Beauveria bassiana strain 04/01-Tip, obtained from a larva of the opium poppy stem gall wasp Iraella luteipes (Hymenoptera; Cynipidae), endophytically colonizes opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plants and protects them against this pest. The goal of this study was to monitor the dynamics of endophytic colonization of opium poppy by B. bassiana after the fungus was applied to the seed and to ...

Various studies have demonstrated that the foundation species genetic diversity can have direct effects that extend beyond the individual or population level, affecting the dependent communities. Additionally, these effects may be indirectly extended to higher trophic levels throughout the entire community. Quercus castanea is an oak species with characteristics of foundation species beyond pre...

Aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA) is a low-abundance intracellular enzyme that plays a key role in the last stage of glycoproteins degradation, and whose deficiency leads to human aspartylglucosaminuria, a lysosomal storage disease. Surprisingly, high amounts of AGA-like proteins are secreted in the venom of two phylogenetically distant hymenopteran parasitoid wasp species, Asobara tabida (Braconid...

Trace fossils of insect feeding have contributed substantially to our understanding of the evolution of insect-plant interactions. The most complex phenotypes of herbivory are galls, whose diagnostic morphologies often allow the identification of the gall inducer. Although fossil insect-induced galls over 300Myr old are known, most are two-dimensional impressions lacking adequate morphological ...

Frequently, the diversity of umbrella taxa is invoked to predict patterns of other, less well-known, life. However, the utility of this strategy has been questioned. We tested whether a phylogenetic diversity (PD) analysis of CO1 DNA barcodes could act as a proxy for standard methods of determining sampling efficiency within and between sites, namely that an accumulation curve of barcode divers...

We describe a previously uncharacterized function for changes in plant chemistry induced by phytophagous insects: to provide cues for mate location. Larvae of the gall wasp Antistrophus rufus Gillette (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) feed within inconspicuous galls inside the flowering stems of the prairie perennials Silphium laciniatum L. and Silphium terebinthinaceum Jacquin (Asteraceae). Adult male ...

Many studies have addressed the latitudinal gradients in intraspecific genetic diversity of European taxa generated during postglacial range expansion from southern refugia. Although Asia Minor is known to be a centre of diversity for many taxa, relatively few studies have considered its potential role as a Pleistocene refugium or a potential source for more ancient westward range expansion int...

ten known cynipid inquiline species associated with oak cynipid galls (hymenoptera, cynipidae: synergini and cynipini), their distribution and host associations are given for the first time for the iranian cynipid fauna: ceroptres cerri mayr, c. clavicornis hartig, saphonecrus haimi (mayr), synergus gallaepomiformis (b. de fonsc), s. pallidipennis mayr, s. pallipes hartig, s. reinhardi mayr, s....