## AVOIDING HARM FROM INVASIVE SPECIES IN FY 2006

**A USDA Report to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee and the
National Invasive Species Council**

September 20, 2007

There are eight U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies that work
on invasive species issues: the Agricultural Research Service (ARS);
Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES); Economic Research
Service (ERS); Farm Service Agency (FSA); Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS); USDA Forest Service (FS) and Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS).

Previous USDA Do No Harm Reports cover: (1) fiscal year (FY) 2004
activities; (2) FY 2005 activities for ARS, APHIS, CSREES, ERA and NRCS
(first report dated October 2004); (3) FY 2005 activities for the Forest
Service (report dated February 2005); (4) FY 2006 activities for
ARS/NAL, CSREES, ERS, NRCS and USFS (report dated March 2007); and (5)
FY 2006 activities for APHIS (report dated August 20, 2007).

This is the sixth "USDA Avoiding Harm Report" to the Invasive Species
Advisory Committee and the National Invasive Species Council. It covers
the FY 2006 activities of ARS.

The report is divided by agency activities. Each agency will report on:

> a\) Invasive species program activities the agency is carrying out to
> do no harm;
>
> b\) The way in which, when the agency carries out other programs
> activities, they are also designed and implemented to do no harm;
>
> c\) Activities that are doing harm and future actions the agency will
> take to change the activities so that they do no harm.

Within the above categories, the agency will include its own agency
activities, as well as activities where the agency is coordinating
and/or collaborating with another federal agency, per the mandate of the
Invasive Species Executive Order (EO 13112).

**I. USDA Research Agencies: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE**

> The USDA **Agricultural Research Service** (ARS) has significant
> involvement in pest management, including invasive species. Research
> infrastructure dedicated to pest management includes personnel and
> facilities in domestic and foreign laboratories that also provide
> support to other agencies, organizations, and state governments. ARS
> commitment to avoiding harm by invasive species has been evident over
> the past five years, in which agency scientists identified nearly
> 2,000 species of invasive and potentially invasive aphids, scale
> insects, thrips, and mites of economic importance to U.S. agriculture.

**1. Activities that do no harm**

-   [E-Government:
    I]{.underline}[nvasivespeciesinfo.gov](http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/)[:]{.underline}
    Invasive species activities have grown exponentially in the last
    several years, and a central website to share information was
    required by the 2001 National Invasive Species Management Plan. ARS,
    through its National Agricultural Library (NAL), developed and
    maintained the website (<http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/>). This
    site provides one-stop searching for information as well as
    increasing public awareness about invasive species, with links to
    more than 15,000 unique Web-based resources.

> The Web site content has grown more than 6,000 percent since its
> launch in the summer of 2000. Web site usage continues to grow with
> more than 7 million page views in the last 12 months. Responding to
> this growth, the site underwent a major redesign in 2006 which
> resulted in a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction score as
> measured by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index.
>
> Access to current invasive species related news through the Web site
> was enhanced with the addition of news feeds from various sources and
> invasive species-related blogs. Customers can also automatically learn
> about the latest changes to the
> [www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov](http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/) Web
> site through an RSS feed.

-   [Biological control/host-specificity testing]{.underline}:
    Biological control underpins the ARS research effort in Integrated
    Pest Management (IPM). Classical biological control has provided
    great dividends (over \$20 billion per year saved in insect control
    costs in the U.S. alone). Savings are comparable in weed biological
    control.

> For example, the tiny, wormlike nematode, *Steinernema riobrave* was
> developed by ARS as a natural way to rein in a serious pest, the
> citrus root weevil (*Diaprepes abbreviatus*). The technology has been
> licensed to a commercial entity for large scale testing and further
> development. Also in FY 2006, ARS scientists reported extensive
> findings on the rosette weevil (*Ceratapion basicorne*), a new
> biological control agent for the invasive plant yellow starthistle
> (*Centaurea solstitialis*). Control of yellow starthistle, which
> currently infests over 16 million acres in the western U.S., could
> provide \$1.4 billion in economic benefits to California alone. Also
> advancements were made in the mass production of *Mycoleptodiscus
> terrestris*, a potential biocontrol agent for the management of the
> invasive aquatic weed hydrilla.

Prior to release of any biological control agent, ARS first rule is to
do no harm. We do not want to release agents that might harm non-target
organisms. For over 120 years, biological control ecologists have
developed and modified a series of tests that take several years to
complete before a biological control agent of weeds or insects is
determined to be safe for release into the environment. To ensure that
damage to non-target species is short-term and insignificant, ARS is
committed to long-term monitoring of the effects of biological control
agents on potential non-target species. The goal of the research is to
find an organism that feeds and/or reproduces entirely or primarily on
the target invasive pest species.

-   [Areawide pest management programs:]{.underline} ARS areawide pest
    management programs involve coordinated research and management
    activity with grower participation to suppress or maintain a pest at
    low population levels over large areas through environmentally
    sound, effective and economical approaches. Approaches Number range
    CHAPTERinclude biological and cultural control and other sustainable
    agriculture practices. Number range CHAPTERARS is demonstrating that
    integrated pest management (IPM) and areawide pest management
    systems, employing biologically-based or pest-specific methods, can
    substantially substitute for, and decrease the risks from, the most
    hazardous chemical pesticides and simultaneously increase economic
    benefits for agriculture.

For example, Number range CHAPTER ARS developed and implemented an
area-wide program to control tarnished plant bug (TPB) in cotton by
selectively killing key broadleaf plant hosts used by the insect to
survive, thereby reducing insecticide use. In cooperation with the
University of Arizona, ARS developed a highly successful IPM program for
white fly (*Bemisia tabaci*) in cotton that incorporates variety
selection, irrigation management, sampling, economic thresholds,
selective insecticides, insecticide resistance management, and
biological control for efficient and sustainable management. Whiteflies
are key pests of cotton in many areas of the world and their high
reproductive rate, insecticide resistance, and ability to disperse and
feed on multiple hosts make them particularly difficult to manage. In FY
2006, ARS scientists also reported advances in the use of pheromones in
disrupting the mating of oriental beetles (*Exomala orientalis*). Since
insect pheromones are costly and volatile, formulation is critical for
successful implementation in a mating disruption strategy. Pheromone-soy
wax compositions were developed which provided season-long
controlled-release of the pheromone and disrupted normal mating,
reducing the number of viable eggs laid by the insect pest.

-   [Pesticide risk reduction]{.underline}: In addition to the
    development of biological control, cultural, and areawide pest
    management approaches, ARS has made progress in developing a variety
    of technologies and approaches to reduce the risks of non-target
    effects associated with conventional pesticides. These include:

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-   [Application technology]{.underline}: ARS research has contributed
    to development of application systems, drift management, efficacy
    enhancement, and remote sensing. Remote sensing systems are used to
    target areas in the field where pests are present so insecticide
    spray can be directed to only those areas. Chalkbrood disease is
    being controlled in the alfalfa leaf cutting bee (an important
    pollinator of alfalfa) by application of a fungicide to
    over-wintering bee cells just prior to incubation. Since weed
    control research is the number-one national priority for organic
    producers, ARS has applied its expertise to determine optimum
    application parameters for potential organic herbicides, including
    acetic acid, pelargonic acid, and ammonium pelargonate. Application
    methods, rates, volumes, timing, as well as benefits of adjuvants
    have been evaluated on a wide range of weed species, across
    locations and years. These results have been adapted for use in the
    organic industry and used in the registration process for organic
    certification.

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-   [Software for pest management science]{.underline}: ARS has a long
    history of applying computational approaches to a broad range of
    agricultural problems, leading to the development of numerous
    computer models, ranging from weather simulators and environmental
    fate predictors to databases for predicting disease susceptibility.
    Models, such as WeedCast, WheatScout, and WeedSite are available for
    free to assist in managing weeds. WeedCast forecasts weed growth for
    the purpose of making weed management decisions, whereas WheatScout
    is a decision aid that predicts the effects of a variety of
    herbicides on green foxtail and wild oat in wheat crops. WeedSite
    evaluates the effects of site-specific weed management on irrigated
    corn cropping systems. In addition to these products, ARS modeling
    approaches are used to advance our understanding of the basic
    biology of invasive organisms. For FY 2006, examples include the
    growth and competition functions for several species of importance
    in the Midwest, Europe and Africa; determining how carbohydrates
    regulate seasonal dormancy phases; and development of underground
    adventitious buds, which result in vegetative propagation of leafy
    spurge and enhance its perennial nature.

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-   [Agrochemical fate]{.underline}: ARS research on understanding
    agrochemical fate and transport prevents and mitigates adverse
    environmental impacts. Research results have led to the development
    of science-based management practices that protect vulnerable areas
    of the ecosystem. With the development of better predictive tools
    and Global Information System (GIS)-based modeling, risks can be
    assessed at the basin and watershed levels, and management
    strategies can be identified that minimize negative environmental
    impacts. Basic information on herbicide fate mechanisms and factors
    controlling these mechanisms provides the basis of some of these
    predictive tools. For example, many environmental compartments
    impacted by herbicides are anaerobic (lacking oxygen); limited
    information is available on herbicide behavior in these
    environments. ARS scientists in Urbana, IL examined degradation of
    several herbicides under anaerobic conditions and recently revealed
    the ability of a bacterium (*Desulfitobacterium chlororespirans*) to
    remove bromine and iodine atoms from certain herbicides, a finding
    that not only changes our understanding of the fate of these
    compounds, but has broad implications for environmental cleanup of
    other brominated compounds like some of the fire retardants.

-   [Eliminating barriers for the use of safer herbicides]{.underline}.
    Adopting safer herbicide technology can be slowed by lack of
    registration data on minor crops, and in some cases, inter-varietal
    differences in herbicide sensitivity.

> More than 600 fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, herbs, nursery
> plants, and ornamentals are classified as minor crops in the U.S.
> based on their limited production acreages. However, these minor crops
> have a farm gate value of almost \$40 billion, which represents 40% of
> all crop value in the U.S. Unfortunately, there is little or no
> economic incentive for chemical registrants to develop the data to
> register herbicides on these crops.
>
> The IR-4 Project between the USDA (CSREES and ARS) and members of the
> land grant university system conducts field trials and residue
> analyses to develop food safety data on minor crops that result in the
> clearance of effective pesticides by the Environmental Protection
> Agency. During the past five years, ARS has participated in 263 trials
> of herbicides on vegetables, fruits, and other specialty crops; 699 on
> florist and nursery crops; and 220 on ornamentals, establishing
> tolerances for 60 crops involving 26 herbicides. The tolerances are
> used by pesticide registrants to add new uses to their labels to
> provide growers with safer, more effective, and less environmentally
> disruptive methods to reduce crop losses and maintain yield and
> quality. These data supported 150 herbicide registrations on florist
> and nursery crops and 24 registrations on 100 ornamental crops.
>
> A considerable portion of the most highly-sought varieties of sweet
> corn have proven sensitive to herbicides that might serve as safer
> replacements for atrazine. In FY 2006, ARS scientists in cooperation
> with scientists from the University of Illinois examined popular sweet
> corn germplasm, verifying that the pattern of herbicide sensitivity is
> of simple genetic origin. The finding provides the basis for selecting
> new varieties that have the qualities of the popular varieties without
> the accompanying sensitivity issues.

-   [Host plant resistance]{.underline}: Host plant resistance is an
    efficient, economical, and environmentally safe approach to manage
    many pests and diseases. ARS has made significant contribution to
    the development of germplasm resistant to pests and disease. These
    plant varieties are a major component of sustainable agricultural
    production. ARS scientists developed new lines of several crops
    incorporating resistance to a variety of pests. For example,
    sugarcane resistance to sugarcane borer, sweet potato resistance to
    soil insects, watermelon resistance to insects and mites, greenbug
    resistance in barley, and potential sources of resistance to bird
    cherry-oat aphid in wheat, triticale, and wheat-x-triticale lines
    were contributed by ARS scientists. An important source of
    resistance of wheat to Russian wheat aphid (RWA) is the Dn4 gene. In
    FY 2006, ARS scientists collected and classified by biotype 365 RWA
    samples from 98 wheat or barley fields in Oklahoma, Texas, New
    Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. It was determined
    that that RWA2, which destroys wheat previously resistant to RWA, is
    now the prevalent biotype, and that it is distributed throughout the
    range of RWA in the U.S. Wheat and barley breeders are now aware of
    the extent of the RWA biotype problem and that identifying new
    sources of RWA resistance is a high priority in order to
    economically manage the RWA.

# [Pathogen detection]{.underline}: A **new generation of diagnostic tests are needed to: detect emerging disease pathogens of plants and animals and their toxins, identify new variants of known disease pathogens, control or eradicate zoonotic diseases, and control diseases that impact production and trade. In the area of animal disease, for example,** accurate diagnosis of chronic-wasting disease is vital for control and eradication. As an example, for FY 2006, ARS scientists developed a novel fingerprinting tool based on the Asian longhorned beetle's genetic signature. Genetic markers developed for screening insect wastes found on trees provides positive detection of the insect. Coupled with a fast-acting insecticide to facilitate sampling free-flying adult beetles, it has improved detection of this beetle.

-   [Pest and pathogen biology]{.underline}: Understanding pest and
    pathogen biology and ecology underpins all work toward effective
    pest control, and concomitant preservation of habitat by elimination
    or management of invasive species. For example, baculoviruses have
    tremendous potential as insect biological control agents; however,
    some key information, such as the mechanisms and signaling systems
    responsible for insect immune defenses against viral infection, are
    largely unknown. For FY 2006, ARS scientists produced the
    first-published evidence for a signaling system in insect cellular
    anti-viral defenses. Other work showed how the use of specific
    inhibitors (such as eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors) may
    facilitate the expanded use of cell lines for viruses that
    previously were not cultivable. Additional research showed that
    neuropeptides (NPs), which are short chains of amino acids that
    serve as potent messengers in insects to regulate vital functions,
    also regulate digestive enzyme release and gut pH levels of various
    plant pests. This work led to the development of two "molecular
    scaffolds" that mimic the required three-dimensional shape, and can
    be used to design biostable versions capable of resisting enzymatic
    inactivation. The variety of critical insect life processes
    regulated by NPs affords the opportunity to develop an array of new
    and effective pest management tools.

-   [Genomics]{.underline}: A recent addition to our arsenal of
    approaches in understanding pest and pathogen biology and in
    manipulating their biology for more effective pest control, is the
    development of molecular genomic tools.

> Marek\'s disease is the first cancer-causing virus for which a
> tumor-preventing vaccine was developed. In the U.S. and Europe, most
> commercial chickens are vaccinated against Marek\'s disease virus type
> 1 (MDV1). Though these vaccination programs have been very successful,
> pressures imposed on the virus in vaccinated birds causes new variants
> to evolve that could pose a threat to the poultry industry. To
> investigate the differences between the variants, ARS scientists
> initiated a comparative genomics research program that includes
> virulent and non-virulent strains. By examining the differences
> between these strains at the DNA level, researchers hope to identify
> the genes involved in virulence. ARS uses genomics to steward
> beneficial organisms as well. In cooperation with a large
> international effort, ARS annotated the honey bee genome (the first
> agricultural and beneficial insect to have its entire genome
> sequenced).

-   [Molecular genetic analysis of insects and pathogens]{.underline}:
    ARS has been responsible for advances in the identification and
    analysis of genetic systems involved in insect development,
    reproduction and behavior which enable the identification of new
    targets for control as well as the development of highly specific
    insecticidal products. Other ARS studies have developed gene
    transfer technology to understand these biological processes through
    functional genomics, and transgenic strains for possible use in
    biological control. ARS has also developed molecular markers and
    methodologies to identify and track insect populations, such as corn
    rootworms, which cause over \$1 billion in losses each year in the
    U.S. These tools have contributed to tracking of disease outbreaks,
    such as avian influenza strain H5N1. ARS scientists participated in
    an international research effort to examine the relationships among
    outbreaks of the disease in Asia. Scientific information from these
    studies was used by U.S. Federal and foreign governments to
    understand that the South Korean outbreak was similar to, but
    distinctly different from, outbreaks that were simultaneously
    occurring in other Asian countries. This suggested a multiple point
    source of introduction, which helped shape the regulatory response
    to the outbreaks.

[]{.mark}

> Analysis of the role of prions in disease may require special test
> systems. In FY 2006, ARS scientists evaluated cattle that had been
> genetically modified so they do not produce prions, and determined
> that there were no observable adverse effects on the animals\' health
> (www.nature.com/nbt/). These cattle (produced by Hematech Inc., a
> pharmaceutical research company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
> can help to explore and improve understanding of how prions function
> and cause disease, especially with relation to bovine spongiform
> encephalopathy, or BSE. Cattle lacking the gene that produces prions
> can help scientists test the resistance to prion propagation, not only
> in the laboratory but in live animals. Prions are proteins that are
> naturally produced in animals. An abnormal form of prion is believed
> to cause devastating illnesses called transmissible spongiform
> encephalopathies (TSEs), the best known of which is BSE.

-   R[emote vaccination of wildlife]{.underline}. ARS scientists in
    Ames, Iowa, along with colleagues at Colorado State University in
    Fort Collins are seeking better ways to remotely vaccinate
    free-ranging bison with RB51, the most effective vaccine available
    against brucellosis in cattle. In this work, the scientists used a
    biodegradable projectile developed by Solidtech Animal Health Inc.
    (Newcastle, Oklahoma) that had been fitted with a gel-based vaccine
    pellet they developed to protect the live bacteria in the vaccine.

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-   [Insect germplasm]{.underline}: Conserving and utilizing germplasm,
    a well established tool for plant improvement, is now being utilized
    to improve and protect honey bees. ARS scientists in Baton Rouge,
    Louisiana, developed 18 Russian honey bee breeder queen lines that
    have now been commercially released to bee breeders. These lines are
    genetically diverse and resistant to varroa and tracheal mites, and
    do not show excessive defensiveness or susceptibility to chalkbrood
    disease. The work is timely since bees are declining due to pests,
    particularly varroa mite.

-   [Weed herbicide resistance management]{.underline}: Chemical
    herbicides are a primary tool in controlling weeds. However, weeds
    are very adaptable and have become resistant to almost every
    herbicide class. Related to this, the amount of glyphosate used has
    dramatically increased in recent years and has resulted in the
    selection of resistance in weeds. ARS studies have led to the
    generation of herbicide resistance-management schemes for growers
    using glyphosate. For FY 2006, ARS scientists reported impact of
    continuous use of transgenic weed control systems on weed species
    and population shifts. This research demonstrated the mechanisms for
    seed survival and the basis for a greater susceptibility of
    trumpetcreeper to glyphosate than redvine. Control of these weeds
    with glyphosate was only temporary and regrowth from underground
    rootstocks occurred because of insufficient translocation of
    glyphosate to rootstocks. A strategy was developed to manage these
    vines by integrating glyphosate in glyphosate-resistant soybean with
    fall deep tillage. Improved weed control with new formulations
    compared to existing products could reduce pesticide usage and costs
    to the farmer.

**2. Other ARS Research activities also designed to do no harm:**

-   [Invasivespecies.gov Web site links:]{.underline} The
    Invasivespecies.gov Web site links to relevant Internet resources of
    many of the forty Federal agencies that are members of the National
    Invasive Species Council.

-   [Invasive species listserv:]{.underline} The National Agricultural
    Library (NAL) is hosting an invasive species listserv for the public
    affairs officers that work on invasive species issues in Council
    agencies.

-   [Information management support to ITAP:]{.underline} NAL provides
    information management support for the Invasive Terrestrial Animal
    and Pathogen (ITAP), a Federal scientific and technical interagency
    advisory group.

-   [Overseas laboratories/quarantine facilities]{.underline}: Classical
    biological control is the use of natural enemies derived from a
    pest's point of origin. It offers the possibility for permanent,
    cost effective suppression of weeds and insect pests. The ARS
    Overseas biological control laboratories are located in Australia,
    China, Argentina and France and work as a cohesive network. Their
    collective mission is to identify, develop and ship natural enemies
    to stateside collaborators for use in U.S. programs designed to
    combat invasive species. Accordingly, they represent the beginning
    of a pipeline of effective biological control agents and numerous
    stateside programs rely upon them.

> The ARS overseas laboratories have a rich history of success in this
> regard, having contributed numerous biocontrol agents now in use.
> Examples include *Oxyops vitiosa*, a beetle released in 1997 that
> attacks leaves of the invasive paperbark tree (Melaleuca), and has
> diminished the densities of these trees by 70% in parts of south
> Florida. The olive fruit fly, first reported in California in 1998
> (now established in olive growing regions in the central part of the
> state), is capable of infesting 100% of the fruit on a tree, rendering
> the harvest unmarketable. In 2004 a project was initiated at the
> European Biological Control Laboratory (France) and explorations for
> natural enemies were immediately conducted in southern Africa. Olive
> fruit fly parasitoid wasps were identified and sent to the University
> of California-Berkeley and to the California Department of Food and
> Agriculture cooperators, resulting in release of the parasitoids into
> the field in 2005. This represents a very rapid response to a serious
> agricultural problem.
>
> Another example of the benefits of this laboratory network reported in
> FY 2006 includes work on biocontrol agents for the Old World Climbing
> Fern, *Lygodium microphyllum*. In this case, three stem-borers from SE
> Asia have been identified and evaluated as biological control agents
> in Australia. Species of the weed from Thailand, Singapore and Hong
> Kong all accepted *L. microphyllum* as a host. A staff member was
> deployed to Singapore for a year to assist with rearing protocols to
> facilitate the processes of testing and development. These stem borers
> can supplement the activities of approved biocontrol agents (the
> defoliating moth, *Austromusotima camptozonale* and the eriophyid
> mite, *Floracarus perrepae*) by attacking a different facet of the
> plant. The very attractive prospect of using *L. microphyllum* for
> biocontrol is attributable to the ARS overseas laboratory network.

Besides state universities, the ARS overseas laboratories also maintain
formal collaborations with APHIS, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and many universities and State Departments of
Agriculture.

> Related to this overseas work, ARS maintains insects in quarantine
> facilities that meet Federal safety specifications to preclude insect
> introduction into the host country. When beneficial insects arrive
> from overseas, they are again carefully sorted, screened for parasites
> and reared. This work is also done in quarantine facilities. ARS
> operates laboratories with quarantine facilities in Albany,
> California, Stoneville, Mississippi, and, Temple, Texas. New
> quarantine facilities are due to open in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and
> Sidney, Montana. ARS collaborates with universities and other state
> and Federal agencies that manage additional quarantine facilities,
> including a long-term program at Gainesville, Florida. Each quarantine
> facility uses a variety of traps, doors, entryways and sanitizing
> procedures to keep the insects secure until they are proven safe for
> release into the U.S.

-   [Risk analysis checklist for importation and release into the
    environment of biological control agents]{.underline}: ARS has
    standardized its procedures relating to conducting tests for the
    release of biological control agents under the requirements of the
    National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). This is currently
    coordinated by the ARS Biological Control Documentation Center, in
    conjunction with APHIS, the agency with authority to approve
    biocontrol agents releases. The Center also stores and retrieves
    information on invertebrate and microbial biological control agents
    of invertebrate, weed and microbial pests, thereby documenting
    movement of any agents into the U.S.

-   [Systematics]{.underline}: The expertise of ARS scientists in
    systematics (i.e., systematists) enables us to predict, effectively
    prevent, and manage the introduction and expansion of invasive
    species to ensure environmental and agricultural security and
    sustainability.

> Advancements in the area of systematics for FY 2006 have been used for
> identification of various cryptic species of natural enemies, such as
> pirate bugs (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) which are important agents of
> biological control in tree fruit and vegetable systems worldwide.
> Systematics research led to the development of a fully illustrated
> guide to the longhorned wood-boring beetles of the Eastern United
> States that allows users to identify eastern U. S. species (both
> native and invasive) in an average of 10 minutes each and without any
> special knowledge of insect characters or science background. No other
> resource allows such speed and certainty in identification. ARS
> scientists described new species of *Anastrepha* that had been
> confused with Mexican fruit fly (a major pest); also, Mexican fruit
> fly was shown not to occur in Colombia. Description of the new species
> and clarification of the distribution of the Mexican fruit fly will
> facilitate trade in mangos and other fruit between Colombia and the
> U.S., and will aid APHIS and other regulatory agencies to formulate
> quarantines and detect invasive fruit flies. Such basic advancements
> facilitate identification of organisms of interest to numerous
> agencies. In Fiscal Year 2004 alone, ARS scientists in Beltsville,
> Maryland, provided 11,145 identifications (5,083 of URGENT priority)
> to a broad array of organizations. The vast majority of
> identifications are provided to the USDA Animal and Plant Health
> Inspection Service/Plant Protection and Quarantine (APHIS/PPQ).
>
> In other Federal work, ARS actively participates in the Systematics
> Subcommittee of the Federal Interagency Committee for Invasive
> Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens, which is developing a white paper
> on the nation's systematic infrastructure. This activity is feeding
> into an Office of Science and Technology Policy effort dedicated to
> preserving the nation's collections, an effort that also involves ARS
> leadership.

**3. Activities that are doing harm, and future agency actions to change
them so that they do not continue to do harm.**

> None. As the principal in-house research agency for the U.S.
> Department of Agriculture, ARS conducts research to develop and
> transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority.
> ARS scientific studies provide data and develop tools that enable
> America to change potentially harmful actions into those that do no
> harm while still meeting the challenge posed by invasive species.

**Respectfully submitted,**

**Ms. Hilda Diaz-Soltero**

**USDA Senior Invasive Species Coordinator**