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Gypsy Moth (gypsy + moth)
Terms modified by Gypsy Moth Selected AbstractsStem galls affect oak foliage with potential consequences for herbivoryECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2004L. K. Foss Abstract., ,1. On two dates, foliar characteristics of pin oak, Quercus palustris, infested with stem galls caused by the horned oak gall, Callirhytis cornigera, were investigated, and the consequences for subsequent herbivory assessed. 2. Second-instar caterpillars of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, preferred foliage from ungalled trees. 3. Ungalled trees broke bud earlier than their galled counterparts. 4. Galled trees produced denser leaves with higher nitrogen and tannin concentrations, but foliar carbohydrates did not differ among galled and ungalled trees. 5. Concentrations of foliar carbohydrates in both galled and ungalled trees increased uniformly between the two assay dates. Nitrogen concentrations were greater in leaves from galled trees, and decreased uniformly in galled and ungalled trees over time. Foliar tannins were also greater in foliage from galled trees early in the season; however, foliar tannins declined seasonally in galled tissue so that by the second assay date there was no difference in tannin concentrations between galled and ungalled foliage. 6. In spite of differences in foliar characteristics, performance of older, fourth instar gypsy moth caterpillars did not differ between galled and ungalled trees. [source] Lymantria dispar herbivory induces rapid changes in carbon transport and partitioning in Populus nigraENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 1 2008Benjamin A. Babst Abstract We tested for rapid changes in photosynthate transport and partitioning in response to Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) (gypsy moth) herbivory in Populus nigra L. (Salicaceae). Transport and partitioning of [11C]-photosynthate from young mature leaves were measured in vivo before and 18 h after leaf chewing by gypsy moth larvae, which were caged on three older leaves. Following herbivory, there was an increase in export speed of recently fixed carbon from younger mature leaves. The increased export speed was due to a quicker transit time of 11C through the leaf, rather than a change in transport speed through the phloem. Additionally, basipetal partitioning of [11C]-photosynthate was increased following herbivory. Neither of these changes was observed in control plants. This enhancement of export occurs even though herbivores are well known to induce increases in carbon allocation to secondary metabolites within leaves. Our results demonstrate that the use of non-destructive imaging of 11C tracer is a powerful tool for examining plant responses to herbivory. Although the mechanisms underlying the rapid increase in carbon flux to stems and roots remain to be elucidated, our results raise the possibility of a coordinated whole plant response to herbivory. Thus, even when the herbivore specializes on only one plant tissue type, a whole plant approach may be key to understanding how plants respond to herbivory. [source] Species-specific differences in oak foliage affect preference and performance of gypsy moth caterpillarsENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2003L. K. Foss Abstract The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), is an introduced defoliator that preferentially feeds on oaks, Quercus spp. (Fagaceae) in the north-eastern USA. As the gypsy moth expands its geographic range, the extensive oak component in forests and urban environments of the USA assure its successful establishment. Given their economic and ecological importance, and the gypsy moth's potential to cause mortality, we evaluated caterpillar preference and performance on various oaks prevalent in the central hardwoods region. Most of the physical and chemical characteristics we measured, from budbreak phenology to foliar chemistry, varied significantly among the oak species tested. Similarly, insect preference and performance varied significantly, though not always in predictable ways. Caterpillar preference was compared for black, Q. velutina Lamarck, burr, Q. macrocarpa Michaux, cherrybark, Q. pagoda Rafinesque, northern red, Q. rubra L., pin, Q. palustris Muenchhausen, swamp white, Q. bicolor Willdenow, white, Q. alba L., and willow, Q. phellos L., oaks. Gypsy moth preference was greatest for black and burr, and least for northern red, pin, and willow oaks. We assessed foliar characteristics and caterpillar performance on foliage from burr, cherrybark, northern red, pin, and willow oaks. Caterpillar preference did not always correlate with performance. Gypsy moth consumption and growth were highest, and development most rapid, on pin oak, which had high nitrogen and tannin levels, and was among the least preferred. Northern red and willow oaks were also among the least preferred and were the least suitable tested, producing caterpillars with moderate to low consumption and growth rates, as well as the longest development. Northern red oak contained the lowest foliar tannins; willow oak foliage was lowest in carbohydrates and nitrogen. Our results suggest that a combination of foliar characteristics may be responsible for gypsy moth preference and performance, and that an optimal combination of foliar components serves to maximize host suitability. These data will provide information useful for planning and managing urban forests in the presence of expanding gypsy moth populations. [source] DNA barcoding: a new module in New Zealand's plant biosecurity diagnostic toolboxEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2010K. Armstrong Molecular methods for identification of high risk pests and pathogens have been employed for more than a decade to supplement standard diagnostic protocols. However, as the volume of traded goods continues to increase so does the breadth of taxa that diagnosticians need to deal with. Keeping pace by introducing more molecular tests that are typically species-group specific is not an efficient way to progress. Since 2005 classical DNA barcoding using cytochrome oxidase I sequence has been employed routinely in New Zealand for the highest risk insect species (fruit flies and lymantriid moths). Subsequently a broader range of pests have been considered. Case studies are presented here for three important lepidopteran pests, Lymantria mathura (pink gypsy moth), Conogethes punctiferalis (yellow peach moth) and Hyphantria cunea (fall web worm), as well as a trial to identify miscellaneous border interceptions. While the data support the effectiveness of DNA barcoding for border diagnostics, they also raise issues around cryptic species identification and potential species discovery that could impact on operational biosecurity systems. [source] Host behaviour and exposure risk in an insect,pathogen interactionJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Benjamin J. Parker Summary 1.,Studies of variability in host resistance to disease generally emphasize variability in susceptibility given exposure, neglecting the possibility that hosts may vary in behaviours that affect the risk of exposure. 2.,In many insects, horizontal transmission of baculoviruses occurs when larvae consume foliage contaminated by the cadavers of virus-infected conspecific larvae; so, host behaviour may have a strong effect on the risk of infection. 3.,We studied variability in the behaviour of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae, which are able to detect and avoid virus-contaminated foliage. 4.,Our results show that detection ability can be affected by the family line that larvae originate from, even at some distance from a virus-infected cadaver, and suggest that cadaver-detection ability may be heritable. 5.,There is thus the potential for natural selection to act on cadaver-detection ability, and thereby to affect the dynamics of pathogen-driven cycles in gypsy moth populations. 6. We argue that host behaviour is a neglected component in studies of variability in disease resistance. [source] Effects of intentional gaps in spray coverage on the efficacy of gypsy moth mating disruptionJOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 9-10 2005K. Tcheslavskaia Abstract:, The study was conducted during 2001 and 2002 in forested areas in Virginia, US to examine the effects of gaps in coverage of pheromone on gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lep., Lymantriidae), mating disruption. Gypsy moth male moth catches in pheromone-baited traps were significantly reduced in plots treated with the gypsy moth sex pheromone, disparlure, at an overall application rate of 37.5 g of active ingredient (AI)/ha but with untreated gaps of 30 or 90 m between 30-m wide treated swaths. In one of the two plots with 90 m gaps, significantly more males were captured in traps in the untreated areas compared with the treated areas within the plot. However, in another plot, significant differences in trap catches between treated and untreated areas were not observed. No difference in male moth catches in the pheromone-baited traps was observed between treated and untreated areas within the plots treated with 30 m gaps. Female mating success did not differ significantly between treated and untreated areas within the one plot in which it was measured. These results suggest that it may be possible to lower costs associated with gypsy moth mating disruption applications by alternating treated and untreated swaths, which would reduce flight time and fuel costs, without a reduction in efficacy. [source] Synthetic examination of incorrectly proposed structures of biomoleculesTHE CHEMICAL RECORD, Issue 1 2005Kenji Mori Abstract Many incorrect structures of biomolecules have been proposed for natural products. Synthesis of compounds having the proposed structures often enabled us to judge the correctness of the proposals. In some cases, we were able to revise the structures by synthesizing the biomolecules themselves. In other cases, we were able to definitely disprove the proposed structures. Some examples treated in this review include: auxin-a and b; the sex pheromone of Chlamydomonas; sex pheromones of the gypsy moth, the American cockroach, and the pink bollworm moth; Persoons' periplanone-A; orobanchol; naurol A; bifurcarenone; koninginin A; ,-acoradiene; himachalene-type pheromones of the flea beetle; differolide; blattellastanoside A and B; etc. © 2005 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 5: 1,16; 2005: Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20030 [source] BROADENING THE APPLICATION OF EVOLUTIONARILY BASED GENETIC PEST MANAGEMENTEVOLUTION, Issue 2 2008Fred Gould Insect- and tick-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease cause human suffering, and current approaches for prevention are not adequate. Invasive plants and animals such as Scotch broom, zebra mussels, and gypsy moths continue to cause environmental damage and economic losses in agriculture and forestry. Rodents transmit diseases and cause major pre- and postharvest losses, especially in less affluent countries. Each of these problems might benefit from the developing field of Genetic Pest Management that is conceptually based on principles of evolutionary biology. This article briefly describes the history of this field, new molecular tools in this field, and potential applications of those tools. There will be a need for evolutionary biologists to interact with researchers and practitioners in a variety of other fields to determine the most appropriate targets for genetic pest management, the most appropriate methods for specific targets, and the potential of natural selection to diminish the effectiveness of genetic pest management. In addition to producing environmentally sustainable pest management solutions, research efforts in this area could lead to new insights about the evolution of selfish genetic elements in natural systems and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the role of evolutionary biology in solving societal problems. [source] | ||||||||||