{"title":"Chemically mediated trophic interactions of invasive herbivorous insects and their applications for monitoring and management","authors":"Tracy C Leskey , Veronica Carnio , Laura J Nixon","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Introduction of invasive herbivorous insects has significantly disrupted agricultural and forest ecosystems. Sources of stimuli used for monitoring and biosurveillance tools or as the basis for management strategies involve chemically mediated interactions between the insect and key primary producers (plants) or secondary consumers (predators and parasites). While successful application of chemicals identified from these interactions has emerged for some species with a few multitrophic interactions identified, other systems remain challenging, particularly when native species share similar chemically mediated cues. Applied molecular technologies such as environmental DNA or gut content analyses can be used to gain further insight into multitrophic interactions, which could potentially lead to improved chemical mediation tools.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101364"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143623870","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":"Endocrine regulation of reproductive behaviors in insects: a comprehensive review","authors":"Evan Force , Stéphane Debernard","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insects use pheromones in a complex system of sexual communication for reproduction. Hormones, peptides, and biogenic amines are crucial regulators involved in reproductive behaviors. Despite knowledge gaps, this review shows how hormones and related molecules influence insect reproduction and highlights the intricate endocrine network that governs reproductive behaviors through diverse signaling pathways. In the future, it will be very interesting to explore not only endocrine regulation but also the impact of environmental changes on reproductive behaviors, deepening our understanding of insect reproductive processes and their adaptability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101360"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584961","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}
Renee M Borges, Radhika Venkatesan, Saskya van Nouhuys
{"title":"Editorial overview: Parasitoid biology in the Anthropocene: it is getting harder to make a living from parasitism","authors":"Renee M Borges, Radhika Venkatesan, Saskya van Nouhuys","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101361","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101361"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584962","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}
Tristan A Barley , Hollie Blaydes , Adam G Dolezal
{"title":"A stitch in time: integrating energy infrastructure into the fabric of conservation habitats","authors":"Tristan A Barley , Hollie Blaydes , Adam G Dolezal","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insect communities are declining globally as a result of multiple, interacting drivers, including habitat loss due to agricultural intensification and urbanization. Biodiversity losses necessitate immediate conservation efforts, including the creation of new habitats, but it can be challenging to find suitable spaces in which to implement such mitigation actions. However, energy infrastructure, including solar farms and rights-of-way, presents opportunities to enhance insect conservation efforts by adding to the existing patchwork of habitats across working landscapes. While research has already demonstrated the potential for new habitats in homogenous, resource-poor landscapes, pairing these habitats with energy infrastructure has not been fully explored or utilized, although the evidence base is growing. Here, we examine the challenges of finding opportunities to establish insect habitats in working landscapes, discuss the potential for energy infrastructure as spaces for habitats, and propose solutions to move this potential new means of insect conservation forward.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101358"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572458","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":"Promoting equity between the Global North and Global South in entomological research","authors":"Melissa Sanchez Herrera , Gyanpriya Maharaj","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>International collaborations in entomological research are crucial for addressing global biodiversity challenges, particularly in the Global South, where much of the world’s insect diversity is concentrated. These partnerships enable the sharing of knowledge, resources, and expertise across borders, leading to more comprehensive and impactful research outcomes. For the Global South, equitable collaborations are essential to ensure that local researchers are contributors and equal partners in the research process. Hallmarks of mutual partnerships include co-developing research questions, sharing the benefits of research outcomes, and receiving fair compensation and support. Emphasizing equity in these collaborations helps to address historical imbalances, strengthens local research capacities, and ensures that the perspectives and needs of Global South researchers are fully integrated into the global scientific community. Equitable international collaborations enhance the quality and relevance of entomological research, contributing to better research, monitoring, and conservation worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101357"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143566050","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}
Saif ul Malook , Arinder K Arora , Adam Chun Nin Wong
{"title":"The role of microbiomes in shaping insecticide resistance: current insights and emerging paradigms","authors":"Saif ul Malook , Arinder K Arora , Adam Chun Nin Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insecticide resistance is a global challenge in agriculture and public health, with the microbiome increasingly recognized as a key contributor. This review synthesizes current research on the microbiome’s roles in insecticide resistance, emphasizing mechanisms like microbe-mediated insecticide detoxification, bioactivation, and modulation of host gene expression and physiology. We also explore how different environmental factors impact microbe–host interactions and the roles of epigenetics and post-transcriptional regulation in linking microbial effects to resistance. Integrating evidence from various insect species, this review also proposes strategies for resistance management, including genetically engineered microbes to detoxify insecticides and microbial diagnostic tools for monitoring resistance markers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101346"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143499666","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}
Enggel B S Carmo , Renato C Macedo-Rego , M Fernanda G V Peñaflor
{"title":"Herbivory by multiple arthropods does not hinder the attraction of natural enemies to plant volatiles: insights from a meta-analysis","authors":"Enggel B S Carmo , Renato C Macedo-Rego , M Fernanda G V Peñaflor","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plants under herbivore attack emit herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that recruit natural enemies (NEs) of the herbivores for defense. The composition of HIPVs is often specific to the herbivore species, and infestation by multiple herbivore species produces a distinct volatile blend compared to single infestations, potentially influencing tritrophic interactions. Although two decades of research have investigated how multiple herbivory can affect chemically mediated tritrophic interactions, a comprehensive understanding on this topic remains elusive, as studies have shown varying results depending on the system examined. We performed a quantitative synthesis of 29 studies, extracting effect sizes from 94 experiments that assessed the olfactory preferences of NEs for HIPVs emitted from multiple-infested and single-infested plants. Our analysis revealed that multiple infestations do not affect the attractiveness of HIPVs to NEs, regardless of whether the plant is infested by nonhosts, hosts from different or the same feeding guild, the NE dietary specialization, or guild. However, specialist NEs prefer HIPVs emitted from plants with hosts even if they are infested by multiple herbivores over those infested by only a single nonhost herbivore. Our meta-analysis provides valuable insights into the complexity of chemically mediated tritrophic interactions, demonstrating that the coinfestation with nonhosts or multiple hosts do not affect attractiveness of HIPVs to NEs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101347"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143457144","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}
George-Rafael Samantsidis , Shahid Karim , Ryan C Smith
{"title":"Influence of blood feeding and infection on arthropod hemocytes","authors":"George-Rafael Samantsidis , Shahid Karim , Ryan C Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Blood feeding provides essential nutrients for development and reproduction in hematophagous arthropods yet also initiates significant other physiological alterations in immune function. Immune cells, or hemocytes, are integral components of the arthropod innate immune system with notable roles in defining vector competence. Evidence suggests that both blood feeding and infection drive substantial changes in hemocyte phenotypes, including proliferation, immune activation, and differentiation, which directly and indirectly influence pathogen infection outcomes. These dynamics have fueled extensive research into hemocyte biology in recent years, which aided by emerging single-cell technologies and methods of phagocyte depletion, have provided novel molecular insights into hemocyte populations and additional support for their important contributions to parasite, virus, and bacterial infections. Despite this progress, many aspects of arthropod immune cell biology remain unclear. Focusing on mosquitoes and ticks as two of the most prominent and well-studied arthropod vectors, this review summarizes the effects of blood feeding and infection on mosquito and tick hemocytes, highlighting hemocyte classifications, and the known mechanisms by which hemocytes can have positive or negative impacts on vector-borne pathogen infection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101341"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143406294","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":"Invasive indoor pests under the microbiological lens: bacterial and viral diversity from local to global scales in bed bugs and cockroaches","authors":"Jose E Pietri , Maureen Laroche","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Essentially, all animal life interacts closely with an array of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses, which can have both beneficial and harmful effects. The advancement of high-throughput molecular biology approaches (DNA and RNA sequencing) has led to an ongoing boom in investigating the composition and functions of microbial communities (microbiota) associated with a wide range of animal taxa, including insects. As this area of investigation has blossomed, such research on indoor urban insect pests has lagged more widely studied species. However, over the last several years, significant strides have been made in understanding the diversity and biological roles of microbes associated with such insects. This review highlights and discusses recent key findings, focusing on bed bugs and cockroaches, two of the most prolific globally invasive indoor insect pests. Advances in this area of research have long-term implications for public health and for the development of novel pest control approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101344"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143390174","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":"Exotic bees in urban ecosystems: establishment, impact, and potential for invasion","authors":"Kyle M Ruszkowski , John M Mola","doi":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101339","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cois.2025.101339","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Native bee species decline has sparked extensive research and conservation efforts, particularly in urban areas where initiatives and interventions aim to restore native bee populations. Paradoxically, these same urban interventions may inadvertently support non-native bee species, fostering the establishment of thriving exotic populations. Exotic bees often thrive in urban environments where advantageous traits, such as cavity-nesting and high reproductive plasticity, combine with human activities that intentionally and unintentionally facilitate their introduction and spread. Although many exotic species remain benign, others may transition to invasive status, leading to competition with native bees, the spread of diseases, and interference in biodiversity assessments. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how urbanization impacts exotic bee establishment and assesses potential pathways for these species to become invasive.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11038,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in insect science","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101339"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143364016","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}