Search results for " chemical ecology"
showing 8 items of 8 documents
Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf on Lampedusa Island
2012
Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf [synonym: Periploca laevigata Labill.] (Apocynaceae – Periplocoideae sensu Endress & Bruyns 2000) is a Mediterranean-Saharan element growing wild in the low and middle Mediterranean basin and descending southwards to the northern and central Sahara. It is found in North Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), southern Spain, Sicily, Malta, Crete, Lebanon and Syria (Ghrabi 2005). In Sicily it is reported only from some Sicilian Islands: Egadi, Pantelleria, Lampedusa and Linosa (Pignatti 1982). In this paper we report some unpublished data and a summary of information of recent publications on P. laevigata subsp. angustifolia made durin…
Insect oviposition induces volatile emission in herbaceous plants that attracts egg parasitoid
2003
SUMMARYThe egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera:Scelionidae) responded to synomones emitted by leguminous plants induced by feeding and oviposition activity of the bug Nezara viridula (L.)(Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This was shown by laboratory bioassays using a Y-tube olfactometer. Broad bean leaves (Vicia faba L.) damaged by feeding activity of N. viridula and on which host egg mass had been laid produced synomones that attracted T. basalis. By contrast,undamaged leaves or feeding-damaged leaves without eggs did not attract wasp females. French bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) also emitted attractive synomones when they were damaged by host feeding and carrying e…
Egg parasitoid attraction toward induced plant volatiles is disrupted by a non-host herbivore attacking above or belowground plant organs.
2014
Plants respond to insect oviposition by emission of oviposition-induced plant volatiles (OIPVs) which can recruit egg parasitoids of the attacking herbivore. To date, studies demonstrating egg parasitoid attraction to OIPVs have been carried out in tritrophic systems consisting of one species each of plant, herbivore host, and the associated egg parasitoid. Less attention has been given to plants experiencing multiple attacks by host and non-host herbivores that potentially could interfere with the recruitment of egg parasitoids as a result of modifications to the OIPV blend. Egg parasitoid attraction could also be influenced by the temporal dynamics of multiple infestations, when the same …
Priorities for research in soil ecology
2017
The ecological interactions that occur in and with soil are of consequence in many ecosystems on the planet. These interactions provide numerous essential ecosystem services, and the sustainable management of soils has attracted increasing scientific and public attention. Although soil ecology emerged as an independent field of research many decades ago, and we have gained important insights into the functioning of soils, there still are fundamental aspects that need to be better understood to ensure that the ecosystem services that soils provide are not lost and that soils can be used in a sustainable way. In this perspectives paper, we highlight some of the major knowledge gaps that shoul…
Biological control of invasive stink bugs: review of global state and future prospects
2020
International audience; Invasive stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are responsible for high economic losses to agricul-ture on a global scale. The most important species, dating from recent to old invasions, includeBagrada hilaris (Burmeister), Halyomorpha halys (Stal), Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood), Nezara vir-idula (L.), and Murgantia histrionica (Hahn). Bagrada hilaris, H. halys,andN. viridula are nowalmost globally distributed. Biological control of these pests faces a complex set of challenges thatmust be addressed to maintain pest populations below the economic injury level. Several case studiesof classical and conservation biological control of invasive stink bugs are reported …
Caralluma europaea on Lampedusa Island
2011
The paper deals with the Ecology of Caralluma europaea (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoidae) in its type locality.
The role of plant volatiles in prediction of floral resource suitability: chemical ecology to enhance conservation biological control.
2015
Plants emit substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which represent a decisive communication channel, governing essential decisions insect have to make, such as choice of food. Understanding these interactions is critically important in Habitat Management and in a broader view in Conservation Biological Control. Suitable flower species must enhance the survival and fecundity of natural enemies but in addition they also need to be highly attractive and thus frequently visited. To date few examples exist that have considered both criteria. In this study we tested the effects of the flowering plants alyssum (Lobularia maritima), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), French marigol…