Pest Biological Control: Goals Throughout My Life.

This autobiography documents the life and accomplishments of Li Liying. Born into a poor family in China, she eventually became director of Guangdong Entomological Institute. After graduating middle school (1949), she was admitted to the Agronomy Faculty at Beijing Agricultural University but was shortly after redirected by the Chinese Government to Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Moscow, Russia.

Topographic heterogeneity and temperature amplitude explain species richness patterns of birds in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Large-scale patterns of species richness have gained much attention in recent years; however, the factors that drive high species richness are still controversial in local regions, especially in highly diversified montane regions. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and the surrounding mountains are biodiversity hot spots due to a high number of endemic montane species. Here, we explored the factors underlying this high level of diversity by studying the relationship between species richness and environmental variables.

Prenatal development supports a single origin of laryngeal echolocation in bats.

Bat laryngeal echolocation is considered as one of the most complex and diverse modes of auditory sensory perception in animals and its evolutionary history has been the cause of many scientific controversies in the past two decades. To date, the majority of scientific evidence supports that bats (Chiroptera) are divided into two subordinal groups: Yinpterochiroptera, containing the laryngeal echolocating superfamily Rhinolophidae as sister taxa to the non-laryngeal echolocating family Pteropodidae; and Yangochiroptera, containing all other laryngeal echolocating lineages. This topology has led to an unanswered question in mammalian biology: was laryngeal echolocation lost in the ancestral pteropodids or gained convergently in the echolocating bat lineages? To date, there is insufficient and conflicting evidence from fossil, genomic, morphological and phylogenomic data to resolve this question.

Efficient yeast cell-surface display of an endoglucanase of Aspergillus flavus and functional characterization of the whole-cell enzyme.

The endoglucanase gene endo753 from Aspergillus flavus NRRL3357 strains was cloned, and the recombinant Endo753 was displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae EBY100 strain by the C-terminal fusion using Aga2p protein as anchor attachment tag. The results of indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot confirmed the expression and localization of Endo753 on the yeast cell surface. The hydrolytic activity test of the whole-cell enzyme revealed that Endo753 immobilized on the yeast cell surface had high endoglucanase activity.

Interspecific Competition Between Ceratitis capitata and Two Bactrocera Spp. (Diptera: Tephritidae) Evaluated via Adult Behavioral Interference Under Laboratory Conditions.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is considered one of the most invasive tephritid species. It has spread and established populations successfully throughout many of the tropical temperate regions, partially owing to the increase in global trading activity that facilitates diffusion of species. However, C.

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

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.

First Complete Genome Sequence of Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus Isolated from Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in China.

Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is a serious viral disease affecting adult bees. We report here the complete genome sequence of CBPV, which was isolated from a honey bee colony with the symptom of severe crawling. The genome of CBPV consists of two segments, RNA 1 and RNA 2, containing respective overlapping fragments.

Transcriptome analysis and de novo annotation of the critically endangered Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii).

The aim of this study was to provide comprehensive insights into the genetic background of sturgeon by transcriptome study. We performed a de novo assembly of the Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii transcriptome using Illumina Hiseq 2000 sequencing. A total of 148,817 non-redundant unigenes with base length of approximately 121,698,536 bp and ranges from 201 to 26,789 bp were obtained.

First detection of Apis mellifera filamentous virus in Apis cerana cerana in China.

Although many honey bee RNA viruses have been correlated with colony declines, little is known regarding the potential role of DNA viruses. Here, we examined seemingly healthy and crawling bee samples from China using PCR to identify whether Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) was present in A. cerana cerana.

Evolution of body morphology and beak shape revealed by a morphometric analysis of 14 Paridae species.

Background: Morphological characters of birds reflect their adaptive evolution and ecological requirements and are also relevant to phylogenetic relationships within a group of related species. The tits (Paridae) are known to be outwardly homogeneous in shape, with one aberrant member, the Ground Tit (Pseudopodoces humilis), which is quite different from its relatives in both body morphology and beak shape. We combined traditional measurements and geometric morphometrics to quantify the variation in body morphology and beak shape of 14 Paridae species distributed in China.

Molecular classification based on apomorphic amino acids (Arthropoda, Hexapoda): Integrative taxonomy in the era of phylogenomics.

With the great development of sequencing technologies and systematic methods, our understanding of evolutionary relationships at deeper levels within the tree of life has greatly improved over the last decade. However, the current taxonomic methodology is insufficient to describe the growing levels of diversity in both a standardised and general way due to the limitations of using only morphological traits to describe clades. Herein, we propose the idea of a molecular classification based on hierarchical and discrete amino acid characters.

Purification and characterization of a novel cell-penetrating carrier similar to cholera toxin chimeric protein.

Developing a recombinant vector for noninvasively delivering biological macromolecules into the brain is important. This study constructed and purified a protein complex based on the cholera toxin (CT) molecular structure. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-modified A2 subunits of CT (CTA2) were used as tracer molecules for introduction of transactivator of transcription (TAT) through the A subunit into cells.

Description of three new species of Arescon Walker (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae) from China.

Three new species of Arescon Walker, 1846, Arescon gaoligongensis Jin & Li, sp. n., Arescon sparsiciliatus Jin & Li, sp.

The high-throughput production of dsRNA against sacbrood virus for use in the honey bee Apis cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is a serious threat to honey bees. Currently, there is no specific drug available for the treatment of SBV that does not affect the quality of the bee product. RNA interference (RNAi) is an important antiviral strategy for disease control.

Conservation, sex-biased expression and functional annotation of microRNAs in the gonad of Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii).

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation and have crucial roles in regulating the expression of gametogenesis-related genes in animals. However, the mechanism of sex determination and differentiation in the sturgeon has remained unclear. Identifying miRNAs and characterizing sex-biased miRNA expression is therefore critical for understanding the role of miRNAs during sexual differentiation in sturgeon.

Novel bat adenoviruses with an extremely large E3 gene.

Bats carry diverse RNA viruses, some of which are responsible for human diseases. Compared to bat-borne RNA viruses, relatively little information is known regarding bat-borne DNA viruses. In this study, we isolated and characterized three novel bat adenoviruses (BtAdV WIV9-11) from Rhinolophus sinicus.

'Compromise' in Echolocation Calls between Different Colonies of the Intermediate Leaf-Nosed Bat (Hipposideros larvatus).

Each animal population has its own acoustic signature which facilitates identification, communication and reproduction. The sonar signals of bats can convey social information, such as species identity and contextual information. The goal of this study was to determine whether bats adjust their echolocation call structures to mutually recognize and communicate when they encounter the bats from different colonies.

Avian responses to an extreme ice storm are determined by a combination of functional traits, behavioural adaptations and habitat modifications.

The extent to which species' traits, behavior and habitat synergistically determine their response to extreme weather events (EWE) remains poorly understood. By quantifying bird and vegetation assemblages before and after the 2008 ice storm in China, combined with interspecific interactions and foraging behaviours, we disentangled whether storm influences avian reassembly directly via functional traits (i.e.

Photorhabdus luminescens LN2 requires rpoS for nematicidal activity and nematode development.

Photorhabdus (Enterobacteriaceae) bacteria are pathogenic to insects and mutualistic with entomopathogenic Heterorhabditis nematodes. Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. akhurstii LN2, associated with Heterorhabditis indica LN2, shows nematicidal activity against H.

Fruiting Body Production of the Medicinal Chinese Caterpillar Mushroom, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ascomycetes), in Artificial Medium.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis), regarded as the "Himalayan Viagra", is widely used for medicinal treatment and health foods. The price of O.

Effects of nickel exposure on testicular function, oxidative stress, and male reproductive dysfunction in Spodoptera litura Fabricius.

Nickel is an environmental pollutant that adversely affects the male reproductive system. In the present study, the effects of nickel exposure on Spodoptera litura Fabricius were investigated by feeding larvae artificial diets containing different doses of nickel for three generations. Damage to testes and effects on male reproduction were examined.

Larval nutrition-induced plasticity affects reproduction and gene expression of the ladybeetle, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri.

Background: Organisms may develop into multiple phenotypes under different nutritional environments by developmental plasticity, whereas the potential costs and mechanisms of such plasticity are poorly understood. Here we examined the fitness and gene expression of nutrition-induced phenotypes in the ladybeetle, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri after having experienced varying larval food regimes.

Results: We found that C.

Physiological effects of compensatory growth during the larval stage of the ladybird, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri.

The growth rate of insects may vary in response to shifty environments. They may achieve compensatory growth after a period of food restriction followed by ad libitum food, which may further affect the reproductive performance and lifespan of the resulting phenotypes. However, little is known about the physiological mechanisms associated with such growth acceleration in insects.