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
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
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anwar Palash, Shatabdi Paul, Sabrina Karim Resha, Md Kawsar Khan
Summary: Local extinction risks of butterflies in Bangladesh are influenced by body size and diet breadth, with larger butterflies and those with fewer host and nectar plants being more at risk of extinction.
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
Ecology
K. M. Rajesh, Prathibha Rohit, Divya Viswambharan, E. M. Abdussamad, Mridula Rajesh
Summary: The study on the food and feeding habits of the sawtooth barracuda in the southeastern Arabian Sea, India revealed that teleosts were the preferred food source, with a shift in diet from crustaceans to molluscs and medium-sized fishes as the fish grew.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
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
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
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)
Review
Anthropology
Patricio Cruz y Celis Peniche
Summary: This review explores the relation between variable ecologies, subsistence strategies, and social norms on insect consumption patterns across past and contemporary human populations. Ecological factors and evolved social learning strategies may help explain variation in insect consumption. The review aims to resolve current debates on insect consumption and provide directions for future research.
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew L. Holding, Jason L. Strickland, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Erich P. Hofmann, Andrew J. Mason, Michael P. Hogan, Gunnar S. Nystrom, Schyler A. Ellsworth, Timothy J. Colston, Miguel Borja, Gamaliel Castaneda-Gaytan, Christoph Grunwald, Jason M. Jones, Luciana A. Freitas-de-Sousa, Vincent Louis Viala, Mark J. Margres, Erika Hingst-Zaher, Inacio L. M. Junqueira-de-Azevedo, Ana M. Moura-da-Silva, Felipe G. Grazziotin, H. Lisle Gibbs, Darin R. Rokyta, Christopher L. Parkinson
Summary: In a study of front-fanged venomous snakes in North America, it was found that prey phylogenetic diversity is more strongly correlated to venom complexity, indicating that the evolution of complexity is influenced by prey divergence. The results suggest that the diversity of species in an ecological community is more important than their overall number in determining evolutionary patterns in predator trait complexity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Emiliano Mancini, Simone Sabatelli, Yi Hu, Sara Frasca, Andrea Di Giulio, Paolo Audisio, Christopher D. Brown, Jacob A. Russell, Marco Trizzino
Summary: Microbial symbionts play a significant role in the plant-based diets of insects. A study on pollen beetles reveals the presence of microbial communities that aid in pollen feeding, laying the foundation for further research on the functionality of microbiomes in insect diet choices.
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
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew J. Mason, Matthew L. Holding, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Darin R. Rokyta, Christopher L. Parkinson, H. Lisle Gibbs
Summary: Understanding the joint roles of protein sequence variation and differential expression in adaptive evolution is a fundamental goal in evolutionary biology. This study analyzed a venom-gland transcriptome dataset from pitvipers to identify the functional genetic basis of venom complexity, which is linked to diet breadth. The analysis revealed positive relationships between sequence diversity, expression diversity, and increased diet breadth for certain venom proteins, while another major venom protein family showed no such relationship. The findings suggest that functional diversity through sequence and expression variations determines the adaptation in pitviper venoms.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan Z. Shik, Pepijn W. Kooij, David A. Donoso, Juan C. Santos, Ernesto B. Gomez, Mariana Franco, Antonin J. J. Crumiere, Xavier Arnan, Jack Howe, William T. Wcislo, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: The study reveals a similar domestication trade-off in the farming systems of attine ants as in human agriculture. Ants with different farming systems vary in their abilities to harvest resources and cultivate diverse crops, while small-scale farms with genetic diversity of cultivars may offer population-wide resilience benefits.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Morten Schiott, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: The research reveals that in the symbiotic partnership between leaf-cutting ants and fungal cultivars, the fecal fluid of ants contains mostly biomass degrading enzymes, with a significant portion originated from the fungus and ingested but not digested by the ants. Biochemical assays confirmed the occurrence of Fenton reactions in the fecal fluid, where hydrogen peroxide reacts with iron to form reactive oxygen radicals to aid in degrading plant cell wall polymers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lukas Schrader, Hailin Pan, Martin Bollazzi, Morten Schiott, Fredrick J. Larabee, Xupeng Bi, Yuan Deng, Guojie Zhang, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Christian Rabeling
Summary: Inquiline ants are highly specialized and obligate social parasites that have distinct genetic erosion compared to their closely-related hosts, likely due to reduced social behavioral repertoires. This parallel gene loss, particularly in olfactory receptors, suggests a relaxed selection for cooperative colony life in the socially parasitic species.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Erik J. van Nieukerken, Steve Wullaert, Bong-Woo Lee, Rudolf Bryner
Summary: The study found that Antispilina ludwigi mainly inhabits middle elevations in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, with Snake-root as its host plant, and observations of larvae and adults. With the decline of habitats and other lepidopteran species feeding on host plants decreasing, this species is also at risk of decline.
NOTA LEPIDOPTEROLOGICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sarah F. Worsley, Tabitha M. Innocent, Neil A. Holmes, Mahmoud M. Al-Bassam, Morten Schiott, Barrie Wilkinson, J. Colin Murrell, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Douglas W. Yu, Matthew Hutchings
Summary: Our study demonstrates that Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants can maintain a range of microbial symbionts on their cuticle by supplying public resources. Vertically transmitted Pseudonocardia strains produce antibacterial substances that selectively reduce the growth of other microbes, biasing bacterial competition to allow the establishment of secondary antibiotic-producing strains while excluding non-antibiotic-producing strains. These findings support the hypothesis that competition-based screening is a plausible mechanism for maintaining the integrity of the co-adapted mutualism between the leaf-cutting ant farming symbiosis and its defensive microbiome, with broader implications for explaining the stability of other complex symbioses involving horizontal acquisition.
Article
Entomology
J. Howe, M. Schiott, J. J. Boomsma
Summary: The study reports three cases of Acromyrmex insinuator queen joining an incipient colony of Acromyrmex echinatior and suggests that the presence of the parasite queen may benefit the host by increasing survival of incipient colonies.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Xuankun Li, Ryan St Laurent, Chandra Earl, Camiel Doorenweerd, Erik J. van Nieukerken, Donald R. Davis, Chris A. Johns, Atsushi Kawakita, Shigeki Kobayashi, Andreas Zwick, Carlos Lopez-Vaamonde, Issei Ohshima, Akito Y. Kawahara
Summary: Gracillariidae is a diverse cosmopolitan leaf-mining moth family with nearly 2000 named species in 105 described genera. Genetic data was used to analyze and confirm the phylogenetic relationships among subfamilies within the family.
Article
Ecology
Barbara Baer-Imhoof, Susanne P. A. den Boer, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Boris Baer
Summary: In leaf-cutting ants, queens incur significant physiological costs for maintaining and storing sperm shortly after mating, primarily due to investments in sperm maintenance and not conflicts between competing ejaculates. However, the presence of seminal fluid does not affect the survival or immunocompetence of the queens.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shaohong Feng, Ming Bai, Iker Rivas-Gonzalez, Cai Li, Shiping Liu, Yijie Tong, Haidong Yang, Guangji Chen, Duo Xie, Karen E. Sears, Lida M. Franco, Juan Diego Gaitan-Espitia, Roberto F. Nespolo, Warren E. Johnson, Huanming Yang, Parice A. Brandies, Carolyn J. Hogg, Katherine Belov, Marilyn B. Renfree, Kristofer M. Helgen, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Mikkel Heide Schierup, Guojie Zhang
Summary: Incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) can lead to incongruences between gene trees and species trees during rapid speciation events. Through phylogenomic analyses, it has been discovered that the South American monito del monte is the sister lineage of all Australian marsupials, despite a portion of its genome being more similar to the Diprotodontia. Conflicting phylogenetic signals across the whole genome are consistent with morphological variation among extant marsupials. Furthermore, hundreds of genes have been found to encode the same amino acids in non-sister species due to stochastic fixation during ILS. Functional experiments have provided evidence of how ILS directly contributes to hemiplasy in morphological traits established during rapid marsupial speciation approximately 60 million years ago.
Article
Microbiology
Mariya Zhukova, Panagiotis Sapountzis, Morten Schiott, Jacobus J. Boomsma
Summary: Rhizobiales associated with Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants have lost their ability to fix nitrogen but have biosynthesis pathways that enhance the mutualistic relationship between the ants and the fungus. These symbionts are important enough for the ant hosts to have evolved functional defense mechanisms.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Qiye Li, Mingyue Wang, Pei Zhang, Yang Liu, Qunfei Guo, Yuanzhen Zhu, Tinggang Wen, Xueqin Dai, Xiafang Zhang, Manuel Nagel, Bjarke Hamberg Dethlefsen, Nianxia Xie, Jie Zhao, Wei Jiang, Lei Han, Liang Wu, Wenjiang Zhong, Zhifeng Wang, Xiaoyu Wei, Wei Dai, Longqi Liu, Xun Xu, Haorong Lu, Huanming Yang, Jian Wang, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Chuanyu Liu, Guojie Zhang, Weiwei Liu
Summary: Using single-cell transcriptomics, this study characterized the brain cell repertoire of the pharaoh ant and identified changes in cell composition that underlie division of labour and reproductive specialization. The study found that male and worker ant brains have opposite trends in cell composition, while the composition of gyne and queen brains remained generalized. Role differentiation from virgin gynes to inseminated queens induced abundance changes in roughly 35% of cell types.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Mikhail V. Kozlov, Vitali Zverev, Tobias M. Sandner, Erik J. van Nieukerken, Elena L. Zvereva
Summary: Damage to plant communities caused by insect herbivores generally decreases with increasing latitude. This study examined the hypothesis that the food consumption by individual herbivores decreases from low to high latitudes due to a decrease in metabolic expenses driven by temperature. The results revealed that the larval feeding efficiency increased with latitude, resulting in reduced foliar biomass consumption by the herbivores at higher latitudes to reach the same size.
Article
Ecology
Bitao Qiu, Xueqin Dai, Panyi Li, Rasmus Stenbak Larsen, Ruyan Li, Alivia Lee Price, Guo Ding, Michael James Texada, Xiafang Zhang, Dashuang Zuo, Qionghua Gao, Wei Jiang, Tinggang Wen, Luigi Pontieri, Chunxue Guo, Kim Rewitz, Qiye Li, Weiwei Liu, Jacobus J. Boomsma, Guojie Zhang
Summary: Using individual transcriptomes of two ant species, the authors show that caste differentiation is canalized from early development and identify key regulatory genes for the development of ant caste phenotypes.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Camiel Doorenweerd, Kyung Min Lee, Erik J. van Nieukerken, Marko Mutanen
Summary: This study examines two species complexes within the pygmy moth genus Ectoedemia using ddRAD sequencing. The results show that host plants play a significant role in speciation and hybridization, but no evidence of host race formation was found in the oligophagous species.
SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Erik J. van Nieukerken
Summary: Stigmella naturnella is recorded as a new species in France, Croatia, Ukraine, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Its distribution history, diagnosis, and life history are described. Additionally, a revised key to the leafmines of European Stigmella species on Betula is provided.
NOTA LEPIDOPTEROLOGICA
(2023)