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Title: The presence of eriophyid mites on native and weed Cirsium species in North America

Author
item HANSEN, RICHARD - USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron
item Bauchan, Gary
item AMRINE, JAMES - WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
item LEKVEISHVILI, MARIAM - WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
item WELLS, JEFFREY - WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
item MICHELS, GERALAD - TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
item PETANOVIC, RADMILA - UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
item Lydon, John

Submitted to: Weed Science Society of America Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2009
Publication Date: 2/4/2009
Citation: Hansen, R., Ochoa, R., Bauchan, G.R., Amrine, J., Lekveishvili, M., Wells, J.D., Michels, G.J., Petanovic, R.U., Lydon, J. 2009. The presence of eriophyid mites on native and weed Cirsium species in North America [abstract]. Weed Science Society of America Meeting Abstracts. Paper No. 160.

Interpretive Summary: This is an abstract for a meeting. No interpretive summary required.

Technical Abstract: Aceria anthocoptes is an eriophyid mite that is known to feed on Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). While this mite species has been considered to be host specific, a detailed evaluation of its host range has yet to be determined. To assess the risks associated with using this mite as a biological control agent for Canada thistle, a study to assess the natural distribution of eriophyid mites on Cirsium species was conducted. Live mite specimens were transferred from plant tissue to either mounting plates for microscopic evaluation or pressed into Flinders Technical Associates (FTA) cards. Specimens were collected from Canada thistle growing in three different geographical locations (Boston, Massachusetts, Beltsville, Maryland, and Ft. Collins, Colorado) and from four native Cirsium species growing in the Fort Collins, Colorado area. The mounting plates were stored under liquid nitrogen until examined and the FTA cards were held at room temperature until used in PCR. The morphological characteristics of the mites on mounting plates were examined using low-temperature (LT) scanning electron microscopy (EM). A 1.2 mm disc punched from the FTA cards was used as a source of templet DNA in PCR amplifications of the 18S-28S rDNA region or for amplifications of mitochondrial DNA. Clustal-W was used in the multiple alignment of the 18S-28S DNA sequence data from C. arvense, C. scariosum, and C. canescens, as well as from three species of Aceria that have hosts of other genera. Analysis of the LT scanning EM images indicated that the eriophyid mites found on C. arvense, C. scariosum, C. canescens, C. ochrocentrum, and C. scopulorum were of the same species. A phylogenetic tree generated from the Clustal-W alignment demonstrated that multiple 18S-28S regions likely exist within the genomes of the mite species examined, and that there was considerable overlap of the sequence for these regions across mites from Cirsium species such that it appears that the mites are of the same species. While sequence data based on mitochondrial genes still needs to be evaluated, the preliminary results indicate the host range of A. anthocoptes is genus but not species specific. Several native Cirsium species exist in the Western states, some of which are endangered. Consequently, these results indicate that the use of A. anthocoptes as a biological control agent of Canada thistle will likely require geographical restrictions which could greatly limit its utility.