Browsing by Subject "Precipitation"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Dependence of the abundance of reed glass-winged cicadas (Pentastiridius leporinus (Linnaeus, 1761)) on weather and climate in the Upper Rhine Valley, Southwest Germany
(2025) Kakarla, Sai Kiran; Schall, Eric; Dettweiler, Anna; Stohl, Jana; Glaser, Elisabeth; Adam, Hannah; Teubler, Franziska; Ingwersen, Joachim; Sauer, Tilmann; Piepho, Hans-Peter; Lang, Christian; Streck, Thilo; Kakarla, Sai Kiran; Department of Biogeophysics, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Schall, Eric; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Dettweiler, Anna; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Stohl, Jana; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Glaser, Elisabeth; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Adam, Hannah; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Teubler, Franziska; Center of Excellence for Climate Change Impacts, Research Institute of Forest Ecology and Forestry Rhineland-Palatinate, 67705 Trippstadt, Germany; Ingwersen, Joachim; Department of Biogeophysics, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Sauer, Tilmann; Center of Excellence for Climate Change Impacts, Research Institute of Forest Ecology and Forestry Rhineland-Palatinate, 67705 Trippstadt, Germany; Piepho, Hans-Peter; Department of Biogeophysics, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Lang, Christian; Association of Hessian-Palatinate Sugar Beet Growers e.V., Rathenaustraße 10, 67547 Worms, Germany; Streck, Thilo; Department of Biogeophysics, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Guo, Jianying
The planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus , commonly called reed glass-winged cicada, transmits the pathogens “ Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus” and “ Candidatus Phytoplasma solani”, which are infesting sugar beet and, most recently, also potato in the Upper Rhine valley area of Germany. They cause the “Syndrome Basses Richesses” associated with reduced yield and sugar content in sugar beet, leading to substantial monetary losses to farmers in the region. No effective solutions exist currently. This study uses statistical models to understand to what extent the abundance of cicadas depends on climate regions during the vegetation period (April–October). We further investigated what influence temperature and precipitation have on the abundance of the cicadas in sugar beet fields. Furthermore, we investigated the possible impacts of future climate on cicada abundance. Also, 22 °C and 8 mm/day were found to be the optimal temperature and precipitation conditions for peak male cicada flight activity, while 28 °C and 8 mm/day were the optimum for females. By the end of the 21st century, daily male cicada abundance is projected to increase significantly under the worst-case high greenhouse gas emission scenario RCP8.5 (RCP-Representative Concentration Pathways), with confidence intervals suggesting a possible 5–15-fold increase compared to current levels. In contrast, under the low-emission scenario RCP2.6, male cicada populations are projected to be 60–70% lower than RCP8.5. An understanding of the influence of changing temperature and precipitation conditions is crucial for predicting the spread of this pest to different regions of Germany and other European countries.
Do biotic and abiotic factors influence the prevalence of a common parasite of the invasive alien ladybird Harmonia axyridis?
(2022) Haelewaters, Danny; Hiller, Thomas; Ceryngier, Piotr; Eschen, René; Gorczak, Michał; Houston, Makenna L.; Kisło, Kamil; Knapp, Michal; Landeka, Nediljko; Pfliegler, Walter P.; Zach, Peter; Aime, M. Catherine; Nedvěd, Oldřich
Hesperomyces virescens (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales), a fungal ectoparasite, is thus far reported on Harmonia axyridis from five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. While it is known that He. virescens can cause mortality of Ha. axyridis under laboratory conditions, the role of biotic and abiotic factors in influencing the distribution of He. virescens in the field is unknown. We collected and screened 3,568 adult Ha. axyridis from 23 locations in seven countries in Central Europe between October and November 2018 to test the effect of selected host characters and climate and landscape variables on the infection probability with He. virescens. Mean parasite prevalence of He. virescens on Ha. axyridis was 17.9%, ranging among samples from 0 to 46.4%. Host sex, climate, and landscape composition did not have any significant effect on the infection probability of He. virescens on Ha. axyridis. Two color forms, f. conspicua and f. spectabilis, had a significantly lower parasite prevalence compared to the common Ha. axyridis f. novemdecimsignata.
Spatiotemporal climate variability and food security implications in the Central Ethiopia Region
(2024) Senbeta, Abate Feyissa; Worku, Walelign; Gayler, Sebastian
Studies focusing on the spatiotemporal distribution of climatic parameters and meteorological drought are of paramount significance for countries like Ethiopia, where climate change and variability cause major losses to rain-dependent agriculture. In this study, the National Meteorology Institute of Ethiopia provided an Enhanced National Climate Services (ENACTS) dataset at a spatial resolution of approximately 4 km by 4 km over 38 years (1981–2018) was used to study climate trends, spatiotemporal variability, and meteorological drought in the Central Ethiopia Region. Coefficient of variation (CV), Standardized Rainfall Anomaly (SRA), Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Mann-Kendall trend test, and Sen's slope were used for the analysis. The findings suggest that Belg rainfall (also known as "small-rain") varied greatly in space and time over the study area, with area-averaged CV of 29 % and pixel-level CVs ranging from 63 to 93 %. The average precipitation during Belg experienced a 15 % decrease from 2000 to 2019 compared to the preceding two decades, from 1981 to 1999. The maximum temperature has increased significantly during the Annual, Belg, and Bega seasons. The SPI and SRA showed that there have been multiple drought episodes with rising negative rainfall anomalies, with a drought occurring every 2.9 years during the Kiremt (also called "big rain", spanning from June to September) and Belg seasons. The growing negative rainfall anomaly, high CV, and highly significant increase in mean maximum temperature during the Belg season is concerning for food security and poverty eradication. The notable rise in rainfall during the June (sowing period) and November (harvesting period) also hurts crop production during the main cropping season. Thus, developing appropriate adaptation strategies and policies oriented toward climate-resilient agriculture is crucial to meet the global sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Africa Union's Agenda 2063.