The lost generation of Pemphigus populiglobuli (Hemiptera, Aphididae): exploring the taxonomy of the Svalbard aphids of genus Pemphigus.

Species identification within the aphid genus Pemphigus Hartig, 1839 poses challenges due to morphological similarities and host-plant associations. Aphids of this genus generally exhibit complex life cycles involving primary hosts (poplars) and secondary (mostly unrelated herbaceous) host-plants, with some species relying solely on root-feeding generation. An example is a representative of the genus Pemphigus, trophically associated with grass roots, found in the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago.

Probe electrospray ionization coupled to a quadrupole time-Of-flight: A feasibility study for the detection of cocaine and its derivatives in oral fluid.

Probe Electrospray Ionization (PESI) is an atmospheric pressure ionization method that can be directly coupled with a mass spectrometer to allow ultrafast analyses without chromatographic separation and with minimal sample preparation. Using the particular case of cocaine and its metabolites in human oral fluid, the main objective of the present study was to test the feasibility of a new hybrid system combining a PESI source and a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF). The best results were obtained for a sample preparation with a simple dilution of 100 µL of oral fluids in an ethanol / 10 mM ammonium formate buffer (50/50) and 10 µL deposited on a dedicated sample plate and introduced into the PESI source.

Evolutionary novelty in the apoptotic pathway of aphids.

Apoptosis, a conserved form of programmed cell death, shows interspecies differences that may reflect evolutionary diversification and adaptation, a notion that remains largely untested. Among insects, the most speciose animal group, the apoptotic pathway has only been fully characterized in , and apoptosis-related proteins have been studied in a few other dipteran and lepidopteran species. Here, we studied the apoptotic pathway in the aphid , an insect pest belonging to the Hemiptera, an earlier-diverging and distantly related order.

The Protector within: Comparative Genomics of APSE Phages across Aphids Reveals Rampant Recombination and Diverse Toxin Arsenals.

Phages can fundamentally alter the physiology and metabolism of their hosts. Although these phages are ubiquitous in the bacterial world, they have seldom been described among endosymbiotic bacteria. One notable exception is the APSE phage that is found associated with the gammaproteobacterial Hamiltonella defensa, hosted by several insect species.

The evolution of climate tolerance in conifer-feeding aphids in relation to their host's climatic niche.

Climate adaptation has major consequences in the evolution and ecology of all living organisms. Though phytophagous insects are an important component of Earth's biodiversity, there are few studies investigating the evolution of their climatic preferences. This lack of research is probably because their evolutionary ecology is thought to be primarily driven by their interactions with their host plants.