Ecological Networks in Stored Grain: Key Postharvest Nodes for Emerging Pests,
Pathogens, and Mycotoxins
#MMPMID26955074
Hernandez Nopsa JF
; Daglish GJ
; Hagstrum DW
; Leslie JF
; Phillips TW
; Scoglio C
; Thomas-Sharma S
; Walter GH
; Garrett KA
Bioscience
2015[Oct]; 65
(10
): 985-1002
PMID26955074
show ga
Wheat is at peak quality soon after harvest. Subsequently, diverse biota use
wheat as a resource in storage, including insects and mycotoxin-producing fungi.
Transportation networks for stored grain are crucial to food security and provide
a model system for an analysis of the population structure, evolution, and
dispersal of biota in networks. We evaluated the structure of rail networks for
grain transport in the United States and Eastern Australia to identify the
shortest paths for the anthropogenic dispersal of pests and mycotoxins, as well
as the major sources, sinks, and bridges for movement. We found important
differences in the risk profile in these two countries and identified priority
control points for sampling, detection, and management. An understanding of these
key locations and roles within the network is a new type of basic research result
in postharvest science and will provide insights for the integrated pest
management of high-risk subpopulations, such as pesticide-resistant insect pests.