BACKGROUND Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease of major importance in the Americas. Disease prevention is mostly limited to vector control. Integrated interventions targeting ecological, biological and social determinants of vector-borne diseases are increasingly used for improved control. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated key factors associated with transient house infestat...

We investigated how pre-dispersal strategies may mitigate the effects of weevil infestation of acorns in a population of Quercus schottkyana, a dominant oak in Asian evergreen broad-leaved forests, and assess if weevil infestation contributes to low seedling recruitment. We counted the number of acorns produced, daily from the end of August to mid-late November for 9 years from 2006-2014. We al...

OBJECTIVE To assess infestation levels of Aedes aegypti using the oviposition trap (ovitrap) method and to compare these results with data obtained with the use of indices traditionally applied in public programs aimed at fighting this vector. METHODS Nine sentinel areas in Northeastern, Brazil, were assessed and infestation levels were measured for a nine-month period. Egg density and contai...

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) stem elongation is strongly reduced by a pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris) infestation. As pea aphid is a phloem feeder that does not transmit virus or toxins, assimilate withdrawal is generally considered as the main mechanism responsible for growth reduction. Using a kinematic analysis, we investigated the spatial distributions of relative elemental growth rates...

The agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) meticulously defleshes Astrocaryum standleyanum palm seeds before scatter hoarding. On Barro Colorado Island, Panama, we experimentally tested three hypotheses on how this behaviour could reduce seed predation to the mutual benefit of the tree and the rodent. The first and established hypothesis – that defleshing reduces seed predation by bruchid beetles by inte...

Varroa destructor in combination with one or more stressors, such as low food availability or chemical exposure, is considered to be one of the main causes for honey bee colony losses. We examined the interactive effect of pollen availability on the protein content and body weight of young bees that emerged with and without V. destructor infestation. With reduced pollen availability, and the co...

Herbivorous insects change the metabolism of the plant during their attack. Our study reports the changes in the expression pattern of sucrose transporters in response to the infestation of aphids at different time intervals. Results showed a significant enhancement in the expression pattern for six out of nine sucrose transporters in response to aphid infestation, followed by suppression after...

This article provides an overview of three research projects which designed and implemented innovative interventions for Chagas disease vector control in Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico. The research initiative was based on sound principles of community-based ecosystem management (ecohealth), integrated vector management, and interdisciplinary analysis. The initial situational analysis achieved a...

Globally, Maruca vitrata (Geyer) is a serious yield constraint on food legumes including Yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata subspecies sesquipedalis). However, there is a dearth of information on its damage potential, distribution and population dynamics in Yard-long beans. In the present study, the level of M. vitrata larval infestation on flowers and pods of Yard-long beans in Sri Lanka was de...

The life cycle, within-field distribution, crop damage and impact of natural enemies of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) were investigated in two potato cropping systems. The two systems differed in soil type (sandy vs. loess) which in turn affected the choice of cultivars, irrigation programme, insecticide application method (ground vs. aerial), and planting and harvest ...