Angiosperms are believed to have emerged initially in the tropics and expanded their distribution range polewards through diverse mechanisms, for example polyploidization-driven cold-tolerance evolution. Reversed expansion from temperate to pantropic climate through a polyploidization-driven shift in heat-tolerance remains largely unknown. Here, we found autopolyploidy in relation to the global expansion of Solidago canadensis from its temperate-climate native range in North American to hot-summer climate in an introduced range. Our cytogeographical study of 2062 accessions from...

The emerging COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection poses severe challenges to global public health. Serum antibody testing is becoming one of the critical methods for the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. We investigated IgM and IgG responses against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein after symptom onset in the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients. 130 blood samples from 38 COVID-19 patients were collected. The levels of IgM and IgG specific to N and...

The potato cyst nematode, Globodera rostochiensis, is a regulated pest posing a serious threat to potato production worldwide. Although the endemic pathotype (Ro1) of G. rostochiensis has been confined to New York State for several decades as a result of quarantine regulations and management with resistant potato cultivars, a virulent pathotype, Ro2, has emerged, for which control measures are scarce. The ability to detect Ro2 early in fields is necessary to sustain the success of...

A grand challenge facing humanity is how to produce food for a growing population in the face of a changing climate and environmental degradation. Though empirical evidence remains sparse, management strategies that increase environmental sustainability, like increasing agroecosystem diversity through crop rotations, may also increase resilience to weather extremes without sacrificing yields. We used multilevel regression analyses of long-term crop yield datasets across a continental precipitation gradient to assess how temporal crop diversification affects maize...

1. Pre-release testing for biological control agents is focused primarily on assessment of host-range specificity and safety of potential agents. Agent impact is considered pre-release, however the ultimate assessment of an agent must occur following release in the field under the target population levels and conditions of the invaded ecosystems. The invasive Eurasian vine, Vincetoxicum rossicum, has spread aggressively through its invaded range of eastern North America since its initial introduction in the late 1800’s....