Variations in total brain mass and in the mass of three brain regions (main olfactory bulb, hippocampus, auditory nuclei) were examined using a data set for 63 species of bats (Chiroptera). Using both conventional and phylogenetically based analysis of covariance (log body mass as covariate), we tested several hypotheses that relate total brain mass or the size of the components to variation in...

The extraordinary diversity of phytophagous insects may be attributable to their narrow specialization as parasites of plants, with selective tradeoffs associated with alternate host plants driving genetic divergence of host-associated forms via ecological speciation. Most phytophagous insects in turn are attacked by parasitoid insects, which are similarly specialized and may also undergo host-...

Phytophagous insects use a wide range of indicators or associated cues to avoid laying eggs in sites where offspring survival is low. For insects that lay eggs in flowers, these unsuitable sites may be created by the host plant's resource allocation to flowers. In the sequentially flowering host plant, Yucca glauca, late-opening distal flowers are more likely to be aborted in the presence of al...

Recently, most foodborne illness outbreaks of salmonellosis have been caused by consumption of contaminated fresh produce. Yet, the mechanisms that allow the human pathogen Salmonella enterica to contaminate and grow in plant environments remain poorly described. We examined the effect of feeding by phytophagous insects on survival of S. enterica on lettuce. Larger S. enterica populations were ...

haplothrips zabolius sp. n. is described from two plant species, cynodon dactylon (poaceae) and plantago lanceolata (plantaginaceae) from the southeast of iran. the new species is apparently close to some grass-living haplothrips species: h. aculeatus (fabricius), h. eragrostidis priesner and h. hukkineni priesner. most specimens of the new species have only one sense cone on the antennal segme...

Indirect competition is often mediated by plant responses to herbivore feeding damage and is common among phytophagous insect species. Plant-mediated responses may be altered by abiotic conditions such as nutrient supply, which can affect plant growth, morphology, and the concentration of primary and secondary metabolites. Nutrient supply can be manipulated by the type and amount of fertilizer ...

abstract during 2007 and 2008, a survey on species diversity of acari associated with pistachio trees and seasonal dynamics of the dominant injurious species was conducted in mahvelat region for the first time. 8 varieties of pistachio including akbari, owhadi, badami, barg siah, ghermez, kalah ghochi, germeh and momtaz, commonly grown in the region were compared in terms of infestation to the ...

Cystatins have been largely used for pest control against phytophagous species. However, cystatins have not been commonly overexpressed in its cognate plant species to test their pesticide capacity. Since the inhibitory role of barley HvCPI-6 cystatin against the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae has been previously demonstrated, the purpose of our study was to determine if barley transgeni...

The attack of phytophagous mites may induce plants to produce volatiles, which in turn may attract predators. The occurrence of multiple phytophagous infestations on plants may infl uence predator response. In this paper, we investigated whether the attraction of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus macropilis (Banks) to phytophagous-infested plants would change with the simultaneous presence of two...