Search results for "flies"
showing 10 items of 85 documents
Attraction of egg-killing parasitoids toward induced plant volatiles in a multi-herbivore context
2015
In response to insect herbivory, plants emit volatile organic compounds which may act as indirect plant defenses by attracting natural enemies of the attacking herbivore. In nature, plants are often attacked by multiple herbivores, but the majority of studies which have investigated indirect plant defenses to date have focused on the recruitment of different parasitoid species in a single-herbivore context. Here, we report our investigation on the attraction of egg parasitoids of lepidopteran hosts (Trichogramma brassicae and T. evanescens) toward plant volatiles induced by different insect herbivores in olfactometer bioassays. We used a system consisting of a native crucifer, Brassica nigr…
Social information use by predators : expanding the information ecology of prey defences
2022
Social information use is well documented across the animal kingdom, but how it influences ecological and evolutionary processes is only just beginning to be investigated. Here we evaluate how social transmission may influence species interactions and potentially change or create novel selection pressures by focusing on predator-prey interactions, one of the best studied examples of species coevolution. There is extensive research into how prey can use social information to avoid predators, but little synthesis of how social transmission among predators can influence the outcome of different stages of predation. Here we review evidence that predators use social information during 1) encount…
Identification, ecology and use blood meals from hematophagous Diptera (Glossinidae, Stomoxys and Tabanidae) for noninvasive sampling of wildlife in …
2015
The contact between human and wild fauna has considerably increased during these last decades due to the increase of human population size but also to conservation policies. As a consequence, the number of zoonotic diseases soared with a mean of six new infectious diseases per year, 75% of whom being vectorially transmitted. The way to avoid the human contamination by these emergent diseases is based on the efficient vector control resulting from a deep knowledge of the ecology and the feeding behavior of the different vector species. During our work, we have identified and characterized the ecology of 6 tsetse species (Glossina palpalis palpalis, G. fuscipes fuscipes, G. fusca congolense, …
Candidate target mechanisms of the growth inhibitor cyromazine: Studies of phenylalanine hydroxylase, puparial amino acids, and dihydrofolate reducta…
2000
Cyromazine, an insect growth regulator, affects larval and pupal cuticles in dipterans and some other insects. The mode of action of this aminotriazine is not known yet, though it has been shown not to inhibit the synthesis of chitin and cuticular proteins. Cyromazine may, however, act on some step(s) of sclerotization of the cuticle. In the present study, we have analyzed the key enzyme for the production of sclerotization agents, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), using the enzyme from Drosophila, a cyromazine-sensitive insect. PAH was studied in vitro with cyromazine and three biologically less active derivatives at concentrations ranging from 1 μM to 1 mM. None of the compounds did signif…
Paratransgenic manipulation of a tsetse microRNA alters the physiological homeostasis of the fly’s midgut environment
2021
Tsetse flies are vectors of parasitic African trypanosomes, the etiological agents of human and animal African trypanosomoses. Current disease control methods include fly-repelling pesticides, fly trapping, and chemotherapeutic treatment of infected people and animals. Inhibiting tsetse’s ability to transmit trypanosomes by strengthening the fly’s natural barriers can serve as an alternative approach to reduce disease. The peritrophic matrix (PM) is a chitinous and proteinaceous barrier that lines the insect midgut and serves as a protective barrier that inhibits infection with pathogens. African trypanosomes must cross tsetse’s PM in order to establish an infection in the fly, and PM struc…
Impact of landscape on spatial genetic structure and diversity ofCoenagrion mercuriale(Zygoptera:Coenagrionidae) in northern France
2015
AbstractLoss and fragmentation of habitat is a current main cause of biodiversity loss in freshwater habitats. Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) depend on these habitats to complete their development. Fragmentation may be a particular threat for odonates because it generates a network of small habitat patches within which populations could suffer from isolation and loss of genetic diversity. The southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale is categorized on the IUCN red list as Near Threatened, largely because of population fragmentation and demographic declines associated with changes in land use. Small populations at the margin of this species’ range are of particular concern because the…
Epidemiological analysis of Salmonella enterica from beef sampled in the slaughterhouse and retailers in Dakar (Senegal) using pulsed-field gel elect…
2007
Seventy-eight isolates of Salmonella spp. isolated from beef sampled from the official city slaughterhouse and from retailers in Dakar, Senegal were analyzed using serotyping, antimicrobial testing and macrorestriction profiling by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). These analyses were done to identify clonal relationships and potential transmission routes in beef channel. XbaI macrorestriction allowed defining 17 genotypes among the six main analyzed serotypes: Salmonella bredeney (3 genotypes), S. muenster (6), S. waycross (1), S. corvallis (3), S. kentucky (1) and S. brandenburg (3). The cross analysis of PFGE profiles and origin of the beef samples reveals a wide range of contamin…
Seasonal patterns in butterfly abundance and species diversity in five characteristic habitats in Sites of Community Importance in Sicily (Italy)
2015
Sicily (Italy) is one of the richest European regions in animal biodiversity. Butterflies offer good opportunities for studies on biodiversity , population and community ecology. Many species are strictly seasonal, preferring only a particular set of habitats. Five typical Mediterranean habitats: olive grove (conducted following organic farm management), mixed wood, ampelodesmos prairie (with dominance of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus), Mediterranean shrub and shrub at the coastal areas, were monitored for diversity and seasonal patterns in butterfly communities for 2 years. All habitats were inside protected areas indicated as Sites of Community Importance. Butterfly species richness was highe…
SICILY AS THEORETICAL MODEL TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS IN A HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY
2015
In Europe, especially in Italy, different considerations are necessary when potential GMPs are to be grown. In particular high biodiversity areas such as Sicily should have a more detail plans of potential benefits and risks assuring the conservation of biodiversity and endemic species. Sicily is one of the most relevant biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean area, with a vascular flora of 3252 species and 321 endemic taxa. Considering the latest IUCN categories and criteria, 401 taxa (12.4% of Sicilian flora) are under threat (categories “CR”, “EN”, “VU”), and 220 more taxa (6.8%) are “Near Threatened”. Sicily is also known to have a rich butterfly and coleopteran fauna including endem…
Chemosensory Receptors in the Larval Maxilla of Papilio hospiton
2022
Among the butterflies of the genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), Papilio hospiton (Géné) has a geographical distribution limited to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). This is mainly due to the host range that includes only a few plant species of Apiaceae and Rutaceae growing on these islands. In a previous electrophysiological investigation conducted on the maxillary gustatory system of larvae of P. hospiton and its closely phylogenetically related species Papilio machaon, a significantly higher spike activity was shown for the gustatory neurons of lateral and medial styloconic sensilla in P. hospiton when bitter compounds were tested. This effect was…