Experimental Growth Conditions affect Direct and Indirect Defences in two Cotton Species.

Cotton has been used as a model plant to study direct and indirect plant defence against herbivorous insects. However, the plant growing conditions could have an important effect on the outcome of such plant defence studies. We examined how common experimental growth conditions influence constitutive and inducible defences in two species of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum and G.

Potent Ant Deterrents Emitted from Nematode-Infected Insect Cadavers.

Most known species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are generalist obligate parasites of insects. They kill their hosts within days after infection and mortality is mainly caused by toxins produced by bacteria that co-infect the hosts and serve as food for the nematodes. EPNs can infect a very broad spectrum of insects and these insects can therefore be expected to have evolved strategies to avoid infection.

Calcium-alginate beads as a formulation for the application of entomopathogenic nematodes to control rootworms.

Unlabelled: Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have great potential as biological control agents against root-feeding insects. They have a rapid and long-lasting mode of action, minimal adverse effects on the environment and can be readily mass-produced. However, they have a relatively short shelf-life and are susceptible to desiccation and UV light.

Plant-associated CO mediates long-distance host location and foraging behaviour of a root herbivore.

Insect herbivores use different cues to locate host plants. The importance of CO in this context is not well understood. We manipulated CO perception in western corn rootworm (WCR) larvae through RNAi and studied how CO perception impacts their interaction with their host plant.

Encapsulated Entomopathogenic Nematodes Can Protect Maize Plants from Larvae.

To face the environmental problems caused by chemical pesticides, more ecologically friendly alternative pest control strategies are needed. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) have great potential to control soil-dwelling insects that cause critical damage to the roots of cultivated plants. EPN are normally suspended in water and then sprayed on plants or onto the soil, but the inconsistent efficiency of this application method has led to the development of new formulations.

Molecular detection and quantification of slug parasitic nematodes from the soil and their hosts.

Terrestrial gastropod molluscs are widely distributed and are well known as pests of many types of plants that are notoriously difficult to control. Many species of nematodes are able to parasitize land snails and slugs, but few of them are lethal to their host. Species and/or populations of mollusc-parasitic nematodes (MPNs) that kill their hosts are promising for biological control purposes.

Improved separation by at-column dilution in preparative hydrophilic interaction chromatography.

We evaluated at-column dilution (ACD) as a possible approach to reduce peak distortion caused by the injection of strong solvents in preparative hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC). Three model compounds, namely uridine, cytidine and guanosine were selected and injected either in conventional or ACD conditions, using various proportions of water and acetonitrile in the sample diluent. Plate number and peak capacity were systematically investigated under both isocratic and gradient elution conditions, respectively.

Combined Field Inoculations of Bacteria, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, and Entomopathogenic Nematodes and their Effects on Wheat Performance.

In agricultural ecosystems, pest insects, pathogens, and reduced soil fertility pose major challenges to crop productivity and are responsible for significant yield losses worldwide. Management of belowground pests and diseases remains particularly challenging due to the complex nature of the soil and the limited reach of conventional agrochemicals. Boosting the presence of beneficial rhizosphere organisms is a potentially sustainable alternative and may help to optimize crop health and productivity.

Wood ants produce a potent antimicrobial agent by applying formic acid on tree-collected resin.

Wood ants fight pathogens by incorporating tree resin with antimicrobial properties into their nests. They also produce large quantities of formic acid in their venom gland, which they readily spray to defend or disinfect their nest. Mixing chemicals to produce powerful antibiotics is common practice in human medicine, yet evidence for the use of such "defensive cocktails" by animals remains scant.

Highly Potent Extracts from Pea (Pisum sativum) and Maize (Zea mays) Roots Can Be Used to Induce Quiescence in Entomopathogenic Nematodes.

Root exudates can play an important role in plant-nematode interactions. Recent studies have shown that the root cap exudates obtained from several plant species trigger a state of dormancy or quiescence in various genera of nematodes. This phenomenon is not only of fundamental ecological interest, but also has application potential if the plant-produced compound(s) could be used to control harmful nematodes or help to prolong the shelf-life of beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs).

The dual effects of root-cap exudates on nematodes: from quiescence in plant-parasitic nematodes to frenzy in entomopathogenic nematodes.

To defend themselves against herbivores and pathogens, plants produce numerous secondary metabolites, either constitutively or de novo in response to attacks. An intriguing constitutive example is the exudate produced by certain root-cap cells that can induce a state of reversible quiescence in plant-parasitic nematodes, thereby providing protection against these antagonists. The effect of such root exudates on beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) remains unclear, but could potentially impair their use in pest management programmes.

Ant brood function as life preservers during floods.

Social organisms can surmount many ecological challenges by working collectively. An impressive example of such collective behavior occurs when ants physically link together into floating 'rafts' to escape from flooded habitat. However, raft formation may represent a social dilemma, with some positions posing greater individual risks than others.

Genetic and phenotypic population divergence on a microgeographic scale in brown trout.

Salmonid populations of many rivers are rapidly declining. One possible explanation is that habitat fragmentation increases genetic drift and reduces the populations' potential to adapt to changing environmental conditions. We measured the genetic and eco-morphological diversity of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a Swiss stream system, using multivariate statistics and Bayesian clustering.