Acquisition and transmission by an insect vector is central to the infection cycle of the majority of plant pathogenic viruses. Plant viruses can interact with their insect host in a variety of ways including both non-persistent and circulative transmission; in some cases, the latter involves virus replication in cells of the insect host. Replicating viruses can also elicit both innate and spec...

Plants and insects have been co-existing for more than 400 million years, leading to intimate and complex relationships. Throughout their own evolutionary history, plants and insects have also established intricate and very diverse relationships with microbial associates. Studies in recent years have revealed plant- or insect-associated microbes to be instrumental in plant-insect interactions, ...

Differences in plant and herbivore community assemblages between exotic and native ranges may select for different levels of plant traits in invasive and native populations of plant species. Little is currently known of how herbivores may mediate competitive and facilitative interactions between invasive and native populations of plant species and their plant neighbors. Here, we conducted a com...

Insect eggs deposited on plants constitute a threat that has led to the evolution of sophisticated defenses. The interactions between insect and are governed by diverse variety chemicals inform butterflies about suitable hosts, repel gravid females, alert presence an egg, act as signal molecules induce defenses, directly impair egg development, indirectly attract parasitoids. In recent years, s...

Abstract Since its inception, biodiversity has largely been understood as species diversity and assessed such. Interactions among or functional groups are gradually becoming part of an expanded concept biodiversity. As a case study the development research program in biodiversity, we summarize our multi-decade studies on interactions Asteraceae flowerhead-feeding insects Brazil. Initially, host...