- / -

- / -

Master of Science / Department of Entomology / Thomas W. Phillips / The rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae), is a very common worldwide pest of stored grains. The orientation of C. ferrugineus beetles to various semiochemicals was studied in both the laboratory and field. In laboratory experiments glass two-choice pitfall bioassay dishes were used. Mixed-sex populations of beetles responded positively and significantly to cucujolide I and II separately and in combination compared to controls. Bioassays using the two aggregation pheromones of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae). Dominicalure 1 and 2 together elicited unexpected significant attractive responses by C. ferrugineus as did assays with the synthetic pheromones from other species. Bioassays showed that C. ferrugineus were not attracted to either corn meal or rolled oats, but they were attracted to commercial grain-based lures and also to ethanol, a natural fermentation product from grains. Several bioassays were conducted to test the attractiveness of naturally produced beetle volatiles to C. ferrugineus, but these showed no orientation to volatiles from either the beetles or their food only. Field tests were conducted in Kansas to test attractiveness of the synthetic pheromones cucujolide I and II in lures together with wheat versus wheat only as a control using Lindgren funnel traps. Field tests in 2014 with cucujolide II pheromone lures showed a significant response by feral C. ferrugineus when tested against wheat. Other field tests to examine dispersal of C. ferrugineus relative to grain storages showed that more C. ferrugineus were caught on the western side of grain bins compared to other cardinal directions at two different locations. Results from field and laboratory studies suggest that semiochemical-based tools can be developed to study dispersal behavior in field populations of C. ferrugineus.

Master of Science / Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Interdepartmental Program / Subbaratnam Muthukrishnan / The exoskeleton of insects, the cuticle, functions as a support structure and a physical barrier that protects insects from mechanical damage and dehydration. The exoskeleton is mainly made of chitin and proteins, some cross-linked to one another into certain patterns to form the rigid and resistant cuticle. In previous studies from our laboratory, cuticular proteins analogous to peritrophins (CPAPs) and Knickkopf (Knk) were identified and characterized mainly at the pharate adult stage during insect development. However, the dynamic assembly of both CPAP and Knk into the cuticle and the functions of the CPAPs are still not fully understood. Our study is to investigate how these cuticular proteins are assembled into the cuticle during different developmental stages and carry out their functional characterizations in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. RNA interference (RNAi) experiments that resulted in down-regulation of transcripts for CPAP 1-C, CPAP1-H, CPAP 1-J, CPAP 3-C and Knk genes resulted in molting defects. Confocal and transmission electron microscopic analysis examined protein expression at twelve stages of development, as well as the span from young larva through adult day 3 stages. The results suggested that the CPAP 3-C protein is present in the lower part of endocuticle in the so-called assembly zone and it was not distributed thoughout the procuticle with chitin. Down-regulation of CPAP 3-C transcripts revealed a disorganized assembly zone; however, no loss of chitin content or the laminar architecture of the procuticle was found. Knk protein was present throughout the procuticle and some of the protein was found inside of the epithelial cells.

<p> Plants and the insects that feed on them dominate diversity in terrestrial ecosystems: half of all named species are contained within these two groups. Herbivorous insects (herbivores) are abundant and diverse, yet paradoxically, two thirds of insect orders contain no major lineages of herbivores, implying barriers to the evolution of this trophic interaction. How herbivory evolves and why herbivores are so diverse are questions that are key to understanding the processes that have shaped global biodiversity. Yet, most lineages of herbivores are ancient with sister groups either absent or too divergent for a comparative genomic analysis to yield a mechanistic understanding of both their origin and diversification. Many of the exceptions to this pattern are among the Diptera, where lineages such as the leaf-mining drosophilids in the genus <i>Scaptomyza</i> have emerged within the last 10 million years. <i>Scaptomyza</i> is particularly well-suited for identifying the adaptations associated with the evolution of herbivory because it is embedded within the paraphyletic genus <i>Drosophila</i>, which contains species with 25 sequenced genomes, and is closely related to <i>D. melanogaster </i>, the genetic model, and a taxon with one of the most well-studied nervous systems. </p><p> Behavior is thought to be one of the earliest adaptations during the evolution of herbivory and niche shifts in general. Insects undergoing a niche shift likely lose their preferences for their ancestral diet, and also evolve an attraction to novel cues indicative of their new oviposition substrate. Once females lay eggs in a new environment, herbivores must consume the new diet, despite the fact that it may contain aversive chemicals and a different balance of macronutrients compared to the ancestral diet. Using the herbivorous <i> Scaptomyza flava</i> as a model system, the primary aim of my dissertation was to use methods in comparative genomics, chemical ecology, ethology, and neural imaging to characterize the mechanistic basis of behavioral changes associated with the evolution of herbivory in insects. </p><p> Using a comparative genomics approach, I found that targeted gain- and loss-of-function mutations were associated with the evolution of herbivory in the genus <i>Scaptomyza</i>. First, four Odorant (Olfactory) Receptor (OR) genes were lost in herbivorous species of <i>Scaptomyza </i>, which are deeply conserved among microbe-feeding drosophilids. The OR genes lost code for receptors that detect yeast-volatiles and are known to stimulate oviposition, feeding and attraction behaviors in <i>Drosophila </i> species. Consistent with these losses was also a loss of detection sensitivity to ligands of these ORs, specifically short-chain aliphatic esters such as ethyl and propyl acetate, major yeast-produced odorants. <i> S. flava</i> female flies were also unresponsive to volatiles produced by active yeast cultures, in contrast to <i>D. melanogaster</i> flies. </p><p> In contrast to some other specialized lineages of <i>Drosophila </i>, I found no evidence of increased or mass chemosensory gene loss, with one interesting and novel exception. The majority of the genes encoding the Plus-C subfamily of Odorant Binding-like proteins (OBPs) are deleted or pseudogenized in <i>Scaptomyza</i>. Additional conserved cysteine residues that form disulfide bonds that stabilize the tertiary structure characterize this subfamily. Interestingly the extra disulfide bonds in Plus-C OBPs are known to be vulnerable to attack by toxic breakdown products of glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, chemicals that are characteristic of <i>S. flava</i>'s host plants in the mustard family. Other than the loss of OBPs, I found <i> S. flava</i> to have multiple duplications of genes encoding ORs, OBPs, gustatory receptors (GRs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs), some of which showed evidence for positive selection (<i>Or67b, Obp49a, Gr33a, Ir67a</i> and <i>Ir76a</i>). Among receptors expressed in the gustatory system, losses, duplications and genes with selection regime changes were more often orthologs of genes expressed in bitter gustatory neurons in <i>D. melanogaster </i>, especially gustatory sensory neurons with a broad expression of gustatory receptor genes. Changes, such as deletions, duplications and increased amino acid substitution rates, were also found among genes encoding receptors implicated in reproductive behavior including the loss of an anti-aphrodisiac receptor, <i>Gr68a</i>, which could be associated with a switch from males chemically guarding mated females with anti-aphrodisiacs to physical guarding behavior where males remain on the backs of females post-mating. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p><p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-12T18:48:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-12-10. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-08-12T18:51:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000865532.pdf: 1663069 bytes, checksum: 192613a2cfc3e97029354986d7578697 (MD5) / A ecofisiologia da paisagem pode indicar quais fatores abióticos podem favorecer as populações de insetos-praga. Isso já foi evidenciado na Europa. A hipótese é que a paisagem pode ser considerada no planejamento de controle da cigarrinha-da-raiz no setor sucroenergético. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar a influência de diferentes ecofisiologias da paisagem na infestação de Mahanarva spp. em cana-de-açúcar. Avaliações realizadas em novembro de 2011 e 2012 obtidas de 110 áreas na região norte do Estado de São Paulo e em novembro de 2010 a 2013 obtidas de 294 áreas no sudoeste do Estado de Minas Gerais foram analisadas. A forma da paisagem em que as áreas estavam inseridas foi classificada como côncava (CC) e convexa (CX). Também foi avaliada a relação entre a infestação de cigarrinha-das-raízes e o rio. Os dados de infestação em cada forma de paisagem foram submetidos à análise de variância utilizando modelos mistos. Os valores do coeficiente de variação e erro foram utilizados no cálculo do número necessário de pontos para observação das formas CC e CX. A infestação de cigarrinhas-das-raízes não é maior em áreas próximas do rio quando comparadas as áreas distante do rio. A infestação inicial de ninfas é maior na forma côncava (10,58 e 0,43 ninfas m-1) do que na forma convexa (5,03 e 0,37 ninfas m-1), para o norte do estado de São Paulo e sudoeste de Minas Gerais. O planejamento amostral indica que para as áreas presentes na forma côncava são necessárias 2 pontos de observação de ninfas (1 m ha-1) enquanto para as áreas na forma convexa são necessárias 3 observações / The landscape ecophysiology may indicate which abiotic factors may favor insect pest population. This was already evidenced in Europe. The hypothesis is that the landscape can be considered to plan the control of froghopper in the sugarcane industry. The aim of this study was to determine the influence different landscape ecophysiologies on the infestation of Mahanarva spp.in sugarcane. Scouting data collected in november 2011 and 2012 from 110 areas of São Paulo State Northern region and november of 2010 to 2013 from 294 areas of Minas Gerais State Southwestern region were analyzed. The landscape form in which the areas were located was classified as concave (CC) or convex (CX). It was also evaluated the relationship between levels of froghopper infestation and proximity to the river. Data of infestation in each form of landscape were subjected to analysis of variance using mixed models. The values of the coefficient of variation and error were used to calculate the required number of points to sample for the CC and CX forms. The infestation of froghopper was not greater in areas closer to the river when compared to more distant areas. The initial infestation of nymphs is higher in the concave shape (10.58 and 0.43 nymphs m-1) than in the convex shape (5.03 and 0.37 nymph m- 1) for the northern region of São Paulo State and southwestern region of Minas Gerais State, respectively. The sample planning indicates that for areas within concave-shaped landscapes it is necessary 2 points for nymph evaluation (1 m h-1) whereas for convex-shaped forms 3 observations are necessary

Orientador: Odair Aparecido Fernandes / Banca: Marta Maria Rossi / Banca: Arlindo Leal Boiça Junior / Resumo: A ecofisiologia da paisagem pode indicar quais fatores abióticos podem favorecer as populações de insetos-praga. Isso já foi evidenciado na Europa. A hipótese é que a paisagem pode ser considerada no planejamento de controle da cigarrinha-da-raiz no setor sucroenergético. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar a influência de diferentes ecofisiologias da paisagem na infestação de Mahanarva spp. em cana-de-açúcar. Avaliações realizadas em novembro de 2011 e 2012 obtidas de 110 áreas na região norte do Estado de São Paulo e em novembro de 2010 a 2013 obtidas de 294 áreas no sudoeste do Estado de Minas Gerais foram analisadas. A forma da paisagem em que as áreas estavam inseridas foi classificada como côncava (CC) e convexa (CX). Também foi avaliada a relação entre a infestação de cigarrinha-das-raízes e o rio. Os dados de infestação em cada forma de paisagem foram submetidos à análise de variância utilizando modelos mistos. Os valores do coeficiente de variação e erro foram utilizados no cálculo do número necessário de pontos para observação das formas CC e CX. A infestação de cigarrinhas-das-raízes não é maior em áreas próximas do rio quando comparadas as áreas distante do rio. A infestação inicial de ninfas é maior na forma côncava (10,58 e 0,43 ninfas m-1) do que na forma convexa (5,03 e 0,37 ninfas m-1), para o norte do estado de São Paulo e sudoeste de Minas Gerais. O planejamento amostral indica que para as áreas presentes na forma côncava são necessárias 2 pontos de observação de ninfas (1 m ha-1) enquanto para as áreas na forma convexa são necessárias 3 observações / Abstract: The landscape ecophysiology may indicate which abiotic factors may favor insect pest population. This was already evidenced in Europe. The hypothesis is that the landscape can be considered to plan the control of froghopper in the sugarcane industry. The aim of this study was to determine the influence different landscape ecophysiologies on the infestation of Mahanarva spp.in sugarcane. Scouting data collected in november 2011 and 2012 from 110 areas of São Paulo State Northern region and november of 2010 to 2013 from 294 areas of Minas Gerais State Southwestern region were analyzed. The landscape form in which the areas were located was classified as concave (CC) or convex (CX). It was also evaluated the relationship between levels of froghopper infestation and proximity to the river. Data of infestation in each form of landscape were subjected to analysis of variance using mixed models. The values of the coefficient of variation and error were used to calculate the required number of points to sample for the CC and CX forms. The infestation of froghopper was not greater in areas closer to the river when compared to more distant areas. The initial infestation of nymphs is higher in the concave shape (10.58 and 0.43 nymphs m-1) than in the convex shape (5.03 and 0.37 nymph m- 1) for the northern region of São Paulo State and southwestern region of Minas Gerais State, respectively. The sample planning indicates that for areas within concave-shaped landscapes it is necessary 2 points for nymph evaluation (1 m h-1) whereas for convex-shaped forms 3 observations are necessary / Mestre

Orientador: Eduardo Daruge / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T16:59:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Scaglia_JorgeAlejandroPaulete_M.pdf: 3759817 bytes, checksum: c24d4be1f820d68f596b05dcaac0a60f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: A aplicação do estudo dos insetos, ácaros e outros artrópodes, a assuntos legais, é denominada de Entomologia Forense. A entomologia forense se aplica a inúmeras situações do cotidiano, que vão desde um simples caruncho em um saco de milho de pipoca, passam pelas traças devastando coleções de livros, que por sua vez se aliam às baratas e findam com os cupins destruindo documentos e antiguidades. Sem se falar, ainda, no seu uso em relação a produtos armazenados, grãos estocados, na lavoura; enfim, em todo e qualquer lugar, em que o dano ou a aparição de um inseto seja motivo de prejuízo, direto ou indireto, ou que, de certa maneira possa ser comprovadamente o nexo causal. Também se deve destacar, uma das mais importantes aplicações atuais da entomologia, através da qual determina-se o tempo de morte de um cadáver, independente de seu estado de decomposição. Nesse caso, os insetos (ou outros artrópodes) relacionados com um cadáver ou parte dele, atuam como indicador de tempo de morte (PMI). Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho de pesquisa teve por objetivo verificar quais são os insetos mais encontrados nos cadáveres, determinar em que fase da decomposição cadavérica os mesmos ocorrem, bem como analisar a viabilidade de uso dos mesmos para a determinação do tempo decorrido da morte. Para a investigação desse fato biológico, no presente trabalho foram utilizadas amostras coletadas sobre 200 cadáveres em diferentes estados de decomposição, que passaram pelo Instituto Médico Legal de Cuiabá, Estado do Mato Grosso, com causas da morte ¿não naturais¿. Para a inclusão dos cadáveres neste trabalho, não houve necessidade de se adotar quaisquer critérios específicos quanto à idade, sexo, altura, cor ou outro morfológico, visto que estes não influenciariam nos resul tados da pesquisa. As amostras consistem em ovos, estágios imaturos e adultos de diversos insetos. Para a análise das amostras em questão, utilizaram-se as tabelas de bioritmicidade e as técnicas do Grau- Hora-Acumulada (ADH). Todo material foi cuidadosamente coletado e processado no Laboratório de Odontolo-gia Legal da Faculdade de Odontologia de Pi racicaba - UNICAMP, bem como analisado tanto nos seus aspectos qual itativo quanto quantitativo, o que permitiu evidenciar as conclusões pretendidas. Atingido o seu termo, este trabalho de pesquisa científica permitiu concluir, através da metodologia empregada que, através da sucessão entomológica, é possível determinar em que fase a decomposição cadavérica se encontra, permitindo assim, determinar o tempo decorrido da morte / Abstract: The application of the study of the insects, acarids and other arthropods, to legal subjects, is denominated of Forensic Entomology. The forensic entomology is applies itself to countless situations of the daily life, since a simple little beetle in a sack of popcorn, they go by the moths desolating collections of books, that form an alliance with the cockroaches and join the termites destroying documents and antiquities for its time. Not to mention, therefore, its use in relation to stored products and grains, in the crop. Finally, in whole and any place, in which the damage or the appearance of an insect is reason for a damage, direct or indirect, or that, in a certain way can be really the causal connection. It should also highlight one of the most important current applications of the entomology, through which the time of death of a cadaver is determined, independent of its decomposition. In that case, the insects (or other arthropods) related to a cadaver or the leaves of it act as an indicator of the time of the death (PMI). In that context, the present research work has had for objective to verify which insects are mostly found in the cadavers, to determine in which phase of the cadaverous decomposition the same ones happen as wel l as to analyze the viabi lity of using of the same ones for the determining of the elapsed time of the death. For the investigation of that biological fact, in the present work samples collected on 200 cadavers in different decomposition phases, that have passed by the Legal Medical Institute of Cuiabá, State of Mato Grosso were used. To include the corpse in this work, there were not any necessities of criteria like age, sex, high, color or other morphological evidence, because this one does not chance the results of the research. The samples consist of eggs, immature and adult apprenticeships of several insects. All material was collected carefully and processed in the Laboratory of Legal Dentistry of the Ability of Dentistry of Piracicaba¿UNICAMP, as well as analyzed not only in its qualitative but also in its quantitative aspects, what has allowed evidencing the intended conclusions. Reached its term, this work of scientific research has allowed ending, through the methodology used that, through the entomological succession, it is possible to determine in which phase the cadaverous decomposition is, allowing this way, to determine the elapsed time of the death / Mestrado / Mestre em Odontologia Legal e Deontologia

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Entomology / Alberto B. Broce / Ludek Zurek / Stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and house fly, Musca domestica L., are two major pests affecting both confined and pastured livestock in the United States. It costs livestock producers millions of dollars annually to reduce populations of these two pests. Control of stable flies and house flies based on chemical insecticides is only marginally effective and unsustainable in the long term due to the development of insecticide resistance. This has created a demand for alternative methods which are environmentally friendly and cost effective for the management of these pests. Information on stable fly and house fly oviposition behavior and the aggregation and segregation of their immatures may help in an integrated pest management control program for these pests. This research identified specific bacterial species from the surface of stable fly eggs which are suspected of releasing chemical cues used to induce gravid females to oviposit at sites where eggs have been deposited and inhibit additional deposition of eggs in the same habitat when it is already colonized. My research also showed that stable fly and house fly larvae tend to be aggregated in distribution, even in apparently homogenous habitats, and to be spatially segregated from each other. Finally, I evaluated the vector competence of stable flies for an emerging food-borne pathogen, Enterobacter sakazakii, showing that this fly species is potentially a good vector for this pathogen.

Ant-plants provide ants with rewards such as housing and food in exchange for protection from herbivores. These protection mutualisms are complex webs of both direct interactions, such as ants feeding on host plant extrafloral nectar, and indirect interactions mediated by 'third party' species, such as ants consuming exudates from hemipterans feeding on the host plant. While some indirect interactions are well understood, in many cases our understanding is hindered by an incomplete picture of the relevant third-party species. In this dissertation, I explore third-party interactions of three obligately phytoecious ant species on the African ant-plant Vachellia drepanolobium (formerly Acacia drepanolobium) - Crematogaster mimosae, C. nigriceps and Tetraponera penzigi. First, I examine relationships between ants and fungi. I show behavioral differences towards fungi among the three ant species, and then use multiplexed amplicon sequencing to characterize their associated fungal communities. Each ant species harbors its own distinctive fungal community, and these communities are similar for each species even at two field sites separated by 200 kilometers. The ants may vector fungi when they colonize new host trees. T. penzigi most likely uses fungi as a food source, and fungi may also have nutritional or other growth implications for the host plant. Second, I investigate relationships between ants and 'myrmecophiles' - i.e. 'ant loving' arthropods that live alongside ants in the domatia. I show that myrmecophile communities differ among the three ant species, but are also highly context dependent, differing strongly between locations and sampling periods. Surprisingly, several species of myrmecophilous Lepidoptera are herbivorous, but are more commonly associated with the 'better' ant mutualists, C. mimosae, whose workers defend more effectively against browsing mammalian herbivores. My results show that plant ants shape both fungal communities and myrmecophile communities in domatia of their V. drepanolobium host plants. These third-party species may be viewed as 'extended phenotypes' of the ants, and are essential elements whose effects need to be incorporated into our understanding of the ant-plant protection mutualism. / Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary