Article
Ecology
Colleen Smith, Simon Joly, Cecile Antoine, Batoule Hyjazie, Jessica R. K. Forrest
Summary: Specialist insect herbivores represent a significant portion of biodiversity on Earth, but they only exploit a small number of plant lineages. Researchers find that specialist bees prefer plants with low-quality pollen, potentially to escape competition or obtain protection from natural enemies. Additionally, the abundance of plant species strongly predicts which plant genera in the eastern United States host pollen-specialist bees.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Matthias Erb, Tobias Zuest, Christelle Aurelie Maud Robert
Summary: Research has shown that herbivore natural enemies can evolve resistance to plant defense chemicals, enhancing their ability to prey on herbivores through forward evolution. Adaptation to plant chemistry by herbivore natural enemies is likely to improve the efficacy of future pest control efforts.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Muhammad Yasir Ali, Tayyaba Naseem, Jarmo K. K. Holopainen, Tongxian Liu, Jinping Zhang, Feng Zhang
Summary: Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are released by plants in response to damage or disturbance by phytophagous insects. These HIPVs serve as signals and can be used by predators and parasitoids to locate herbivores at different spatial scales. Understanding and closing the loopholes regarding the role of HIPVs can contribute to sustainable pest management in agriculture.
Article
Ecology
Tali S. Berman, Moshe Inbar
Summary: Research has shown that large mammalian herbivores inadvertently ingest an entire food chain of plant-dwelling arthropods, including herbivores, predators, and parasites. This highlights the complex trophic connections between herbivores and arthropods, suggesting that herbivores can be considered as omnivorous enemies of arthropods.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hyun Jun Park, Bo Eun Nam, Gisuk Lee, Sang-Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo, Jae Geun Kim
Summary: This study examined the combined effects of plant ontogeny and climate change on plant-herbivore interactions. It found that elevated CO2 levels negatively affected the growth and survival of the specialist herbivore, while increased watering frequency partially alleviated this effect. Plant ontogeny also played a role in modulating the effects of climate change. Additionally, the performance of the generalist herbivore slightly increased with advancing plant ontogenetic stages.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Finbarr G. Horgan, Eduardo Crisol-Martinez, Alexander M. Stuart, James M. Villegas, Ainara Penalver-Cruz, Enrique A. Mundaca, Marivic O. Perez, Carmencita C. Bernal, Maria Liberty P. Almazan, Angelee F. Ramal
Summary: Adjusting transplanting density and nitrogen levels can impact arthropod community structure and rice yield in rice ecosystems. The study found that different arthropod populations are influenced by nitrogen and transplanting density, and sustainable rice production can be achieved through conservation biological control.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nian-Feng Wan, Andrea Cavalieri, Evan Siemann, Matteo Dainese, Wen-Wei Li, Jie-Xian Jiang
Summary: Rice-fish co-culture systems can enhance biocontrol of pests and increase rice productivity, providing important ecosystem services.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Cong van Doan, Marc Pfander, Anouk S. Guyer, Xi Zhang, Corina Maurer, Christelle A. M. Robert
Summary: This study assessed the direct impact of exposure to future climatic conditions on the performance and predation success of species from four major groups of herbivore natural enemies. The results suggest that natural enemies may be well adapted to short-term changes in climatic conditions.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Claudia Cantoni, Qingqi Lin, Yair Dorsett, Laura Ghezzi, Zhongmao Liu, Yeming Pan, Kun Chen, Yanhui Han, Zhengze Li, Hang Xiao, Matthew Gormley, Yue Liu, Suresh Bokoliya, Hunter Panier, Cassandra Suther, Emily Evans, Li Deng, Alberto Locca, Robert Mikesell, Kathleen Obert, Pamela Newland, Yufeng Wu, Amber Salter, Anne H. Cross, Phillip Tarr, Amy Lovett-Racke, Laura Piccio, Yanjiao Zhou
Summary: This study conducted a six-month longitudinal multi-omics study on multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls, revealing multi-system alterations in gut microbiota, immune system, and blood metabolome. The study demonstrated the interactions between gut microbiome and host immune system, metabolism, and diet, and identified microbiome and metabolome features related to the degree of disability in MS patients. Furthermore, a correlation network linking meat intake with gut microbiota and blood metabolites was discovered.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Camila Fernanda Moser, Renata Krentz Farina, Amanda Caroline Dudczak, Alexandro Marques Tozetti, Rodrigo Lingnau
Summary: This study describes and compares the diet of endemic anurans in the Atlantic Forest and evaluates the influence of biotic factors on species' trophic ecology. The study found that Coleoptera were important prey for most species, and there was low niche overlap between species.
ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
S. P. Finnegan, N. J. Svoboda, S. L. Schooler, J. L. Belant
Summary: Climate change is affecting the timing and availability of key food resources, leading to potential trophic mismatch in predator-prey interactions. A study conducted on brown bears in the Kodiak Archipelago found no decrease in salmon consumption despite variations in terrestrial and marine food overlap. However, future declines in salmon abundance due to climate change could negatively impact brown bear populations.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Brenda Temperoni, Santiago Aldo Barbini, Paula Orlando, Claudio Cesar Buratti
Summary: The study revealed a marked ontogenetic shift in the diet of rough scad at around 190 mm in size, with smaller individuals specializing in mysidaceans and larger individuals consuming decapods and teleosts. Medium-sized individuals showed a broader trophic niche, preying mainly on copepods and chaetognaths.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Philip M. Riekenberg, Tijs Joling, Lonneke L. IJsseldijk, Andreas M. Waser, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, David W. Thieltges
Summary: Traditional bulk isotopic analysis is limited in describing parasite-host relationships in food webs, while compound-specific stable isotopes from amino acids offer a promising novel approach for mapping these interactions. The compound-specific method provided clearer trophic discrimination factors and accurately identified parasitic trophic interactions, highlighting its usefulness in clarifying feeding strategies for parasitic species within marine food webs. Despite the limitation of applying a universal trophic discrimination factor, compound-specific stable isotope analysis remains a valuable tool to increase understanding of parasitic interactions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tiantian Lin, Guoqing Zhu, Wanci He, Jiulong Xie, Shujiang Li, Shan Han, Shuying Li, Chunlin Yang, Yinggao Liu, Tianhui Zhu
Summary: This study demonstrated that soil cadmium (Cd) stress can significantly induce leaf volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in Populus yunnanensis, and the released VOCs are less attractive to both specialist and generalist herbivores. Furthermore, the herbivores' odor selection and oviposition preference were negatively correlated with leaf total VOC emissions, confirming the defensive role of Cd-induced VOCs. This finding expands our understanding of the Elemental defense hypothesis and provides new insights into predicting herbivore damage in metal-polluted habitats.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Yani Fan, Lijuan Wu, Bing Zhai
Summary: In the past decade, there has been significant advancement in our understanding of the human mycobiome, which refers to the fungal community on the mucosal surfaces. Fungi colonize various sites of the mucosal surfaces from birth and play important roles in immune system development and homeostasis throughout adulthood. This review focuses on recent research progress in the human mycobiome across different body sites, including the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract, oral cavity, skin surface, and tumor tissues. The interactions between the mycobiome and immune system, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the implications of mycobiome dysbiosis in diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, alcoholic liver diseases, systemic infections, and cancers are discussed. The potential of mycobiome-targeting interventions for life-threatening diseases is highlighted.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)