The twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an important pest of vegetables and other economically important crops. This study evaluated the functional responses and prey-stage preferences of three species of predators, a predatory gall midge, Feltiella acarisuga (Vallot) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), and two predatory mite species, Neoseiulus californicus (McGre...

There are several types of spider mites, some which specialized to feed on certain crops, and they a major nuisance in agriculture. Predatory insects such as golden-eyes, semi-hardwings, cockroaches, predatory can successfully reduce the number mites. The type crop particular mite species have an impact how successful these predators are. Spider mites frequently encountered agricultural pest, t...

Predatory and scavenging birds may be exposed to high levels of lead when they ingest shot or bullet fragments embedded in the tissues of animals injured or killed with lead ammunition. Lead poisoning was a contributing factor in the decline of the endangered California condor population in the 1980s, and remains one of the primary factors threatening species recovery. In response to this threa...

Three experiments compared the similarities and differences in attacks on crickets by two species of laboratory-raised cricetid mice, Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi and P. leucopus noveboracensis. In Experiment 1 moderately prey-experienced 1.5-year-old mice of both species concentrated attacks on the crickets' dorsal head. P. leucopus also produced considerable damage to the thorax and showed a...

William F. Fagan* and Robert F. Denno Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Literature-compiled data sets demonstrate wide interspecific variation in nitrogen content among terrestrial arthropods and raise the possibility of nit...

Several genera belonging to the nematode family Diplogastridae show characteristic dimorphism in their feeding structures; specifically, they have microbial feeding stenostomatous and predatory eurystomatous morphs. A diplogastrid satellite model species, Pristionchus pacificus, and its close relatives have become a model system for studying this phenotypic plasticity, with intensive physiologi...

The decline in amphibians across the globe has sparked a search for the causes, and recent evidence suggests a connection with pesticides. However, for most pesticides, tests on amphibians are rare and conducted only for short durations (1 to 4 days) and without natural stressors. Recent studies have discovered that the stress of predator cues in the water can make insecticides much more lethal...