A ghost moth olfactory prototype of the lepidopteran sex communication.

Sex role differentiation is a widespread phenomenon. Sex pheromones are often associated with sex roles and convey sex-specific information. In Lepidoptera, females release sex pheromones to attract males, which evolve sophisticated olfactory structures to relay pheromone signals.

Tandemly expanded OR17b in Himalaya ghost moth facilitates larval food allocation via olfactory reception of plant-derived tricosane.

Herbivorous insects utilize intricate olfactory mechanisms to locate food plants. The chemical communication of insect-plant in primitive lineage offers insights into evolutionary milestones of divergent olfactory modalities. Here, we focus on a system endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to unravel the chemical and molecular basis of food preference in ancestral Lepidoptera.

Mediating a host cell signaling pathway linked to overwinter mortality offers a promising therapeutic approach for improving bee health.

Introduction: Honey bees provides valuable pollination services for world food crops and wild flowering plants which are habitats of many animal species and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. Nevertheless, the honey bee population has been declining and the majority of colony losses occur during the winter.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to understand the mechanisms underlying overwinter colony losses and develop novel therapeutic strategies for improving bee health.

A novel volatile deterrent from symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes fortifies field performances of nematodes against fall armyworm larvae.

The core elements of entomopathogenic nematode toxicity towards the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda are associated with symbiotic bacteria. These microbes provide independent control effects and are reported to have repellency to insect pests. However, the ecological background of this nematode-bacteria-insect communication module is elusive.

Behavioural regulator and molecular reception of a double-edge-sword hunter beetle.

Background: The black carabid beetle Calosoma maximoviczi is a successful predator that serves as both a beneficial insect and a severe threat to economic herbivores. Its hunting technique relies heavily on olfaction, but the underlying mechanism has not been studied. Here, we report the electrophysiological, ecological and molecular traits of bioactive components identified from a comprehensive panel of natural odorants in the beetle-prey-plant system.

Stage- and Rearing-Dependent Metabolomics Profiling of and Its Pipeline Products.

Cordyceps, a parasitic complex of the fungus (Berk.) (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) and the ghost moth (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), is a historical ethnopharmacological commodity in China. Recently, artificial cultivation of Chinese cordyceps has been established to supplement the dwindling natural resources.

Infection of Fungus Causes Dramatic Changes in the Microbiota of Its Host.

The Chinese cordyceps is a unique and valuable parasitic complex of / ghost moths and the fungus for medicine and health foods from the Tibetan Plateau. During artificial cultivation of Chinese cordyceps, the induction of blastospores into hyphae is a prerequisite for mummification of the infected larvae. To explore the microbial involvement in the induction of mycelia-blastospore transition, the microbiota of the hemolymph and gut from larvae with or without injected blastospores were investigated by culture-dependent and -independent methods.

Integrated Management of Chive Gnats ( Yang & Zhang) in Chives Using Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Low-Toxicity Insecticides.

is a major pest that causes damage to chive production, and which has developed resistance to highly toxic chemical insecticides. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) show a high potential for control. This study aimed to develop an effective management method against larvae, using EPN with low-toxicity insecticides.

Scratching Stimuli of Mycelia Influence Fruiting Body Production and ROS-Scavenging Gene Expression of .

The entomopathogenic fungus is a valuable medicinal ascomycete, which degenerates frequently during subsequent culture. To avoid economic losses during industrialized production, scratching stimuli of mycelia was introduced to improve the fruiting body production. The present results indicated that higher yields and biological efficiency were obtained from two degenerate strains (YN1-14 and YN2-7) but not from g38 (an insertional mutant in gene with higher yields and shorter growth periods).

Diets Alter the Gut Microbiome of Crocodile Lizards.

The crocodile lizard is a critically endangered reptile, and serious diseases have been found in this species in recent years, especially in captive lizards. Whether these diseases are caused by changes in the gut microbiota and the effect of captivity on disease remains to be determined. Here, we examined the relationship between the gut microbiota and diet and disease by comparing the fecal microbiota of wild lizards with those of sick and healthy lizards in captivity.

Identification and testing of oviposition attractant chemical compounds for Musca domestica.

Oviposition attractants for the house fly Musca domestica have been investigated using electrophysiological tests, behavioural assays and field tests. Volatiles were collected via head space absorption method from fermented wheat bran, fresh wheat bran, rearing substrate residue and house fly maggots. A Y-tube olfactometer assay showed that the odor of fermented wheat bran was a significant attractant for female house flies.

Identification of the Genes Involved in the Fruiting Body Production and Cordycepin Formation of Cordyceps militaris Fungus.

A mutant library of Cordyceps militaris was constructed by improved Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and screened for degradation features. Six mutants with altered characters in in vitro and in vivo fruiting body production, and cordycepin formation were found to contain a single copy T-DNA. T-DNA flanking sequences of these mutants were identified by thermal asymmetric interlaced-PCR approach.