The aim of the research was to present current data on distribution and development some alien phytophagous insects in territory Ukraine.We considered 19 species insects, including 2 Coleoptera, 7 Hemiptera (including 4 bug species), Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, 1 Diptera. Hyphantria cunea penetrated Ukraine about 70 years ago sometimes outbreaks orchards or shelterbelts. Cameraria ohridella Cydal...

Several pest insects of human and livestock habitations are known as vectors of Salmonella enterica; however, the role of plant-feeding insects as vectors of S. enterica to agricultural crops remains unexamined. Using a hemipteran insect pest-lettuce system, we investigated the potential for transmission and retention of S. enterica. Specifically, Macrosteles quadrilineatus and Myzus persicae i...

This review deals with phytocystatins, focussing on their potential role as defence proteins against phytophagous arthropods. Information about the evolutionary, molecular and biochemical features and inhibitory properties of phytocystatins are presented. Cystatin ability to inhibit heterologous cysteine protease activities is commented on as well as some approaches of tailoring cystatin specif...

The most challenging tasks for phytophagous insects are the location and selection of mates, food sources, and oviposition sites, all crucial for survival and reproduction. To perform these tasks insects rely largely on their sense of smell (olfaction). I address how the insect olfactory system discriminates between components of complex odor mixtures, modulating behavior and fitness. I have st...

Professor of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California 91768. Abstract: Extremely little is known about succession of insects in postfire chaparral. This 4-year postfire study in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California showed that pollen-nectar feeders and predatory insects can be very abundant beginning the first spring after a burn. Annual plant...

Identifying the factors that have promoted host shifts by phytophagous insects at a macroevolutionary scale is critical to understanding the associations between plants and insects. We used molecular phylogenies of the beetle genus Blepharida and its host genus Bursera to test whether these insects have been using hosts with widely overlapping ranges over evolutionary time. We also quantified t...

We develop a general theoretical framework for exploring the host plant selection behaviour of herbivorous insects. This model can be used to address a number of questions, including the evolution of specialists, generalists, preference hierarchies, and learning. We use our model to: (i) demonstrate the consequences of the extent to which the reproductive success of a foraging female is limited...