Search results for "Nymph"
showing 10 items of 81 documents
Evolutionary Hysteresis and Ratchets in the Evolution of Periodical Cicadas
2019
It has been previously hypothesized that the perfectly synchronized mass emergence of periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) evolved as a result of a switch from size-based to age-based emergence. In the former case, cicada nymphs emerge immediately (at the first opportunity) on reaching maturity, whereas in the latter case, nymphs wait in order to emerge at a specific age. Here we use an individual-based model to simulate the cicada life cycle and to study the evolution of periodicity. We find that if age-based emergence evolves in a constant abiotic environment, it typically results in a population that is protoperiodic, and synchronous emergence of the whole population is not achieved. How…
Biological and life table parameters of Typhlodromus laurentii and Iphiseius degenerans (Acari, Phytoseiidae) fed on Panonychus citri and pollen of O…
2015
Typhlodromus laurentii and Iphiseius degenerans are two generalist phytoseiid mites, broadly spread in the Mediterranean area, especially in citrus orchards. In the present work we report results on various biological and life table parameters of the two phytoseiids, fed on pollen of Oxalis pes-caprae and various stages of the tetranychid Panonychus citri. Iphiseius degenerans had the shortest post embryonic development (6.53 days), the highest oviposition rate (1.83 eggs/female/day) and the shortest mean time between eggs laid (0.55 day) on Oxalis pollen, whereas the two food types did not influence these parameters in T. laurentii. However, Oxalis pollen showed a positive effect on the su…
Vector Transmission of a Plant-Pathogenic Bacterium in the Arsenophonus Clade Sharing Ecological Traits with Facultative Insect Endosymbionts
2009
Bressan, A., Semetey, O., Arneodo, J., Lherminier, J., and BoudonPadieu, E. 2009. Vector transmission of a plant-pathogenic bacterium in the Arsenophonus clade sharing ecological traits with facultative insect endosymbionts. Phytopathology 99:1289-1296. The planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) is the major vector of a nonculturable plant-pathogenic γ-3 proteobacterium associated with a disease of sugar beet called syndrome “basses richesses” (SBR). The bacterium, here called SBR bacterium, belongs to the Arsenophonous clade, which includes mostly insect-associated facultative symbionts. Assays using field-collected planthopper nymphs and adults were carried out to inve…
Susceptibility to infection with Borrelia afzelii and TLR2 polymorphism in a wild reservoir host
2019
AbstractThe study of polymorphic immune genes in host populations is critical for understanding genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens. Controlled infection experiments are necessary to separate variation in the probability of exposure from genetic variation in susceptibility to infection, but such experiments are rare for wild vertebrate reservoir hosts and their zoonotic pathogens. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is an important reservoir host of Borrelia afzelii, a tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Bank vole populations are polymorphic for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), an innate immune receptor that recognizes bacterial lipoproteins. To test whether the TLR2 polym…
Life begins when the sea lion is ashore: microhabitat use by a louse living on a diving mammal host
2012
AbstractAmong Anoplura, the family Echinophthiriidae includes species that infest pinnipeds and otters. Previous evidence obtained from pinnipeds infested by echinophthiriids, specifically from seals, indicates that flippers are the preferred infestation sites, while lice from fur seals select areas in the pelage. We studied habitat selection of Antarctophthirus microchir on South American sea lion pups (Otaria flavescens Shaw, 1800) from Patagonia, Argentina, during the austral summer of 2009. We found a clear pattern of habitat selection: eggs are laid on the dorsal surface; nymphs 1 hatch there and then migrate to the belly, where they develop into adults and copulate; and then ovigerous…
Sibling cooperation in earwig families provides insights into the early evolution of social life.
2014
The evolutionary transition from solitary to social life is driven by direct and indirect fitness benefits of social interactions. Understanding the conditions promoting the early evolution of social life therefore requires identification of these benefits in nonderived social systems, such as animal families where offspring are mobile and able to disperse and will survive independently. Family life is well known to provide benefits to offspring through parental care, but research on sibling interactions generally focused on fitness costs to offspring due to competitive behaviors. Here we show experimentally that sibling interactions also reflect cooperative behaviors in the form of food sh…
Population dynamics of Antarctophthirus microchir (Anoplura: Echinophthiriidae) in pups from South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, in Northern …
2009
We analysed population dynamics of the louse Antarctophthirus microchir in pups of the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, at the Punta León rookery (Argentina) over a period of 2 years. A total of 136 pups were aged and marked at the beginning of the lactation period ashore, then sampled for lice at different times within 30 days. Sampling was restricted to the chest and belly, two sites where lice were especially abundant. This concentration on ventral areas might protect lice from thermal stress in the austral summer. Infestation patterns in pups ≤3 days old suggested that the potential for transmission increased from first nymphs to adults. Population trends of each instar with …
Prevalence and genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection in Ixodes ricinus ticks in southern Norway.
2010
From April to October 2007, host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected from 4 locations in southern Norway: Farsund, Mandal, Sogne and Tromoy. Two hundred and ten larvae, 1130 nymphs and 449 adults were investigated for infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 16S rRNA gene. The total percentage of B. burgdorferi s.l. in nymphal and adult ticks was determined to be 31.3% in Farsund, 25.2% in Mandal, 22.3% in Sogne and 22.1% in Tromoy. Larvae were pooled in groups of 10 before analysis, and Borrelia infection was detected in 1 of the 21 larvae pools. B. burgdorferi s.l. were genotyped by melting curve analys…
Correction to: Detection of Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis in Norway up to the northern limit of Ixodes ricinus distribution using a novel real t…
2020
Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis is an emerging tick-borne pathogen. It is widely distributed in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe, but knowledge of its distribution in Norway, where I. ricinus reaches its northern limit, is limited. In this study we have developed a real time PCR test for Ca. N. mikurensis and used it to investigate the distribution of Ca. N. mikurensis in Norway.Real time PCR targeting the groEL gene was developed and shown to be highly sensitive. It was used to detect Ca. N. mikurensis in 1651 I. ricinus nymphs and adults collected from twelve locations in Norway, from the eastern Oslo Fjord in the south to near the Arctic Circle in the north. The overall prevalence was 6…
Evaluation of Triflumuron, a benzoylphenylurea derivative, onTenebrio molitorpupae (Col., Tenebrionidae): effects on cuticle
1996
Triflumuron (TFM), a benzoylphenylurea (BPU) derivative, exhibited insecticidal activity when injected to newly ecdysed pupae of Tenebrio molitor. Mortality occurs by defect in adult ecdysis. Treatment resulted in a significant increase in the duration of pupal stage and caused a reduction in both cuticle thickness and incorporation of ''C-labelled precursor into chitin compared to controls. Moreover, TFM reduced the amount of cuticle chitin without any significant effect on protein level. Thus, TFM acts by preventing the chitin biosynthesis confirming the primary mode of action of the BPU insecticides.