Entomology Commons^™

County-Level Surveillance For The American Dog Tick (Dermacentor Variabilis) And Rickettsia Species In Kentucky, Callista W. Vandegriff, Jun Seok Ryoo, Maria C. Carrasquilla, Anna Rosalee Pasternak, Wayne T. Sanderson, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis includes a group of illnesses with similar symptoms caused by Rickettsia species bacteria. While Rickettsia rickettsii, the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a well-known pathogen, other SFG Rickettsia spp. can infect ticks and occasionally contribute to human disease. We conducted county-level surveillance of Dermacentor variabilis ticks in Kentucky to characterize the distribution and diversity of SFG Rickettsia. Ticks were collected from the environment from 2019 to 2024 by dragging a white cloth and through our Kentucky Tick Submission Program. In total, 2,023 D. variabilis ticks were collected from 114 …

Clinical Manifestations Of Bed Bug Bites: A Systematic Review Of Case Reports, Julian Felipe Porras-Villamil, Zachary C. Devries

Entomology Faculty Publications

Importance: Clinical characterization of bed bug (Cimex spp.) bite manifestations remains limited.   Objective: This systematic review synthesizes case reports to describe dermatological, systemic, and psychological outcomes of bed bug bites.   Evidence review: Following PRISMA guidelines, multiple databases, including Pubmed and Scopus, were searched using terms such as “bed bug,” “Cimex lectularius,” “Cimex hemipterus,” “case report,” and “case series.” Extracted data included demographics, species, lesion type, anatomical distribution, and clinical manifestations. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted.   Results: Eighty-four patients were included: 76 with C. lectularius (90.5%) and, 8 with C. hemipterus (9.5%). Sex distribution was …

Complex Interplay Between Facilitation And Competition In Two Invasive Fruit Pests, Eleanor Mccabe, Nicholas M. Teets

Entomology Faculty Publications

When one invasive species facilitates the invasion of another species, it can lead to invasional meltdown. However, when the two species depend on the same finite resource, facilitation and competition can occur simultaneously and impact population dynamics. Furthermore, factors like resource availability and population density could alter the balance between facilitation and competition. Drosophila suzukii and Zaprionus indianus are two invasive insect pests that infest small fruit crops. The co-localization of these species in the same fields, coupled with the fact that Z. indianus lacks a hardened ovipositor that can penetrate the skin of fruit, has led to the hypothesis …

Elevated Temperatures Disrupt Wolbachia-Induced Feminisation And Reshape Microbial Community Dynamics Across Generations In A Spider Host, Virginija Mackevicius-Dubickaja, Jennifer A. White, Ellen E. Williams, Eyal Klement, Yuval Gottlieb, Matthew R. Doremus

Entomology Faculty Publications

Longitudinal microbial interactions within a host are challenging to study, leading to a focus on constructed microbial communities in vitro settings. Here, we take advantage of a naturally defined microbial community within a spider host to study how elevated temperatures influence microbial dynamics and phenotypes across host generations. The spider Mermessus fradeorum hosts up to five endosymbionts, including a Wolbachia strain, W1, which induces feminisation, causing genetic males to develop as phenotypic females, skewing sex ratios and promoting symbiont spread. Despite this, Wolbachia 1 persists at intermediate frequencies in wild populations. We hypothesised that elevated temperatures might reduce penetration of …

Evolutionary Transitions In Social Behavior Are Associated With Convergent And Partially Reversible Expansions Of Transcription Factor Binding Sites, Savanna G. Ploessl, Beryl M. Jones

Entomology Faculty Publications

The evolution of sociality involves shifts in physiology and behavior, most notably the emergence of a reproductive division of labor. Within social colonies, these distinct behavioral phenotypes arise from differential regulation of a shared genome. Changes in transcription factor (TF) binding motifs are one potential mechanism underpinning this plasticity, with prior studies suggesting that social species exhibit expansions in TF binding sites. However, it remains unclear whether motif expansions are reversed when sociality is lost. Here we analyze predicted TF motif occurrences across gene promoters in 42 bee species spanning millions of years of evolutionary divergence and multiple independent gains …

Effect Of Selected Insecticides On Calico Scale In Landscape Honey Locust Trees, 2024, Caleb J. Wilson, Zoë K. York

Entomology Faculty Publications

We evaluated the effect of selected insecticides on 6 mature Shademaster honey locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos L., ‘Shademaster’) which were planted in 2 rows along a roadside on the University of Kentucky’s campus. We used a randomized complete block design where each tree represented a block, and within each tree, the effect of insecticides on scales was evaluated on separate labeled branches. All trees had been heavily infested with calico scale (CS) for multiple years. On each tree we sectioned off 11 randomly selected 30-cm branch sections with zip-ties. We applied treatments on 28 May 2024, when CS crawlers …

Long-Term Agricultural Management Reduces Abundance And Alters Community Structure Of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Cynthia M. Fiser, Nathan L. Haan, Douglas A. Landis

Entomology Faculty Publications

Carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are beneficial predators and bioindicators of ground-dwelling arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes. We studied changes in community composition, activity density, and diversity of carabids in a long-term agroecosystem study spanning 30 years in the US Midwest. We contrasted carabid community metrics measured by pitfall trap sampling in two conservation-oriented treatments in a corn-soybean-wheat rotation. One treatment uses conventional practices but with reduced agrochemical inputs (Reduced Input), while the other has no synthetic inputs (Biologically Based). Since a 1994–95 study on the same site, in 2019 overall carabid activity density had declined a minimum of 58–76 % …

Spatiotemporal Variability And Functional Redundancy Obscure Effects Of Urbanization On Strawberry Pollinators, Kyla D. Schulte, Caleb J. Wilson, Anna Tawril, Mary A. Jamieson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pollination services across rural–urban gradients may vary as land cover and other environmental attributes differentially influence pollinators. Most studies examining crop pollination, however, have been conducted in rural environments, while research in urban areas has lagged behind despite growing interest in urban agriculture. In this study, we hypothesized that increased urbanization would alter pollinator community composition due to a reduction in natural areas within the surrounding landscape, potentially decreasing pollinator abundance. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a three-year study using strawberries as a focal study crop. We characterized the abundance, diversity, and community composition of bees across 10 farms …

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces Α- But Not Β- And Γ-Diversity Of Bees., Toby P N Tsang, A A Amado De Santis, Gabriela Armas-Quiñonez, John S Ascher, Eva Samanta Ávila-Gómez, András Báldi, Kimberly M Ballare, Mario V Balzan, Weronika Banaszak-Cibicka, Svenja Bänsch, Yves Basset, Adam J Bates, Jessica M Baumann, Mariana Beal-Neves, Ashley Bennett, Antonio Diego M Bezerra, Betina Blochtein, Riccardo Bommarco, Berry Brosi, Laura A Burkle, Luísa G Carvalheiro, Ignacio Castellanos, Marcela Cely-Santos, Hamutahl Cohen, Drissa Coulibaly, Saul A Cunningham, Sarah Cusser, Isabelle Dajoz, Deborah A Delaney, Ek Del-Val, Monika Egerer, Markus P Eichhorn, Eunice Enríquez, Martin H Entling, Natalia Escobedo-Kenefic, Pedro Maria Abreu Ferreira, Gordon Fitch, Jessica R K Forrest, Valérie Fournier, Robert Fowler, Breno M Freitas, Hannah R Gaines-Day, Benoît Geslin, Jaboury Ghazoul, Paul Glaum, Jose L Gonzalez-Andujar, Adrian González-Chaves, Heather Grab, Claudio Gratton, Solène Guenat, Catalina Gutiérrez-Chacón, Mark A Hall, Mick E Hanley, Annika Hass, Ernest Ireneusz Hennig, Martin Hermy, Juliana Hipólito, Andrea Holzschuh, Sebastian Hopfenmüller, Keng-Lou James Hung, Kristoffer Hylander, Jordi Izquierdo, Mary A Jamieson, Birgit Jauker, Steve Javorek, Shalene Jha, Björn K Klatt, David Kleijn, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Anikó Kovács-Hostyánszki, Jochen Krauss, Michael Kuhlmann, Patricia Landaverde-González, Tanya Latty, Misha Leong, Susannah B Lerman, Yunhui Liu, Ana Carolina Pereira Machado, Anson Main, Rachel Mallinger, Yael Mandelik, Bruno Ferreira Marques, Kevin Matteson, Frédéric Mccune, Ling-Zeng Meng, Jean Paul Metzger, Paula María Montoya-Pfeiffer, Carolina Morales, Lora Morandin, Jane Morrison, Sonja Mudri-Stojnić, Pakorn Nalinrachatakan, Olivia Norfolk, Mark Otieno, Mia G Park, Stacy M Philpott, Gideon Pisanty, Montserrat Plascencia, Simon G Potts, Eileen F Power, Kit Prendergast, Robyn D Quistberg, Davi De Lacerda Ramos, André Rodrigo Rech, Victoria Reynolds, Miriam H Richards, Stuart P M Roberts, Malena Sabatino, Ulrika Samnegård, Hillary Sardiñas, Karina Sánchez-Echeverría, Fernanda Teixeira Saturni, Jeroen Scheper, Amber R Sciligo, C Sheena Sidhu, Brian J Spiesman, Tuanjit Sritongchuay, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Katharina Stein, Alyssa B Stewart, Jane C Stout, Hisatomo Taki, Pornpimon Tangtorwongsakul, Caragh G Threlfall, Carla Faleiro Tinoco, Teja Tscharntke, Katherine J Turo, Chatura Vaidya, Rémy Vandame, Carlos H Vergara, Blandina F Viana, Eric Vides-Borrell, Natapot Warrit, Elisabeth Webb, Catrin Westphal, Jennifer B Wickens, Neal M Williams, Nicholas S G Williams, Caleb J Wilson, Panlong Wu, Elsa Youngsteadt, Yi Zou, Lauren C Ponisio, Timothy C Bonebrake

Entomology Faculty Publications

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e., γ-diversity), either due to reduced β-diversity amplifying diversity loss or increased β-diversity dampening diversity loss. Additionally, studies often focus on taxonomic diversity, while other important biodiversity components, including phylogenetic diversity, can exhibit differential responses. Here, we evaluated how agricultural and urban land use alters the taxonomic and phylogenetic α-, β-, and γ-diversity of an important pollinator taxon-bees. Using a multicontinental dataset of 3117 bee …

A Multi-Objective Optimization Model For Cropland Design Considering Profit, Biodiversity, And Ecosystem Services, Caleb H. Geissler, Nathan L. Haan, Bruno Basso, Ames Fowler, Douglas A. Landis, Tyler J. Lark, Christos T. Maravelias

Entomology Faculty Publications

More sustainable agricultural methods are needed to alleviate the decreases in biodiversity and ecosystem services that have occurred because of industrial agriculture. One such method is the inclusion of alternative crops into croplands that can support biodiversity, reduce erosion and chemical runoff, and sequester carbon in the soil. However, the question of where such crops should be planted to balance competing economic and environmental objectives remains open. To this end, we develop a mixed-integer quadratically constrained program to optimize the layout of a cropland considering economic, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and water quality objectives. We include spatially varying fertilization as …

Molecular Mechanisms And Comparative Transcriptomics Of Diapause In Two Corn Rootworm Species (Diabrotica Spp.), Melise C. Lecheta, Chad Nielson, B. Wade French, Emily Nadeau, Nicholas M. Teets

Entomology Faculty Publications

Diapause is a programmed developmental arrest that can occur at any developmental stage depending on species, but the mechanisms that underscore embryonic diapause are poorly understood. Here, we identified molecular mechanisms underscoring distinct phases of diapause in the Diabrotica spp. complex. This species complex in- cludes economically significant agricultural pests, notably the western corn rootworm (WCR) and northern corn rootworm (NCR), which cause major losses in maize production. Rootworms undergo an obligate embryonic diapause to synchronize their life cycles with host plants, and we sequenced transcriptomes from both species at five time points (pre-diapause, diapause initiation, diapause maintenance, diapause termination, …

Chronologically Inappropriate Morphogenesis (Chinmo) Is Required For Maintenance Of Larval Stages Of Fall Armyworm, Xien Chen, Jinmo Koo, Surjeet Kumar Arya, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Broad complex (Br-C) and eip93F (E93) transcription factors promote insect metamorphosis from larva to pupa and from pupa to adult, respectively. Recently, chronologically inappropriate morphogenesis (Chinmo) has been proposed as a larval specifier in Drosophila melanogaster. However, whether Chinmo is required for larval maintenance in lepidopteran insects, the underlying mechanisms involved in maintaining the larval stage, and its interactions with the JH signaling pathway are not well understood. Here, we used a binary transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 system to knockout Chinmo and Kr-h1 (primary response gene in the JH signaling pathway) in the fall armyworm (FAW). Kr-h1 knockout induced premature metamorphosis only …

Repeated Shifts In Sociality Are Associated With Fine-Tuning Of Highly Conserved And Lineage-Specific Enhancers In A Socially Flexible Bee, Beryl M. Jones, Andrew E. Webb, Scott M. Geib, Sheina Sim, Rena M. Schweizer, Michael G. Branstetter, Jay D. Evans, Sarah D. Kocher

Entomology Faculty Publications

Comparative genomic studies of social insects suggest that changes in gene regulation are associated with evolutionary transitions in social behavior, but the activity of predicted regulatory regions has not been tested empirically. We used self-transcribing active regulatory region sequencing, a high-throughput enhancer discovery tool, to identify and measure the activity of enhancers in the socially variable sweat bee, Lasioglossum albipes. We identified over 36,000 enhancers in the L. albipes genome from 3 social and 3 solitary populations. Many enhancers were identified in only a subset of L. albipes populations, revealing rapid divergence in regulatory regions within this species. Population-specific enhancers …

Arthropod Arbiters: Natural Enemy Communities Mediate The Effects Of Landscape And Local-Scale Complexity On Lygus-Induced Crop Loss In Organic Strawberries, Adrian Lu, David J. Gonthier, Amber Sciligo, Karina Garcia, Taiki Chiba, Gila Juárez, Claire Kremen

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sustainable pest management requires growers and regional land managers to consider the relationships among pest management practices, pest and natural enemy communities, crop loss, and multi-scalar habitat complexity. However, the causal links among these variables, in particular potential interactions between landscape and local-scale habitat complexity, remain underexplored. In the context of organically managed strawberry crops in California’s Central Coast, we tested the independent effects of landscape and local habitat complexity gradients on arthropod communities and crop loss using a piecewise structural equation model (PSEM). We found that landscape-scale woody habitat proportion indirectly decreased crop loss through its positive effect on …

Checklist And Key To Species Of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae) Of Kentucky, United States Of America, Armando Falcon-Brindis, Raul Villanueva

Entomology Faculty Publications

Stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) have received a lot of attention as there are many economically important pest species. However, the status of species richness, distribution, and taxonomy remain overlooked and outdated in Kentucky (USA). Having such information at a regional scale is crucial to allow the development of suitable pest management and conservation programs. Here, the stink bug fauna of Kentucky was ex- amined from museum specimens, literature, and public online repositories. Overall, 42 species in 28 genera and three subfamilies (Asopinae, Podopinae, and Pentatominae) are listed from Kentucky. Thirteen species are new records for Kentucky, 10 species are considered …

Deciphering Cellular Heterogeneity In Spodoptera Frugiperda Midgut Cell Line Through Single Cell Rna Sequencing, Surjeet Kumar Arya, Douglas A. Harrison, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Using the 10x Genomics Chromium single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) platform, we discovered unexpected heterogeneity in an established cell line developed from the midgut of the Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a major global pest. We analyzed the sequences of 18,794 cells and identified ten unique cellular clusters, including stem cells, enteroblasts, enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells, characterized by the expression of specific marker genes. Additionally, these studies addressed an important knowledge gap by investigating the expression of genes coding for respiratory and midgut membrane insecticide targets classified by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee. Dual-fluorescence tagging method, fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence- activated cell …

Hemp Regulates The Fitness Of Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) And Its Tachinid (Diptera) Parasitoids, Armando Falcon-Brindis, Raul Villanueva

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pest management on hemp is still in its infancy, and biological control options are limited. Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm) is one of the key pests of hemp cultivated outdoors, especially on cultivars grown for cannabinoids and grain. In a three-year study, we assessed the effect of diet on the performance of H. zea and its tachinid parasitoids. Parasitized (bearing fly eggs) and unparasitized (without eggs) H. zea larvae were fed on hemp flowers or an artificial diet. Five tachinid species parasitized H. zea larvae, but the most abundant species were Winthemia rufopicta (68.8%) and Lespesia aletiae (28.3%). Overall, 55.2% of …

Evaluation Of Ten Alternative Treatments For The Management Of Harlequin Bug (Murgantia Histrionica) On Brassica Crops, Sarah Clark, Ricardo Bessin, David J. Gonthier, Jonathan L. Larson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) poses a significant threat to cruciferous vegetable crops, leading to economic losses and challenges in sustainable agriculture. This 2-year field study evaluated the efficacy of exclusion netting and selected biopesticides in controlling harlequin bug populations in a field-grown broccoli crop. Treatments included an untreated control, industry standards Azera and Entrust, and ProtekNet mesh netting. Additionally, three commercial essential oil treatments including Essentria IC-3, Nature-Cide, and Zero Tolerance were tested along with two bokashi fermented composting products BrewKashi and Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN). During both the first and second year of the study, none of the commercially …

Row Covers Limit Pests And Disease And Increase Profit In Organic Acorn Squash, Kathleen Fiske, Nieyan Cheng, Ryan Kuesel, Wendong Zhang, Ricardo Bessin, Mark A. Williams, David J. Gonthier

Entomology Faculty Publications

Organic cucurbit growers face many challenges to production including insect pests, insect-vectored diseases, and non-vectored diseases. While Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) -listed pesticides underperform at suppressing pests and diseases, some alternative pest management strategies hold promise, but little research exists on their cost-effectiveness. We compared the efficacy of mesotunnel systems (nylon-mesh netting row covers deployed over bent metal hoops) and OMRI-listed pesticides (fungicides and insecticides) on acorn squash across 2 years. During the early part of the season, before row covers were removed for pollination, we found 1.7 (2020) and 0.3 (2021) times more cucumber beetles in the uncovered …

Snpaimer: R Package For Evaluating Ancestry Informative Marker Contributions In Non-Model Population Diagnostics, Kim L. Vertacnik, Oksana V. Vernygora, Julian R. Dupuis

Entomology Faculty Publications

Motivation: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers are increasingly popular for population genomics and inferring ancestry for individuals of unknown origin. Because large SNP datasets are impractical for rapid and routine analysis, diagnostics rely on panels of highly informative markers. Strategies exist for selecting these markers, however, resources for efficiently evaluating their performance are limited for non-model systems.

Results: snpAIMeR is a user-friendly R package that evaluates the efficacy of genomic markers for the cluster assignment of unknown individuals. It is intended to help minimize panel size and genotyping effort by determining the informativeness of candidate diagnostic markers. Provided genotype data …

Shared Patterns Of Population Genomic Variation And Phenotypic Response Across Rapid Range Expansions In Two Invasive Lady Beetle Species, Angela G. Jones, John J. Obrycki, Arun Sethuraman, David W. Weisrock

Entomology Faculty Publications

Non-native lady beetle species have often been introduced, with variable success, into North America for bio- logical control of aphids, scales, whiteflies, and other agricultural pests. Two predatory lady beetle species, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata and Hippodamia variegata, both originating from Eurasia, were first discovered near Montreal, Quebec, in North America in 1968 and 1984, respectively, and have since expanded into northeastern North America and the midwestern United States. In this study, we estimate the range-wide pop- ulation structure, establishment and range-expansion, and recent evolutionary history of these lady beetle species using reduced-representation genotyping-by-sequencing via ddRADseq. In addition, we quantified the responses …

Staufenc Facilitates Utilization Of The Erad Pathway To Transport Dsrna Through The Endoplasmic Reticulum To The Cytosol, Jinmo Koo, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) is more efficient in coleopteran insects than other insects. StaufenC (StauC), a coleopteran-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding protein, is required for efficient RNAi in coleopterans. We investigated the function of StauC in the intracellular transport of dsRNA into the cytosol, where dsRNA is digested by Dicer enzymes and recruited by Argonauts to RNA-induced silencing complexes. Confocal microscopy and cellular organelle fractionation studies have shown that dsRNA is trafficked through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in coleopteran Colorado potato beetle (CPB) cells. StauC is localized to the ER in CPB cells, and StauC-knockdown caused the accumulation of dsRNA in the …

Identification Of Rnai-Related Genes And Transcriptome Assembly Of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda, L.) Seedlings Exposed To Insect-Specific Dsrna, Zachary Bragg, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

Considerable research has focused on gene silencing in tree-feeding insects, but how trees recognize and process double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) engineered to target plant pests is unknown. We performed transcriptomic assembly, preliminary differential expression analysis, and in silico annotation on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) seedlings exposed to southern pine beetle-specific dsRNA. This pilot study sought to elucidate the baseline response of seedlings challenged with insect-specific dsRNA. Treated and untreated seedlings were sequenced and following transcriptome assembly 20 RNAi-related proteins (RRPs) were annotated. Differential gene expression analysis conducted using DESeq2 followed by pathway enrichment revealed 7131 differentially expressed transcripts, of which …

A Novel Interaction Of Nesidiocoris Tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) As A Biological Control Agent Of Bactericera Cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) In Potato, Gabriela Esparza-Diaz, Raul Villanueva, Ismael E. Badillo-Vargas

Entomology Faculty Publications

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a generalist predator commonly used to control the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in Europe. This mirid has been found and established in South Texas, where it was initially observed feeding on nymphs of the psyllid Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in open tomato fields. B. cockerelli is the vector of the fastidious bacterium “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” that causes diseases in several solanaceous crops, including zebra chip (ZC) disease in potatoes. There is a need to better understand how this predator impacts the control of important crop pests, such as potato psyllids. We assessed the interactions between N. …

New Voices For A Better Society, Stephanie J. Diem, Baindu L. Bayon, Hussam Mahmoud, Mary L. Garcia- Cazarin, Michael J. Martin, Clare C. Rittschof, Patricia Silveyra, Umut A. Gurkan, Alison Boland- Reeves, Dalal Najib, Flannery Wasson

Entomology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward Transparent Taxonomy: An Interactive Web-Tool For Evaluating Competing Taxonomic Arrangements, Oksana V. Vernygora, Felix A. H. Sperling, Julian R. Dupuis

Entomology Faculty Publications

Informative and consistent taxonomy above the species level is essential to communication about evolution, biodiversity and conservation, and yet the practice of taxonomy is considered opaque and subjective by non-taxonomist scientists and the public alike. While various proposals have tried to make the basis for the ranking and inclusiveness of taxa more transparent and objective, widespread adoption of these ideas has lagged. Here, we present TaxonomR, an interactive online decision-support tool to evaluate alternative taxonomic classifications. This tool implements an approach that quantifies the criteria commonly used in taxonomic treatments and allows the user to interactively manipulate weightings for different …

Borrelia Burgdorferi Plza Is A Cyclic-Di-Gmp Dependent Dna And Rna Binding Protein, Nerina Jusufovic, Andrew Krusenstjerna, Christina R. Savage, Timothy C. Saylor, Catherine A. Brissette, Wolfram Zückert, Paula J. Schlax, Md A. Motaleb, Brian Stevenson

Entomology Faculty Publications

The PilZ domain-containing protein, PlzA, is the only known cyclic di- GMP binding protein encoded by all Lyme disease spirochetes. PlzA has been implicated in the regulation of many borrelial processes, but the effector mechanism of PlzA was not previously known. Here, we report that PlzA can bind DNA and RNA and that nucleic acid binding requires c-di-GMP, with the affinity of PlzA for nucleic acids increasing as concentrations of c-di-GMP were increased. A mutant PlzA that is incapable of bind- ing c-di-GMP did not bind to any tested nucleic acids. We also determined that PlzA interacts predominantly with the …

Ecology And Management Of The Crapemyrtle Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Crapemyrtle (Myrtales: Lythraceae) In The Southern United States, Caleb J. Wilson, Matthew A. Bertone

Entomology Faculty Publications

Crapemyrtle aphid [Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy 1907)] (CMA) is an introduced pest of crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia spp. L.), which is among the most common ornamental tree genera in the southern United States. Native to Southeast Asia, CMA has become established on 5 other continents. CMAs produce honeydew as they feed which supports sooty mold growth and can result in leaf defoliation on infested trees. CMAs tend to be most abundant in crapemyrtles planted in locations with extensive surrounding impervious surface cover. A large community of generalist natural enemies are found in close association with CMA, which suggests that CMAs may help conserve …

Cyp6g2 Is The Major P450 Epoxidase Responsible For Juvenile Hormone Biosynthesis In Drosophila Melanogaster, Qiangqiang Jia, Liu Yang, Jiamin Wen, Suning Liu, Di Wen, Wei Luo, Weihua Wang, Subba R. Palli, Li Sheng

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background Juvenile hormones (JH) play crucial role in regulating development and reproduction in insects. The most common form of JH is JH III, derived from MF through epoxidation by CYP15 enzymes. However, in the higher dipterans, such as the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, a bis-epoxide form of JHB3, accounted most of the JH detected. Moreover, these higher dipterans have lost the CYP15 gene from their genomes. As a result, the identity of the P450 epoxidase in the JH biosynthesis pathway in higher dipterans remains unknown.

Results In this study, we show that Cyp6g2 serves as the major JH epoxidase responsible for …

Endosymbiont Diversity Across Native And Invasive Brown Widow Spider Populations, Monica A. Mowery, Laura Cecilia Rosenwald, Eric G. Chapman, Yael Lubin, Michal Segoli, Thembile Khoza, Robin Lyle, Jennifer A. White

Entomology Faculty Publications

The invasive brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus (Araneae: Theridiidae), has spread in multiple locations around the world and, along with it, brought associated organisms such as endosymbionts. We investigated endosymbiont diversity and prevalence across putative native and invasive populations of this spider, predicting lower endosymbiont diversity across the invasive range compared to the native range. First, we characterized the microbial community in the putative native (South Africa) and invasive (Israel and the United States) ranges via high throughput 16S sequencing of 103 adult females. All specimens were dominated by reads from only 1–3 amplicon sequence variants (ASV), and most individuals …