Low endemic bee diversity and very wide host range in lowland Fiji: support for the pollinator super-generalist hypothesis in island biogeography

The success of invading plants in island ecosystems has often been inferred to result from ‘invader complexes’, where cointroduced plants and their specialist pollinators can reciprocally enhance each other’s spread. However, it has also been suggested that in islands with low pollinator diversity, those pollinators should evolve into super-generalists that may be able to pollinate a wide range of exotic plants, enabling the spread of exotic weeds. Fiji has a very depauperate endemic bee fauna and previous studies have suggested that its only lowland bee species, Homalictus fijiensis (Apoidea: Halictidae), has a very wide range of host plants. However, those studies only included a small number of endemic flowering plants. Our study expands observations of bee–flower interactions to explore host plant ranges of H. fijiensis and introduced bee species to include a wider variety of native and introduced plant species. We show that H. fijiensis does have a wider host range than introduced bees, including Apis mellifera (Apoidea: Apidae), and an ability to exploit extrafloral nectaries and poricidal anthers that are not utilised by the introduced bee species. Our results support the hypothesis that super-generalism can evolve in islands where pollinator diversity is low, and that this may make those islands susceptible to weed invasions.

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SOME HOST PLANTS OF A CANADIAN ISOLATE OF THE CLOVER PHYLLODY VIRUS

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps67-024 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

L. N. Chiykowski

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Plant Species ◽

Host Plants ◽

Canadian Isolate ◽

Wide Range ◽

Clover Phyllody

Clover phyllody symptoms appeared on 34 species of plants in 13 families inoculated by infective Macrosteles fascifrons (Stål) or Aphrodes bicinctus (Schrank). Forty-five other species of plants in 12 families showed no infection although they were inoculated by insects shown to be infective by subsequent transmission to aster. M. fascifrons also transmitted CPV from 17 of 18 infected species tested. Characteristic symptoms on infected plants of some of the species are described and illustrated.Efficiency of transmission and the ability to survive on a wide range of plant species demonstrates the importance of M. fascifrons as a vector for host range studies.

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The host range of Aphis gossypii is dependent on aphid genetic background and feeding experience

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.7774 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e7774 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lin Ma ◽

Meng-Yue Li ◽

Chun-Yan Chang ◽

Fang-Fang Chen ◽

Yang Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Host Range ◽

Host Plants ◽

Artificial Diet ◽

Aphis Gossypii ◽

Host Specialization ◽

Broad Host Range ◽

Feeding Experience ◽

Wide Range ◽

Cotton Plants

Background A polyphagous insect herbivore has a wide range of host plants. However, it has been found that many polyphagous herbivores commonly exhibit a strong preference for a subset of species in their broad host range, and various host biotypes exist in herbivore populations. Nutrition and secondary metabolites in plants affect herbivore preference and performance, but it is still not clear which factors determine the host range and host preference of polyphagous herbivores. Method Cotton-melon aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover, collected from cotton and cucumber crops, were used in this study. The genetic backgrounds of these aphids were detected using microsatellite PCR and six genotypes were evaluated. Performance of these six aphid genotypes on excised leaves and plants of cotton and cucumber seedlings were examined through a reciprocal transplant experiment. In order to detect whether the feeding experience on artificial diet would alter aphid host range, the six genotypes of aphids fed on artificial diet for seven days were transferred onto cotton and cucumber leaves, and then their population growth on these two host plants was surveyed. Results Aphids from cotton and cucumber plants could not colonize the excised leaves and intact plants of cucumber and cotton seedlings, respectively. All six genotypes of aphids collected from cotton and cucumber plants could survive and produce offspring on artificial diet, which lacked plant secondary metabolites. The feeding experience on the artificial diet did not alter the ability of all six genotypes to use their native host plants. However, after feeding on this artificial diet for seven days, two aphid genotypes from cotton and one from cucumber acquired the ability to use both of the excised leaves from cucumber and cotton plants. The two aphid genotypes from cotton conditioned by the feeding experience on artificial diet and then reared on excised cucumber leaves for >12 generations still maintained the ability to use intact cotton plants but did not establish a population on cucumber plants. However, one cucumber genotype conditioned by artificial diet and then reared on excised cotton leaves could use both the intact cotton and cucumber plants, showing that the expansion of host range was mediated by feeding experience. Conclusion Feeding experience on artificial diet induced the expansion of host range of the cucurbit-specialized A. gossypii, and this expansion was genotype-specific. We speculated that feeding on a constant set of host plants in the life cycle of aphids may contribute to the formation of host specialization.

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Bee diversity (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in Araucaria forest in southern Brazil

Acta Biológica Catarinense ◽

10.21726/abc.v3i2.303 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Denise Monique Dubet da Silva Mouga ◽

Paulo Nogueira-Neto ◽

Manuel Warkentin ◽

Vanessa Feretti ◽

Enderlei Dec

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

Flowering Plants ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Santa Catarina ◽

Araucaria Forest ◽

Accumulation Curve ◽

Bee Diversity ◽

Richness Estimators

The apifauna of an araucaria forest in southern Brazil was studied during 2001 – 2003, using entomological nets on flowering plants. A total of 2,749 individuals were sampled from five subfamilies and 93 species of bees. A total of 82 species with up to 10 individuals were sampled and 29 species had no distribution for Santa Catarina. Non-corbiculate Apidae and Halictidae species predominated as well as individuals of corbiculate Apidae and Halictidae. There was a decrease in species richness in cold seasons, being then sampled only Augochloropsis sp. 01, Augochloropsis sp. 10, Exomalopsis tomentosa, Neocorynura aenigma, Paroxystoglossa brachycera, Trigona spinipes and Apis mellifera. A bivoltine pattern was noticed, with a peak in May and in September-November, for richness and abundance. Ecological indexes over the months were different with and without A. mellifera. The bee accumulation curve remained in elevation until the end of sampling. The richness estimators indicated values of 142 and 175 species. The bee species were sampled on 125 species of plants of 40 famillies and the most visited were Asteraceae, Fabaceae/Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae/Lamiaceae, Malvaceae/Rosaceae and Commelinaceae/Cucurbitaceae/ Liliaceae/Verbenaceae. A total of 48 species of plants characteristics of araucaria forests were sampled.

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SPECIES, HOST RANGE, AND IDENTIFICATION KEY OF WHITEFLIES OF BOGOR AND SURROUNDING AREA

JURNAL HAMA DAN PENYAKIT TUMBUHAN TROPIKA ◽

10.23960/j.hptt.218127-150 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 127

Author(s):

Purnama Hidayat ◽

Denny Bintoro ◽

Lia Nurulalia ◽

Muhammad Basri

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Host Plants ◽

Ornamental Plants ◽

Identification Key ◽

Agricultural Crops ◽

Surrounding Area ◽

Aleurodicus Dispersus ◽

Agricultural Plants ◽

Surrounding Areas ◽

Forest Plants

Species identification, host range, and identification key of whiteflies of Bogor and surrounding area. Whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a group of insects that are small, white, soft-bodied, and easily found on various agricultural crops. Whitefly is a phytophagous insect; some species are important pests in agricultural crops that can cause direct damage and can become vectors of viral diseases. The last few years the damage caused by whitefly in Indonesia has increased. Unfortunately, information about their species and host plants in Indonesia, including in Bogor, is still limited. Kalshoven, in his book entitled Pest of Crops in Indonesia, published in the 1980s reported that there were 9 species of whitefly in Indonesia. The information on the book should be reconfirmed. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine whitefly species and its host plants in Bogor and its surroundings. Whiteflies is identified based on the ‘puparia’ (the last instar of the nymph) collected from various agricultural plants, ornamental plants, weeds, and forest plants. A total of 35 species of whiteflies were collected from 74 species and 29 families of plants. The collwcted whiteflies consist of four species belong to Subfamily Aleurodicinae and 31 species of Subfamily Aleyrodinae. The most often found whitefly species were Aleurodicus dispersus, A. dugesii, and Bemisia tabaci. A dichotomous identification key of whiteflies was completed based on morphological character of 35 collected species. The number of whitefly species in Bogor and surrounding areas were far exceeded the number of species reported previously by Kalshoven from all regions in Indonesia.

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Revealing biophysical properties of KfrA-type proteins as a novel class of cytoskeletal, coiled-coil plasmid-encoded proteins

BMC Microbiology ◽

10.1186/s12866-020-02079-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M. Adamczyk ◽

E. Lewicka ◽

R. Szatkowska ◽

H. Nieznanska ◽

J. Ludwiczak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Binding ◽

Host Range ◽

Coiled Coil ◽

Amino Acid Sequences ◽

Broad Host Range ◽

Biophysical Properties ◽

Dna Binding Sites ◽

In Silico Studies ◽

Wide Range

Abstract Background DNA binding KfrA-type proteins of broad-host-range bacterial plasmids belonging to IncP-1 and IncU incompatibility groups are characterized by globular N-terminal head domains and long alpha-helical coiled-coil tails. They have been shown to act as transcriptional auto-regulators. Results This study was focused on two members of the growing family of KfrA-type proteins encoded by the broad-host-range plasmids, R751 of IncP-1β and RA3 of IncU groups. Comparative in vitro and in silico studies on KfrAR751 and KfrARA3 confirmed their similar biophysical properties despite low conservation of the amino acid sequences. They form a wide range of oligomeric forms in vitro and, in the presence of their cognate DNA binding sites, they polymerize into the higher order filaments visualized as “threads” by negative staining electron microscopy. The studies revealed also temperature-dependent changes in the coiled-coil segment of KfrA proteins that is involved in the stabilization of dimers required for DNA interactions. Conclusion KfrAR751 and KfrARA3 are structural homologues. We postulate that KfrA type proteins have moonlighting activity. They not only act as transcriptional auto-regulators but form cytoskeletal structures, which might facilitate plasmid DNA delivery and positioning in the cells before cell division, involving thermal energy.

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A SNP assay for assessing diversity in immune genes in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94833-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dora Henriques ◽

Ana R. Lopes ◽

Nor Chejanovsky ◽

Anne Dalmon ◽

Mariano Higes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Large Scale ◽

Medium Density ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Functional Variation ◽

Immune Genes ◽

Wide Range ◽

Scale Range ◽

Innate Immune Genes

AbstractWith a growing number of parasites and pathogens experiencing large-scale range expansions, monitoring diversity in immune genes of host populations has never been so important because it can inform on the adaptive potential to resist the invaders. Population surveys of immune genes are becoming common in many organisms, yet they are missing in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), a key managed pollinator species that has been severely affected by biological invasions. To fill the gap, here we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a wide range of honey bee immune genes and developed a medium-density assay targeting a subset of these genes. Using a discovery panel of 123 whole-genomes, representing seven A. mellifera subspecies and three evolutionary lineages, 180 immune genes were scanned for SNPs in exons, introns (< 4 bp from exons), 3’ and 5´UTR, and < 1 kb upstream of the transcription start site. After application of multiple filtering criteria and validation, the final medium-density assay combines 91 quality-proved functional SNPs marking 89 innate immune genes and these can be readily typed using the high-sample-throughput iPLEX MassARRAY system. This medium-density-SNP assay was applied to 156 samples from four countries and the admixture analysis clustered the samples according to their lineage and subspecies, suggesting that honey bee ancestry can be delineated from functional variation. In addition to allowing analysis of immunogenetic variation, this newly-developed SNP assay can be used for inferring genetic structure and admixture in the honey bee.

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Species composition and host range of fruit-infesting flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in northern Ghana

International Journal of Tropical Insect Science ◽

10.1017/s1742758415000090 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 35 (03) ◽

pp. 137-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

K.B. Badii ◽

M.K. Billah ◽

K. Afreh-Nuamah ◽

D. Obeng-Ofori

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Plant Species ◽

Host Plants ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Northern Ghana ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Wild Host ◽

Fruit Samples

An important aspect of fruit fly management is accurate information on the species and their host spectrum. Studies were conducted between October 2011 and September 2013 to determine the host range and species diversity of pest fruit flies in the northern savannah ecology of Ghana. Fruit samples from 80 potential host plants (wild and cultivated) were collected and incubated for fly emergence; 65 (81.5%) of the plant species were positive to fruit flies. From records in Africa, 11 plant species were reported to be new hosts to the African invader fly,Bactrocera invadens(Drew, Tsuruta and White, 2005). This study documented the first records ofDacus ciliatus(Loew) andTrirhithrum nigerrimum(Bezzi) in northern Ghana although both species have been previously reported in other parts of the country. Infestation byB. invadenswas higher in the cultivated fruits;Ceratitis cosyradominated in most wild fruits. Cucurbitaceae were mainly infested by three species ofDacusandBactroceracucurbitae, a specialized cucurbit feeder. Among the commercial fruit species, the highest infestations were observed in mango, tomato, sweet pepper and watermelon, whereas marula plum, soursop, tropical almond, sycamore fig, African peach, shea nut, persimmon, icacina and albarillo dominated the wild host flora. The widespread availability of host plants and the incidence of diverse fly species in the ecology call for particular attention to their impact on commercial fruits and the development of sustainable management strategies against these economically important pests in Ghana.

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TETRASPORE is required for male meiotic cytokinesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.124.13.2645 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 124 (13) ◽

pp. 2645-2657 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

M. Spielman ◽

D. Preuss ◽

F.L. Li ◽

W.E. Browne ◽

R.J. Scott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽

Pollen Development ◽

Male Meiosis ◽

Pollen Grain ◽

Flowering Plants ◽

External Wall ◽

Normal Pollen ◽

Wide Range ◽

Asymmetric Divisions ◽

And Function

In flowering plants, male meiosis occurs in the microsporocyte to produce four microspores, each of which develops into a pollen grain. Here we describe four mutant alleles of TETRASPORE (TES), a gene essential for microsporocyte cytokinesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Following failure of male meiotic cytokinesis in tes mutants, all four microspore nuclei remain within the same cytoplasm, with some completing their developmental programmes to form functional pollen nuclei. Both of the mitotic divisions seen in normal pollen development take place in tes mutants, including the asymmetric division required for the differentiation of gametes; some tes grains perform multiple asymmetric divisions in the same cytoplasm. tes pollen shows a variety of abnormalities subsequent to the cytokinetic defect, including fusion of nuclei, formation of ectopic internal walls, and disruptions to external wall patterning. In addition, ovules fertilized by tes pollen often abort, possibly because of excess paternal genomes in the endosperm. Thus tes mutants not only reveal a gene specific to male meiosis, but aid investigation of a wide range of processes in pollen development and function.

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Ustilago hypodytes. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].

IMI Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria ◽

10.1079/dfb/20056400809 ◽

1984 ◽

Author(s):

J. E. M. Mordue

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

North America ◽

South America ◽

Root System ◽

Geographical Distribution ◽

Host Plants ◽

Meristematic Tissue ◽

Wide Range ◽

Vegetative Multiplication ◽

Established Infection

Abstract A description is provided for Ustilago hypodytes. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: A wide range of grasses, including species of Agropyron (many), Ammophila, Brachypodium, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Diplachne, Distichlis, Elymus (many), Festuca, Glyceria, Hilaria, Hordeum, Haynaldia, Lygeum, Melica, Orysopsis, Panicum, Phalaris, Phleum, Poa (many), Puccinellia, Secale, Sitanion, Sporobolus, Stipa (many), and Trisetum. DISEASE: Stem smut of grasses. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Chiefly a temperate species found in Europe (including Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USSR, Yugoslavia) and North America (Canada, USA) and extending to central and South America (Argentina, Peru, Uruguay), N. Africa (Libya, Morocco, Tunisia), Japan, Australia and New Zealand. TRANSMISSION: Not fully understood, though inoculation experiments have demonstrated that infection occurs in mature vegetative plants (possibly through meristematic tissue), not seeds or flowers (22, 240; 24, 511). Once established, infection is systemic, probably overwintering in the root system and spreading by vegetative multiplication of host plants as well as from plant to plant (24, 511; 19, 720).

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Genome-Wide Identification and Comparative Analysis for OPT Family Genes in Panax ginseng and Eleven Flowering Plants

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules24010015 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

He Su ◽

Yang Chu ◽

Junqi Bai ◽

Lu Gong ◽

Juan Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Panax Ginseng ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Flowering Plants ◽

Functional Development ◽

Wide Range ◽

Organ Specific ◽

Genome Level ◽

Negative Links ◽

Global Platform

Herb genomics and comparative genomics provide a global platform to explore the genetics and biology of herbs at the genome level. Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is an important medicinal plant for a variety of bioactive chemical compounds of which the biosynthesis may involve transport of a wide range of substrates mediated by oligopeptide transporters (OPT). However, information about the OPT family in the plant kingdom is still limited. Only 17 and 18 OPT genes have been characterized for Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. Additionally, few comprehensive studies incorporating the phylogeny, gene structure, paralogs evolution, expression profiling, and co-expression network between transcription factors and OPT genes have been reported for ginseng and other species. In the present study, we performed those analyses comprehensively with both online tools and standalone tools. As a result, we identified a total of 268 non-redundant OPT genes from 12 flowering plants of which 37 were from ginseng. These OPT genes were clustered into two distinct clades in which clade-specific motif compositions were considerably conservative. The distribution of OPT paralogs was indicative of segmental duplication and subsequent structural variation. Expression patterns based on two sources of RNA-Sequence datasets suggested that some OPT genes were expressed in both an organ-specific and tissue-specific manner and might be involved in the functional development of plants. Further co-expression analysis of OPT genes and transcription factors indicated 141 positive and 11 negative links, which shows potent regulators for OPT genes. Overall, the data obtained from our study contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of the OPT gene family in ginseng and other flowering plants. This genetic resource will help improve the interpretation on mechanisms of metabolism transportation and signal transduction during plant development for Panax ginseng.

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