Life Sciences Commons^™

Emerald Ash Borer Specific Gene Silencing Has No Effect On Non-Target Organisms, Flavia Pampolini, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

The sequence complementarity of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway allows for targeted suppression of genes essential for insect survival, and enables development of pest management strategies specific to a given species while reducing the likelihood of adversely impacting non-target organisms (NTOs). The feasibility of manipulating the RNAi pathway to cause mortality in the highly invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) has been demonstrated. Here the spectrum of activity of three double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeting the genes hsp, shi, and sn-rnp in EAB was evaluated in model insects representing five functional guilds including herbivore, predator, detritivore, pollinator, parasitoid; …

Nss, The Silencing Suppressor Of Tomato Spotted Wilt Orthotospovirus, Interferes With Ja-Regulated Host Terpenoids Expression To Attract Frankliniella Occidentalis, Jiao Du, Xiaoyu Song, Xiaobin Shi, Xin Tang, Jianbin Chen, Zhanhong Zhang, Gong Chen, Zhuo Zhang, Xuguo Zhou, Yong Liu, Deyong Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) causes serious crop losses worldwide and is transmitted by Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). NSs protein is the silencing suppressor of TSWV and plays an important role in virus infection, cycling, and transmission process. In this research, we investigated the influences of NSs protein on the interaction of TSWV, plants, and F. occidentalis with the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. Compared with the wild-type Col-0 plant, F. occidentalis showed an increased number and induced feeding behavior on transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing exogenous NSs. Further analysis showed that NSs reduced the expression of terpenoids synthesis-related genes and …

Comparison Of Native And Non-Native Predator Consumption Rates And Prey Avoidance Behavior In North America And Europe, Ayse Gül Ünlü, John J. Obrycki, Roman Bucher

Entomology Faculty Publications

Novel predator–prey interactions can contribute to the invasion success of non-native predators. For example, native prey can fail to recognize and avoid non-native predators due to a lack of co-evolutionary history and cue dissimilarity with native predators. This might result in a competitive advantage for non-native predators. Numerous lady beetle species were globally redistributed as biological control agents against aphids, resulting in novel predator–prey interactions. Here, we investigated the strength of avoidance behavior of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) toward chemical cues of native lady beetles and non-native Asian Harmonia axyridis and European Coccinella septempunctata and Hippodamia variegata …

Selection Of Reference Genes For Qrt-Pcr Analysis In Medicinal Plant Glycyrrhiza Under Abiotic Stresses And Hormonal Treatments, Yuping Li, Xiaoju Liang, Xuguo Zhou, Zhigeng Wu, Ling Yuan, Ying Wang, Yongqing Li

Entomology Faculty Publications

Best known as licorice, Glycyrrhiza Linn., a genus of herbaceous perennial legume, has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in Asia and a flavoring agent for tobacco and food industry in Europe and America. Abiotic stresses and hormonal treatments can significantly impact the development and metabolism of secondary metabolites in Glycyrrhiza. To better understand the biosynthesis of the trace-amount bioactive compounds, we first screened for the suitable reference genes for quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis in Glycyrrhiza. The expression profiles of 14 candidate reference genes, including Actin1 (ACT), Clathrin complex AP1 (CAC), Cyclophilin (CYP), Heat-shock …

The Impact Of Plant Essential Oils And Fine Mesh Row Covers On Flea Beetle (Chrysomelidae) Management In Brassicaceous Greens Production, Robert Brockman, Ryan Kuesel, Kendall Archer, Kyla O’Hearn, Neil Wilson, Delia W. Scott, Mark A. Williams, Ricardo Bessin, David J. Gonthier

Entomology Faculty Publications

Brassicaceous leafy greens are an important crop for small growers but are difficult to produce due to damage by flea beetles. Flea beetles are problematic for growers as they chew many small holes through leaves rendering produce unmarketable. We tested the efficacy of several essential oils, the woven-mesh row cover ProtekNet, and the spunbonded row cover Agribon, compared to organic and conventional insecticides and no spray controls in the spring and fall of 2019. We found that the two row cover treatments (Agribon and ProtekNet) provided the best control of flea beetles and associated damage. Thyme oil was highly phytotoxic …

Reproductive Compatibility Among Populations And Host‐Associated Lineages Of The Common Bed Bug (Cimex Lectularius L.), Zachary C. Devries, Richard G. Santangelo, Warren Booth, Christopher G. Lawrence, Ondřej Balvín, Tomáš Bartonička, Coby Schal

Entomology Faculty Publications

As populations differentiate across geographic or host‐association barriers, interpopulation fertility is often a measure of the extent of incipient speciation. The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., was recently found to form two host‐associated lineages within Europe: one found with humans (human‐associated, HA) and the other found with bats (bat‐associated, BA). No unequivocal evidence of contemporary gene flow between these lineages has been found; however, it is unclear whether this is due to an inability to produce viable “hybrid” offspring. To address this question and determine the extent of compatibility between host‐associated lineages, we set up mating crosses among populations of …

Suitability Of Native Milkweed (Asclepias) Species Versus Cultivars For Supporting Monarch Butterflies And Bees In Urban Gardens, Adam M. Baker, Carl T. Redmond, Stephen B. Malcolm, Daniel A. Potter

Entomology Faculty Publications

Public interest in ecological landscaping and gardening is fueling a robust market for native plants. Most plants available to consumers through the horticulture trade are cultivated forms that have been selected for modified flowers or foliage, compactness, or other ornamental characteristics. Depending on their traits, some native plant cultivars seem to support pollinators, specialist insect folivores, and insect-based vertebrate food webs as effectively as native plant species, whereas others do not. There is particular need for information on whether native cultivars can be as effective as true or “wild-type” native species for supporting specialist native insects of conservation concern. Herein …

Orientocardiochiles, A New Genus Of Cardiochilinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), With Descriptions Of Two New Species From Malaysia And Vietnam, Ilgoo Kang, Khuat Dang Long, Michael J. Sharkey, James B. Whitfield, Nathan P. Lord

Entomology Faculty Publications

For the first time in 21 years, a new genus of cardiochiline braconid wasp, Orientocardiochiles Kang & Long, gen. nov. (type species Orientocardiochiles joeburrowi Kang, sp. nov.), is discovered and described. This genus represents the ninth genus in the Oriental region. Two new species (O. joeburrowi Kang, sp. nov. and O. nigrofasciatus Long, sp. nov.) are described and illustrated, and a key to species of the genus, with detailed images, is added. Diagnostic characters of the new genus are analyzed and compared with several other cardiochiline genera to allow the genus to key out properly using an …

Dietary Antioxidants Impact Ddt Resistance In Drosophila Melanogaster, Gamal A. M. Abdu-Allah, Keon-Mook Seong, Omprakash Mittapalli, James Adebayo Ojo, Weilin Sun, Omar Posos-Parra, David Mota-Sanchez, John M. Clark, Barry R. Pittendrigh

Entomology Faculty Publications

Insects experience a diversity of subtoxic and/or toxic xenobiotics through exposure to pesticides and, in the case of herbivorous insects, through plant defensive compounds in their diets. Many insects are also concurrently exposed to antioxidants in their diets. The impact of dietary antioxidants on the toxicity of xenobiotics in insects is not well understood, in part due to the challenge of developing appropriate systems in which doses and exposure times (of both the antioxidants and the xenobiotics) can be controlled and outcomes can be easily measured. However, in Drosophila melanogaster, a well-established insect model system, both dietary factors and …

Oral Ingestion Of Bacterially Expressed Dsrna Can Silence Genes And Cause Mortality In A Highly Invasive, Tree-Killing Pest, The Emerald Ash Borer, Ramya Shanivarsanthe Leelesh, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring process inhibiting gene expression, and recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism have allowed its development as a tool against insect pests. A major challenge for deployment in the field is the development of convenient and efficient methods for production of double stranded RNA (dsRNA). We assessed the potential for deploying bacterially produced dsRNA as a bio-pesticide against an invasive forest pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB feeds on the cambial tissue of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), causing rapid death. EAB has killed millions of trees in North America since …

Integrating Gwas And Transcriptomics To Identify The Molecular Underpinnings Of Thermal Stress Responses In Drosophila Melanogaster, Melise C. Lecheta, David N. Awde, Thomas S. O’Leary, Laura N. Unfried, Nicholas A. Jacobs, Miles H. Whitlock, Eleanor Mccabe, Beck Powers, Katie Bora, James S. Waters, Heather J. Axen, Seth Frietze, Brent L. Lockwood, Nicholas M. Teets, Sara H. Cahan

Entomology Faculty Publications

Thermal tolerance of an organism depends on both the ability to dynamically adjust to a thermal stress and preparatory developmental processes that enhance thermal resistance. However, the extent to which standing genetic variation in thermal tolerance alleles influence dynamic stress responses vs. preparatory processes is unknown. Here, using the model species Drosophila melanogaster, we used a combination of Genome Wide Association mapping (GWAS) and transcriptomic profiling to characterize whether genes associated with thermal tolerance are primarily involved in dynamic stress responses or preparatory processes that influence physiological condition at the time of thermal stress. To test our hypotheses, we …

Histone Deacetylase 3 Is Required For Development And Metamorphosis In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Smitha George, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background

Hormones are chemical communication signaling molecules released into the body fluids to stimulate target cells of multicellular organisms. We recently showed that histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) plays an important role in juvenile hormone (JH) suppression of metamorphosis in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Here, we investigated the function of another class I HDAC member, HDAC3, and show that it is required for the normal development of T. castaneum.

Results

RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the HDAC3 gene affected development resulting in abnormally folded wings in pupae and adults. JH analog, hydroprene, suppressed the expression of HDAC3 in …

Invasive Paper Wasp Turns Urban Pollinator Gardens Into Ecological Traps For Monarch Butterfly Larvae, Adam M. Baker, Daniel A. Potter

Entomology Faculty Publications

Invasive species can be particularly disruptive when they intersect with organisms of conservation concern. Stabilizing the declining eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) is projected to require extensive habitat restoration across multiple land use sectors including metropolitan areas. Numerous conservation programs encourage urban citizens to plant gardens with milkweeds, the obligate larval host plants of the monarch. Here, we show that predation by Polistes dominula, an invasive paper wasp that is particularly abundant in urban settings, can turn such sites into ecological traps for monarch larvae. Polistes dominula was the predominant paper wasp seen foraging …

The First Mitochondrial Genome Of The Living-Fossil Sawfly Macroxyela Ferruginea (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae, Macroxyelinae), Bo-Ying Zheng, Ze-Kai Li, Xiao-Fei Li, Jia-Chen Zhu, Michael J. Sharkey, Pu Tang, Xue-Xin Chen

Entomology Faculty Publications

The living-fossil sawfly Macroxyela ferruginea (Xyelidae: Macroxyelinae) was one of the oldest species of Hymenoptera. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome, 15,465 bp in size. All 37 typical mitochondrial genes were possessed. There is only one rearrangement of gene order, where trnM and trnQ were shuffled. We also found this order was shared with Xyela sp., which also belongs to family Xyelidae. The 13 protein-coding genes of this sequence and the other 10 species from eight superfamilies in Hymenoptera were all used for phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood (ML) analysis and Bayesian inference (BI), with Ascaloptynx appendiculatus from Neuroptera as an …