{"title":"Parasitoids for biological control in dryland agroecosystems","authors":"Norah Saabna , Tamar Keasar","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This review focuses on biological control interactions in arid areas and is motivated by the need to devise sustainable agricultural practices for a warming and drying world. Parasitoids, important natural enemies of crop pests, are diverse and abundant in natural arid habitats. Dryland croplands, which are usually irrigated, are also rich in local parasitoids. Nevertheless, biological control projects in arid croplands mostly involve imported parasitoids (classical biological control) rather than the conservation of native species. Dryland parasitoids experience heat, drought, low relative humidity, sparse vegetation, and low host densities. Heat resistance combines local genetic adaptations, behavioral and physiological flexibility, and microbial symbioses, but how parasitoids cope with other aridity-related challenges is insufficiently understood. How dryland conditions impact host–parasitoid population dynamics also requires further study.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101226"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141466822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of phytochemical diversity on multitrophic interactions","authors":"Luis Abdala-Roberts , Xoaquín Moreira","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The ecological effects of plant diversity have been well studied, but the extent to which they are driven by variation in specialized metabolites is not well understood. Here, we provide theoretical background on phytochemical diversity effects on herbivory and its expanded consequences for higher trophic levels. We then review empirical evidence for effects on predation and parasitism by focusing on a handful of studies that have undertaken manipulative approaches and link back their results to theory on mechanisms. We close by summarizing key aspects for future research, building on knowledge gained thus far.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101228"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141466819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michal Segoli , Miriam Kishinevsky , Jeffrey A Harvey
{"title":"Climate change, temperature extremes, and impacts on hyperparasitoids","authors":"Michal Segoli , Miriam Kishinevsky , Jeffrey A Harvey","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Anthropogenic climate change, including temperature extremes, is having a major impact on insect physiology, phenology, behavior, populations, and communities. Hyperparasitoids (insects whose offspring develop in, or on, the body of a primary parasitoid host) are expected to be especially impacted by such effects due to their typical life history traits (e.g. low fecundity and slow development), small populations (being high on the food chain), and cascading effects mediated via lower trophic levels. We review evidence for direct and indirect temperature and climate-related effects mediated via plants, herbivores, and the primary parasitoid host species on hyperparasitoid populations, focusing on higher temperatures. We discuss how hyperparasitoid responses may feed back to the community and affect biological control programs. We conclude that despite their great importance, very little is known about the potential effects of climate change on hyperparasitoids and make a plea for additional studies exploring such responses.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101229"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141466818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"No sexual pheromones in Anopheles mosquitoes?","authors":"Kelsey Adams , Olivier Roux","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Swarming behavior is the cornerstone of the anopheline mating system. At dusk, males congregate in monospecific swarms in which females come to find a mate once in their lives. Although many <em>Anopheles</em> species coexist in sympatry, hybrids are infrequent, suggesting the existence of strong premating reproductive barriers. Chemical cues, particularly pheromones, often play a crucial role in bringing sexes together in a species-specific manner among insects. While the existence of sexual pheromones in <em>Anopheles</em> species has been postulated, only a few studies developed experimental designs to investigate their presence. Here, we discuss the contrasting and debatable findings regarding both long-range and contact sex pheromones in the context of swarm ecology in <em>Anopheles</em> species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101227"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214574524000695/pdfft?md5=1a328e5a463b1ca4b34dbd68c5071e24&pid=1-s2.0-S2214574524000695-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141466821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine H Malinski , Megan Elizabeth Moore , Joel G Kingsolver
{"title":"Heat stress and host–parasitoid interactions: lessons and opportunities in a changing climate","authors":"Katherine H Malinski , Megan Elizabeth Moore , Joel G Kingsolver","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ongoing climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of high-temperature events (HTEs), causing heat stress in parasitoids and their hosts. We argue that HTEs and heat stress should be viewed in terms of the intersecting life cycles of host and parasitoid. Recent studies illustrate how the biological consequences of a given HTE may vary dramatically depending on its timing within these lifecycles. The temperature sensitivity of host manipulation by parasitoids, and by viral endosymbionts of many parasitoids, can contribute to differing responses of hosts and parasitoids to HTEs. In some cases, these effects can result in reduced parasitoid success and increased host herbivory and may disrupt the ecological interactions between hosts and parasitoids. Because most studies to date involve endoparasitoids of aphid or lepidopteran hosts in agricultural systems, our understanding of heat responses of host–parasitoid interactions in natural systems is quite limited.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101225"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141466820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Why diversity matters for understanding the visual ecology and behaviour of bees","authors":"Hema Somanathan","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101224","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Two bee species, the European honeybee and the buff-tailed bumblebee, are well-developed models of visual behaviour and ecology. How representative of bees across phylogeny and geography are these two species? Bee sensory systems likely differ between temperate and tropical species due to differences in the intensity or the types of selection pressures. Differences in temperate and tropical floral diversity, abundance and seasonality can influence sensory adaptations and behaviours. Niche partitioning in the speciose tropics along the microhabitat and temporal axes is increasingly reported to involve special visual adaptations in bees. Inclusive approaches encompassing other bee species and building on lessons from the ‘model’ bees will inform how ecology shapes bee senses, and, in turn, the structure of plant–bee mutualisms.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101224"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141455784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tripartite interactions between viruses, parasites, and mosquitoes","authors":"Michelle Schinkel, Teun Bousema, Ronald P van Rij","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101222","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101222","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mosquito-borne diseases have a major impact on global human health. Biological agents that colonize the mosquito vector are increasingly explored as an intervention strategy to prevent vector-borne disease transmission. For instance, the release of mosquitoes carrying the endosymbiotic bacterium <em>Wolbachia</em> effectively reduced dengue virus incidence and disease. Insect-specific viruses are likewise considered as biocontrol agents against vector-borne diseases. While most studies focused on insect-specific viruses as an intervention against arthropod-borne viruses, we here consider whether mosquito-specific viruses may affect the transmission of the malaria-causing <em>Plasmodium</em> parasite by <em>Anopheles</em> mosquitoes. Although there is no direct experimental evidence addressing this question, we found that viral infections in dipteran insects activate some of the immune pathways that are antiparasitic in <em>Anopheles</em>. These findings suggest that indirect virus–parasite interactions could occur and that insect-specific viruses may modulate malaria transmission. Tripartite interactions between viruses, parasites, and <em>Anopheles</em> mosquitoes thus merit further investigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101222"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214574524000646/pdfft?md5=ec9299ee6d90260ecb7ea5a3f7ca7f4b&pid=1-s2.0-S2214574524000646-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141440303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Semiochemicals and natural repellents in biting fly management","authors":"Junwei J Zhu, Haichuan J Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Biting flies, including stable flies and horn flies, are considered important pests of livestock, companion animals, and humans by inflicting painful bites and interrupting normal animal behavior and human recreational/outdoor activities. It is estimated that they cause an annual loss of over 3 billion dollars in the US livestock industry. Both groups of pest flies further transmit various infectious diseases to animals and humans. The present review summarizes recent research advancements in stable and horn fly chemical and sensory ecology, especially in the discovery of novel attractants and repellents, as well as their controls for these blood-sucking flies and beyond.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101223"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141440302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fly into tranquility: GABA’s role in Drosophila sleep","authors":"Ratna Chaturvedi, Patrick Emery","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sleep is conserved across the animal kingdom, and <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> is a prime model to understand its intricate circadian and homeostatic control. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter, plays a central role in sleep. This review delves into GABA’s complex mechanisms of actions within <em>Drosophila’s</em> sleep-regulating neural networks. We discuss how GABA promotes sleep, both by inhibiting circadian arousal neurons and by being a key neurotransmitter in sleep homeostatic circuits. GABA’s impact on sleep is modulated by glia through astrocytic GABA recapture and metabolism. Interestingly, GABA can be coexpressed with other neurotransmitters in sleep-regulating neurons, which likely contributes to context-based sleep plasticity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101219"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141287866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"No single rescue recipe: genome complexities modulate insect response to climate change","authors":"Harshad Vijay Mayekar, Subhash Rajpurohit","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2024.101220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Declines in insect populations have gained formidable attention. Given their crucial role in the ecosystem, the causes of declining insect populations must be investigated. However, the insect clade has been associated with low extinction and high <em>diversification</em> rates. It is unlikely that insects underwent mass extinctions in the past. However, the pace of current climate change could make insect populations vulnerable to extinction. We propose genome size (GS) and transposable elements (TEs) to be rough estimates to assess extinction risk. Larger GS and/or proliferating TEs have been associated with adaptation in rapid climate change scenarios. We speculate that unstable, stressful environmental conditions are strongly associated with GS and TE expansion, which could be further correlated with adaptations. Alternately, stressful conditions trigger TE bursts that are not purged in smaller populations. GS and TE loads could be indicators of small effective populations in the wild, likely experiencing bottlenecks or drastic climatic perturbations, which calls for an urgent assessment of extinction risk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"64 ","pages":"Article 101220"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141287867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}