Cerambycid Beetle Communities in Caatinga Dry Forests Are Structured by Seasonal Species Turnover.

Dry forests in the Caatinga biome of Brazil are seasonal ecosystems where diversity is driven by water availability. Understanding how the distribution of communities is driven by temporal climate changes has intrigued researchers for decades. However, temporal diversity patterns should be more evident in dry environments, since seasonality is characterized by being highly limiting to insect activities.

Microbial Communities of the Gut and Nest of the Humus- and Litter-Feeding Termite Procornitermes araujoi (Syntermitinae).

The evolution of the symbiotic association with microbes allowed termites to decompose ingested lignocellulose from plant-derived substrates, including herbivore dung and soil humus. Representatives of the Syntermitinae (Termitidae) range in their feeding habits from wood and litter-feeding to humus-feeding species. However, only limited information is available about their feeding ecology and associated microbial communities.

Food Storage by the Savanna Termite Cornitermes cumulans (Syntermitinae): a Strategy to Improve Hemicellulose Digestibility?

It has been suggested that food storage inside the nest may offer termites with a nutritional provision during low resource availability. Additionally, feces employed as construction material provide an excellent environment for colonization by microorganisms and, together with the storage of plant material inside the nest, could thus provide some advantage to the termites in terms of lignocellulose decomposition. Here, we conducted for the first time a comprehensive study of the microbial communities associated to a termite exhibiting food storage behavior using Illumina sequencing of the 16S and (ITS2) regions of rRNA genes, together with enzymatic assays and data collected in the field.

Host plant invests in growth rather than chemical defense when attacked by a specialist herbivore.

Plant defensive compounds may be a cost rather than a benefit when plants are attacked by specialist insects that may overcome chemical barriers by strategies such as sequestering plant compounds. Plants may respond to specialist herbivores by compensatory growth rather than chemical defense. To explore the use of defensive chemistry vs.

Soldiers initiate foraging activities in the subterranean termite, Heterotermes tenuis.

Caste polyethism has been recorded in some termite species, however the foraging behavior of subterranean termites remains poorly known. Heterotermes tenuis Hagen (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) is a subterranean termite that is native to Brazil and is an agricultural and urban pest. The aim of this study was to investigate which caste acts as scouts when searching for food sources and determinate the percentages of each caste present in the foraging territories of field colonies of H.

Segmental specializations in the Malpighian tubules of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima Forel 1904 (Myrmicinae): an electron microscopical study.

The Malpighian tubules of workers of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Myrmicinae) were analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy in order to determine their functional organization and association with the hindgut epithelium. The ants showed six Malpighian tubules with three segments morphologically and structurally different. The proximal segment was long and its cells showed abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets, which suggest their role in lipid secretion.

Differential attractiveness of potato tuber volatiles to Phthorimaea operculella (Gelechiidae) and the predator Orius insidiosus (Anthocoridae).

The behavioral responses of the potato tuberworm moth Phthorimaea operculella and the polyphagous predator Orius insidiosus to volatiles emanating from exposed tubers were studied by four-arm olfactometer bioassays. Mated females of P. operculella distinguished volatiles released by intact potato tubers from volatiles damaged mechanically or by conspecific larvae.

Plant volatiles: new perspectives for research in Brazil.

Agroecosystems consist on complex trophic relationships among host plants, herbivores and their natural enemies. This article reviews the research of plant volatiles in Brazil, in order to determine multiple resistance mechanisms of economically important crops and to contribute to the understanding of insect-plant interactions. Most pest management programs, including chemical and biological control, do not consider the impact of these chemicals on herbivores and their natural enemies.

Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on the tunneling behavior of Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Using bidimensional arenas, the construction and spatial dispersion of tunnels constructed by Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Rhinotermitidae) was determined under different laboratory conditions. Workers of both species showed an increase of the tunneled area with the rise in temperature. The activity of workers of C.

Neotenic formation in laboratory colonies of the termite Coptotermes gestroi after orphaning.

The termite Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann 1896) (Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermitinae) is an exotic species in Brazil and information concerning its reproductive developmental biology is scarce. We induced the formation of neotenics in laboratory colonies through orphaning experiments. Orphaning experiments were conducted in three-year old colonies of C.

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): analyses and electrophysiological studies.

Termites have become an important pest of Eucalyptus and Pinus reforestations, sugarcane and other cultures. An alternative for the control of this pest would be the use of attractive traps that take in account the social behavior of these insects. Diverse factors are important for the insects in the localization of the habitat and the choice of the food and specific odors can facilitate this.