Fall armyworm is recognized as one of most highly destructive global agricultural pests. In January 2020, it had first invaded Australia, posing a significant risk to its biosecurity, food security, and agricultural productivity. In this study, the migration paths and wind systems for the case of fall armyworm invading Australia were analyzed using a three-dimensional trajectory simulation approach, combined with its flight behavior and NCEP meteorological reanalysis data. The analysis showed that fall armyworm in Torres Strait most likely came from surrounding islands of central Indonesia on two occasions via wind migration. Specifically, fall armyworm moths detected on Saibai and Erub Islands might have arrived from southern Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, between January 15 and 16. The fall armyworm in Bamaga most likely arrived from the islands around Arafura Sea and Sulawesi Island of Indonesia, between January 26 and 27. The high risk period for the invasion of fall armyworm is only likely to have occurred in January–February due to monsoon winds, which were conducive to flight across the Timor Sea towards Australia. This case study is the first to confirm the immigration paths and timing of fall armyworm from Indonesia to Australia via its surrounding islands.

Introduction: In 2019 the World Health Organisation published a report which concluded microplastics in drinking water did not present a threat to human health. Since this time a plethora of research has emerged demonstrating the presence of plastic in various organ systems and their deleterious pathophysiological effects. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken in line with recommendations from the Johanna Briggs Institute. Five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE) were systematically searched in addition to a further grey literature search. Results: Eighteen articles were identified, six of which investigated and characterised the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the human urinary tract. Microplastics were found to be present in kidney, urine and bladder cancer samples. Twelve articles investigated the effect of MNPs on human cell lines associated with the human urinary tract. These articles suggest MNPs have a cytotoxic effect, increase inflammation, decrease cell viability and alter mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathways. Conclusion: Given the reported presence MNPs in human tissues and organs, these plastics may have potential health implications in bladder disease and dysfunction. As a result, institutions such as the World Health Organisation need to urgently re-evaluate their position on the threat of microplastics to public health. Impact statement: This scoping review highlights the rapidly emerging threat of microplastic contamination within the human urinary tract, challenging the World Health Organisation’s assertion that microplastics pose no risk to public health. The documented cytotoxic effects of microplastics, alongside their ability to induce inflammation, reduce cell viability and disrupt signalling pathways, raise significant public health concerns relating to bladder cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic urinary tract infections and incontinence. As a result, this study emphasises the pressing need for further research and policy development to address the challenges surrounding microplastic contamination.

The tomato potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli, is a psyllid native to North America that has recently invaded New Zealand and Australia. The potential for economic losses accompanying invasions of TPP and its associated bacterial plant pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), has caused much concern. Here, we employed ecological niche models to predict environments suitable for TPP/CLso on a global scale and then evaluated the extent to which global potato cultivation is at risk. In addition, at a finer scale the risk to the Australian potato acreage was evaluated. A total of 86 MaxEnt models were built using various combinations of settings and climatic predictors, and the best model based on model evaluation metrics was selected. Climatically suitable habitats were identified in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and Australasia. Intersecting the predicted suitability map with land use data showed that 79.06% of the global potato cultivation acreage, 96.14% of the potato production acreage in South America and Eurasia, and all the Australian potato cropping areas are at risk. The information generated by this study increases knowledge of the ecology of TPP/CLso and can be used by government agencies to make decisions about preventing the spread of TPP and CLso across the globe.

Background: The human bioaccumulation of micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) is increasingly being recognised in the aetiology and pathophysiology of human disease. Objective: This systematic scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive investigation of studies examining the impacts of MNPs on the human cardiovascular system. Methods: Five databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE) were systematically searched. Results: Forty-six articles were identified, 13 of which investigated the presence of MNPs within the human cardiovascular system, including atherosclerotic plaques, saphenous vein tissue, thrombi and venous blood. The effect of MNPs on cell lines suggest MNPs are cytotoxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic. Significance: The findings of this review, when evaluated together with additional studies utilising animal models, suggest MNPs may contribute to global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In particular, the ability of MNPs to induce endothelial damage, oxy-LDL formation, foam cell development and apoptosis, as well as to alter the clotting cascade, has potential implications for vascular diseases. In addition, MNPs may play a role in the aetiology and progression of congenital heart abnormalities, infective pathologies and cardiomyopathies. Despite an increasing awareness of the ability for MNPs to result in cardiovascular disease and dysfunction, a limited amount of research has been conducted to date characterising the presence of MNPs in the human cardiovascular system. Reseach is required to understand the extent of this rapidly emerging issue and to develop strategies that will support clinicians to appropriately manage and educate their patients in the future.

Barrow Island, north-west coast of Australia, is one of the world’s significant conservation areas, harboring marsupials that have become extinct or threatened on mainland Australia as well as a rich diversity of plants and animals, some endemic. Access to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant, Australia’s largest infrastructure development, on the island was conditional on no non-indigenous species (NIS) becoming established. We developed a comprehensive biosecurity system to protect the island’s biodiversity. From 2009 to 2015 more than 0.5 million passengers and 12.2 million tonnes of freight were transported to the island under the biosecurity system, requiring 1.5 million hrs of inspections. No establishments of NIS were detected. We made four observations that will assist development of biosecurity systems. Firstly, the frequency of detections of organisms corresponded best to a mixture log-normal distribution including the high number of zero inspections and extreme values involving rare incursions. Secondly, comprehensive knowledge of the island’s biota allowed estimation of false positive detections (62% native species). Thirdly, detections at the border did not predict incursions on the island. Fourthly, the workforce detected more than half post-border incursions (59%). Similar approaches can and should be implemented for all areas of significant conservation value.

Invasive species can lead to community-level damage to the invaded ecosystem and extinction of native species. Most surveillance systems for the detection of invasive species are developed based on expert assessment, inherently coming with a level of uncertainty. In this research, info-gap decision theory (IGDT) is applied to model and manage such uncertainty. Surveillance of the Asian House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and Bibron, 1836 on Barrow Island, is used as a case study. Our research provides a novel method for applying IGDT to determine the population threshold ( $$K$$K ) so that the decision can be robust to the deep uncertainty present in model parameters. We further robust-optimize surveillance costs rather than minimize surveillance costs. We demonstrate that increasing the population threshold for detection increases both robustness to the errors in the model parameter estimates, and opportuneness to lower surveillance costs than the accepted maximum budget. This paper provides guidance for decision makers to balance robustness and required surveillance expenditure. IGDT offers a novel method to model and manage the uncertainty prevalent in biodiversity conservation practices and modelling. The method outlined here can be used to design robust surveillance systems for invasive species in a wider context, and to better tackle uncertainty in protection of biodiversity and native species in a cost-effective manner.