Methoprene, a Juvenile Hormone Analog, Causes Winter Diapause Elimination in Univoltine Bee Species L.

syn. is a univoltine bee species in which adults fly in spring and the offspring overwinter as cocooned imagoes. The flight period of solitary bees is short, so methods of control for development and emergence time are needed to synchronize the activity of managed pollinators with blooming.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose using extracts from insects.

The use of Zophobas morio extracts in the aspect of cellulose hydrolysis is presented for the first time. The aim of this study was to investigate the action of enzymes obtained from Z. morio on cellulose hydrolysis and to determine their influence on the structural properties of cellulose with use the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Ants Response to Human-Induced Disturbance in a Rain Tropical Forest.

A high rate of human-induced disturbance of tropical ecosystems results in enormous loss of biodiversity due to local extinctions. Yet, mechanisms at the population level that lead to the extinction are still poorly understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that human-induced disturbance results in smaller amount of nesting sites for wood-dwelling arthropods that leads to smaller population size and diminished reproduction, and therefore, may promote local extinctions.

Habitat preferences of two sparrow species are modified by abundances of other birds in an urban environment.

Every species has certain habitat requirements, which may be altered by interactions with other co-occurring species. These interactions are mostly ignored in predictive models trying to identify key habitat variables correlated with species population abundance/occurrence. We investigated how the structure of the urban landscape, food resources, potential competitors, predators, and interaction between these factors influence the abundance of house sparrow and the tree sparrow in sixty 25 ha plots distributed randomly across residential areas of the city of Poznań (Poland).

Enhanced UV-B radiation during pupal stage reduce body mass and fat content, while increasing deformities, mortality and cell death in female adults of solitary bee Osmia bicornis.

The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the oogenesis and morpho-anatomical characteristics of the European solitary red mason bee Osmia bicornis L. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) were tested under laboratory conditions. Cocooned females in the pupal stage were exposed directly to different doses (0, 9.

Influence of winter temperature and simulated climate change on body mass and fat body depletion during diapause in adults of the solitary bee, Osmia rufa (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

The influence of simulated climate change on body weight and depletion of fat body reserves was studied during diapause in the European solitary bee Osmia rufa L. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Insects (females) were reared and collected from outdoor nests from September to March.

Influence of methoprene and temperature on diapause termination in adult females of the over-wintering solitary bee, Osmia rufa L.

Females of Osmia rufa, as most species in this genus, enter an obligatory diapause, overwintering as an imago inside a cocoon until the ensuing spring when after emergence - mating, egg development and oviposition occur. Diapause in this species is initiated in November, undergoes 2 months of a pre-wintering period that is terminated at the end of January, after 1 month of maintenance. In this study, factors that affect the termination of adult diapause in the female of this species were investigated.

A faecal analysis of helminth infections in wild and captive wolves, Canis lupus L., in Poland.

One hundred and three samples of faeces of reared grey wolves from four locations (Stobnica Park and Zoological Gardens in Bydgoszcz, Wrocław and Cracow) and twenty-six samples of faeces from two free-roaming packs of grey wolf (Canis lupus L.) in Piła (Forest Divisions: Borne Sulinowo, Czarnobór, Jastrowo) and Zielona Góra (Forest Divisions: Torzym, Krosno Odrzańskie) were collected between 2005 and 2007. Helminth eggs were detected in 78.

Role of allatostatin-like factors from the brain of Tenebrio molitor females.

The effect of brain extract from females of freshly emerged Tenebrio molitor on ovary, oocyte development, total protein content of hemolymph, and ovary was studied in 4-day-old adult mealworm females. Injections of extracts of 2-brain equivalents into intact (unligatured) Tenebrio females did not affect ovarian and oocyte development. Injections of ligated females, however, with 2-brain equivalents on day 1 and 2 after adult emergence strongly inhibited ovarian growth and oocyte development.

Pleiotropic effects of the neuropeptides CCAP and myosuppressin in the beetle, Tenebrio molitor L.

Biological activities of crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP; PFCNAFTGCa) and leucomyosuppressin (Lem-MS; pQDVDHVFLRFa) were studied in heterologous bioassays in the larvae and adults of Tenebrio molitor. CCAP exerted a reversible and dose-dependent cardio-stimulatory effect on the semi-isolated heart of the experimental beetles at a concentration of >10(-7) M and induced an effect similar to the endogenic cardio-stimulatory peptide, proctolin. Injections of CCAP (10(-9)-10(-3) M) into 4-day-old adult reproductive females increased the concentration of soluble proteins in hemolymph in comparison to the saline injected controls.

Gonadoinhibitory effects of Neb-colloostatin and Neb-TMOF on ovarian development in the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L.

The gonadostatic action of the peptides Neb-colloostatin (SIVPLGLPVPIGPIVVGPR) and Neb-TMOF (NPTNLH) from Neobellieria bullata was studied in female mealworm Tenebrio molitor. Both peptides potently inhibit ovarian development and terminal oocyte maturation of mated females during their first reproductive cycle. Injection of 4 mug of Neb-colloostatin or Neb-TMOFNeb-TMOF reduced, at day 4 of the cycle, the size of the terminal oocytes to about half or one third of the normal size in saline-injected controls.