee-flies during nectar and pollen feeding motivated us to investigate the proboscis structure in detail by SEM. Our investigations in Anemone nemorosa proved, for the first time, nectar secretion in the genus Anemone s.s. (i.e. other than the Pulsatilla group) and in addition, within the family, a new type of a carpellary nectary. The latter is an epithelial nectary involving the whole epidermis of the ovarian part of the carpel. The nectary of Anemone nemorosa resembles that of Magnolia (e.g. M. stellata), which we re-investigated. In both Anemone nemorosa and Magnolia stellata, nectar production is limited mainly to the female phase of the proterogynous flower. In this way, the attractiveness of the flower is also assured in the non-pollen presenting phase. Especially in Magnolia, with its numerous carpels arranged on a cone-like receptacle, the economic disadvantage of a choricarpous- compared to a coenocarpous-gynoecium is compensated for by nectar secretion by each carpel. When licking up the nectar droplets from the carpel surfaces, contact of the insect's body with each stigma may be achieved.

Pollen flow and effects of population structure on selfing rates and female and male reproductive success in fragmented Magnolia stellata populations

BackgroundFragmentation of plant populations may affect mating patterns and female and male reproductive success. To improve understanding of fragmentation effects on plant reproduction, we investigated the pollen flow patterns in six adjacent local populations of Magnolia stellata, an insect-pollinated, threatened tree species in Japan, and assessed effects of maternal plant (genet) size, local genet density, population size and neighboring population size on female reproductive success (seed production rates), and effects of mating distance, paternal genet size, population size and separation of populations on male reproductive success.ResultsThe seed production rate, i.e. the proportion of ovules that successfully turned into seeds, varied between 1.0 and 6.5%, and increased with increasing population size and neighboring population size, and with decreasing maternal genet size and local genet density. The selfing rate varied between 3.6 and 28.9%, and increased with increasing maternal genet size and with declining local genet density. Male reproductive success increased with increasing paternal genet size, and decreased with increasing mating distance and separation of population. Pollen flow between the populations was low (6.1%) and highly leptocurtic.ConclusionsOur results indicate that habitat fragmentation, separation and reduced size of populations, affected mating patterns and reproductive success of M. stellata. Local competition for pollinators and plant display size were likely to alter the reproductive success.

The effects of plant size and light availability on male and female reproductive success and functional gender in a hermaphrodite tree species,Magnolia stellata

Plant size and light availability may affect male and (or) female reproductive success and their relative contribution (functional gender). To test this hypothesis, we identified parents of 184 seedlings in a local population within a metapopulation of a hermaphroditic, insect-pollinated tree species, Magnolia stellata (Siebold & Zucc.) Maxim., using 14 nuclear and 3 chloroplast microsatellite markers. Parent pairs of all the seedlings were determined, and both seed and pollen parents could be distinguished for 49.5% of the seedlings. We also measured the parents’ plant size (diameter at breast height of the thickest ramet within each genet; DBHt) and the relative photosynthetic photon flux density (rPPFD) they received. The proportion of seedlings that originated from selfing was 20.7%. The number of seedlings parental trees produced as seed parents (S) was positively affected by DBHtand rPPFD. DBHt(but not rPPFD) also positively affected the number of seedlings sired as pollen parents (P). The femaleness of the parental trees (S/(S + P)) was positively affected by DBHt, probably because DBHthad a stronger effect on the trees’ reproductive success as seed parents than on their success as pollen parents. These results suggest that plant size affects not only reproductive success (male and female), but also functional gender.

Ant-Exclusion to Promote Biological Control of Soft Scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on Woody Landscape Plants

Ant-exclusion to facilitate biocontrol by endemic natural enemies was investigated for suppressing infestations of two coccids, calico scale, Eulecanium cerasorum (Cockerell), and magnolia scale, Neolecanium cornuparvum (Thro), in landscape settings. Application of sticky bands combined with basal trunk sprays resulted in 92-100% reduction in counts of honeydew-seeking ants, mainly Formica subsericea Say, ascending large, scale-infested sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) trees. Ant-exclusion was associated with increased numbers of green lacewing, mainly Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister), larvae and spiders on multiple sample dates, and 54 and 69% fewer surviving scale nymphs after the first and second growing seasons. Foliar sooty mold accumulation was also significantly reduced where ants were excluded. In feeding trials, C. rufilabris larvae collected from the tree canopies consumed large numbers of settled scale nymphs. On another site, ant-exclusion led to 82% reduction in magnolia scale densities on Magnolia stellata (Siebold & Zuccarini) Maximowicz, compared with controls, after 1 yr. Nine and 10 ant species were found tending calico and magnolia scales, respectively, at landscape sites in central Kentucky, and in situ observation trials showed that many of them aggressively attack approaching lacewing larvae. Our results suggest that where ants are closely associated with soft scales on woody landscape plants, ant-exclusion has potential as a sustainable pest management strategy.