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Life Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2017

University of Vermont

Ants

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Use Of Extrafloral Nectar In Pest Management: Overcoming Context Dependence, Ian Matthew Jones, Suzanne Koptur, Eric J. Von Wettberg Apr 2017

The Use Of Extrafloral Nectar In Pest Management: Overcoming Context Dependence, Ian Matthew Jones, Suzanne Koptur, Eric J. Von Wettberg

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Extrafloral nectar (EFN) provides plants with indirect defence against herbivores by attracting predatory insects, predominantly ants. Decades of research have supported the role of EFN as an effective plant defence, dating back to Thomas Belt's description of ants on acacia in 1874. Despite this extensive body of literature, knowledge of the ecological role of EFN has rarely been applied in the field of pest management. We review the existing literature on the use of EFN in agriculture and consider the obstacles that have hindered this transition. Chief among these obstacles is the influence of ecological context on the outcome of …

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Evolutionary Innovations In Ants To Thermally Stressful Environments, Andrew D. Nguyen Jan 2017

Evolutionary Innovations In Ants To Thermally Stressful Environments, Andrew D. Nguyen

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Temperature is a fundamental environmental force shaping species abundance and distributions through its effects on biochemical reaction rates, metabolism, activity, and reproduction. In light of future climate shifts, mainly driven by temperature increases, how will organisms persist in warmer environments? One molecular mechanism that may play an important role in coping with heat stress is the heat shock response (HSR), which protects against molecular damage. To prevent and repair protein damage specifically, Hsps activate and become up-regulated. However, the functional diversity and relevance of heat shock proteins (Hsps) in extending upper thermal limits in taxonomic groups outside marine and model …

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