Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qingsong Liu, Xiaoyun Hu, Shuangli Su, Yuese Ning, Yufa Peng, Gongyin Ye, Yonggen Lou, Ted C. J. Turlings, Yunhe Li
Summary: The study reveals how the brown plant-hopper and the rice striped stem-borer obtain mutual benefits when feeding on the same rice plant. This cooperation between herbivores highlights adaptations resulting from the evolution of plant-insect interactions and suggests potential mechanistic vulnerabilities that can be targeted for improved pest control. Herbivore cooperation between insect pests can result in substantially greater damage to crops but also constitutes a good target for improved pest control.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongfei Wu, Mingtao Tan, Yaning Li, Lin Zheng, Jinsheng Xu, Dun Jiang
Summary: The innate immunity of gypsy moth larvae under Cd stress was evaluated, and it was found that Cd exposure can decrease both cellular immunity and humoral immunity. Cd stress induces hemocyte apoptosis through the endoplasmic reticulum pathway, leading to the collapse of cellular immunity. The Toll, IMD, and JAK/STAT signaling pathways involved in pathogen recognition, signal transduction, and effector synthesis of humoral immunity are also significantly affected by Cd stress.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Maurizio Biondi, Paola D'Alessandro, Mattia Iannella
Summary: This study examines the distribution of flea beetle genera on the African continent and finds that it is closely related to factors such as vegetation types, geographic location, and climate, resulting in an up-and-down trend in taxonomic richness from north to south.
Article
Entomology
G. Baliota, D. S. Scheff, W. R. I. I. I. I. I. I. Morrison, C. G. Athanassiou
Summary: Laboratory tests were conducted to study the population growth of Prostephanus truncatus and Sitophilus oryzae on maize, revealing that temperature plays a crucial role in the competition between these two species. P. truncatus performs better at higher temperatures and outcompetes S. oryzae in terms of progeny production. Based on the results, P. truncatus is inferred to have a competitive advantage as an invasive species in new areas with stored maize.
BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Xiao-Man Zhang, Zhi-Yong Shi, Shao-Qian Zhang, Peng Zhang, John-James Wilson, Chungkun Shih, Jing Li, Xue-Dong Li, Guo-Yue Yu, Ai-Bing Zhang
Summary: The study presents a fast and effective sequencing strategy for identifying larvae of Lepidoptera and their diets, with high-quality sequences obtained through long-multiplex-metabarcoding. The SHMMT approach is shown to be reliable and cost-effective, with accurate identification of larvae diets. This new method will facilitate research on insect-plant networks.
Article
Biology
Julia J. Mlynarek, Chloe Cull, Amy L. Parachnowitsch, Jess L. Vickruck, Stephen B. Heard
Summary: Researchers choose their study species based on various factors, including ecological or economic importance, study feasibility, and tradition. This study found that phytophagous arthropod species named after their host plants were more likely to be studied for host-associated genetic differentiation. The etymology of a scientific name may draw researchers' attention to certain aspects of life-history and influence the direction of scientific research.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Benoit Facon, Abir Hafsi, Maud Charlery de la Masseliere, Stephane Robin, Francois Massol, Maxime Dubart, Julien Chiquet, Enric Frago, Frederic Chiroleu, Pierre-Francois Duyck, Virginie Ravigne
Summary: The relative importance of ecological factors and species interactions for shaping species distributions is still debated. Species abundances depended on host plants, followed by climatic factors, with a dose of competition between species sharing host plants. The relative importance of these factors mildly changed among the three host plant groups.
Article
Biology
Taiadjana M. Fortuna, Philippe Le Gall, Samir Mezdour, Paul-Andre Calatayud
Summary: Several biophysical factors, including the dominance of exotic invasive species, impact biodiversity loss. These species can alter insect community structures, displace native species, and disrupt herbivore's natural enemies, affecting biological control. Industrial-scale development of edible insects and the use of sterile insect technique in pest control also pose risks to local fauna and raise concerns about their non-intrusive impact.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ilaria Di Lelio, Giobbe Forni, Giulia Magoga, Matteo Brunetti, Daniele Bruno, Andrea Becchimanzi, Maria G. De Luca, Martina Sinno, Eleonora Barra, Marco Bonelli, Sarah Frusciante, Gianfranco Diretto, Maria C. Digilio, Sheridan L. Woo, Gianluca Tettamanti, Rosa Rao, Matteo Lorito, Morena Casartelli, Matteo Montagna, Francesco Pennacchio
Summary: Plants generate energy flows through natural food webs, driven by competition for resources among organisms. The interaction between tomato plants and an insect is influenced by their respective microbiotas. The presence of the soil fungus Trichoderma afroharzianum in tomato plants negatively affects the development and survival of the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera littoralis by altering the larval gut microbiota. This study highlights the potential impact of biocontrol agents on the ecological sustainability of agricultural systems.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Clement Gilbert, Florian Maumus
Summary: Recent studies have discovered 49 plant-like genes in the genome of the Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) whitefly, which are likely acquired through multiple horizontal gene transfer events. These genes play a significant role in the evolution and adaptation of the whitefly to different host plants.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Aleksandra Savic, Mostafa Oveisi, Dragana Bozic, Danijela Pavlovic, Markola Saulic, Heinz Muller Scharer, Sava Vrbnicanin
Summary: The study found that Ambrosia trifida had lower individual plant biomass when grown in monoculture, while Ambrosia artemisiifolia reached its highest individual plant biomass in its monoculture. The lowest total biomass of AT+AA was obtained in mixtures with ratios of 40:60 and 60:40, while the highest biomass of other weed species was recorded.
Review
Ecology
Laure-Anne Poissonnier, Catherine Tait, Mathieu Lihoreau
Summary: This article reviews recent advances in insect cognition research and discusses the existence of specific cognitive capacities in social species. One difficulty in testing the social brain hypothesis in insects is the lack of research on species that live in less integrated social structures or that are solitary. However, as more species are studied, it is becoming clear that insects have a rich cognitive repertoire that is not directly related to their level of social complexity. Therefore, more comparative and neurobiologically grounded research is needed to better understand the evolution of insect brains and cognition.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xianpu Xu, Yuchen Song
Summary: This paper collected balanced panel data for 30 Chinese provinces during 2006-2019 and studied the impact of AI development on local carbon emissions. The results show that AI has significantly lowered carbon emissions by improving energy structure and technological innovation. Furthermore, the regional heterogeneity test detected that the emission reduction effect of AI is best in the East, followed by the West, and not significant in the Central region. Therefore, the paper suggests accelerating intelligent transformation, formulating differentiated AI development strategies, promoting the green transformation of energy usage, and strengthening local human capital accumulation to fully exploit the positive effects of AI on carbon emissions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Moon Twayana, Anil M. Girija, Vijee Mohan, Jyoti Shah
Summary: The location, hydrostatic pressure, and composition of phloem sap allow phloem sap feeding insects to occupy a unique ecological niche. Aphids, as a large group of phloem sap feeders, have successfully exploited this niche but pose detrimental effects on agriculture and horticulture due to their ability to reproduce asexually, short generation time, resistance to insecticides, and vector viral diseases.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Boter, Isabel Diaz
Summary: Plants and phytophagous arthropods have coevolved in a battle for survival, with plants producing antiherbivore chemicals and herbivores adapting to their hosts. Cyanogenic glucosides are defense chemicals produced by cyanogenic plants, while the Brassicaceae family has evolved an alternative pathway to produce cyanohydrin. When a plant tissue is damaged, cyanogenic substrates come into contact with degrading enzymes, releasing toxic cyanide and derived compounds. This review focuses on the plant metabolic pathways linked to cyanogenesis and highlights its role as a defense mechanism against herbivores, discussing the potential of cyanogenesis-derived molecules for pest control strategies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)