Draft of NCR-148

Renewal Document for 2000-2004

I. Title. NCR 148 - Migration and Dispersal of Agriculturally Important Biota

II. Duration. October 1, 2000 through September 30, 2004.

III. Justification for Continuation of Committee.

Pests negatively impact the health of plants, animals, and humans, and degrade the quality of rural and urban settings and natural landscapes. International trade and enhanced travel have increased the rate at which exotic pest species have entered and become established in North America. Containment of exotics, a primary concern, can be greatly exacerbated by dispersal once they arrive. In effect, the lack of understanding of the principles underpinning migration and dispersal of pest and beneficial organisms across a wide range of spatial scales has dramatically impeded the development and deployment of effective and socially acceptable IPM programs. The migration and dispersal of biotic agents is, indeed, poorly understood primarily because its study requires a transdisciplinary team approach with access to technology only now becoming available.

NCR-148 has met annually since 1984 and provides a positive forum for information exchange and advancements that cut across disciplines, including landscape ecology, meteorology, entomology, bacteriology, plant virology, botany, and mycology. This forum has vastly increased the awareness of the critical role of migration and dispersal of biota in ecosystem dynamics. NCR-148 has fostered major interactions across commodity, discipline, and agency boundaries, and this has resulted in significant cooperative efforts, evidenced by the international aerobiology workshop (Oct. 1992), the formation of the Alliance for Aerobiology Research (1992-present), the establishment of the ESCOP PMSS Movement and Dispersal Working Group (1994-present), the generation of transdisciplinary research thrusts, and numerous national and international cross-disciplinary workshops and symposia. More recently, cooperative meetings have been arranged with other regional research committees, which will bring much needed expertise to their work. For example, a recent collaboration with WCC-060 (Dec. 1999) will aid research on pesticide resistance and its management.

Additional progress is anticipated towards understanding and predicting movement of migratory pests and beneficials sharing atmospheric transport systems. As principles and methods gained from these studies are applied at other scales of dispersal, new opportunities for managing pests can be identified and put into practice. New and continuing challenges face agriculture (e.g., exotic introductions, refuge strategies for resistance management, and areawide IPM). An emphasis on landscape scale approaches to managing pest and beneficial populations within the framework of IPM point to the importance of continuing and increasing effort at research and development on migration and dispersal. An increased understanding of dispersing biota and the influence of the environment, particularly the effects of landscape heterogeneity and atmospheric motion systems, are essential for the development of effective, environmentally compatible plant and animal protection and production. Continued cooperative research on movement of pests and beneficials will enhance economic benefit, human safety, and environmental quality through the sharing of knowledge and technology. The dearth of migration and dispersal information limits effective IPM implementation and justifies the continuance of NCR-148 for an additional four years.

IV. Committee Objectives.

1. To promote interdisciplinary research focused on the biotic and abiotic processes directly influencing migration and dispersal of biota.

Overall, the research components addressed by NCR-148 encompass the identification of environmental, atmospheric, behavioral, physiological, and genetic characteristics that result in migratory and dispersing forms of biota coupled with the principles that govern their movement, especially the ascent, translation, and descent of biota in the atmosphere. Multistate interdisciplinary research will be nurtured by providing a forum to exchange ideas, plan research, create linkages, share resources, and discuss research results.

2. To assist in developing management strategies for migratory and dispersing biota.

To meet the needs of IPM practitioners, NCR-148 members will work to develop strategies for predicting and managing migrating and dispersing biota in ways beneficial to society. Developing such IPM techniques will require coordination of research to identify, forecast, and modify the origins, routes, and destinations of organisms moving among or within landscapes. New areas of activity include: 1) researching the impact of movement on population genetic structure as it relates, for example, to resistance management, adaptation of exotic species to new environments, and the genetics of migratory biota; and 2) developing accessible databases on migratory and dispersing biota.

3. To facilitate communication among individuals and organizations with an interest in migration and dispersal.

NCR-148 will assist state IPM coordinators and other stakeholders in their efforts to mitigate the impact of migration and dispersal, provide and maintain a comprehensive website, pursue distance learning opportunities, and improve linkages with other multistate committees including WCC-060 (evolution and management of pest resistance to crop protection agents, particularly refuge strategies), WCC-066 (Russian wheat aphid dispersal), NC-205 (avoiding resistance in European corn borer to transgenic corn cultivars and landscape approaches to corn borer management), NC-46 (corn rootworm), and NC-94 (sharing agricultural meteorology data).

V. State Representatives and Administrative Advisors.

Arizona - David N. Byrne	New Jersey - Timothy M. Casey
Colorado - Thomas O. Holtzer	New York - Elson J. Shields
Illinois - Michael Irwin & Scott Isard	North Carolina - Charles E. Main
Iowa - Richard L. Hellmich	North Dakota - James R. Venette
Louisiana - Abner M. Hammond, Jr. & Seth Johnson	Ohio - Casey W. Hoy
Michigan - Stuart H. Gage & Rufus Isaacs	Oklahoma - Gerrit Cuperus
Minnesota - William Hutchison & Kenneth Ostlie	Texas - John K. Westbrook (ARS)
Missouri - Armon Keaster & Michael Chippendale (Administrative Advisor)	Washington, DC - Rick Meyer (CSREES advisor) & Robert Hedlund (USAID)
Nebraska - Gary L. Hein

VI. Highlights of Committee Activities since 1996.

1. Scientific Framework. Refined conceptual framework and central hypotheses for studying long-distance aerial movement of biota. This has significantly increased communication and coordination of research activities among committee members (and other scientists interested in movement) working on different commodities and taxonomic groups.

2. Membership. Continued expansion of Committee membership to include AES, ARS, and USAID scientists throughout North America. These extra-regional committee members have provided valuable scientific input and interdisciplinary leadership spanning entomology, plant pathology, meteorology, and landscape ecology.

3. Linkages. Strengthened linkages with other aerobiology organizations including the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Biometeorology and Aerobiology Committee, International Aerobiology Association (IAA), and Pan-American Aerobiology Association (PAAA). NCR-148 members have leadership roles in each of these organizations and provide leadership for the Alliance for Aerobiology Research (AFAR), which originated at a workshop sponsored by NCR-148 in 1992.

4. Synergy/Collaboration. Collaborations formed within this group have resulted in numerous multi-authored publications, grants awarded, and proposals submitted (see Addendum and NCR-148 web page).

5. Website. Developed a comprehensive migration and dispersal website, with a link to the NCR-148 website, detailing Committee activities, events, research, and outreach. This site serves as a communication hub for information exchange on migration and dispersal. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/movement/

6. Reaching Stakeholders. Documented and conveyed our findings through numerous research, extension, and popular publications (see attached list of manuscript collections and the NCR-148 web site for a list of refereed journal articles and books).

7. Interdisciplinary Symposia. Sponsored seven migration and dispersal related symposia (1996-1999) at national meetings of the American Meteorological Society, American Phytopathology Association, Entomological Society of America, and the Pan-American Aerobiology Association (see attached list).

8. Planned Activities. Examples of currently planned activities for 1999-2002 include continued organization of symposia, workshops, field courses, and distance learning courses with interested organizations, societies, individuals, and the private sector (see attached list of On-going Activities).

9. Attendance and Participation. An average of 16 scientists from 12 states, Mexico, Canada, Saipan, and three US government agencies have actively participated in our meetings. Currently there is official representation from 16 states, ARS, USAID, and CSREES (see Section V above).

VII. Recommendation of NCA-15 (See letter from NCA-15 Chairperson).

VIII. Required Signatures.

_____________________________		_____________________________________
Scott Isard, 2000 Chair, NCR-148		Michael Chippendale, Administrative Advisor

Addenda

Addendum: Collections of Publications and Books

Preprints of the 13th AMS Conference on Biometeorology and Aerobiology, Symposium on Formulation and Evaluation of Hypotheses for the Ascent, Transport, and Descent of Airborne Biota, AMS 1996.

Preprints of the 14th AMS Conference on Biometeorology and Aerobiology, Symposium on Long-Distance Movement of Biota, AMS 1998.

Special Issue of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology on Aerial Dispersal of Pests, Diseases, and Their Natural Enemies: Implications for the Development and Deployment of Integrated Pest Management Strategies.

Flow of Life in the Atmosphere: A Perspective on Managing Pests and Diseases at Large Spatial and Temporal Scales. Scott Isard and Stuart Gage, forthcoming 2000.

Committee members have published more than 50 manuscripts on movement and dispersal since 1996. Comprehensive list provided on the NCR-148 web page.

Addendum: NCR-148 Sponsored/Organized Symposia (1996-1999)

"Formulation and Evaluation of Hypotheses for the Ascent, Transport, and Descent of Airborne Biota" at the 13th AMS Conference on Aerobiology and Biometeorology (1996).

"Aerobiology Network and Information Systems" held at the PAAA annual meetings (1997). The AFAR Governing Board also met and scientists attending the PAAA meeting were encourage to join the Board in discussions about the proposal "A long-term aerobiological research corridor for characterizing and forecasting the aerial flow of biota between the subtropical and continental interior regions of North America."

"Long-Distance Aerial Movement of Biota" at the 14th AMS Conference on Aerobiology and Biometeorology (1998).

"Agricultural Aerobiology" at the International Aerobiology Congress (Perugia, Italy, 1998).

"Aerial Dispersal of Pests, Diseases, and Their Natural Enemies: Implications for the Development and Deployment of Integrated Pest Management Strategies" at the joint ESA and APS annual meeting (1998). Presentations from this symposium are being published in a special issue of Agricultrual and Forest Meteorology.

"Aerobiology 99" at the PAAA annual meetings (1999).

"Dispersal of Insecticide Resistance in Helicoverpa zea and Heliothis virescens." Sponsored by WCC-060 and NCR-148. Annual Meeting of the ESA (Dec 14, 1999).

Addendum: NCR-148 On-Going Activities

"Symposium on Long-Distance Aerial Movement of Biota." Sponsored by AFAR, NCR-148, and PAAA. To be held at the New York Natural History Conference and PAAA annual meeting (April 28, 2000).

Advance Aerobiology Field Course. Sponsored by the International Aerobiology Association, AFAR, and NCR-148. To be held at Mt. Cimone in Italy (July 9-15, 2000).

XXI International Congress of Entomology, August 2000. Movement and dispersal symposium have been organized within three sessions: Agricultural Entomology, Plant Disease Vectors, and Ecology and Population Dynamics.

"Aerobiology in the 21st Century." Sponsored by AMS, PAAA, AFAR, and NCR-148. To be held at the 15th AMS Conference on Aerobiology and Biometeorology (August 16, 2000).

VII International Congress of Aerobiology. NCR-148 is represented on the Organizing Committee. To be held in Montréal during August 2002.

Addendum: Synergy/Collaboration

"Dispersal of Stable Flies: Phenology of Dispersing Flies". Carl J. Jones, Scott A. Isard, Michael E. Irwin (Illinois), Gerald L. Green, Alberto Broce , and Yu-Jie Guo (Kansas), and Jerome Hogsette (USDA-ARS, MAVERL), with important assistance from Elson Shields (New York), Funded by NC Regional IPM Program, 1995-1997.

"Investigate High-Altitude Bollworm Emigration Flight and Predation by Mexican Free-Tail Bats." J.K. Westbrook (Texas), G. McCracken (Tennessee), B. Balsley (Colorado), and M. Tuttle (Bat Conservation Intl.). Field study, 1997.

"Field Experiment for Short Range Particle Dispersal." Charlie E. Main (North Carolina) and Elson Shields (New York), 1998.

"Aerial Dispersal Risk of Late Blight." Elson Shields and W. E. Fry (New York) and Don Aylor (Connecticut). Field study, 1999.

"Advanced Aerobiology Field Course 2000." Scott Isard (Illinois), Charlie Main (North Carolina), and Elson Shields (New York).

"Flow of Life in the Atmosphere." Forthcoming book by Scott Isard (Illinois) and Stuart Gage (Michigan).