Title: NUTRIENT LIMITATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR PERFORMANCE AND THE HOMEOSTATIC REGULATION OF MACRONUTRIENT COMPOSITION IN TWO PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS WITH DIVERGENT LIFE-HISTORY STRATEGIES Andrea F. Huberty, Ph.D., 2005 Directed By: Professor Robert F. Denno, Department of Entomology Insect herbivores have a decidedly higher nitrogen and phosphorus than their host plants, an elemental mismatc...

Title: INDUCIBLE PLANT RESPONSES LINKING ABOVEAND BELOW-GROUND HERBIVORY: ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND UNDERLYING MECHANISMS Ian Kaplan, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Professor Robert F. Denno, Department of Entomology Aboveand below-ground organisms can indirectly affect one another via several recently-described mechanisms, one such mechanism being herbivore-induced plant responses. ...

Electrochemically synthesized dihydrobenzofurans were evaluated for their insect antifeedant activities against phytophagous insects. They were prepared through the coupling reactions of various alkenes with a phenoxy cation generated by oxidation near the cathode in the electrolytic reaction. The insect antifeedant activities of these synthetic dihydrobenzofurans were evaluated in the common c...

Predators of herbivorous insects play important roles in tropical ecosystemsasherbivorymayaffect structure and diversity of plant populations. Although insectivorous bats are particularly abundant and diverse in the tropics, their impact on herbivorous insects is little understood. To assess prey consumption, we observed the gleaning bat Micronycteris microtis (Phyllostomidae) continuously for ...

Background: An external quality assessment on the identification of triatomines within laboratory network in state Rondônia. Methods: Seven laboratories participated this evaluation. Each was provided with support materials and nine insects from Hemiptera order for identification. Results: All samples were accurately identified at species level. However, correct sex achieved only 79% samples. T...

Studies of mitochondrial DNA sequences in a variety of animals have shown important differences between phyla, including differences in the genetic codes used, and varying constraints on base composition. In that respect, little is known of mites, an important and diversified group. We sequenced a portion (340 nt) of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) encoding gene in twenty species of phyt...

Hurricanes are known to affect plants and animals their interactions. Usually, hurricanes defoliate trees reduce the abundance density of arthropods. The parasitic arthropod Holopothrips tabebuia was first reported in Puerto Rico 2006. By 2007, it had established populations on two hosts: Tabebuia aurea heterophylla. In September 2017, Hurricane María defoliated both hosts. This study aimed det...

Some insects use wasps as a model to mimic and previous studies showed cases of Batesian mimicry involving this insect group. However, this relation is poorly known between phytophagous bugs, such as coreids, and Cryptinae ichneumonids. We found in a seasonal secondary forest in Brazil two similar insects representing different orders. The mimic seems to be Holymenia clavigera (Herbst) (Heterop...