Plant defense theories commonly predict negative correlations among anti-herbivore resistance traits. Although this prediction has been widely accepted, the majority of empirical studies have failed to account for similarities among species due to common ancestry, thus risking pseudoreplication. Wild cotton plants possess traits conferring both direct resistance (toxic leaf glands and trichomes...

Introgression lines are some of the most important germplasm for breeding applications and other research conducted on cotton crops. The DNA methylation level among 10 introgression lines of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and three exotic parental species (G. arboreum, G. thurberi and G. barbadense) were assessed by methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technology. The methylat...

In protection mutualisms, one mutualist defends its partner against a natural enemy in exchange for a reward, usually food or shelter. For both partners, the costs and benefits of these interactions often vary considerably in space because the outcome (positive, negative or neutral) depends on the local abundance of at least three species: the protector, the beneficiary of protection and the be...

Bats are the main pollinators and seed dispersers of Stenocereus thurberi, a xenogamous columnar cactus of northwestern Mexico and a good model to illustrate spatial dynamics of gene flow in long-lived species. Previous studies in this cactus showed differences among populations in the type and abundance of pollinators, and in the timing of flowering and fruiting. In this study we analyzed gene...

Abstract Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is comprised of two subspecies: the boll weevil ( A. g. ) and thurberia thurberiae ). The generally regarded as a non-pest variant species, whereas an important economic pest commercial cotton. In USA, nationwide eradication program has been largely successful against weevil, but reintroductions eradicated zones remain threat. 2015...

Root-knot nematode (RKN) resistance introgression into tetraploid cotton (Gossypium spp.) and its ancestral genome origin were examined. Resistance sources (‘Acala NemX’, ‘Clevewilt 6’, Auburn 623 RNR) were compared with diverse germplasm using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from chromosomes 7, 11, and 14 and DNA sequence information. Differences (P < 0.05) were observed for mean root gal...