Progeny of the flesh fly Sarcophaga bullata exposed to short day length show a maternal effect that prevents the expression of pupal diapause. Although ecological aspects of this effect are well studied, not enough is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this maternal effect. In this study, two-dimensional electrophoresis was performed to detect differences of the abundance of certain proteins in the ovaries of this fly kept under long day and short day conditions for 2 days after eclosion. Eleven proteins that were abundant and showed significant changes were selected for mass spectrometric identification. Ovary proteins that increased in abundance under short-day conditions were similar to twinstar CG4254-PA, muscle protein 20-like protein, GA13413-PA, gene analogous to small peritrophins (Gasp CG10287-PA) and Ribosomal protein LP1 CG4087-PA. Ovary proteins that decreased in abundance under short-day conditions were similar to the ATP synthase beta subunit, fk506-binding protein and storage protein-binding protein. The 2-D proteome maps included 2 additional unknown proteins that were more abundant and 1 that was less abundant in the ovaries of 2-day old short-day females. Twinstar CG4254-PA, muscle protein 20-like protein and GA13413-PA harbour an actin-binding domain. That the 3 actin-binding proteins increase in abundance suggests that it is likely that an alteration in the actin cytoskeleton is involved in this maternal effect in the flesh fly., Aiqing Li ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Quametopia gen. n. is established on the basis of recent phylogenetic analysis of taxa formerly assembled under the genus Mumetopia Melander, 1913 to include M. terminalis (Loew, 1863) and two new closely related Nearctic species of Anthomyzidae. The new genus is diagnosed and its phylogenetic relationships discussed. Quametopia terminalis (Loew, 1863) comb. n. is transferred from Mumetopia and redescribed based on revision of the type material (lectotypes of Anthophilina terminalis Loew, 1863 and its synonym Mumetopia nitens Melander, 1913 are designated) and other extensive material. Quametopia clintonia sp. n. and Q. amplistylus sp. n. (both from Canada, USA) are described and relationships of all three Quametopia species discussed. Immature stages of Q. terminalis and Q. clintonia sp. n. obtained by means of adult-to-adult rearing are described (1st- and 2nd-instar larvae for the first time in the family Anthomyzidae) and illustrated. Keys to adults, eggs, larvae and puparia of Quametopia species are presented. Biology (habitat and host-plant associations, life history) of Q. terminalis and Q. clintonia sp. n. are studied in detail and their ecological separation demonstrated. Distribution of all Quametopia species is reviewed. and Jindřich Roháček, Kevin N. Barber.
Pyridoxal kinase (PLK; EC 2.7.1.35) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of vitamin B6 (VB6) in Bombyx mori. A fusion expressional vector pET-22b-BPLK-His was constructed using a sub-cloning technique, the recombinant B. mori PLK was then expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized. Bioinformatics were used to deduce the protein structure and genomic organization of this enzyme. Using Ni Sepharose affinity column chromatography, the recombinant protein was purified to very high degree (approximately 90%). The recombinant PLK exhibits a high specific enzymatic activity (1800 nmol/min/mg of protein). The maximum catalytic activity of this enzyme was recorded over a narrow pH range (5.5-6.0) and Zn2+ is the most effective cation for catalysis under saturating substrate concentrations. When only triethanolamine is present as the cation, K+ is an activator of PLK. A double reciprocal plot of initial velocity suggests that the enzyme catalyses the reaction by means of a sequential catalytic mechanism. Under optimal conditions, the Km value for the substrates of ATP and pyridoxal are 57.9 ± 5.1 and 44.1 ± 3.9 µM. B. mori's genome contains a single copy of the PLK gene, which is 7.73 kb long and contains five exons and four introns, and is located on the eighth chromosome. The PLK may be a dimer with two identical subunits under native conditions, and it is hypothesized that each monomer contains eight α-helices (α1-8), nine β-strands (β1-9) and two segments of 310 helices. and Shuo-Hao HUANG, Wang MA, Ping-Ping ZHANG, Jian-Yun ZHANG, Yan-Feng XIE, Long-Quan HUANG.
The oldest butterfly fossil known, which was formed about 55 Ma in what is now Denmark, is described. The fragments of its forewing venation indicates it belongs to the Hesperiidae. Further reconstruction indicates that it fits in the Coeliadinae and is close to the extant genera Hasora and Burara. It is here described as Protocoeliades kristenseni gen. et sp. n. It is the first butterfly fossil found on a continent (Europe) where its closest relatives do not currently occur. Its position on the phylogenetic tree of the Coeliadinae and its importance in understanding the time dimension in the evolution of butterflies, and their ecological and biogeographic implications are discussed., Rienk De Jong., and Obsahuje bibliografii
1_Macrosiphum euphorbiae. Three tomato cultivars (Scintilla, Beefmaster and Rio Grande) were used in the experiments. The results for three watering regimes were compared with those of a control, which was well watered every three days: stressed plants received one third of the water supplied to the control over each three-day interval (experiment 1); stressed plants received a gradually decreasing amount of water (100% at the first watering and then 80%, 60%, 50%, 40% and 20%) every three days (experiment 2); stressed plants received the same amount of water as the control but at longer intervals, that is when evident signs of wilting appeared (experiment 3). The results showed that water stress either enhanced, had an adverse effect or had no effect on aphid population growth, depending on the cultivar and watering regime. No difference was recorded in the population dynamics of M. euphorbiae feeding on Beefmaster tomato plants subjected to different levels of water stress. In the case of the cultivar Scintilla, live aphids were less abundant on stressed plants than on well watered ones in experiment 1 and 3 but not in experiment 2., 2_The highest variability in aphid population dynamics on the plants grown under the different water stress protocols was recorded on the cultivar Rio Grande. In experiment 1, the initial peak in aphid numbers was higher on the water stressed plants than on the control and then decreased to lower numbers than on the control. In experiment 2, there were no differences in the numbers of aphids infesting stressed and control plants. In experiment 3, there were fewer aphids on stressed than on control plants after six days, as in experiment 1, but there was no initial peak in aphid numbers., Anna R. Rivelli ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Warmer temperatures in the past 30 years have significantly influenced the seasonal development of insects throughout Europe. As a result of the outbreaks of black flies that have occurred in southeastern Lithuania since the 1970s it is hypothesized that this increase in black fly activity is due to the change in climate. To test this hypothesis the development of Simulium maculatum Meigen under different conditions was determined. This revealed that the time of hatching of S. maculatum eggs in Lithuania was influenced by winter air temperatures, especially those in March. Pupation in S. maculatum is associated with the increase in air and water temperatures that occur at the end of April and in May. The emergence of S. maculatum black flies occurs most often in May. At a water temperature of 13.2°C (1999), S. maculatum took 42 days to develop and half this time (21 days) when the water temperature was 18.8°C (2005). The number of black flies that emerged each year was determined by air temperature but unaffected by rainfall in June (either per month or per ten-day period). and Rasa Bernotienė, Galina Bartkevičienė.
n this study we addressed a question of whether experimental manipulations that increase life span also reduce physical activity and molecular oxidative damage. We used three phenotypes of male and female Pyrrhocoris apterus that survive for different lengths of time, diapausing insects, reproductive insects and insects from which the corpus allatum, the source of juvenile hormone, was surgically removed. Protein carbonyl content of the thoracic muscles was used as an index of molecular oxidative modification. Diapause or ablation of the corpus allatum (allatectomy) was associated with an extended life span of both sexes, but only those individuals that were in diapause were less active. The carbonyl content, both relative (per protein unit) and absolute (per thorax) increased with age in reproductive insects of both sexes. However, the associations between the carbonyl content and diapause and allatectomy differed in males and females. In males, the carbonyl content was not associated with either diapause or allatectomy. There was no age-related increase in the relative and absolute carbonyl levels in diapausing females, while only the increase in the relative carbonyl level was absent in allectomized females. Overall, the results indicate that both allatectomy and diapause prolonged life span, but had different and sex-specific effects on locomotor activity and carbonyl content. Only the extension of the life span of diapausing females was correlated with both reduced locomotor activity and reduced carbonyl content., Marcela Buricova, Magdalena Hodkova., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Several studies address the question of which forest attributes are most important for the conservation of biodiversity. Unfortunately, there are no unequivocal answers because the response of a biological group to changes in forest structure depends on its natural history and scale of organization. It is important to increase our knowledge of the potential relationships between under studied groups of species and forest variables in order to adopt timber harvesting strategies not detrimental to biodiversity, especially in old-growth forests. We assessed the importance of 10 forest attributes and old-growth for Psychidae (Lepidoptera) species and communities. Research was carried out in 12 forest stands in a mountainous beech dominated landscape in southern Italy, in the middle of the Mediterranean Basin. Samples were collected in 2001 and 2013 and data were merged after pairwise comparison analyses that confirmed the long term stability of communities. Correspondence Analysis, Cluster Analysis and non-parametric Spearman Rank Order Correlation were used to identify determinants of Psychidae abundance and diversity. We collected 2,732 Psychidae belonging to 8 species. Correspondence analysis identified old-growth as the main determinant of communities. Most significant attributes for individual species were beech dominance, diameter at breast height and its standard deviation. For Taleporia defoliella there were positive correlations with these forest parameters, whereas for Psyche crassiorella the correlations were negative. This study underlined the importance of forest attributes associated with old-growth forests for sustaining biodiversity. These findings indicate the need to incorporate these attributes in forest planning, especially those aspects that are easily recognizable such as the number of large trees., Stefano Scalercio, Teresa Bonacci, Rosario Turco, Vincenzo Bernardini., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Paysandisia archon (Burmeister, 1980) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) is an accidentally introduced pest that damages palm trees in the northern Mediterranean area. To our knowledge, there are no experimental studies on its mating behaviour, and little is known about its biology and ecology. In the present study, we used outdoor experiments to investigate several characteristics of the reproductive behaviour of P. archon: sexual maturity, diel periodicity of mating, occurrence of polyandry and delay between mating and laying eggs. The results indicate that 73% of the individuals studied were sexually mature three hours after adult emergence. Mating peaked between 14:00 h and 15:00 h and 87% of the females were fertilized and started laying eggs 1.25 (± 1.14) days after mating. Females were generally monandrous, but nevertheless remained attractive after mating. The results of this study provide the necessary background knowledge for studying several aspects of P. archon reproductive biology, in particular oviposition, sex pheromones and their role in mediating mating behaviour in this pest. These results are the first step in developing tools for monitoring populations of this pest., Roxane Delle-Vedove ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Gender-specific reproductive roles are important factors determining sexual dimorphism. Here, we investigate the effects of sex-based differences and reproductive status on the defence of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) against infection by Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev, 1934) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae). Female and male beetles, either virgin or post-copulation, were exposed individually to nematodes. Individuals were then sampled every 12 h, dissected, and checked for the presence of nematodes; we also measured their phenoloxidase (PO) activity. Reproductive status affected resistance to nematodes and PO activity as infected virgin individuals had a higher PO activity and lower mortality than reproducing individuals, with no differences between sexes. Mortality also increased with time, while PO activity did not change. Parasite load was related to reproductive status and sex, with reproducing females with the highest parasite loads in all treatments, and virgin males with more nematodes than sexually active males. Our results indicate that the costs of reproduction impair the immunological system of T. castaneum similarly in both sexes. It is possible, however, that other components of the immunological system that we did not measure, such as lysozyme activity, are impaired by infection with S. feltiae in a sex-specific way., Paulina Kramarz, Dariusz Małek, Maria Gaweł, Szymon M. Drobniak, Joanna Homa., and Obsahuje bibliografii