Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition最新文献

{"title":"Diversity and Functions of Chromophores in Insects: A Review","authors":"Tanuja N. Bankar, M. Dar, R. Pandit","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74480","url":null,"abstract":"Insects are the most diverse among the animal kingdom. The diversity of insects is ever increasing due to their fast adaptability to the rapidly changing environmental conditions. The physiology of insects plays a vital role in the adaptation and competing adjustments in the nature with other species. The mechanism of vision and the involvement of visual pigments, like chromophores particularly in flies, have proved to be landmarks in the field of research. This has been achieved with the discovery of novel pathways involved in the mechanism of pigment development. However, certain visual pigments and their rela- tionship with various chromophores need to be further elaborated. The role of insect pigments in vision, to identify the hosts, prays, and predators, is also discussed. Many naturally occurring pigments of insect origin are continuously being explored for better prospects and human welfare. The abundant availability of insect species all over the world and the never ending task of exploring their potential at morphological, physiological, evolutionary, and genetic levels have a tremendous potential to explore the subject like entomology.","PeriodicalId":299546,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition","volume":"192 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114220660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of Beekeeping: An Analysis Using the Technique of Principal Components","authors":"É. D. Chambó, R. C. Garcia, Fernando Cunha, C. Carvalho, Daiane de Jesus Oliveira, Maiara Janine Machado Caldas, Nardel Luiz Soares da Silva, L. Ronqui, Claudio da Silva Júnior, P. R. Santos, V. A. Toledo","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74223","url":null,"abstract":"Beekeeping is an economic activity of the Brazilian agricultural sector and a powerful tool to achieve sustainable development. However, beekeeping still remains a modest activity compared to other areas, with a lack of technical knowledge and beekeeping practices that need to be standardized. This study represents a proposal for the diagnosis of beekeeping, to facilitate decision-making and to provide a faster development of the beekeeping activity. We investigated the process of adoption of beekeeping practices of 28 beekeepers and the quality of the honey produced by them in the Western region of Paraná, using the technique of Principal Components Analysis after the construction of apicultural indexes. Specifically, the honey produced in the Western region of Paraná be included in the require - ments of national and international legislation, but the beekeeping practices adopted still require standardization so that the beekeepers have higher honey production. Also, the transformation of variables into apicultural indexes for later use in the analysis of principal components proved to be efficient to draw a beekeeping profile. Our research proves to be efficient in accurately diagnosing beekeeping bottlenecks, which may enable better decision-making and thus attract new entrepreneurs and increase their relevance to achieve sustainable rural development.","PeriodicalId":299546,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition","volume":"259 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122675254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of Sex Peptide in Drosophila Males","authors":"B. Denis, B. Morel, C. Wicker-Thomas","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74416","url":null,"abstract":"Drosophila male sex peptide ACP70A is a small peptide mainly produced in the accessory glands. It elicits a high number of post-mating responses in mated females; yet its function in male physiology is not well known. Here, we explore its role in male sex behav- ior and pheromone biosynthesis, using males either mutant or RNAi knocked-down for Acp70A . Courtship was severely affected in both Acp70A mutants and Acp70A knocked- down males, with only 2% of the males succeeding copulation. Cuticular hydrocarbon amounts were moderately affected with 25% decrease in sp0 mutant (without Acp70A expression) and 10–22% increase in flies overexpressing Acp70A . Acp70A knock-down either ubiquitously or in the testes surprisingly resulted in an overproduction of hydro- carbons, whose amounts were double of the controls. We tested eight putative “off-target” genes but none of these led to an increase in hydrocarbon amounts. These results show that male courtship behavior is largely dependent on the presence of Acp70A and independent of cuticular hydrocarbons. The presence of potential “off-target” genes explain - ing the hydrocarbon phenotype is discussed.","PeriodicalId":299546,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131071231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding Perturbation in Aquatic Insect Communities under Multiple Stressor Threat","authors":"A. C. Alexander","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74112","url":null,"abstract":"In the scientific literature, there is a considerable consensus that working toward evaluat - ing multiple stressors is worthwhile. Unfortunately, our means to evaluate the combined effects of multiple stressors on species is limited. In agricultural systems, the relative threat posed to aquatic insect communities due to individual stressors (e.g., individual insecticides) is relatively well understood. However, understanding mixtures of pesti - cides, let alone the addition of complex and potentially interacting, natural gradients (e.g., nutrients and predation), is far harder. The objective of the following review was to evaluate the individual and combined effects of a range of multiple agricultural stressors on aquatic insect communities using a series of seven outdoor mesocosm experiments conducted since 2003. The mesocosm studies show that macroinvertebrate community responses can be similar, subtle, or even opposing depending on the stressors investi - gated and the mechanistic or ecological focus of the study. The current focus on individ ual chemicals and responses to treatment is misleading. Cumulative effects and multiple sublethal stressors are the norm in impacted ecosystems. A simple, holistic approach to environmental risk assessment is needed. and anthropogenic stressors on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Responses pri marily focus on the effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, individually and in combination, with environmentally relevant mixtures of other substances and changing ecological conditions. Seven mesocosm studies were conducted between 2003 and 2010. Tests included exposure (individually and in mixture) to the following compounds: imidaclo -prid, the fungicide chlorothalonil, and the organophosphorus insecticides chlorpyrifos and dimethoate. Natural gradients were also examined and included changes in nutrient gradi ents such as low, medium, and high nutrient enrichments (oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic) and increased predation pressure (added stonefly and dragonfly nymphs). Unique this work is the comparison between responses of aquatic communities tested over time overlapping riverine & Among these experiments were a series of studies conducted to examine the effects of multiple stressors on aquatic macroinvertebrate communi -ties. These studies were designed to test the additive, cumulative, and interactive effects of the insecticide imidacloprid, in mixtures of similar (e.g., three insecticides) and dissimilar (insecticide and fungicide) chemicals on aquatic insect assemblages. Test conditions manipulated concen trations of insecticides (imidacloprid, dimethoate, and chlorpyrifos), fungicides (chlorothalonil), nutrients (oligo-, meso-, and eutrophic gradients) and predation pressure (stoneflies and dragon -flies). In brief, the chemicals tested were chlorpyrifos (O,O-Diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl) phosphorothioate) and dimethoate (O,O-Dimethyl S-[2-(methylamino)-2-oxoethyl] ","PeriodicalId":299546,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122533633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insect Conservation for the Twenty-First Century","authors":"M. Samways","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.73864","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.73864","url":null,"abstract":"Insects have been immensely successful as an animal group. They dominate composi- tional diversity of all but the saltiest and coldest parts of the planet. Yet today insects are declining at a precipitous rate. This is of great concern in terms of impoverishment of Earth, and is also dire for us. Insects contribute to the maintenance of terrestrial and freshwater systems, their service delivery and their resilience. The meteoric impact of humans is challenging this dominance, yet so few people realize that the very fabric of life on which they depend is being unraveled at an alarming rate. Action is required, as are new perspectives, if we are to maintain insect diversity and services through the twenty-first century. Here, we review how we should view and act to have more effective insect diver - sity conservation based on six themes: (1) philosophy (establishing the ethical founda-tion), (2) research (the finding out), (3) policy (the framework for action), (4) psychology (understanding how to engage humans in insect conservation action), (5) practice (imple-mentation of action), and (6) validation (establishing how well we are doing at conserving insects). We then overview some emergent challenges and solutions at both the species and landscape operational levels in agricultural, forestry, and urban environments. list gives important coverage to level, are important too. National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans (NBSAPs) are also significant for local insect conservation, especially in biodiversity hotspots. NBSAPs cover a wide range of biodiversity issues and targets besides insect species conservation. As regards services supplied by insects, these may be described under the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). It provides a framework to include provisioning, regulating and cultural services. An important service currently being supplied by insects is entomophagy, the human consumption of insects, which is becoming increasingly mainstream globally. is biophobia (a), which is intrinsic to us. Yet when we overcome this fear factor, we culturally develop biophilia, especially when we see the beauty of nature, including insects, in our parks and gardens. Besides biophobia, the fear factor today has a second component, a concern that there is a loss of essential services (b), particularly pollination. Our reaction to this service loss, alongside biophilia for certain species, is feeding back into insect conservation, which, in turn, improves our sense of wellbeing.","PeriodicalId":299546,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science-Diversity, Conservation and Nutrition","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133922507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}