Search results for "Insect"

Understanding insect foraging in complex habitats by comparing trophic levels: insights from specialist host-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid systems

2019

Insects typically forage in complex habitats in which their resources are surrounded by non-resources. For herbivores, pollinators, parasitoids, and higher level predators research has focused on how specific trophic levels filter and integrate information from cues in their habitat to locate resources. However, these insights frequently build specific theory per trophic level and seldom across trophic levels. Here, we synthesize advances in understanding of insect foraging behavior in complex habitats by comparing trophic levels in specialist host-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid systems. We argue that resources may become less apparent to foraging insects when they are member of higher trophic …

The roles of foraging environment, host species, and host diet for a generalist pupal parasitoid

2018

Foraging Bumblebees Selectively Attend to Other Types of Bees Based on Their Reward-Predictive Value.

2020

Using social information can be an efficient strategy for learning in a new environment while reducing the risks associated with trial-and-error learning. Whereas social information from conspecifics has long been assumed to be preferentially attended by animals, heterospecifics can also provide relevant information. Because different species may vary in their informative value, using heterospecific social information indiscriminately can be ineffective and even detrimental. Here, we evaluated how selective use of social information might arise at a proximate level in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) as a result of experience with demonstrators differing in their visual appearance and in thei…

Visualizing fungicide action: anin vivotool for rapid validation of fungicides with target location HOG pathway

2018

BACKGROUND The mitogen-activated protein kinase MoHog1p was fused with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The MoHOG1::GFP mutant was found to be an excellent tool visualizing in vivo fungicide-dependent translocation of MoHog1p into the nucleus. Validation of pathway specificity was achieved by generating fluorescence-labelled MoHog1p in the ΔMohik1 'loss of function' mutant strain. RESULTS GFP-labelled MoHog1p expressed in the wildtype and in ΔMohik1 demonstrates that fludioxonil is acting on the HOG pathway and even more precisely that fungicide action is dependent on the group III histidine kinase MoHik1p. GFP-tagged MoHog1p translocated into …

High within- and between-trunk variation in the nematoceran (Diptera) community and its physical environment in decaying aspen trunks

2012

Dead wood is a primary habitat for a large number of insects, including species from many nematoceran (Diptera) groups. The species living in dead wood must be adapted to the ephemeral and ever-changing nature of their substrate. There is a growing body of knowledge about the effects of dead wood quality and the surrounding landscape on the saproxylic beetle community, but we know very little about the other saproxylic insects. Moreover, we know only very little about the variation in the insect community between different parts of decaying wood pieces. Using emergence traps, we studied the saproxylic nematoceran communities occupying different parts of decaying fallen aspen trunks in a bor…

A review on introduced alien insect pests and their associated parasitoids on eucalyptus trees in Sicily

2018

A review is reported in the present paper on invasive alien insects introduced in Sicily on Eucalyptus trees, together with unpublished results from recent surveys. As to the latter ones, observations were conducted especially on Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Carpintero & Dellapé) (Hemiptera, Thaumastocoridae), the most recently introduced species. Overall, eight alien insect pests have been accidentally introduced in the island on Eucalyptus, belonging to the orders Hemiptera (Aphalaridae, 2 spp.; Thaumastocoridae, 1 sp.), Coleoptera (Cerambycidae, 2 spp.; Curculionidae, 1 sp.) and Hymenoptera (Eulophidae, 2 spp.). Two encyrtid parasitoids, Avetianella longoi Siscaro and Psyllaephagus bliteus…

Interspecific interactions influence contrasting spatial genetic structures in two closely related damselfly species

2014

Spatial genetic structure (SGS) is largely determined by colonization history, landscape and ecological characteristics of the species. Therefore, sympatric and ecologically similar species are expected to exhibit similar SGSs, potentially enabling prediction of the SGS of one species from that of another. On the other hand, due to interspecific interactions, ecologically similar species could have different SGSs. We explored the SGSs of the closely related Calopteryx splendens and Calopteryx virgo within Finland and related the genetic patterns to characteristics of the sampling localities. We observed different SGSs for the two species. Genetic differentiation even within short distances …

Overcompensation as a mechanism for maintaining polymorphism: egg-to-adult viability in Drosophila.

1990

Frequency-dependent selection may be accounted for, in ecological terms, by the differential effectiveness of alternative genotypes in exploiting limiting environmental resources. Differentiation in resource exploitation among genotypes implies in turn that a mix of genotypes may exploit more fully the resources than a genetically uniform population, a phenomenon called 'overcompensation' Experiments designed to test for overcompensation whow that highly polymorphic populations can support larger numbers of individuals per food unit than less polymorphic populations. This difference cannot be attributed to the level of individual heterozygosity, which is the same in both types of population…

Impact of genetic diversity of an earthworm on decomposition and ecosystem functioning

2020

Abstract Ecosystem functioning is affected positively by increased biodiversity, through complementary functions of multiple species or because high-functioning species are more likely in a species-rich community. Genetic diversity is one level of biodiversity that has been shown to positively affect ecosystem functioning. Whether the genetic diversity of a key decomposer species affects decomposition processes, and ecosystem functioning in general, is still unknown. We compared low and high genetic diversity assemblages of the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra in two different experiments: using microcosms containing a simple community of other decomposer animals (some nematodes and other mic…

2006

Aphids are the leading pests in agricultural crops. A large-scale sequencing of 40,904 ESTs from the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum was carried out to define a catalog of 12,082 unique transcripts. A strong AT bias was found, indicating a compositional shift between Drosophila melanogaster and A. pisum. An in silico profiling analysis characterized 135 transcripts specific to pea-aphid tissues (relating to bacteriocytes and parthenogenetic embryos). This project is the first to address the genetics of the Hemiptera and of a hemimetabolous insect.