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Fig. 4 in New scale insects (Homoptera: Coccinea) from the Cape Floristic Region

Fig. 4. Cryptinglisia millari Gavrilov-Zimin sp. nov., adult female, holotype.

Fig. 5 in New scale insects (Homoptera: Coccinea) from the Cape Floristic Region

Fig. 5. Cryptinglisia millari Gavrilov-Zimin sp. nov., adult females in life.

Fig. 2 in New scale insects (Homoptera: Coccinea) from the Cape Floristic Region

Fig. 2. Coccidohystrix daedalea Gavrilov-Zimin sp. nov., adult female, holotype.

Fig. 3 in New scale insects (Homoptera: Coccinea) from the Cape Floristic Region

Fig. 3. Mirococcopsis ptilura Gavrilov-Zimin sp. nov., adult female (holotype) and primolarva (L1).

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Boreal tree growth exhibits decadal-scale ecological memory to drought and insect defoliation, but no negative response to their interaction

1. Interactions between drought and insect defoliation may dramatically alter forest function under novel climate and disturbance regimes, but remain poorly understood. We empirically tested two important hypotheses regarding tree responses to drought and insect defoliation: 1) trees exhibit delayed, persistent, and cumulative growth responses to these stressors; 2) physiological feedbacks in tree responses to these stressors exacerbate their impacts on tree growth. These hypotheses remain largely untested at a landscape scale, yet are critical for predicting forest function under novel future conditions given the connection between tree growth and demographic processes such as mortality and regeneration. 2. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to quantify the ecological memory of tree growth to past water deficits and insect defoliation events, derive antecedent variables reflecting the persistent and cumulative effects of these stressors on current growth, and test for their interactive effects. The model was applied to extensive tree growth, weather, and defoliation survey data from western and eastern regions of the Canadian boreal forest impacted by recent drought and defoliation events and characterized by contrasting tree compositions, climates, and insect defoliators. 3. Results revealed persistent negative tree growth responses to past water (all trees) and defoliation (host trees) stress lasting 3-6 and 10-12 years, respectively, depending on study region. Accounting for the ecological memory of tree growth to water and defoliation stress allowed for detection of interactions not previously demonstrated. Contrary to expectations, we found evidence for positive interactions among non-host trees likely due to reduced water stress following defoliation events. Regional differences in ecological memory to water stress highlight the role of climate in shaping forest responses to drought. 4. Synthesis. Study results suggest negative feedbacks in tree responses to drought and insect attack may be weaker than predicted for defoliator-dominated boreal forest systems. Instead, insect defoliation may offset the impacts of water deficit on boreal tree growth by reducing transpirational water demand. This offset mimics increased resistance to drought following forest thinning and may lessen growth and mortality losses due to increased aridity and more severe insect damage forecast for the boreal forest under global change.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Data from: Higher avian biodiversity, increased shrub cover, and proximity to continuous forest may reduce pest insect crop loss in small-scale oil palm farming

One of the key ecosystem services offered by avian biodiversity within agricultural landscapes is natural predation. Nonetheless, the current use of biological control agents such as farmland birds in oil palm plantations is relatively limited. The present study aimed to assess the potential roles of avian biodiversity, particularly insectivores which provide natural predation against oil palm herbivorous insects. We also investigated the influence of local- and landscape-scale variables on foliage damage (crown or frond). Our data showed that crown damage decreased with increasing farmland bird richness (overall and insectivore), shrub cover, dried biomass, and elevation, but increased with epiphyte cover, oil palm height, and distance to continuous forest. Frond damage was negatively related to bird richness (overall, insectivore, and non-insectivore) and non-insectivore abundance, elevation, and shrub cover, while increased with insectivorous abundance, epiphyte cover, oil palm height, and distance to continuous forest. We also found that plantations (≥ 50 ha) were more susceptible to foliage damage from pest insects than smallholdings (<50 ha). There was no evidence that indicated the influence of forest patches on foliage damage. Our study highlights the economic value of conserving biodiversity, most notably, farmland birds and continuous forests with respect to biological control of defoliating pests and maintaining yield productivity in oil palm cultivation. Growers, particularly major plantation companies should make oil palm farming more biodiversity-friendly in order to increase the number of biological control agents such as birds.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

First large-scale quantification study of DNA preservation in insects from natural history collections using genome-wide sequencing

Insect declines are a global issue with significant ecological and economic ramifications. Yet we have a poor understanding of the genomic impact these losses can have. Genome-wide data from historical specimens has the potential to provide baselines of population genetic measures to study population change, with natural history collections representing large repositories of such specimens. However, an initial challenge in conducting historical DNA data analyses, is to understand how molecular preservation varies between specimens. Here, we highlight how Next Generation Sequencing methods developed for studying archaeological samples can be applied to determine DNA preservation from only a single leg taken from entomological museum specimens, some of which are more than a century old. An analysis of genome-wide data from a set of 113 red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) specimens, from five British museum collections, was used to quantify DNA preservation over time. Additionally, to improve our analysis and further enable future research we generated a novel assembly of the red-tailed bumblebee genome. Our approach shows that museum entomological specimens are comprised of short DNA fragments with mean lengths below 100 base pairs (BP), suggesting a rapid and large-scale post-mortem reduction in DNA fragment size. After this initial decline, however, we find a relatively consistent rate of DNA decay in our dataset, and estimate a mean reduction in fragment length of 1.9bp per decade. The proportion of quality filtered reads mapping our assembled reference genome was around 50 %, and decreased by 1.1 % per decade. We demonstrate that historical insects have significant potential to act as sources of DNA to create valuable genetic baselines. The relatively consistent rate of DNA degradation, both across collections and through time, mean that population level analyses - for example for conservation or evolutionary studies - are entirely feasible, as long as the degraded nature of DNA is accounted for.

opencc-zeroAug 2022View details →

Integrative species delimitation reveals fine-scale allopatric speciation in a good-flying insect: A case study on Cylindera pseudocylindriformis complex (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae)

Alpha taxonomy is fundamental for many biological fields. Delineation of species boundary, however, can be challenging in a species complex, where different species share a similar morphology and diagnostic characters may not be available. In this context, integrative approaches that incorporate molecular and morphological data sets and account for speciation history can be helpful to alpha taxonomy. Different approaches to species delimitation based on different assumptions are complementary, and by integrating the results from multiple approaches we can generate a more reliable and objective taxonomic decision. In this study, we applied three molecular approaches to species delimitation and inferred the demographic history based on an isolation with migration model to test a morphologically based taxonomic hypothesis for the Cylindera pseudocylindriformis complex. We discuss the association between genetic divergence and microhabitat specialization, and we further corroborated that C. subtilis sp. nov. is a valid new species by integrating the results from model-based species delimitation and the genealogical divergence index. We argue that genetic endemism can form at a small geographic scale, even in a winged insect-like tiger beetle. Our results also indicated that there may still be undocumented species diversity of Taiwanese Cylindera remaining to be discovered.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2014View details →

Fig. 2 in New And Little Known Scale Insect Species (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) In Turkey

Fig. 2. Volvicoccus volvifer (Goux), adult female. Based on specimens collected in Turkey.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2014View details →

Fig. 1 in New And Little Known Scale Insect Species (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) In Turkey

Fig. 1. Chorizococcus malabadiensis Kaydan sp. n., adult female.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2017View details →

Fig. 2 in Scale Insect (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha) Survey Of Soil Samples From Southern Asia With Description Of Two New Species Of Rhizoecidae

Fig. 2. Ripersiella danyii Kaydan et Konczné Benedicty sp. n. adult female, holotype

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2017View details →

Fig. 1 in Scale Insect (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha) Survey Of Soil Samples From Southern Asia With Description Of Two New Species Of Rhizoecidae

Fig. 1. Rhizoecus muranyii Kaydan sp. n. adult female, holotype

opencc-by-4.0May 2018View details →

Small scale test-expression of full-length huntingtin Q23 with HAP40 in baculoviral expression system production in sf9 insect cells – 2018/05/14

Project - Huntingtin structure-function open lab notebook.  Experiment and rationale - Small scale test-expression of full-length huntingtin Q23 with HAP40 in baculoviral expression system production in sf9 insect cells – 2018/05/14. To validate our insect cell production system for the generation of physiologically relevant huntingtin constructs, HTT and HAP40 will be co-expressed and purified from sf9 culture.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2018View details →

Large scale expression and purification of full-length huntingtin Q23 with and without HAP40 from baculoviral expression system production in sf9 insect cells – 2018/06/04

Project - Huntingtin structure-function open lab notebook.  Experiment and rationale - Purified huntingtin samples with and without stabilising binding partners (e.g. HAP40) are required for use in structural and functional studies, in particular SAXS experiments.

opencc-by-4.0May 2018View details →

Large scale expression and purification of full-length huntingtin Q23 with HAP40 from baculoviral expression system production in sf9 insect cells – 2018/05/28

Project - Huntingtin structure-function open lab notebook.  Experiment and rationale - Purified huntingtin samples with stabilising binding partners (e.g. HAP40) are required for use in structural and functional studies, in particular SAXS experiments.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2018View details →

Large scale expression and purification of full-length huntingtin Q19 and Q23 from baculoviral expression system production in sf9 insect cells – 2018/06/18

Project - Huntingtin structure-function open lab notebook.  Experiment and rationale - Purified huntingtin samples are required for use in structural and functional studies.