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The aphid room
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- May 8, 2012
- 09:35 AM
- 97 views
Following a species for twenty years…
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Today I was complaining about the loss of some original and unpublished old data obtained by some retired colleagues about aphid reproduction. Unfortunately, it is frequent that original data are lost after retirement, toghether with old papers, photos and so on. This is a true damage since long term studies could become more and more difficult. A [...]... Read more »
Lamb, R., MacKay, P., & Wool, D. (2012) Population stability of a tree-galling aphid, Baizongia pistaciae, at three spatial scales. The Canadian Entomologist, 1-13. DOI: 10.4039/tce.2012.42
- May 8, 2012
- 04:55 AM
- 96 views
Do plants and insects share the same symbionts?
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Looking in some bacterial 16S sequences obtained by some ants I found some bacteria already known in plants. This is not unusual for members of the insect order Hemiptera since they are small plant feeders with mouthparts adapted for sucking plant sap. During feeding, their stylets penetrate the plant tissue and withdraw plant fluids making [...]... Read more »
Caspi-Fluger, A., & Zchori-Fein, E. (2010) Do plants and insects share the same symbionts?. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 58(2), 113-119. DOI: 10.1560/IJPS.58.2.113
- April 26, 2012
- 03:12 PM
- 91 views
Sex is more attractive than fear… for insects too!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
In the last months I found in literature several very intriguing papers about aphids and their biological control. A good example is the paper entitled “Effect of synthetic and plant-extracted aphid pheromones on the behaviour of Aphidius colemani” recently published by O. M. C. C. Ameixa and P. Kindlmann in the Journal of Applied Entomology. [...]... Read more »
Ameixa, O., & Kindlmann, P. (2012) Effect of synthetic and plant-extracted aphid pheromones on the behaviour of Aphidius colemani. Journal of Applied Entomology, 136(4), 292-301. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01638.x
- April 18, 2012
- 10:50 AM
- 27 views
Sensing aphids
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
In most aphid species, the volatile sesquiterpene (E)-β-farnesene (Eβf) is released as an alarm pheromone in response to predation and is also emitted continuously at low levels. Some aphid predators use Eβf as a foraging cue, suggesting that the benefits to aphids of signaling via Eβf must be weighed against the cost of increasing apparency [...]... Read more »
Mondor, E., & Addicott, J. (2006) Do exaptations facilitate mutualistic associations between invasive and native species?. Biological Invasions, 9(6), 623-628. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-006-9062-0
- April 2, 2012
- 06:12 PM
- 135 views
If it was easy, it wouldn’t be a biological problem
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
In a recent post on genetically modified wheat crops producing the aphid alarm pheromone (E)-beta-farnesene, I suggested some doubts related to results published in literature. I concluded my post writing: “This does not imply that this trial is not interesting at all, since there is scattered evidence in the literature suggesting that alarm pheromone emission might [...]... Read more »
Mumm R, Hilker M. (2005) The significance of background odour for an egg parasitoid to detect plants with host eggs. Chem. Senses, 337-343. info:/
Ameixa, O., & Kindlmann, P. (2011) Effect of synthetic and plant-extracted aphid pheromones on the behaviour of Aphidius colemani. Journal of Applied Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01638.x
- April 2, 2012
- 11:29 AM
- 122 views
Bug clear.. ultra strong, but not ultra smart!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
I’m frequently very surprised considering how it can be easy to buy strong insecticides without any control. Looking in Amazon for some books on aphids, I found the link for buying the “Bug Clear Ultra Gun“….a powerful insecticide contaning acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide that kill aphids together with several other insects. Similar products are used in [...]... Read more »
Slater R, Paul VL, Andrews M, Garbay M, & Camblin P. (2012) Identifying the presence of neonicotinoidresistant peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) in the peach-growing regions of southern France and northern Spain. Pest management science, 68(4), 634-8. PMID: 22052736
- March 29, 2012
- 11:25 AM
- 127 views
Cape fear is still far.. at least for aphids!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
A recent post on Scientific American reported that in UK some field trials are in progress studying the effects of a genetically modified (GM) wheat that should strike fear into aphids and attracts deadly predators to devour them. The genetically modified wheat emits a pheromone which aphids generally release when they are under attack to create panic and [...]... Read more »
Kunert G, Reinhold C, Gershenzon J. (2010) Constitutive emission of the aphid alarm pheromone, (E)-β-farnesene, from plants does not serve as a direct defense against aphids. BMC Ecology, 23. info:/
- March 25, 2012
- 08:24 AM
- 88 views
Insect nightmare about green deserts
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Yesterday I wrote a post about neonicotinoids and a friend suggested me a link reporting that Michael Gray and his colleagues at the University of Illinois conducted a survey of corn and soybean pests in Illinois from late July to early August in 2011, and found densities of some key insect pests to be at [...]... Read more »
Cooper J, Dobson H. (2007) The benefits of pesticides to mankind and the environment. Crop Protection, 1337-1348. info:/
- March 14, 2012
- 01:06 PM
- 191 views
Self-damaging wasps.. not stupid, just dirty!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
One of the first twits that I received this morning was from Discover Magazine and was related to a post entitled “Parasitic wasps vaccinate aphids by spreading anti-wasp bacteria”. Of course the combination of vaccines and aphid is unusual considering that the insect immune system is devoid of memory and vaccination is actually a sort of [...]... Read more »
Gehrer, L., & Vorburger, C. (2012) Parasitoids as vectors of facultative bacterial endosymbionts in aphids. Biology Letters. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0144
- March 12, 2012
- 04:39 PM
- 172 views
Aphids do not like earthworms… me too!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
The melon aphid Aphis gossypii is a severe pest of greenhouse cucumber, frequently developing extremely damaging populations consisting of several hundred individuals per leaf. This aphid has a short generation time and high fecundity and the presence of a moderate density population is sufficient to create leaf damage. Moreover, the honeydew produced by the aphids [...]... Read more »
Razmjou, J., Vorburger, C., Mohammadi, M., & Hassanpour, M. (2012) Influence of vermicompost and cucumber cultivar on population growth of Aphis gossypii Glover. Journal of Applied Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2012.01710.x
- March 7, 2012
- 05:07 PM
- 178 views
Aphids and their ecological immunity
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Bacteria commonly interact with aphids in intimate symbioses, where symbionts increase host fitness (for a review see Russell and Moran, 2006). Interestingly, several evidences suggested that symbiotic bacteria present in the insect gut are involved not only in the degradation of specific substances in the food (Russell and Moran, 2006), but also in other complex interactions protecting [...]... Read more »
Poirié M, Coustau C. (2011) The evolutionary ecology of aphids' immunity. Inv. Surv. J., 247-255. info:/
Dunbar HE, Wilson AC, Ferguson NR, & Moran NA. (2007) Aphid thermal tolerance is governed by a point mutation in bacterial symbionts. PLoS biology, 5(5). PMID: 17425405
Chiu, M., Chen, Y., & Kuo, M. (2012) The effect of experimental warming on a low-latitude aphid, Myzus varians. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 142(3), 216-222. DOI: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2011.01213.x
Russell JA, & Moran NA. (2006) Costs and benefits of symbiont infection in aphids: variation among symbionts and across temperatures. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, 273(1586), 603-10. PMID: 16537132
- March 6, 2012
- 06:27 AM
- 146 views
Ladybirds predating other aphidophagous ladybirds: a common event in the field?
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
After the collapse of aphid colonies it could happen a unusual event related to interspecific predation in aphidophagous ladybirds. For instance, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) consistently arrives in aphid colonies after C. septempunctata brucki and acts as a frequent predator of Coccinella septempunctata L. According to a recent paper of JL Hemptinne and colleagues on Journal of Applied Entomology, H. axyridis stand out as the more aggressive [...]... Read more »
Hemptinne, J., Magro, A., Saladin, C., & Dixon, A. (2012) Role of intraguild predation in aphidophagous guilds. Journal of Applied Entomology, 136(3), 161-170. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0418.2011.01626.x
- March 3, 2012
- 02:52 PM
- 198 views
Honeydew? Less sweet during night
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Aphids feed on plants by piercing them with syringe-like mouth parts and sucking the sap out of the phloem. The primary phloem sap compounds are carbohydrates, whereas amino acids are a relatively minor component of phloem sap and their quantity is normally insufficient for aphid survival. At this regards, more important than the quantity of [...]... Read more »
Taylor, S., Parker, W., & Douglas, A. (2012) Patterns in aphid honeydew production parallel diurnal shifts in phloem sap composition. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 142(2), 121-129. DOI: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2011.01206.x
- February 26, 2012
- 05:49 AM
- 201 views
Growing under elevated carbon dioxide levels
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Aphis glycines is a common aphid species that grows on soybean plants almost worldwide. A. glycines reproduction is mainly clonal bringing to the birth of apterae (wingless) and alate (winged) female nymphs, depending on the extent of crowding. Individuals can live about one month, maturing from a nymph to an adult capable of producing offspring [...]... Read more »
O’Neill, B., Zangerl, A., DeLucia, E., Casteel, C., Zavala, J., & Berenbaum, M. (2011) Leaf temperature of soybean grown under elevated CO2 increases Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) population growth. Insect Science, 18(4), 419-425. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7917.2011.01420.x
- February 21, 2012
- 09:55 AM
- 220 views
From pest to trap
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
As I frequently reported in this blog, aphids are real pest crop insects that damage several plants of agricultural interest. Interestingly, they are not only pests, but could be an unusual trap for invasive beetles. Indeed, as reported by Pascal Leroy et al in Insect Science, aphids and in particular their honeydew can be used [...]... Read more »
Leroy, P., Heuskin, S., Sabri, A., Verheggen, F., Farmakidis, J., Lognay, G., Thonart, P., Wathelet, J., Brostaux, Y., & Haubruge, E. (2012) Honeydew volatile emission acts as a kairomonal message for the Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Insect Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7917.2011.01467.x
- February 20, 2012
- 12:57 PM
- 198 views
From CSI to invasive species: profiling insects?
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Today I found an intriguing (an unusual!) paper published by Mark D. Stevenson and colleagues on Ecography dealing about a strategy for profiling invasive species, as done by the criminal investigation units in some popular movies, where a team of forensic investigators are trained to solve crimes by examining the evidences. Among my favourite forensic movies [...]... Read more »
Mark D. Stevenson, D. Kim Rossmo, Robert J. Knell and Steven C. Le Comber. (2012) Geographic profiling as a novel spatial tool for targeting the control of invasive species. Ecography, 1-12. info:/
- February 14, 2012
- 12:21 PM
- 188 views
Make your apple happy!
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
The green apple aphid Aphis pomi and the spirea aphid Aphis spiraecola are both pests of apples and play a role in plant disease transmission affecting healthy growth of their hosts . Despite their presence on the same plants, these two aphid species differ significantly in their susceptibility to common pesticides and in their life [...]... Read more »
AM Naaum, RG Foottit, HEL Maw, R. Hanner. (2012) Differentiation between Aphis pomi and Aphis spiraecola using multiplex real-time PCR based on DNA barcode sequences. Journal of Applied Entomology, 1-7. info:/
- February 12, 2012
- 07:22 AM
- 262 views
One species or two?
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
It is frequently difficult to distinguish aphid species and considering that a same species could be present on different host plants, numerous cryptic species could exist in aphids. Furthermore, the split of aphids of the same species into two distinct species due to the presence of environmentally induced differences is also present making more and [...]... Read more »
R.G. Foottit, H.E.L. Maw, K.S. Pike, R.H. Miller. (2010) The identity of Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel and P. caladii van der Goot (Hemiptera: Aphididae) based on molecular and morphometric analysis . Zootaxa, 25-38. info:/
- February 9, 2012
- 04:00 AM
- 278 views
DNA barcoding pest crop bugs: from old to new species
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Aphids are generally identified using morphological characters. However, their small size, the presence of intra-specific polymorphism, the occurrence of environmentally induced variations and the reduction in morphological characters make their identification difficult. Yet accurate identifications are needed because many species of aphids are pests in agriculture, forestry and horticulture and they cause damages not only [...]... Read more »
Pérez-Hidalgo N, Martínez-Torres D, Collantes-Alegre JM, Muller WV, Nieto Nafría JM. (2012) A new species of Rhopalosiphum (Hemiptera, Aphididae) on Chusquea tomentosa (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) from Costa Rica. Zookeys. info:/
- February 8, 2012
- 04:15 AM
- 268 views
Chromosome inheritance in aphids? Not the same for all chromosomes
by Mauro Mandrioli in The aphid room
Aphids have a sex determination model based on the presence of two X chromosomes (XX) in females and a single X chromosome (XO) in males. Previous studies suggested that X chromosome loss during male determination was random and that both X chromosomes have the same chances to be inherited in males. On the contrary some [...]... Read more »
Monti, V., Manicardi, G.C. Mandrioli, M. (2011) Cytogenetic and molecular analysis of the holocentric chromosomes of the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae. . Comparative Cytogenetics. info:/
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