Potential spread of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Lamiini) (ALB) in the United States is dependent upon its rates of reproduction and dispersal, particularly among host tree species that it encounters within suitable climatic regions. Therefore, the goal of this study was to measure the reproductive potential of ALB on th...

To circumvent the inherent problem of discriminating between the cost of losing photosynthetic tissue and the cost of producing an inducible defence, the growth response of herbivore-damaged plants was compared with plants damaged mechanically to the same extent but without eliciting the defence. Two experiments were conducted, studying the response of willows (Salix cinerea) to damage by adult...

Rhizosphere bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) offers a potentially inexpensive approach to remediating contaminated soils that is particularly attractive in remote regions including the Arctic. We assessed the abilities of two tree species native to Alaska, Salix alaxensis (felt-leaf willow) and Picea glauca (white spruce), to promote microbial biodegradation of PCBs via the re...

Studies regarding the determination of population trend of Lipaphis erysimi (kalt.) and its associated natural enemies in different Brassica lines along with the effect of gamma radiation on their population were conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, Malakandher, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar during spring 2006. Three different Brassica lines F6B3, F6B6 and F6B7 were us...

For nearly 400 million years, insects and plants have been embattled in an evolutionary arms race. Insects have developed diverse feeding strategies and behaviors in an effort to circumvent and overcome an extensive collection of plant defense tactics. Sap-sucking insects often inject saliva into hosts plants, which contains a suite of effector proteins and even microbial communities that can a...

1. Host-plant genetic variation affects the diversity and composition of associated above and belowground communities. Most evidence supporting this view is derived from studies 3 within a single common garden, thereby constraining the range of biotic and abiotic environmental conditions that might directly or indirectly (via phenotypic plasticity) affect communities. If natural variability in ...

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to examine the relationship between foliar feeding damage caused by striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and yield of pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo L. (var. Spookie). In field trials in 1996 and 1997, plants were artificially infested with varying numbers of beetles at the cotyledon-, first-, second-, or third-leaf st...

The Chinese rose beetle (Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)) is an introduced, widely-established pest in Hawai'i. The adult beetles feed on the leaves of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), which can lead to defoliation and even death of young trees. We evaluated the impact of five commercially available products with different active ingredients (imidacloprid, azadirachtin, Beauve...