Auguste Barthélemy Langlois

Acanthotomicus suncei is a newly discovered bark beetle in China that significantly threatens the American sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua. In recent years, this pest has spread from its original habitat to many surrounding cities, causing substantial economic and ecological losses. Considering the wide global distribution of its host, Liquidambar styraciflua, this pest is likely to continue to spread and expand. Once the pest colonizes a new climatically suitable area, the consequences could be severe. Therefore, we employed the CLIMEX and Random Forests model to predict the potential suitable distribution of A. suncei globally. The results showed that A. suncei was mainly distributed in Southern China, in South Hokkaido in Japan, Southern USA, the La Plata Plain in South America, southeastern Australia, and the northern Mediterranean; these areas are located in subtropical monsoon, monsoonal humid climates, or Mediterranean climate zones. Seasonal rainfall, especially in winter, is a key environmental factor that affects the suitable distribution of A. suncei. Under future climates, the total suitable area of A. suncei is projected to decrease to a certain extent. However, changes in its original habitat require serious attention. We found that A. suncei exhibited a spreading trend in Southwest, Central, and Northeast China. Suitable areas in some countries in Southeast and South Asia bordering China are also expected to show an increased distribution. The outward spread of this pest via sea transportation cannot be ignored. Hence, quarantine efforts should be concentrated in high-suitability regions determined in this study to protect against the occurrence of hosts that may contain A. suncei, thereby avoiding its long-distance spread. Long-term sentinel surveillance and control measures should be carried out as soon as A. suncei is detected, especially in regions with high suitability. Thus, our findings establish a theoretical foundation for quarantine and control measures targeting A. suncei.

The shrub, Robinia hispida L., commonly known as the bristly locust, is a native to southeastern United States. It has, however, expanded its range within North America, and established invasive native-alien populations in several American states and Canada. Outside of North America, R. hispida has been introduced to Europe and Asia, where it has naturalised and is considered invasive. Notably, the presence of this shrub has never been reported outside of cultivation in Africa. Despite receiving little scientific attention compared to its congeneric species such as the global invader Robinia pseudoacacia L., R. hispida shares morphological and growth characteristics including rapid growth and a suckering habit. It occupies similar environmental niches in both native and introduced ranges, thriving in thin upland woodlands, woodland edges, thickets, fence rows, roadside embankments, banks of drainage canals, vacant lots, and overgrown waste areas. In South Africa, R. hispida was first recorded in a garden in Polokwane in 1986, while the first record outside of cultivation was near the town of Bethlehem in the Free State Province in 2023, and further surveys were conducted locating additional populations near the towns of Zastron and Clarens in 2024. The potential distribution of R. hispida in South Africa was modelled in MaxEnt using areas climatically representative of the species, based on the Koppen-Geiger climate classifications. The potential distribution includes areas of central South Africa, the east and south coast and the Mediterranean climates of the southern Cape. Management strategies suggested for R. hispida in South Africa, considering the small size of the populations, should include eradication efforts using mechanical and chemical means, followed by continuous monitoring to prevent re-emergence.

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) harbors abundant and diverse plant life owing to its high habitat heterogeneity. However, the distribution pattern of biodiversity hotspots and their conservation status remain unclear. Based on 148,283 high-resolution occurrence coordinates of 13,450 seed plants, w…