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Chewing up the Forest: Bark-Eating Beetles Provide Timber for ...  

Science.gov (United States)

Chewing up the Forest: Bark-Eating Beetles Provide Timber for Forest Fires. Droughts in California allow bark beetles to lay eggs into sapless trees, ...

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Effect of Deforestation on a Southwest Ghana Dung Beetle Assemblage (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) at the Periphery of ...  

Science.gov (United States)

... 1081:EODOAS]2.0.CO;2 Effect of Deforestation on a Southwest Ghana Dung Beetle Assemblage (Coleoptera: ... The survey provided a...

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Further Evidence for the Role of Cantharidin in the Mating Behaviour of Blister Beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae)  

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

2007-12-01

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Spatial distribution of opsin-encoding mRNAs in the tiered larval retinas of the sunburst diving beetle Thermonectus marmoratus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)  

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Larvae of the sunburst diving beetle, Thermonectus marmoratus, have a cluster of six stemmata (E1-6) and one eye patch on each side of the head. Each eye has two retinas: a...Full Text Available

2009-12-01

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Responses of Bark Beetle-Associated Bacteria to Host Monoterpenes and Their Relationship to Insect Life Histories  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Bark beetles that colonize living conifers and their microbial associates encounter constitutive and induced chemical defenses of their host. Monoterpene hydrocarbons comprise a major component of these allelochemicals, and many are antibiotic to insects, fungi, and bacteria. Some bark beetle species exhaust these defenses by killing their host through mass attacks mediated by aggregation pheromones. Others lack adult aggregation pheromones and do not engage in pheromone-mediated mass attacks, but rather have the ability to complete development within live hosts. In the former species, the larvae develop in tissue largely depleted of host terpenes, whereas in the latter exposure to these compounds persists throughout development. A substantial literature exists on how monoterpenes affect b...

2011-01-01

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Major evolutionary transitions in ant agriculture  

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Agriculture is a specialized form of symbiosis that is known to have evolved in only four animal groups: humans, bark beetles, termites, and ants. Here, we reconstruct the major evolutionary transitions...Full Text Available

2008-04-08

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Isolation of Bacillus thuringiensis from Stored Tobacco and Lasioderma serricorne (F.)  

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Bacillus thuringiensis was isolated from dried tobacco residues and dead tobacco beetles (Lasioderma serricorne (F.); Coleoptera: Anobiidae) collected in a large number...Full Text Available

1994-01-01

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Host plant shifts affect a major defense enzyme in Chrysomela lapponica  

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Chrysomelid leaf beetles use chemical defenses to overcome predatory attack and microbial infestation. Larvae of Chrysomela lapponica that feed on willow sequester plant-derived salicin...Full Text Available

2011-03-22

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Egg attachment of the asparagus beetle Crioceris asparagi to the crystalline waxy surface of Asparagus officinalis  

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Plant surfaces covered with crystalline epicuticular waxes are known to be anti-adhesive, hardly wettable and preventing insect attachment. But there are insects that are capable of gluing their eggs...Full Text Available

2010-03-22

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Three-Dimensional Wing Kinematics and Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Beetle in Free Flight  

Science.gov (United States)

Detailed three dimensional wing kinematics and aerodynamic characteristics are experimentally presented for the free flight of a beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, which has a pair of elytra (fore wings) and hind wings. The kinematic parameters of the wing motion, such as the wing tip trajectory, angle of attack, torsion angle, and camber deformation, are obtained from a 3D reconstruction technique that involves the use of two or three synchronized high-speed cameras to digitize various points marked on the wings. Our data show outstanding characteristics of wing deformation and flexibility in the free flight of the beetle. To find out the mechanism of aerodynamic force, the leading edge vortex (LEV) and trailing edge vortex (TEV) on both elytron and hind wing were observed by using smoke wire visualization and digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) technique. Qualitative smoke lines in the region of the most intent vortex shedding demonstrate ...

2010-11-01

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Responses of the blister beetle Hycleus apicicornis to visual stimuli  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Insect attraction to host plants may be partly mediated by visual stimuli. In the present study, the responses of adult Hycleus apicicornis (Gur.) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) to plant models of different colours, different combinations of two colours, or three hues of blue of different shapes are compared. Single-colour models comprised the colours sky blue, bright green, yellow, red, white and black. Sky blue (reflecting light in the 440-500 nm region) is the most attractive, followed by white, which reflects light over a broader range (400-700 nm). On landing on sky blue targets, beetles exhibit feeding behaviour immediately. When different hues of blue (of different shapes) are compared, sky blue is preferred over turquoise, followed by dark blue, indicating that H. apicicornis is more attra...

2011-01-01

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Genetic Variation of Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, Chemical and Physical Defenses that Affect Mountain Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, Attack and Tree Mortality  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Plant secondary chemistry is determined by both genetic and environmental factors, and while large intraspecific variation in secondary chemistry has been reported frequently, the levels of genetic variation of many secondary metabolites in forest trees in the context of potential resistance against pests have been rarely investigated. We examined the effect of tree genotype and environment/site on the variation in defensive secondary chemistry of lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, against the fungus, Grosmannia clavigera (formerly known as Ophiostoma clavigerum), associated with the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae. Terpenoids were analyzed in phloem samples from 887, 20-yr-old trees originating from 45 half-sibling families planted at two sites. Samples were coll...

2011-01-01

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Effects of ozone on gene expression and lipid peroxidation in adults and larvae of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ozone has in recent years been increasingly investigated for its potential use in the control of insect pests of stored cereals. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that can react directly, or via production of reactive oxygen species, with proteins, DNA and double bonds of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the mode of action in ozone toxicity using the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), as a relevant model. Transcription of focal genes thought to be involved in protection against ozone, and repair of cellular damage caused by ozone exposure, was studied together with the composition of storage lipid fatty acids and membrane phospholipid fatty acids in order to detect lipid peroxidation. Contrary to expectations, transcription ...

2011-01-01

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Plant protection i willow plantations - Insects. Final report; Vaextskydd i Salixodlingar - Insekter. Slutrapport  

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Attacks by herbivorous insects reduce biomass production in willow plantations. The long-term goal of our research is to develop sustainable plant protection against these insect pests. Two lines of research are pursued. The first concentrates on identifying factors involved in the regulation of leaf-eating beetles. These insects vary in density among plantations, sometimes reaching outbreak levels resulting in complete defoliation. Mortality factors of eggs and larvae in plantations with low and high beetle densities have been investigated. The importance of plant resistance has also been investigated. The second line of research considers the mechanisms behind an earlier demonstrated resistance in certain willow clones against a gall midge. By using molecular techniques we have searched for markers of resistance. Promising results have been found concerning so called PR proteins; in particular chitinase seems to be present in high activities ...

2000-04-01

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Population development of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) and their mortality by gamma radiation in different packaging materials  

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The development of Callossobruchus chinensis (L.) in different packaging materials were conducted with gram and lentil seeds under control temperature. The highest population rise was recorded in laminated jute bags and the weight loss of gram increased with the increase of the number of insects. A doses of 0.1 kGy inhibit all metamorphic stages of the beetle. The use of appropriate packaging materials can reduce the risk of re infestation in the post-irradiated food items. 9 refs., 1 fig., 2 tables (author).

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Discriminating Males and Unpredictable Females: Males Bias Sperm Allocation in Favor of Virgin Females  

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract When both sexes mate with multiple partners, theory predicts that males should adjust their investment in ejaculates in response to the risk and/or intensity of sperm competition. Here, we demonstrate that, in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides, males use cues deposited on females by previous males to distinguish between virgin, once-mated, and multiply-mated females and adjust sperm allocation accordingly. Sperm number declined in direct proportion to the number of previous males, with virgin females receiving nearly three times more sperm than females exposed to three previous males. Given the lack of first-male sperm precedence in C.scorpioides, this pattern is not consistent with current sperm competition models and appears best explained by...

2011-01-01

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Descriptive study of damage caused by the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes agamemnon, and its influence on date palm oases of Rjim Maatoug, Tunisia.  

Science.gov (United States)

Oryctes agamemnon (Burmeister 1847) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was accidentally introduced in the southwestern oases of Tunisia (Tozeur) around 1980 and spread to the Rjim Maatoug region. In these areas O. agamemnon was specific to date palm trees causing severe damage that can result in potential danger due to collapse of the tree. This study was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in 4 sites in the region of Rjim Maatoug. Different levels of palm tree attack were determined, ovioposition sites were identified, and pest damage was described in detail to specify their relative importance and to indicate factors governing palm tree attack. Eggs were individually oviposited in the attacked parts. Dead parts of palm trees were the main target of O. agamemnon including the respiratory roots, tough, trunk bark, dry petiole and the periphery of the crown. The crown itself was not attacked. Feeding by larvae caused significant damage. The biggest danger occurred when heavy attacks of ...

2008-01-01

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Common environmental allergens causing respiratory allergy in India.  

Science.gov (United States)

Respiratory allergy affects all age groups but the children are the worst affected by the respiratory allergy. Bioparticles from different biological sources are the main cause of allergy. Pollen grains, fungal spores, insect and other materials of biological origin form the most important allergen load in the air. For the efficient diagnosis of the allergy and its effective treatment it is very important to know about the prevalence, seasonal and annual variations of aeroallergens of the area. India being the climatically diversed country, there is diversity in the flora and fauna of different parts of the country. Atmospheric surveys carried out in different parts of India reveal that, Alanus nitida, Amarantus spinosus, Argemone mexicana Cocos nucifera, Betula utilis, Borasus flabellifer, Caraica papaya, Cedrus deodara, Cassia fistula, Parthenium, Chenopodium album, Dodonaea viscosa, Malotus phillipensis, Plantago ovata, Prosopis juliflora, Ricinus communis, Holoptelea intergifolia ...

2002-03-01