Search results for "InSe"
showing 10 items of 3069 documents
Microbial symbionts expanding or constraining abiotic niche space in insects
2020
In addition to their well-studied contributions to their host’s nutrition, digestion, and defense, microbial symbionts of insects are increasingly found to affect their host’s response toward abiotic stressors. In particular, symbiotic microbes can reduce or enhance tolerance to temperature extremes, improve desiccation resistance by aiding cuticle biosynthesis and sclerotization, and detoxify heavy metals. As such, individual symbionts or microbial communities can expand or constrain the abiotic niche space of their host and determine its adaptability to fluctuating environments. In light of the increasing impact of humans on climate and environment, a better understanding of host-microbe …
Temporal variations in symbiotic hindgut protist community of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes lucifugus Rossi in Sicily.
2015
The dynamics of symbiotic protist communities of Reticulitermes lucifugus ‘‘Sicily’’ were investigated to assess the effects of seasonal environmental conditions and the termite’s feeding activity. In worker and soldier castes, the total protist population (total abundance), individual species abundances, and species proportions in their hindguts were examined monthly from December 2012 to February 2014. The main protist species taken into account were Dinenympha fimbriata Kirby, D. gracilis Leidy, Pyrsonympha flagellata Gras., Spirotrichonympha flagellata Grassi u. Fo` a, Holomastigotes elongatum Grassi u. Fo`a, and Trichonympha agilis Leidy, while others were not specifically identified, …
Social immunity: why we should study its nature, evolution and functions across all social systems.
2018
Mounting defences against pathogens is a necessity for all animals. Although these defences have long been known to rely on individual processes such as the immune system, recent studies have emphasized the importance of social defences for group-living hosts. These defences, called social immunity, have been mostly studied in eusocial insects such as bees, termites and ants, and include, for instance, mutual cleaning and waste management. Over the last few years, however, a growing number of works called for a broader exploration of social immunity in non-eusocial species. In this review, we summarize the rationales of this call and examine why it may provide major insights into our curren…
Host-ectoparasite associations; the role of host traits, season and habitat on parasitism interactions of the rodents of northeastern Iran
2021
Abstract Background Rodents play a significant role as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases. Nevertheless, their ectoparasite assemblage and host-ectoparasite associations are poorly known. This study intended to give new insights on the relationships between ectoparasites and rodents in northeastern Iran. Methods Rodents were captured using live traps during the year of 2016–2020 and their ectoparasites were collected. Parasitological indices such as infestation rate, prevalence and mean intensity of infestation were analyzed. Results A total of 284 rodents, belonging to 17 species, were trapped which infested by 178 ectoparasites from five orders Siphonaptera, Phthiraptera, Ixodida, Mesostigma…
Tandem‐running and scouting behaviour are characterized by up‐regulation of learning and memory formation genes within the ant brain
2018
Tandem-running is a recruitment behaviour in ants that has been described as a form of teaching, where spatial information possessed by a leader is conveyed to following nestmates. Within Temnothorax ants, tandem-running is used within a variety of contexts, from foraging and nest relocation to-in the case of slavemaking species-slave raiding. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic basis of scouting, tandem-leading and tandem-following behaviours across two species with divergent lifestyles: the slavemaking Temnothorax americanus and its primary, nonparasitic host T. longispinosus. Analysis of gene expression data from brains revealed that only a small number of unique differentially express…
The influence of slavemaking lifestyle, caste and sex on chemical profiles in Temnothorax ants: insights into the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbons
2017
Chemical communication is central for the formation and maintenance of insect societies. Generally, social insects only allow nest-mates into their colony, which are recognized by their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Social parasites, which exploit insect societies, are selected to circumvent host recognition. Here, we studied whether chemical strategies to reduce recognition evolved convergently in slavemaking ants, and whether they extend to workers, queens and males alike. We studied CHCs of three social parasites and their related hosts to investigate whether the parasitic lifestyle selects for specific chemical traits that reduce host recognition. Slavemaker profiles were characterize…
Colorado potato beetle chymotrypsin genes are differentially regulated in larval midgut in response to the plant defense inducer hexanoic acid or the…
2019
When Colorado potato beetle larvae ingested potato plants treated with the plant defense inducer compound hexanoic acid, midgut chymotrypsin enzyme activity increased, and the corresponding chymotrypsin genes were differentially expressed, evidence of the larval digestive proteolytic system's plasticity. We previously reported increased susceptibility to Cry3Aa toxin in larvae fed hexanoic acid treated plants. Here we show that the most expressed chymotrypsin gene in larvae fed hexanoic acid treated plants, CTR6, was dramatically downregulated in Cry3Aa intoxicated larvae. lde-miR-965-5p and lde-miR-9a-5p microRNAs, predicted to target CTR6, might be involved in regulating the response to h…
Selective sweep ofWolbachiaand parthenogenetic host genomes - the example of the weevilEusomus ovulum
2016
Most parthenogenetic weevil species are postulated to have originated via hybridization, but Wolbachia has also been speculated to play a role via the induction of parthenogenesis. Here, we examine the molecular diversity of Wolbachia and parthenogenetic host genomes. The host species studied here, Eusomus ovulum, is known to be exclusively parthenogenetic and triploid. The E. ovulum populations that we examined had a low genetic diversity of mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I gene) and nuclear markers (internal transcribed spacer 2 and elongation factor 1-α gene), and they all were infected by only single bacteria strains (genotyped for five genes according to the multilocus sequence typi…
Chironomus riparius(Diptera) genome sequencing reveals the impact of minisatellite transposable elements on population divergence
2016
AbstractActive transposable elements (TEs) may result in divergent genomic insertion and abundance patterns among conspecific populations. Upon secondary contact, such divergent genetic backgrounds can theoretically give rise to classical Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMI), a way how TEs can contribute to the evolution of endogenous genetic barriers and eventually population divergence. We investigated whether differential TE activity created endogenous selection pressures among conspecific populations of the non-biting midgeChironomus riparius,focussing on aChironomus-specific TE, the minisatellite-likeCla-element, whose activity is associated with speciation in the genus. Using an …
Multi-modal defences in aphids offer redundant protection and increased costs likely impeding a protective mutualism.
2017
The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, maintains extreme variation in resistance to its most common parasitoid wasp enemy, Aphidius ervi, which is sourced from two known mechanisms: protective bacterial symbionts, most commonly Hamiltonella defensa, or endogenously encoded defences. We have recently found that individual aphids may employ each defence individually, occasionally both defences together, or neither. In field populations, Hamiltonella-infected aphids are found at low to moderate frequencies and while less is known about the frequency of resistant genotypes, they show up less often than susceptible genotypes in field collections. To better understand these patterns, we sought to co…