Immune Stimulation via Wounding Alters Chemical Profiles of Adult Tribolium castaneum.

Group-living individuals experience immense risk of disease transmission and parasite infection. In social and in some non-social insects, disease control with immunomodulation arises not only via individual immune defenses, but also via infochemicals such as contact cues and (defensive) volatiles to mount a group-level immunity. However, little is known about whether activation of the immune system elicits changes in chemical phenotypes, which may mediate these responses.

Anatomical study of the red flour beetle using synchrotron radiation X-ray phase-contrast micro-tomography.

Synchrotron X-ray phase-contrast microtomography (SR-PhC micro-CT) is well established, fast and non-destructive imaging technique for data acquisition that is currently being used to obtain new insights into insect anatomy and function in physiological, morphological and phylogenetic studies. In this study, we described in situ the internal organs of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst 1797, a widespread pest of cereals and stored food causing serious damage to the human economy. Two-dimensional virtual sections and volumetric reconstructions of the nervous, alimentary and reproductive systems were carried out in both sexes.

Paternal knockdown of tRNA(cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase (Dnmt2) increases offspring susceptibility to infection in red flour beetles.

Intergenerational effects from fathers to offspring are increasingly reported from diverse organisms, but the underlying mechanisms remain speculative. Paternal trans-generational immune priming (TGIP) was demonstrated in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum: non-infectious bacterial exposure of fathers protects their offspring against an infectious challenge for at least two generations. Epigenetic processes, such as cytosine methylation of nucleic acids, have been proposed to enable transfer of information from fathers to offspring.

Exploring Compound Eyes in Adults of Four Coleopteran Species Using Synchrotron X-ray Phase-Contrast Microtomography (SR-PhC Micro-CT).

Compound eyes in insects are primary visual receptors of surrounding environments. They show considerable design variations, from the apposition vision of most day-active species to the superposition vision of nocturnal insects, that sacrifice resolution to increase sensitivity and are able to overcome the challenges of vision during lightless hours or in dim habitats. In this study, Synchrotron radiation X-ray phase-contrast microtomography was used to describe the eye structure of four coleopteran species, showing species-specific habitat demands and different feeding habits, namely the saproxylic (Costa, 1839) (Rhysodidae), the omnivorous (Linnaeus, 1758) and (Herbest, 1797) (Tenebrionidae), and the generalist predator (Dejean, 1828) (Carabidae).

Oral Immune Priming Treatment Alters Microbiome Composition in the Red Flour Beetle .

It is now well-established that the microbiome is relevant for many of an organism's properties and that its composition reacts dynamically to various conditions. The microbiome interacts with host immunity and can play important roles in the defenses against pathogens. In invertebrates, immune priming, that is, improved survival upon secondary exposure to a previously encountered pathogen, can be dependent upon the presence of the gut microbiome.

Survival of the Sawfly Upon Infection by an Entomopathogenic Fungus and in Relation to Clerodanoid Uptake.

Larvae of the turnip sawfly are a pest of Brassicacae plants, as their feeding can cause defoliation of various crops of economic importance. The larvae and the adults of this sawfly species are known to take up different classes of chemical compounds from their respective host plants, with potentially deterrent functions against predators. In addition, compounds taken up by the adults, the clerodanoids, are known for their antimicrobial activity.

Zinc can counteract selection for ciprofloxacin resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the most pressing threats to public health. AMR evolution occurs in the clinic but also in the environment, where antibiotics and heavy metals can select and co-select for AMR. While the selective potential of both antibiotics and metals is increasingly well-characterized, experimental studies exploring their combined effects on AMR evolution are rare.