A5005001724- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Insect Pheromone Research and Control
- Allelopathy and phytotoxic interactions
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Biological Control of Invasive Species
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Plant chemical constituents analysis
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Hemiptera Insect Studies
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Botanical Research and Chemistry
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Bee Products Chemical Analysis
- Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2015-2024
Goodwin College
2000-2023
Institute of Entomology
2008-2019
National Academy of Sciences
2019
Health Affairs
2019
University of Illinois System
2009-2018
Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine
2016
Ecosystem (Spain)
2013-2016
Education Connection
2013-2016
Entomological Society of America
2016
Nature is under siege. In the last 10,000 y human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions acres tropical forest cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels at their highest concentrations more than 3 (4), and climates erratically steadily changing pole pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, floods across continents. Indeed, most biologists agree that world entered its sixth mass extinction event,...
Parasitoid Wasp Genomes wasps, which prey on and reproduce in host insect species, play important roles plant herbivore interactions, may provide valuable tools the biological control of pest species. The Nasonia Genome Working Group (p. 343 ; see news story by Pennisi ) presents genome three very closely related species: vitripennis, N. giraulti , longicornis . findings document rapid evolution between a endosymbiont that can cause nuclear-cytoplasmic incompatibilities affect speciation.
The honeybee genome has substantially fewer protein coding genes ( approximately 11 000 genes) than Drosophila melanogaster 13 500) and Anopheles gambiae 14 000). Some of the most marked differences occur in three superfamilies encoding xenobiotic detoxifying enzymes. Specifically there are only about half as many glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCEs) honeybee. This includes 10-fold or greater shortfalls numbers Delta...
As an obligatory parasite of humans, the body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) is important vector for human diseases, including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever. Here, we present genome sequences its primary bacterial endosymbiont Candidatus Riesia pediculicola. The has smallest known insect genome, spanning 108 Mb. Despite status as obligate parasite, it retains a remarkably complete basal repertoire 10,773 protein-coding genes 57 microRNAs. Representing hemimetabolous...
The idea that the concentration of secondary metabolites in plant tissues is controlled by availability carbon and nitrogen environment has been termed carbon–nutrient balance hypothesis (CNB). This invoked both for prediction post hoc explanation results hundreds studies. Although it successfully predicts outcomes some cases, fails to such an extent cannot any longer be considered useful as a predictive tool. As information from studies accumulated, many attempts have made save CNB, but...
The parsnip webworm (Depressaria pastinacella) and the wild (Pastinaca sativa) together represent a potentially "coevolved" system in that throughout their ranges plant has relatively few other herbivores insect virtually no hosts. Individual plants within central Illinois population vary content composition of furanocoumarins, secondary compounds with insecticidal properties. Half‐sib parent‐offspring regression estimates heritability furanocoumarins demonstrate this variation is...
Ehrlich and Raven (1964) were among the first to focus on coevolution as a distinct evolutionary process. In their formulation, insect-plant is five-step sequence: 1. by mutation recombination, angiosperms produce novel secondary substances; 2. chance, these new substances alter suitability of plant food for insects; 3. plants, released from restraints imposed herbivory, undergo radiation in adaptive zone; 4. or insects evolve mechanisms resistance 5. able exploit resource hitherto excluded...
As a managed pollinator, the honey bee Apis mellifera is critical to American agricultural enterprise. Recent colony losses have thus raised concerns; possible explanations for decline include nutritional deficiencies and exposures pesticides pathogens. We determined that constituents found in honey, including p- coumaric acid, pinocembrin, pinobanksin 5-methyl ether, specifically induce detoxification genes. These inducers are primarily not nectar but pollen case of acid (a monomer...
Although Apis mellifera , the western honey bee, has long encountered pesticides when foraging in agricultural fields, for two decades it in-hive form of acaricides to control Varroa destructor a devastating parasitic mite. The pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate and organophosphate coumaphos have been used control, with little knowledge bee detoxification mechanisms. Cytochrome P450-mediated contributes tolerance many insects, but specific P450s responsible pesticide bees (indeed, any hymenopteran...
SUMMARYThe water-soluble antioxidant capacity of 19 samples honey from 14 different floral sources was determined by a spectrophotometric assay. The highest concentration antioxidants measured 20.3 times that the lowest, showing great variation exists in chemical nature sources. Antioxidant content positively correlated with both water and colour. Because health benefits dietary antioxidants, source should be factor evaluating potential as an antioxidant-containing food supplement.Keywords:...
Two potential outcomes of a coevolutionary interaction are an escalating arms race and stable cycling. The general expectation has been that races predominate in cases polygenic inheritance resistance traits permanent cycling predominates which is controlled by major genes. In the between Depressaria pastinacella, parsnip webworm, Pastinaca sativa, wild parsnip, for plant to insect herbivory (production defensive furanocoumarins) as well herbivore "virulence" (ability metabolize...
How polyphagous herbivores cope with the diversity and unpredictability of plant defenses remains largely unknown at both genetic molecular levels. To examine whether generalist counterdefense enzymes are structurally more flexible functionally diverse, two counterdefensive allelochemical-metabolizing cytochrome P450 proteins, CYP6B1 from specialist Papilio polyxenes , feeding on furanocoumarin-containing plants, CYP6B8 Helicoverpa zea hundreds host species, compared functionally. Molecular...
The effects of herbivores on plant production and fitness may not relate directly to the quantity biomass removed because folivory alter photosynthetic rates at a considerable distance from damaged tissue [Welter, S. C. (1989) in Insect-Plant Interactions, ed. Bernays, E. A. (CRC, Boca Raton), pp. 135–151.]. An impediment understanding leaf damage photosynthesis has been an inability map function within single leaf. We developed instrument for imaging chlorophyll fluorescence used it...
When the linear furanocoumarin xanthotoxin, found in many plants of families Rutaceae and Umbelliferae, was administered to larvae Spodoptera eridania, a generalist insect herbivore, it displayed toxic properties lacking its biosynthetic precursor umbelliferone. Reduced toxicity observed absence ultraviolet light is consistent with known mechanism photoinactivation DNA by furanocoumarins through ultraviolet-catalyzed cross-linkage strands. Thus, ability plant convert umbelliferone appears...
Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), a consequence anthropogenic global change, can profoundly affect the interactions between crop plants and insect pests may promote yet another form change: rapid establishment invasive species. CO2 increased susceptibility soybean grown under field conditions to Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) variant western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) resistant rotation by down-regulating gene expression related defense signaling...
Honeys from different floral sources were evaluated for their antioxidant content and ability to inhibit enzymatic browning in fruits vegetables. Antioxidant contents of honeys vary widely sources, as do abilities protect against browning. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity was reduced over a range ∼2−45% fruit vegetable homogenates, corresponding reduction index by 2.5−12 units. Soy honey particularly effective when compared clover honey, which had similar content. When commercial inhibitors...
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a mysterious disappearance of honey bees that has beset beekeepers in the United States since late 2006. Pathogens and other environmental stresses, including pesticides, have been linked to CCD, but causal relationship not yet demonstrated. Because gut acts as primary interface between bee its environment site entry for pathogens toxins, we used whole-genome microarrays compare gene expression guts from CCD colonies originating on both east west coasts...
Xanthotoxin, a linear furanocoumarin occurring in many plants of the family Umbelliferae, is not appreciably toxic to umbellifer-feeding larvae Papilio polyxenes (Lepidoptera; Papilionidae), whereas angelicin, an angular found only few relatively advanced tribes reduces growth rate and fecundity. The biosynthetic pathway leading attachment furan ring may thus have been response within Umbelliferae selective pressures exerted by specialized herbivores that had adapted feeding on furanocoumarins.