Sub-lethal and population-level impacts of afidopyropen and flonicamid on Harmonia conformis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

Insecticides that selectively target pests while preserving natural enemies are essential for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. This study investigated the effects of two 'selective' insecticides, afidopyropen and flonicamid, alongside a broad-spectrum insecticide, gamma-cyhalothrin, on the predatory ladybird Harmonia conformis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Acute toxicity was assessed following International Organisation for Biological Control (IOBC) guidelines, and supplemented with further investigations into sub-lethal and population-level impacts.

Symbiotic bacteria mediate chemical-insecticide resistance but enhance the efficacy of a biological insecticide in diamondback moth.

Insecticide resistance has been a major challenge for pest management worldwide. Here, we investigated how gut symbiotic bacteria in insects might affect resistance to chemical (organophosphate) and biological (Bacillus thuringiensis) insecticides in different ways to create opportunities for strategic pesticide rotations. Using the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) as the target pest, we demonstrated that long-term exposure to chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate insecticide) promotes the proliferation of the gut symbiont Enterococcus mundtii in P.

High-throughput chemical toxicity testing for beneficial insects: the value of coated vials.

Nontarget effects of insecticides used in agriculture can impact the ecosystem services provided by beneficial insects. Understanding the broader effects of chemical usage requires multispecies investigations on the impact of different insecticide active ingredients. In this work, we tested the utility of coated vials as a quick, cheap, and efficient dried residue chemical toxicity assay.

Recurrent mutations drive the rapid evolution of pesticide resistance in the two-spotted spider mite .

The genetic basis of pesticide resistance has been widely studied, but the exact nature of this evolutionary process in the field is often unclear, particularly when a limited number of populations is considered and when there is a lag between the evolutionary event and its investigation. We showed that an unprecedented number of recurrently evolved mutations in an arthropod pest, the two-spotted spider mite , drive the rapid evolution of resistance to a recently commercialized acaricide, cyetpyrafen. We first observed high levels of resistance that appeared and became widespread within three years.

The long-term persistence of the wMel strain in Rio de Janeiro is threatened by poor integrated vector management and bacterium fitness cost on Aedes aegypti.

New tools and methods are currently under evaluation by the World Health Organization for preventing arbovirus transmission, such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. One promising approach involves deploying Aedes aegypti with the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis to disrupt arbovirus transmission within endemic urban environments. The release program of mosquitoes with the Wolbachia's wMel strain started in August 2017 in 6.

Transovarial transmission of Wolbachia bacteria via P44/Msp2-IMP2 mediated endocytosis.

Wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont that stably localizes in oocytes of arthropods to ensure successful transovarial transmission. However, the source of Wolbachia in oocytes is unclear. Here, we obtained a Wolbachia strain that is transovarially transmitted with complete fidelity in the agricultural pest spider mite Tetranychus truncatus.

Genomes of Two Monophagous Weevils and Their Host Plant Provide Insights Into Evolution of Plant Defence and Insect Counter-Defence.

Plant secondary metabolites play important roles in defence against herbivorous insects. However, many insects can overcome plant defences even when they produce a rich toxin load, and an arms race between plants evolving new toxins and insects evolving to counter them is expected. Here, we deciphered genomic features linked to a potential race between the tree of heaven and two monophagous weevils that only feed on this tree species, with the tree of heaven producing a rich set of secondary metabolites involving about 745 compounds.

Population incompatibility associated with Wolbachia in the Asian citrus psyllids, Diaphorina citri: insights for pest management.

Background: Wolbachia are the most common intracellular symbiont in invertebrates primarily found in the reproductive tissues of their hosts inducing various host phenotypes such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that can affect their persistence and spread in host populations. This study explores the presence and likely impact of Wolbachia bacteria in the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri.

Results: We detected Wolbachia in populations of ACP collected from Roodan (Ro) and Jahrom (Ja) in Iran and quantified their titers in different stages and tissues.

Effective Aedes mosquito reduction through In2Care interventions in an extreme environment.

In2Care traps combining an insect growth regulator (pyriproxyfen) with an entomopathogen (Beauveria bassiana) have been developed as an effective way of reducing mosquito populations with promising results. Here, we test the technology in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In2Care traps might be particularly suitable in Jeddah because harsh climatic conditions in the hot dry season may limit Aedes movement when mosquitoes likely persist in localized sites around underground car parks and other built structures.

Populations of the Australian Saltmarsh Mosquito Vary Between Panmixia and Temporally Stable Local Genetic Structure.

Pest management programmes can operate more effectively when movement patterns of target species are known. As individual insects are difficult to track, genomic data can instead be used to infer movement patterns based on pest population structure and connectivity. These data can also provide critical information about cryptic taxa relevant to management.

Changes in the frequency of facultative endosymbionts in insect populations: overview and applications.

Many insect endosymbionts are facultative from the host perspective, and their population frequencies across time and space will depend on their transmission fidelity and effects on host fitness. These effects and transmission rates in turn depend on the environmental and host genetic contexts where the endosymbionts occur. Endosymbionts like and affect host reproduction to produce transient or persistent presence/absence polymorphisms, while other endosymbionts like and persist through providing host fitness benefits and transmitting horizontally.

Can plants keep up with fire regime changes through evolution?

Patterns of fire are rapidly changing across the globe and causing mismatches between plants and their environment. These mismatches have ecological and evolutionary consequences, but the latter are often overlooked. A critical question is whether plant populations can evolve quickly enough to keep up with changing fire regimes.

Transinfections of the endosymbiont Rickettsiella viridis in different Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) clones show consistent deleterious effects and stable transmission.

Endosymbionts are widespread in insects, including aphids, and can have multiple effects on insect host fitness, suggesting potential applications for endosymbiont-related pest control. A transinfection of the endosymbiont Rickettsiella viridis into a line of the novel host Myzus persicae has previously shown large deleterious effects on aphid fitness and rapid spread in caged aphid populations under a cool environment. Because host clones can significantly influence endosymbiont effects and fitness-related traits more generally, it is important to test endosymbiont effects across a range of genotypic backgrounds.

Symbiont-mediated insect host defense against parasitism: insights from the endosymbiont, Hamiltonella defensa and the insect host, Myzus persicae.

Background: Sap-feeding insects like aphids can harbor a complex of bacterial symbionts, including a primary nutritional symbiont and secondary symbionts that may influence various traits such as resistance to parasitoids and entomopathogens as well as fitness. This study explores the presence and impact of the facultative symbiont, Hamiltonella defensa, in a major pest aphid, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, focusing particularly on its role in aphid parasitoid resistance, an area that has not been previously characterized.

Results: We detected Buchnera aphidicola and H.

Symbiotic bacteria and pest control: plant toxins, chemical pesticides, and fungal entomopathogens.

Bacterial symbionts in pests are being increasingly investigated to assess their potential uses for sustainable control approaches. We undertook a review and analysis of the impacts of endosymbionts and gut symbionts on responses to toxins from plants and pesticides, and to attack by fungal entomopathogens. Despite methodological issues affecting estimates of effect sizes, there is evidence for symbionts increasing resistance to all three agents.

An Insect Salivary Sheath Protein Triggers Plant Resistance to Insects and Pathogens as a Conserved HAMP.

Herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs) in saliva enable plants to detect herbivores and activate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Piercing-sucking herbivores secrete gel saliva, forming salivary sheaths that assist in feeding, however, the role of proteins within these sheaths in modulation of plant defenses remains poorly understood. Here, a thermostable HAMP, myosin light chain 1-like (myosin) is identified, from the salivary sheath of the small brown planthopper (SBPH) Laodelphax striatellus.

Bridging the Gap Between Platforms: Comparing Grape Phylloxera (Fitch) Microsatellite Allele Size and DNA Sequence Variation.

Grape phylloxera, (Fitch), is an economically significant pest of grapevines. Identification of phylloxera genotypes is an important aspect of management as genotypes differ in virulence and susceptibility to control using resistant rootstocks. Microsatellite markers developed on polyacrylamide gel systems have been the most widely used molecular method for phylloxera genotype identification, but this approach has been superseded by fluorescent capillary-based genotyping.

Suppression of Aedes aegypti may not affect sympatric Aedes albopictus populations: findings from two years of entomological surveillance in Singapore.

Globally, multiple trials have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of novel tools, such as the sterile and incompatible insect techniques, in suppressing Aedes aegypti populations. However, there is concern that Aedes albopictus, another arbovirus-competent vector, may occupy the niches vacated by Ae. aegypti in areas where these species occur in sympatry.

A persistent bacterial Regiella transinfection in the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi increasing host fitness and decreasing plant virus transmission.

Background: The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, is a major pest of agriculture due to its ability to directly damage crops and transmit plant viruses. As industries move away from chemical pest control, there is interest in exploring new options to suppress the impact of this pest.

Results: We describe the production of a transinfected line of R.

Fertile Hybrids Could Aid Coral Adaptation.

Fertile hybrids can enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of species under stress by increasing genetic diversity within populations, masking the effects of deleterious recessive alleles, and facilitating the introgression of beneficial genetic variants into parental species. However, many hybrids are infertile. We compared the fertility of aquarium-reared F1 hybrid and purebred corals of the species and and examined the viability of early life stages of second-generation (F2) hybrid and back-crossed planula larvae and recruits.

Genomics-Informed Range Predictions Under Global Warming Reveal Reduced Adaptive Diversity Whilst Buffering Range Shifts for a Marine Snail.

Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation in thermal performance is useful for predicting species distribution shifts under anthropogenic climate change. Many species are distributed across multiple biogeographic regions, and the uniquely adapted populations in each region may respond to future ocean warming with distinct distribution changes. In the present study, we investigated phylogeographic patterns, thermal sensitivity, and genetic differentiation in the intertidal snail Littorina brevicula along China's coast.