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Nymphal Rnai: Systemic Rnai Mediated Gene Knockdown In Juvenile Grasshopper, Ying Dong, Markus Friedrich

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Grasshopper serves as important model system in neuroscience, development and evolution. Representatives of this primitive insect group are also highly relevant targets of pest control efforts. Unfortunately, the lack of genetics or gene specific molecular manipulation imposes major limitations to the study of grasshopper biology.

Results

We investigated whether juvenile instars of the grasshopper species Schistocerca americana are conducive to gene silencing via the systemic RNAi pathway. Injection of dsRNA corresponding to the eye colour gene vermilion into first instar nymphs triggered suppression of ommochrome formation in the eye lasting through two instars equivalent to 10–14 days in …

Adult Dispersal Of Ostrinia Nubilalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) And Its Implications For Resistance Management In Bt-Maize, J. A. Qureshi, L. L. Buschman, James E. Throne, S. B. Ramaswamy

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Dispersal of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner was examined by release and recapture of the dye marked adults and by capture of the feral adults in and around the large 50 ha center pivot irrigated fields of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize. Pheromone and black light traps were used to catch the adults. In 1999, 15 094 marked males and 7993 marked females were released, and in 2001, 13 942 marked males and 9977 marked females were released. In 1999, maximum mean recapture beyond the release point was 1.95 and 1.67% for males and females, but in 2001, the recapture …

Poor Taxon Sampling, Poor Character Sampling, And Non-Repeatable Analyses Of A Contrived Dataset Do Not Provide A More Credible Estimate Of Insect Phylogeny: A Reply To Kjer., T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

The wealth of data available for phylogenetic analysis of the insect orders, from both morphological and molecular sources, is steadily increasing. However, controversy exists among the methodologies one can use to reconstruct ordinal relationships. Recently, Kjer (2004) presented an analysis of insect ordinal relationships based exclusively on a single source of information: 18S rDNA sequence data. Kjer claims that his analysis resulted in a more ‘‘credible’’ phylogeny for the insect orders and strongly criticized our previous phylogenetic results. However, Kjer only used a subset of the data that are currently available for insect ordinal phylogeny, misrepresented our analyses, and omitted …

Phylogeny Of Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) Based On Molecular Evidence, T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

This study represents the Wrst molecular phylogeny for the Order Ephemeroptera. The analyses included 31 of the 37 families, representing »24% of the genera. Fifteen families were supported as being monophyletic, Wve families were supported as nonmonophyletic, and 11 families were only represented by one species, and monophyly was not testable. The suborders Furcatergalia and Carapacea were supported as monophyletic while Setisura and Pisciforma were not supported as monophyletic. The superfamilies Ephemerelloidea and Caenoidea were supported as monophyletic while Baetoidea, Siphlonuroidea, Ephemeroidea, and Heptagenioidea were not. Baetidae was recovered as sister to the remaining clades. The mayXy gill to wing …