Search results for " Euphorbia"

The Generalist Inside the Specialist: Gut Bacterial Communities of Two Insect Species Feeding on Toxic Plants Are Dominated by Enterococcus sp.

2016

Some specialist insects feed on plants rich in secondary compounds, which pose a major selective pressure on both the phytophagous and the gut microbiota. However, microbial communities of toxic plant feeders are still poorly characterized. Here, we show the bacterial communities of the gut of two specialized Lepidoptera, Hyles euphorbiae and Brithys crini, which exclusively feed on latex-rich Euphorbia sp. and alkaloid-rich Pancratium maritimum, respectively. A metagenomic analysis based on high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that the gut microbiota of both insects is dominated by the phylum Firmicutes, and especially by the common gut inhabitant Enterococcus sp. Staph…

Ecology of the aphid pests of protected pepper crops and their parasitoids

2011

Abstract Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Aphis gossypii and Aulacorthum solani (Homoptera: Aphididae) are principal pests of protected pepper crops in southeastern Spain. Our goal was to determine the incidence of aphids on pepper crops and the role of vegetation surrounding greenhouses as a source of aphids and their parasitoids. The population dynamics were followed in six commercial greenhouses during 3 years. Another 82 greenhouses and their surrounding vegetation were surveyed occasionally. Myzus persicae had the highest incidence in pepper greenhouses followed by M. euphorbiae and A. solani. Parasitism of all aphid species in greenhouses was low, Aphidius matricariae and Aphid…

Nuova stazione di Euphorbia serrata in Sicilia

2007

A new record of Euphorbia serrata (Euphorbiaceae) from Sicily. - Euphorbia serrata L. is reported from a new locality in Sicily near Mazara del Vallo (Trapani). Data on the biological cycle and the phytocoenosis in the new Sicilian locality are also reported.

Data from: Plant – herbivorous beetle networks: molecular characterization of trophic ecology within a threatened steppic environment

2015

DNA barcoding facilitates many evolutionary and ecological studies, including the examination of the dietary diversity of herbivores. In this study, we present a survey of ecological associations between herbivorous beetles and host plants from seriously threatened European steppic grasslands. We determined host plants for the majority (65%) of steppic leaf beetles (55 species) and weevils (59) known from central Europe using two barcodes (trnL and rbcL) and two sequencing strategies (Sanger for mono/oligophagous species and Illumina for polyphagous taxa). To better understand the ecological associations between steppic beetles and their host plants, we tested the hypothesis that leaf beetl…

Assessing the biomass of shrubs typical of Mediterranean pre-forest communities

2012

One of the most outstanding issues of current environmental research is the need of reliable assessments of carbon stock (i.e. above-ground (a.g.) and below-ground biomass, deadwood, litter, and organic soil matter) within forest ecosystems. Although shrub vegetation plays an important role in accumulating carbon in many Mediterranean environments, there is still very little knowledge on the carbon they store. In this article, we analyze the a.g. carbon stock of several Mediterranean shrubby communities in Sicily (Italy), dominated by Pistacia lentiscus, Chamaerops humilis, Euphorbia dendroides and Spartium junceum. Plant samples for each species were selected, and morphometric attributes (…

Il mosaico dell’Euphorbia x lomii

2009

First record of Euphorbia graminea (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy

2016

Euphorbia graminea Jacq. (Euphorbiaceae), a species native from Central America through northern South America, from Northern Mexico to Peru, has been found naturalized near Palermo (Sicily). This is the first record for Italy and Europe