bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Foraging behaviour and resource utilization of the aphid parasitoid Pauesia unilachni: adaptation to host distribution and mortality risks
Authors: Völkl Wolfgang , Kraus Werner 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPauesia unilachni is a parasitoid of the grey pine aphid, Schizolachnus pineti which feeds on needles of Scots pine. P. unilachni females displayed a ‘dual movement system’ when foraging within a pine. They left a colony usually by foot and searched nearby needles intensively, thereby ensuring a maximum probability to encounter neighbouring S. pineti colonies. If search by foot was not successful, parasitoids changed their behaviour and searched needles by flight to cover larger distances. This behaviour was consistent both on uninfested and S. pineti‐infested trees in the laboratory and in the field. In total, females allocated a 15‐fold amount of time into search by foot compared to search by flight, although the overall foraging success, i.e. the number of discovered host colonies, did not differ significantly between the two movement types. However, the reduction of searching time by flight involved also higher travel mortality risks. In the field, P. unilachni got frequently entangled in spider nets when searching by flight and were killed.
Effects of adult chill treatments on mate attracting potential for irradiated Mexican fruit fly males
Authors: Mangan Robert L. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractMexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), that are reared, sterilized and released for maintenance of a fly free zone in south Texas and for population eradication in California are routinely chilled for 1 to 2 h to facilitate handling and dispersal. While a number of behavioral, physical and physiological characteristics are routinely monitored as part of a quality control program, the effect of the chilling process on the ability of these males to attract wild females has not been evaluated. Tests were performed to compare the mate attracting effectiveness of mass reared, sterilized, chilled males with sterile males that had not been chilled and with recently colonized males. Tests were performed with two recently colonized strains of females in a large cage and males of the three types in plastic cups set on top of the cage. Controls consisted of empty cups. Results showed no significant differences among the three types of males. In tests with the most recently collected (least laboratory adapted) wild strain of females, the chilled males attracted the most females. Fly age and time of day were both significantly related to total attractiveness of males. Number of females responding to males per day increased over the five‐day test period. The time period when female response was greatest was variable among the tests.
Effect of neem on the growth and development of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana
Authors: Lowery D. T. , Bellerose S. , Smirle M. J. , Vincent C. , Pilon J.‐G. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractNeem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae), seed oil (NSO) added to meridic diet at concentrations as low as 0.016% reduced pupation and prevented adult eclosion of obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). At a rate of 0.0016%, NSO reduced the fitness of C. rosaceana, resulting in longer developmental times, lower adult eclosion rates, and reduced egg production compared with controls. The neem insecticide Margosan‐TM produced comparable results based on concentrations of the most biologically active constituent, azadirachtin. Pupation was completely inhibited at concentrations of 0.25% and 1.0% for larvae exposed at 5th or 6th instar, respectively; rates as low as 0.016% reduced pupal weights and adult eclosion rates. For larvae transferred to treated diet at 5th instar, physical abnormalities in the wings of adults occurred at a rate of 0.004% NSO and increased with increasing treatment rates. NSO at concentrations as high as 2.0% was not antifeedant to neonate larvae, based on 24 and 48 h choice test bioassays, when incorporated into a meridic diet.
Bruchid resistance of transgenic azuki bean expressing seed α‐amylase inhibitor of common bean
Authors: Ishimoto Masao , Sato Takashi , Chrispeels Maarten J. , Kitamura Keisuke 
Published: March 2011

AbstractVarious species of bruchid beetles including Callosobruchus chinensis, C. maculatus and C. analis cause post‐harvest damage of azuki bean seeds, an important East Asian grain legume. The α‐amylase in the midguts of these insects is inhibited by the α‐amylase inhibitor (αAI) present in common bean seeds. Transformation of azuki bean with the αAI gene driven by the promoter of phytohemagglutinin results in high levels of αAI in the seeds and the complete block of bruchid development on the seeds. Zabrotes subfasciatus, a South and Central American bruchid that is a storage pest of common bean, develops normally on the transgenic azuki bean.
Electrical recording of plant penetration by western flower thrips
Authors: Harrewijn P. , Tjallingii W. F. , Mollema C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPlant penetration by western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)) was analysed with the electrical penetration graph technique (EPG, DC‐system). Thrips attached to a gold wire were included in an electrical circuit to record EPGs when penetrating the plant tissues with their stylets. Three basic EPG waveforms have been distinguished, correlated with stylet penetration into cells, salivation, and ingestion, respectively. The main difference with EPGs of Homoptera is the occurrence of continued separate penetrations that are not necessarily followed by ingestion. Insertion of the stylets causes strong voltage fluctuations in the EPG. We could confirm earlier evidence that penetration of cells and subsequent ingestion of (part of) the protoplast takes less than 20 seconds. Repeated short penetrations can be followed by a continuous feeding pattern during which the stylets are not withdrawn. The same sequence of waveforms is produced on other plant parts such as fruits or pollen grains. The specific waveforms are mainly caused by electromotive force (emf). The emf component was recorded with high resolution and the correlation of waveform details with activities of the cibarial muscle system is discussed.
Avoidance of willows from moderately polluted area by leaf beetle, Melasoma lapponica: effects of emission or induced resistance?
Authors: Zvereva Elena L. , Kozlov Mikhail V. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractWe studied preference for willows along a pollution gradient on the Kola Peninsula, Russia, by the leaf beetle, Melasoma lapponica. Multiple tests with leaf disks demonstrated low preference for Salix borealis, S. caprea and S. phylicifolia from the plot situated 14 km from the smelter, in comparison with conspecific plants from plots situated at 1 and 29 km distances. This pattern was observed when testing beetles orginating from any plot both in 1993 and 1994, using both young and mature leaves of S. borealis. Although fumigation of S. borealis with realistic SO2 concentration (100 μg/m3) increased plant palatability, preference for plants from our study plots did not correlate with plot‐specific mean SO2 concentrations. Furthermore, no correlation with foliar concentrations of the main metal pollutants (Ni and Cu) was found. Palatability of plants was negatively correlated with population density of M. lapponica, which peaked in the moderately polluted plot 14 km from the smelter. Within this plot, beetles clearly preferred non‐damaged bushes of S. borealis to previously damaged bushes. We therefore conclude that low preference of S. borealis from the moderately polluted area was caused by plant resistance induced by severe damage from M. lapponica in previous years rather than by pollution impact. However, S. caprea and S. phylicifolia had little damage from M. lapponica, and low palatability of these species in the moderately polluted plot suggests changes in plant quality similar to changes in heavily damaged bushes of S. borealis.
Selective attention and host‐plant specialization
Authors: Bernays E. A. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe importance of attentional processing is summarized, and the different ways in which selective attention is maintained, explained. Examples from arthropods are highlighted. The significance of selective attentiveness for insect herbivores is discussed. In the finding and selecting of host plants, insects should adopt the strongest or most clear‐cut cues that override noise, and they should channel the appropriate sensory information efficiently. It is argued that achieving this end is difficult and costly because the information capacity of the sensory system is far greater than the capacity of the central nervous system to process it. It is suggested that the need to obtain a clear signal quickly and efficiently may be one of the factors favoring reduced diet breadth, and that the existence of highly specific and sensitive receptor neurons is an adaptation to the information‐processing problem.
Host‐plant relationships of lycaenid butterflies: large‐scale patterns, interactions with plant chemistry, and mutualism with ants
Authors: Fiedler Konrad 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe Lycaenidae are the second‐largest family of butterflies. From host‐plant data collated for more than 1200 species worldwide, large‐scale taxonomic, geographical and ecological patterns emerge which suggest that phytochemical similarities and barriers, coupled with phylogenetic conservatism and constraints are key factors governing host‐plant use. More than two thirds of the lycaenid species are restricted to one plant family or genus. Affiliations with ‘toxic’ plants are rare in the Lycaenidae, and excretion rather than sequestration of plant toxins appears to be their usual way of detoxifying host‐plant compounds. Flavonoids are frequently sequestered by lycaenid larvae and are subsequently concentrated as pigments in the adults' wings, where they might play a role in visual communication. Mutualistic associations with ants occur in the larvae of more than 50% of the extant Lycaenidae species. Because of a conflict between the nutrient demands of the larvae and the proportion of plant‐derived resources allocated to maintain the mutualism with ants, variation in resource quality often translates into variation of mutualistic capacities of the caterpillars, in particular under nutrient stress.
The suitability of some natural and artificial substrates as oviposition sites for the insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus
Authors: Richards P. C. , Schmidt J. M. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractA variety of natural and artificial substrates were tested for their suitability as oviposition sites for the predatory anthocorid bug Orius insidiosus. The bugs oviposited into models of beans constructed from Parafilm, but none of the eggs laid into these models hatched. In choice tests, beans stems were preferred to both bean pods and potato sprouts. Hatching rates at 100% r.h. were highest (59%) for bean pods and significantly lower for both potato sprouts (39%) and bean stems (29%). At 60% r.h., hatching rates for bean pods (39%), bean stems (34%) and potato sprouts (33%) were similar. At 30% r.h. hatching rates for all three substrates were less than 15%. The results suggest that bean stems can be used successfully as an alternative to bean pods for the mass rearing of these biological control agents.
Effects of neem oil on feeding behaviour and development of the pear sawfly, Caliroa cerasi
Authors: Smirle Michael J. , Wei Shu‐Ge 
Published: March 2011

AbstractNeem oil deterred feeding by pear sawfly, Caliroa cerasi L., larvae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), both in choice and in no‐choice cherry leaf disk bioassays. Deterrence was greater in the choice tests, with 50% inhibition occurring at 0.49% aqueous neem oil compared with 1.11% in the no‐choice tests. Antifeedant activity towards pear sawfly larvae is slightly less than has been observed for Lepidoptera, but is higher than deterrence to other insects such as aphids. Topical application of neem oil to sawfly larvae resulted in reduced feeding, increased mortality, and a trend towards slower development. Most larval mortality after neem treatment resulted from incomplete subsequent moults. The potential utilization of neem insecticides for control of pear sawfly in tree fruit pest management is discussed.
Certain withanolides from Iochroma gesnerioides antagonize ecdysteroid action in a Drosophila melanogaster cell line
Authors: Dinan Laurence , Whiting Pensri , Alfonso Dorothée , Kapetanidis Ilias 
Published: March 2011

AbstractSixteen withanolides isolated from Iochroma gesnerioides (Kunth) Miers (Solanaceae) have been assessed for their activities as ecdysteroid agonists and antagonists. None of the compounds showed any agonistic activity, but several showed significant antagonistic activity. With a 20‐hydroxyecdysone concentration of 5 times 10−8 M, the ED50 values for 2,3‐dihydro‐3ξ‐methoxywithaferin A, 2,3‐dihydro‐3ξ‐methoxywithacnistine, 2,3‐dihydro‐3ξ‐methoxyiochromolide and 2,3‐dihydro‐3ξ‐hydroxyξwithacnistine are 3.5 times 10−5 M, 1 times 10−5 M, 5 times 10−6 M and 2.5 times 10−6 M, respectively.
Variation between laboratory populations in the performance of the parasitoid Encarsia formosa on two host species, Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Authors: Henter Heather J. , VAN Lenteren Joop C. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that populations of the parthenogenetic parasitic wasp Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) differed in their ability to use two different host species, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Of the three wasp populations tested, two populations had been reared for many generations on B. tabaci and one population had been reared for many years on T. vaporariorum. Performance was measured by the number of whitefly nymphs that were successfully parasitized by individual wasps, and performance on either host was measured in separate experiments. There was variation between wasp populations in their performance on the host B. tabaci, with one wasp population reared for many years on this host performing considerably better than the other two populations. There were no significant differences between populations in their use of the preferred host, T. vaporariorum. The experiments were conducted in such a way that we could distinguish heritable differences between populations from environmentally‐induced conditioning differences due to the immediate host from which an individual wasp enclosed. In either experiment there were no significant effects of conditioning, although there was a trend within each population for wasps conditioned on T. vaporariorum to have higher performance than those conditioned on B. tabaci. Thirdly, we conducted a selection experiment, initiated with wasps from a single population historically reared on T. vaporariorum, to measure the effect of laboratory rearing on different hosts for 17 generations. We did not see any difference in the performance of wasps on B. tabaci after this period of rearing on either of the two hosts. In summary, populations of E. formosa do differ in their relative performance on B. tabaci. The one population that was tested further did not show any response to selection by rearing, but the ability to respond to selection on performance may not be equal for all populations. The possibility that wasp populations have differential performance on particular hosts may affect the use of this species as a biological control agent.
Host handling behavior of the egg parasitoid Telenomus triptus to the egg mass of the stink bug Piezodorus hybneri
Authors: Higuchi H. , Suzuki Y. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractHost handling behavior of Telenomus triptus Nixon (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) to an egg mass of Piezodorus hybneri Gmelin (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) was studied in the laboratory. Five distinct behavioral events could be distinguished in the host handling behavior: drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, marking, walking, and resting. Female wasps showed two types of behavioral sequence in an ovipositional bout. One consisted of drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, and marking, and the other drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, walking, and resting. Females did not seem to lay an egg when ovipositor‐insertion was not followed by marking. This was observed frequently in the early oviposition bout, on average 2.9 times per female. Females finally succeeded in parasitizing all the eggs in a host egg mass in most cases. The durations of drumming, ovipositor‐insertion, and marking on an egg mass were nearly constant, while the total time spent by a female on and beside a host egg mass varied considerably as a result of variable durations of walking and resting. Self‐superparasitism occurred when almost all the eggs in a host egg mass were parasitized. Females laid the first male egg within the first four eggs; this could be an adaptation to small egg masses or single egg.
Survival of Bemisia tabaci adults under different climatic conditions
Authors: Berlinger M. J. , Lehmann‐Sigura Nina , Taylor R. A. J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe ability of the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennad., to survive a range of environmental conditions was investigated in the laboratory. The range of temperature and humidity investigated corresponds to the normal climatic range during B. tabaci's summer migration in Israel. Adult whiteflies confined to small test cages were exposed to combinations of temperature (25, 30, 35, and 41 °C) and relative humidity (20, 50, 80, and 100%) for periods of 2, 4, or 6 h.A logistic regression model describing the four‐dimensional surface defining percent survival as a function of time, temperature, and humidity was developed. Using stepwise regression to exclude non‐significant terms, the linear predictor included temperature, and the products of temperature and time, and humidity and time. The model accounted for 75% of the variance. A reparameterization of the fitted regression model suggests that survival potential is conditioned by temperature conditions prevailing during the previous 10 h.Whitefly survival after 2 h exposure ranged from ∼90% survival at 25 °C and 100% RH, to <2% survival at 41 °C and 20% r.h.∼. No whiteflies survived more than 2 h exposure at these latter extremes of temperature and humidity. Survival rates decreased slightly after experimental whiteflies were kept in a cage with food a further 20 h at 25 ± 2 °C, 55 ± 5% r.h. Investigations of the effects of hunger and virus infection, showed that both increased mortality.
Leaf‐cutting ant preferences for five native tropical plantation tree species growing under different light conditions
Authors: Folgarait Patricia J. , Dyer Lee A. , Marquis Robert J. , Braker H. Elizabeth 
Published: March 2011

AbstractTo examine the susceptibility of five Costa Rican tree species to leaf‐cutter ants (Atta cephalotes L.: Formicidae, Attini), young and mature leaves from trees that were grown in a plantation under full sun and partial shade were offered to six leaf‐cutter colonies located in full sun and six in partial shade. In addition to offering leaf disks to the ants, we offered large pieces of leaves to assess the effect of cutting leaves on food choices. Leaf‐cutters responded differently to each plant species, preferring Virola koschyni Warburg (Myristicaceae) and Hyeronima alchorneoides Allemao (Euphorbiaceae) over Stryphnodendrum microstachyum Poeppig & Endlicher (Mimosoideae), Pentaclethra macroloba Willdenow (Fabaceae) and Vochysia ferruginea Martius (Vochysiaceae). In agreement with previous studies, interspecific differences among the tree species in water and saponin content appeared to account for the observed ant preferences among the five tree species: leaf‐cutter ants preferred leaves and disks with more water and less saponins and the five tree species varied significantly in these traits. An observed positive correlation between preference and phenolic/nitrogen ratio appears to be spurious, and is instead due to a negative correlation between water content and nitrogen content. For the first time, Atta nest location has been shown to affect consumption: nests located in partial shade removed more leaf material than those from the sun plots. However, nest location had no effect on preference ranking of the tree species tested. Pieces of leaves from all the tree species grown in partial shade were significantly more removed than those trees grown in full sun. Leaf age, toughness, leaf specific weights, ant activity, and colony were not correlated with food choices. Because of the observed preferences, the five tree species should not be considered as equal candidates for plantation purposes. However, complete characterization of the candidate status of tree species for plantations in the neotropics must include information on the ability of such species to tolerate pest attacks in addition to their natural defenses to attack.
Orientation responses of the grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes, to visual, olfactory and wind stimuli and their combinations
Authors: Szentesi Árpád , Hopkins Theodore L. , Collins Robert D. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractPrereproductive adults of the grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) (Orthoptera, Acrididae), demonstrated orientation and movement towards both visual and olfactory stimulus sources in a still‐air chamber. Visual stimuli (wheat and lima bean foliage, vertical black or yellow‐green stripes, and a yellow‐green broad leaf pattern) were approached more frequently than the control white background surface. Olfactory stimuli (chopped wheat foliage and a four‐component, synthetic, ‘grass odor’ blend of volatiles) elicited an even greater positive response than the visual stimuli. Changing the proportions of the four volatiles in the blend significantly reduced positive orientation responses to the stimulus source. Visual cues of wheat foliage and olfactory cues of either chopped wheat odor or the ‘grass odor’ blend gave greater responses when combined than when presented separately.In flowing air or wind, nearly all insects demonstrated a rapid positive response to odors of chopped wheat and the ‘grass odor’ blend, significantly greater than the response to the same stimuli in still air. However, positive responses to visual cues were not significantly greater in wind than in still air. When combined with the olfactory stimuli in flowing air, visual cues did not increase the incidence of response. Grasshoppers responding to grass odors in wind moved more rapidly and directly toward the source, and stopped less often and for shorter durations than insects responding to odor in still air or to visual cues.We conclude from these studies that M. sanguinipes adults show orientation behavior to both visual and olfactory stimuli from food plant sources, although leaf odors elicit a stronger positive response particularly when carried by wind.