The photosynthetic pigments are mainly responsible for absorbing the light intended to promote photosynthesis on the chloroplast of the leaves. Different studies have related the spectral response in the leaves of plants with the biotic stress generated by pathogens. In general, maximum differences in reflectance have been found in the range of 380-750 nm between plants subjected to biotic stress and healthy plants. In this study, it was possible to characterize and relate the spectral variance in leaves of S. lycopersicum infected with F. oxysporum with this physiological variation and pathogen concentration in tomato plants during the asymptomatic period of vascular wilt. Photosynthetic parameters derived from gaseous exchange analysis in the tomato leaves correlated related with four bands in the visible range (Vis). Additionally, five specific bands also present a high correlation with the increase in the concentration of F. oxysporum conidia measured at the root: 448-523 nm, 624-696 nm, 740-960 nm, 973-976 nm, and 992-995 nm. These wavelengths allowed a 100% correct classification of the plants inoculated with F. oxysporum from the plants subjected to hydric stress and the control plants in the asymptomatic period of the disease. The spectral response to biotic and abiotic stress in the measured Vis/NIR range can be explained by the general tendency to change the concentration of chlorophyll and carotene in tomato leaves. These studies also highlight the importance of the implementation of robust multivariate analysis over the multiple univariate analysis used in the applied biological sciences and specifically in the agricultural sciences. These results demonstrate that specific wavelength responses are due to physiological changes in plants subjected to stress, and can be used in indexes and algorithms applied to the early detection of diseases in plants on different pathosystems.

Ecoepidemiological scenarios for Chagas disease transmission are complex, so vector control measures to decrease human–vector contact and prevent infection transmission are difficult to implement in all geographic contexts. This study assessed the geographic abundance patterns of two vector species of Chagas disease: Triatoma maculata (Erichson, 1848) and Rhodnius pallescens (Barber, 1932) in Latin America. We modeled their potential distribution using the maximum entropy algorithm implemented in Maxent and calculated distances to their niche centroid by fitting a minimum-volume ellipsoid. In addition, to determine which method would accurately explain geographic abundance patterns, we compared the correlation between population abundance and the distance to the ecological niche centroid (DNC) and between population abundance and Maxent environmental suitability. The potential distribution estimated for T. maculata showed that environmental suitability covers a large area, from Panama to Northern Brazil. R. pallescens showed a more restricted potential distribution, with environmental suitability covering mostly the coastal zone of Costa Rica and some areas in Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, northern Colombia, Acre, and Rondônia states in Brazil, as well as a small region of the western Brazilian Amazon. We found a negative slope in the relationship between population abundance and the DNC in both species. R. pallecens has a more extensive potential latitudinal range than previously reported, and the distribution model for T. maculata corroborates previous studies. In addition, population abundance increases according to the niche centroid proximity, indicating that population abundance is limited by the set of scenopoetic variables at coarser scales (non-interactive variables) used to determine the ecological niche. These findings might be used by public health agencies in Latin America to implement actions and support programs for disease prevention and vector control, identifying areas in which to expand entomological surveillance and maintain chemical control, in order to decrease human–vector contact.

Spectroscopy has become one of the most used non-invasive methods to detect plant diseases before symptoms are visible. In this study it was possible to characterize the spectral variation in leaves of Solanum lycopersicum L. infected with Fusarium oxysporum during the incubation period. It was also possible to identify the relevant specific wavelengths in the range of 380-1000 nm that can be used as spectral signatures for the detection and discrimination of vascular wilt in S. lycopersicum. It was observed that inoculated tomato plants increased their reflectance in the visible range (Vis) and decreased slowly in the near infrared range (NIR) measured during incubation, showing marked differences with plants subjected to water stress in the Vis/NIR. Additionally, three ranges were found in the spectrum related to infection by F. oxysporum (510-520 nm, 650-670 nm, 700-750 nm). Linear discriminant models on spectral reflectance data were able to differentiate between tomato varieties inoculated with F. oxysporum from healthy ones with accuracies higher than 70% 9 days after inoculation. The results showed the potential of reflectance spectroscopy to discriminate plants inoculated with F. oxysporum from healthy ones as well as those subjected to water stress in the incubation period of the disease.

Bacterial wilt is one of the most important vascular diseases that generate high worldwide losses. The main strategy to control it involves early detection of infected plants that mitigate its spread in the field. This research characterized the spectral response of healthy plants, infected with Ralstonia solanacearum E.F. Smith race 2 and subjected to water stress, in two banana cultivars by spectroscopy reflectance. The spectral data were used to detect vascular wilt during the incubation period of the disease in Gros Michel and Cavendish banana cultivars. The reflectance data were collected from the leaves using a portable spectrometer. Both varieties of healthy plants showed a typical low reflectance in the visible range, with a peak of green of around 12% in Williams and 5% in Gros Michel. In the measured infrared range, the two varieties presented values between 60 and 70% in the latest days post-infection measurements, decreasing to ~ 50% after 12 dpi. The results obtained indicate that plants infected with R. solanacearum have no initial increase in reflectance in the visible (Vis) range, whereas decrease rapidly after 6 dpi in the 700–1000 nm range. This methodology identifies three wavelengths (710, 770, and 965 nm) that allow differentiation between ill and healthy plants after 6 days post-inoculation, with a percentage of correct classification that ranges from 96 to 100%. The spectral response characterization in healthy plants and those subjected to various types of stress is a fundamental input for the development of early disease detection systems based on spectroscopy techniques.

Natural history collections serve as crucial infrastructure for both basic and applied scientific research, providing temporal and spatial specimen data needed to understand biodiversity, environmental change, and emerging pathogens. This study surveyed mammal collections across South America to assess the scope and quality of this infrastructure. A detailed questionnaire was distributed to curators and collection managers from May 2021 to February 2022, gathering information on institutional characteristics, collection size, taxonomic and geographical scope, preservation methods, genetic resource availability, percentage digitization, financial support, and challenges such as funding limitations. Our survey identified 141 collections; more than twice the number reported by the American Society of Mammalogists in 2018. South American collections house ∼746 000 catalogued specimens, including 452 primary type specimens, representing only a modest proportion of the vast mammalian diversity of South America. Collections are geographically concentrated in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, with a significant gap in the Guianas region and a decline in responses from Venezuela. The survey highlights four major challenges facing South American collections: staffing shortages, minimal cryogenic infrastructure, incomplete digitization, and sustainability issues. This initiative aims to raise awareness of collections in South America, plan for strategic growth, and strengthen research capacity to address pressing global issues, such as climate change, zoonotic disease transmission, and long-term conservation strategies.

Las plantas asintomáticas son reservorios de patógenos, ya que pueden permanecer infectadas la mayor parte de su ciclo de desarrollo, convirtiéndose en fuente de contaminación para el resto del cultivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar un método de detección y discriminación de dos cepas de Fusarium oxysporum en tomate usando espectroscopia. La enfermedad en las plantas de tomate inoculadas con la cepa aislada de gulupa (F05) fue mayor a la observada en la cepa aislada de tomate (F07), presentando valores de 60,0% (11 días) y 81,8% (22 días); la cepa F07 presentó incidencias de 30,0 y 64,3% en ambas mediciones. La planta infectada con la cepa F05 fue mejor discriminada en el periodo de incubación de la enfermedad en ambos periodos de tiempo en los Análisis de Componentes Principales (PCA) y Análisis Discriminantes Lineales (LDA) realizados con los controles en comparación con la cepa F07. Estos resultados sugieren que la espectroscopia de reflectancia VIS es un método sensible y confiable que puede ser adecuado para el diagnóstico temprano de enfermedades en plantas.