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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Saw a brief article in <u>Science</u> magazine reporting on an article in <u>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences </u>(PNAS)with the heading, “Alien defeated by native fungi” Here is the brief note:, “ Within the past 4 years, <u>Lycorma delicatula</u>, an Asian planthopper, has become an invasive pest in the Eastern U.S. It can feed on many woody and ornamental plant species and thus poses a direct threat to agriculture. This insect can reach high densities, perhaps because it has escaped its natural parasites and pathogens. However, in late 2018, Clifton et al. spotted a mass die-off of the insect. They found that before they were able to lay eggs, the planthoppers were attacked by two species of local fungi,. <u>Beauveria bassiana and Batkoa major </u>It remains to be seen whether the fungi will be able to keep the insect populations below damage thresholds, whether they also affect native insects as the environment becomes laden with fungal spores, or whether they trigger boom-and-bust cycles of the pest.” PNAS U.S.A. 10.1073/pnas.1903579116 (2019) <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Apologies if this has already been sent out.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ruth Douglas<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Charlottesville, VA<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>VA Native Plant Society<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Blue Ridge PRISM<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>