The location of floral nectar sources by mosquitoes: an advanced bioassay for volatile plant odours and initial studies with Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae)

1988 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Jepson ◽  
T. P. Healy
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
Behavioural Activity ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Nectar Sources ◽  
Nectar Source ◽  
Plant Odours ◽  
Ray Florets ◽  
Light:Dark Cycle

AbstractThe development and testing of a bioassay system to evaluate the potency of floral odours as mediators of long-range floral nectar source location by mosquitoes are described. The bioassay is quantitative and behaviourally discriminating, upwind flying and landing acting as indices of behavioural activity over the 24-h light:dark cycle. In initial tests, the responses of Aedes aegypti (L.) to the flowers and floral odours of ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) were investigated. A. aegypti exhibited a biphasic diel cycle of nectar-feeding behaviour and landed on modified flowers that retained either their disc or ray florets. Most significantly, the mosquitoes responded in a similar way to the odour of L. vulgare in the absence of visual stimuli or nutritional cues. They did not respond to solvent extracts of ox-eye daisy flowers.

scholarly journals Floral nectar affects longevity of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi and its hyperparasitoid Dendrocerus aphidum

2006 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 178-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Araj ◽  
S.D. Wratten ◽  
A.J. Lister A ◽  
H.L. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Aphidius Ervi ◽  
Level System ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
Aphid Parasitoid ◽  
Nectar Sources ◽  
Nectar Source ◽  
Aphid Host ◽  
Control Water

In this study the potential consequences of making a three or fourtrophic level system more complex by adding floral resources was studied in the laboratory for a range of plant nectar sources the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi and its hyperparasitoid Dendrocerus aphidum Parasitoids exposed to flowering buckwheat survived 45 times longer than those in the control (water only) and 34 times longer than those provided with phacelia alyssum or coriander Hyperarasitoids provided with buckwheat survived 56 times longer than those in the control and 35 times longer than those on the other flowering plants Buckwheat phacelia alyssum and coriander can therefore enhance the fitness of A ervi without benefiting its aphid host which does not feed on nectar However the fitness of the hyperparasitoid may increase relatively more than that of the parasitoid depending on the nectar source

scholarly journals Floral Resources for Trissolcus japonicus, a Parasitoid of Halyomorpha halys

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Hanna R. McIntosh ◽  
Victoria P. Skillman ◽  
Gracie Galindo ◽  
Jana C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Egg Parasitoid ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Halyomorpha Halys ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
Classical Biocontrol ◽  
Nectar Sources ◽  
Trissolcus Japonicus ◽  
The Impact

The egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus is the main candidate for classical biocontrol of the invasive agricultural pest Halyomorpha halys. The efficacy of classical biocontrol depends on the parasitoid’s survival and conservation in the agroecosystem. Most parasitoid species rely on floral nectar as a food source, thus identifying nectar sources for T. japonicus is critical. We evaluated the impact of eight flowering plant species on T. japonicus survival in the lab by exposing unfed wasps to flowers inside vials. We also measured the wasps’ nutrient levels to confirm feeding and energy storage using anthrone and vanillin assays adapted for T. japonicus. Buckwheat, cilantro, and dill provided the best nectar sources for T. japonicus by improving median survival by 15, 3.5, and 17.5 days compared to water. These three nectar sources increased wasps’ sugar levels, and cilantro and dill also increased glycogen levels. Sweet alyssum, marigold, crimson clover, yellow mustard, and phacelia did not improve wasp survival or nutrient reserves. Further research is needed to determine if these flowers maintain their benefits in the field and whether they will increase the parasitism rate of H. halys.

scholarly journals High activity enables life on a high-sugar diet: blood glucose regulation in nectar-feeding bats

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1724) ◽  
pp. 3490-3496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Detlev H. Kelm ◽  
Ralph Simon ◽  
Doreen Kuhlow ◽  
Christian C. Voigt ◽  
Michael Ristow
Keyword(s):  
Blood Glucose ◽  
High Activity ◽  
Flight Time ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
High Blood Glucose ◽  
Natural Diet ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Blood Glucose Levels ◽  
Normal Feeding

High blood glucose levels caused by excessive sugar consumption are detrimental to mammalian health and life expectancy. Despite consuming vast quantities of sugar-rich floral nectar, nectar-feeding bats are long-lived, provoking the question of how they regulate blood glucose. We investigated blood glucose levels in nectar-feeding bats ( Glossophaga soricina ) in experiments in which we varied the amount of dietary sugar or flight time. Blood glucose levels increased with the quantity of glucose ingested and exceeded 25 mmol l −1 blood in resting bats, which is among the highest values ever recorded in mammals fed sugar quantities similar to their natural diet. During normal feeding, blood glucose values decreased with increasing flight time, but only fell to expected values when bats spent 75 per cent of their time airborne. Either nectar-feeding bats have evolved mechanisms to avoid negative health effects of hyperglycaemia, or high activity is key to balancing blood glucose levels during foraging. We suggest that the coevolutionary specialization of bats towards a nectar diet was supported by the high activity and elevated metabolic rates of these bats. High activity may have conferred benefits to the bats in terms of behavioural interactions and foraging success, and is simultaneously likely to have increased their efficiency as plant pollinators.

Influence of Plant Abundance on Nectar Feeding by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Southern Mexico

1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 589-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Alejandro Martinez-Ibarra ◽  
Mario H. Rodriguez ◽  
Juan I. Arredondo-Jimenez ◽  
Boaz Yuval
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Plant Abundance ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Nectar Feeding

How Information-Mapping Patterns Determine Foraging Behaviour of a Honey Bee Colony

2002 ◽  
Vol 09 (02) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valery Tereshko ◽  
Troy Lee
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Reaction Diffusion ◽  
Reaction Diffusion Equations ◽  
Common Information ◽  
Bee Colony ◽  
Nectar Sources ◽  
Nectar Source ◽  
Honeybee Colony ◽  
Selection Of

We have developed a model of foraging behaviour of a honeybee colony based on reaction-diffusion equations and have studied how mapping the information about the explored environment to the hive determines this behaviour. The model utilizes two dominant components of colony's foraging behaviour — the recruitment to the located nectar sources and the abandonment of them. The recruitment is based upon positive feedback, i.e autocatalytic replication of information about the located source. If every potential forager in the hive, the onlooker, acquires information about all located sources, a common information niche is formed, which leads to the rapid selection of the most profitable nectar source. If the onlookers acquire information about some parts of the environment and slowly learn about the other parts, different information niches where individuals are associated mainly with a particular food source are formed, and the correspondent foraging trails coexist for longer periods. When selected nectar source becomes depleted, the foragers switch over to another, more profitable source. The faster the onlookers learn about the entire environment, the faster that switching occurs.

scholarly journals Neuromodulatory circuit effects on Drosophila feeding behaviour and metabolism

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Eriksson ◽  
Marlena Raczkowska ◽  
Rapeechai Navawongse ◽  
Deepak Choudhury ◽  
James C. Stewart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Behavioural Activity ◽  
Transgenic Lines ◽  
Group Feeding ◽  
Vinegar Fly ◽  
Climbing Ability ◽  
Genetically Manipulated

AbstractAnimals have evolved to maintain homeostasis in a changing external environment by adapting their internal metabolism and feeding behaviour. Metabolism and behaviour are coordinated by neuromodulation; a number of the implicated neuromodulatory systems are homologous between mammals and the vinegar fly, an important neurogenetic model. We investigated whether silencing fly neuromodulatory networks would elicit coordinated changes in feeding, behavioural activity and metabolism. We employed transgenic lines that allowed us to inhibit broad cellular sets of the dopaminergic, serotonergic, octopaminergic, tyraminergic and neuropeptide F systems. The genetically-manipulated animals were assessed for changes in their overt behavioural responses and metabolism by monitoring eleven parameters: activity; climbing ability; individual feeding; group feeding; food discovery; both fed and starved respiration; fed and starved lipid content; and fed/starved body weight. The results from these 55 experiments indicate that individual neuromodulatory system effects on feeding behaviour, motor activity and metabolism are dissociated.

scholarly journals Nectar Feeding by a Honey Bee’s Hairy Tongue: Morphology, Dynamics, and Energy-Saving Strategies

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 762
Author(s):  
Hao Wang ◽  
Zhigang Wu ◽  
Jieliang Zhao ◽  
Jianing Wu
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Feeding Modes ◽  
Flower Visiting

Most flower-visiting insects have evolved highly specialized morphological structures to facilitate nectar feeding. As a typical pollinator, the honey bee has specialized mouth parts comprised of a pair of galeae, a pair of labial palpi, and a glossa, to feed on the nectar by the feeding modes of lapping or sucking. To extensively elucidate the mechanism of a bee’s feeding, we should combine the investigations from glossa morphology, feeding behaviour, and mathematical models. This paper reviews the interdisciplinary research on nectar feeding behaviour of honey bees ranging from morphology, dynamics, and energy-saving strategies, which may not only reveal the mechanism of nectar feeding by honey bees but inspire engineered facilities for microfluidic transport.

Effect of aluminum and silicic acid on the behaviour of the freshwater snailLymnaea stagnalis

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1151-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morag M Campbell ◽  
Keith N White ◽  
Ravin Jugdaohsingh ◽  
Jonathan J Powell ◽  
Catherine R McCrohan
Keyword(s):  
Silicic Acid ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Aluminum Nitrate ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Neutral Ph ◽  
Behavioural Activity

A major factor influencing the toxicity of Al at neutral pH is the presence of complexing ligands. This study compared the effect of exposure to aluminum nitrate, aluminum lactate, and aluminum maltol, in the presence or absence of monomeric silica (Si), on the behaviour of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Concentrations of Al and Si used were similar to those found in the natural environment. Soluble Al concentration in the water fell significantly with time over 48 h following addition as the nitrate or lactate (500 μg·L-1), presumably owing to polymerisation as the colloidal hydroxide. This loss was enhanced by the presence of snails or Si (Al:Si = 1:15). Aluminum maltol largely remained in solution. Snails exposed to all three Al compounds showed depression of behavioural activity after 7 days; this effect was ameliorated in the presence of higher (Al:Si = 1:15) but not lower (Al:Si = 1:1) concentrations of Si. Depression of feeding behaviour occurred with all three Al compounds, although it was delayed in the presence of aluminum maltol. Expression of conditioned feeding was inhibited in snails exposed to aluminum nitrate during training and testing. The behavioural changes are likely to be mirrored in the field, with adverse consequences for the "fitness" of natural populations.

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