scholarly journals Evolutionary Diversification in Insect Vector–Phytoplasma–Plant Associations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Trivellone ◽  
C H Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Diet Breadth ◽  
Functional Ecology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Insect Herbivores ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Host Shifts ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Relative Prevalence

Abstract The association between insect herbivores and vascular plants represents one of the greatest success stories in terrestrial evolution. Specific mechanisms generating diversity in the association remain poorly understood, but it has become increasingly clear that microbes play important roles in mediating plant–insect interactions. Previous research on phytoplasmas (Acholeplasmatales: Acholeplasmataceae), a diverse group of plant-pathogenic bacteria, and their hemipteran insect vectors suggests that this system provides a new model for understanding how interactions among distantly related but ecologically associated groups of organisms can drive evolutionary diversification. Phytoplasma infections affect the phenotypes of both plants and vectors, altering functional traits (e.g., diet breadth) and mediating host shifts which may, in turn, alter genetic and phylogenetic patterns. This review highlights previous research on the functional ecology and phylogenetic components of phytoplasma-plant-vector (PPV) associations relevant to the evolutionary diversification of this system. Although phytoplasmas and their hosts occur in most terrestrial biomes and have evolved together over the past 300+ million years, major gaps in knowledge of PPV associations remain because most prior research on the system focused on strategies for mitigating effects of phytoplasma diseases in agroecosystems. Study of this system within a broader evolutionary context could help elucidate mechanisms by which interactions between insect herbivores, microbes, and plants drive biological diversification and also help predict the emergence of diseases affecting agriculture. Future research should more thoroughly document PPV associations in natural habitats, examine the relative prevalence of cospeciation versus host shifts in this system, and test possible macroevolutionary consequences of host manipulation by phytoplasmas.

scholarly journals Numerical assessment in the wild: insights from social carnivores

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1740) ◽  
pp. 20160508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Benson-Amram ◽  
Geoff Gilfillan ◽  
Karen McComb
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Numerical Assessment ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Assessment Skills ◽  
In The Wild

Playback experiments have proved to be a useful tool to investigate the extent to which wild animals understand numerical concepts and the factors that play into their decisions to respond to different numbers of vocalizing conspecifics. In particular, playback experiments have broadened our understanding of the cognitive abilities of historically understudied species that are challenging to test in the traditional laboratory, such as members of the Order Carnivora. Additionally, playback experiments allow us to assess the importance of numerical information versus other ecologically important variables when animals are making adaptive decisions in their natural habitats. Here, we begin by reviewing what we know about quantity discrimination in carnivores from studies conducted in captivity. We then review a series of playback experiments conducted with wild social carnivores, including African lions, spotted hyenas and wolves, which demonstrate that these animals can assess the number of conspecifics calling and respond based on numerical advantage. We discuss how the wild studies complement those conducted in captivity and allow us to gain insights into why wild animals may not always respond based solely on differences in quantity. We then consider the key roles that individual discrimination and cross-modal recognition play in the ability of animals to assess the number of conspecifics vocalizing nearby. Finally, we explore new directions for future research in this area, highlighting in particular the need for further work on the cognitive basis of numerical assessment skills and experimental paradigms that can be effective in both captive and wild settings. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The origins of numerical abilities’.

scholarly journals University campuses can contribute to wildlife conservation in urbanizing regions: a case study from Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 16736-16741
Author(s):  
Iliyasu Simon ◽  
Jennifer Che ◽  
Lynne Baker
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Disturbed Areas ◽  
Cricetomys Gambianus

Globally, colleges and universities are increasingly mandating sustainability and environmental protection into their practices.  To date, such institutions have focused their efforts on recycling and energy-use reduction and less on the management and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats. However, in an increasingly urbanizing world, well-managed campuses can provide habitat and even refuge for wildlife species.  On the campus of a sustainability-minded university in Nigeria, we used camera traps to determine the presence of wildlife and used occupancy modeling to evaluate factors that influenced the detectability and habitat use of two mammals for which we had sufficient detections: White-tailed Mongoose Ichneumia albicauda and Gambian Rat Cricetomys gambianus.  Our intent was to gather baseline data on campus wildlife to inform future research and make recommendations for maintaining wildlife populations.  We detected wildlife primarily within less-disturbed areas that contained a designated nature area, and the presence of a nature area was the key predictor variable influencing habitat use.  No measured variables influenced detectability.  This study supports other research that highlights the importance of undisturbed or minimally disturbed natural habitats on university campuses for wildlife, especially in increasingly built-up and developed regions.  We recommend that institutions of higher education devote greater resources to making campuses wildlife-friendly and increase opportunities for students to engage in campus-based wildlife research and conservation and other sustainability-related programs. 

scholarly journals Functional Divergence Drives Invasibility of Plant Communities at the Edges of a Resource Availability Gradient

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Tordoni ◽  
Francesco Petruzzellis ◽  
Andrea Nardini ◽  
Giovanni Bacaro
Keyword(s):  
Drought Resistance ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Functional Space ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Niche Divergence ◽  
Functional Features

Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are a serious threat to biodiversity, severely affecting natural habitats and species assemblages. However, no consistent empirical evidence emerged on which functional traits or trait combination may foster community invasibility. Novel insights on the functional features promoting community invasibility may arise from the use of mechanistic traits, like those associated with drought resistance, which have been seldom included in trait-based studies. Here, we tested for the functional strategies of native and invasive assemblage (i.e., environmental filtering hypothesis vs. niche divergence), and we assessed how the functional space determined by native species could influence community invasibility at the edges of a resource availability gradient. Our results showed that invasive species pools need to have a certain degree of differentiation in order to persist in highly invaded communities, suggesting that functional niche divergence may foster community invasibility. In addition, resident native communities more susceptible to invasion are those which, on average, have higher resource acquisition capacity, and lower drought resistance coupled with an apparently reduced water-use efficiency. We advocate the use of a mechanistic perspective in future research to comprehensively understand invasion dynamics, providing also new insights on the factors underlying community invasibility in different ecosystems.

Bacterial Quorum Sensing During Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheyda Azimi ◽  
Alexander D. Klementiev ◽  
Marvin Whiteley ◽  
Stephen P. Diggle
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Plant Laboratory ◽  
Bacterial Quorum Sensing ◽  
Bacterial Quorum

Bacteria are highly interactive and possess an extraordinary repertoire of intercellular communication and social behaviors, including quorum sensing (QS). QS has been studied in detail at the molecular level, so mechanistic details are well understood in many species and are often involved in virulence. The use of different animal host models has demonstrated QS-dependent control of virulence determinants and virulence in several human pathogenic bacteria. QS also controls virulence in several plant pathogenic species. Despite the role QS plays in virulence during animal and plant laboratory-engineered infections, QS mutants are frequently isolated from natural infections, demonstrating that the function of QS during infection and its role in pathogenesis remain poorly understood and are fruitful areas for future research. We discuss the role of QS during infection in various organisms and highlight approaches to better understand QS during human infection. This is an important consideration in an era of growing antimicrobial resistance, when we are looking for new ways to target bacterial infections.

scholarly journals Neighborhood diversity of potentially pathogenic bacteria in drinking water from the city of Maroua, Cameroon

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Healy-Profitós ◽  
Seungjun Lee ◽  
Arabi Mouhaman ◽  
Rebecca Garabed ◽  
Mark Moritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Human Hand ◽  
Salmonella Spp ◽  
Storage Containers

This study examined the spatial variation of potential gastrointestinal pathogens within drinking water sources and home storage containers in four neighborhoods in Maroua, Cameroon. Samples were collected from source (n= 28) and home containers (n= 60) in each study neighborhood. Pathogen contamination was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, targeting Campylobacter spp., Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (virulence genes, stx1 and stx2), and Salmonella spp. Microbial source tracking (MST) targeted three different host-specific markers: HF183 (human), Rum2Bac (ruminant) and GFD (poultry) to identify contamination sources. Staphylococcus aureus and the tetracycline-resistance gene (tetQ) were assessed to measure human hand contact and presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Pathogen/MST levels were compared statistically and spatially, and neighborhood variation was compared with previously collected demographic information. All the test fecal markers and pathogens (except Arcobacter) were detected in home and source samples. Two neighborhoods tested positive for most pathogens/MST while the others only tested positive for one or two. Spatial variation of pathogens/MST existed between sources, storage containers, and neighborhoods. Differing population density and ethno-economic characteristics could potentially explain variation. Future research should explore the influence of demographic and ethno-economic factors on water quality during microbial risk assessments in urban Africa.

scholarly journals EPIDEMIOLOGI DAN PENGELOLAAN PENYAKIT LAYU BAKTERI PADA TANAMAN JAGUNG

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Nurasiah Djaenuddin ◽  
Amran Muis
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Wilt Disease ◽  
Maize Plant ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Green Beans ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Pantoea Stewartii ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Natural Boundaries

<p>Maize is one of the most important worldwide agricultural crops that their seed is considered a valuable international trading item. The seeds are mainly originated from United States, where the world most intensive development of new varieties occurs. Pantoea stewartii is a pathogenic bacteria of maize that occurs primarily in the US. Stewart wilt disease in maize caused by the bacterium Pantoea stewartii is become a new disease of maize in Indonesia. The stewart wilt disease was first reported in West Sumatra with the disease incidence of 1−15%. This paper discusses the epidemiology and control efforts of the bacterial stewart wilt disease in maize. Stewart wilt disease is a seed borne disease and it can transmitted by insect vector Chaetocnema pulicaria. P. stewartii has a wide host range including maize plant. In addition to maize plants, the pathogen also attacks sugarcane, sorghum, wheat, green beans, cucumbers, and several types of grasses. The abundant availability and wide range of its hosts, allows the pathogen to easily find the host to survive and develop. P. stewartii attacks maize in all stages of plant growth. The emergence of this disease on maize plant is mainly due to imported seeds from outside of Indonesia. Seed is the most suitable carrier media for pathogens to spread across its natural boundaries. One of the efforts to prevent the outbreak of the disease in Indonesia is to control its insect vectors. Several efforts that can be done to control the disease are environmental sanitation and by chemical pesticides with active ingredient such as imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and clothianidin.</p><p>Keywords: Maize, Pantoea stewartii, host plant, seed treatment</p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstrak</strong></p><p>Jagung merupakan salah satu komoditas pangan dan pakan penting dunia dan benihnya diperdagangkan secara internasional. Volume tertinggi perdagangan benih jagung berasal dari Amerika Serikat yang merupakan negara penghasil utama varietas unggul baru jagung di dunia. Pantoea stewartii adalah bakteri patogenik penting pada tanaman jagung, khususnya di Amerika Serikat. Penyakit layu stewart pada tanaman jagung disebabkan oleh bakteri Pantoea stewartii yang merupakan penyakit baru di Indonesia. Penyakit ini pertama kali dilaporkan di Sumatera Barat dengan insidensi 1−15%. Makalah ini membahas epidemiologi dan upaya pengendalian penyakit layu bakteri stewart pada tanaman jagung. Penyakit layu stewart merupakan penyakit tular benih dan tular serangga melalui vektor Chaetocnema pulicaria. P. stewartii memiliki inang yang luas, termasuk tebu, sorgum, gandum, kacang hijau, mentimun, dan beberapa jenis rumput-rumputan. Melimpahnya ketersediaan inang menjadikan patogen ini mudah dan cepat berkembang. Penyakit layu bakteri stewart pada tanaman jagung dapat berasal dari benih impor. Benih merupakan media pembawa penyakit yang paling efektif dan menyebar luas dengan melintasi batas alaminya. Salah satu upaya untuk mencegah wabah penyakit layu stewart ialah mengendalikan serangga vektor. Sanitasi lingkungan dan penggunaan pestisida berbahan aktif imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, dan clothianidin merupakan alternatif pengendalian.</p><p>Kata kunci: Jagung, Pantoea stewartii, tanaman inang, perlakuan benih</p>

scholarly journals Investigating Sustainable NGO–firm Partnerships: An Experimental Study of Consumer Perception of Co-Branded Products

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12761
Author(s):  
Laura Therese Heinl ◽  
Anna Baatz ◽  
Markus Beckmann ◽  
Peter Wehnert
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Informed Choice ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Impact

With crises like climate change and degradation of the earth’s natural habitats, human consumption needs to become more sustainable to decrease humanity’s environmental footprint. Fostering sustainable consumer behavior by enabling consumers to make an informed choice for sustainable products is vital in changing human consumption for the better. To optimize consumers’ perception of sustainable products, companies can establish partnerships with environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In practice, retailers and NGOs can engage in NGO–firm co-branding of sustainable products. Yet, little is known about the impact of this NGO–firm co-branding on consumer perception. We fill this gap based on a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental study. We test consumers’ trust, product and brand perception of co-branded sustainable products. Our study finds that NGO–firm co-branding has a significant positive effect on all the above. The effect is moderated by familiarity with the co-branding partnership and consumer attitudes. We discuss how those NGO–firm partnerships can be a useful tool to guide customers to more sustainable consumption choices. The results are discussed in light of sustainability communication and cross-sector partnership theory. We offer important insights for consumer perspectives on sustainability communication, business engagement of NGO–firm partnerships and develop future research ideas for consumer behaviour.

Advances in Ethnobotany, Synthetic Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Endangered Herb Picrorhiza kurroa (Kutki): A comprehensive review (2010-2020)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharuti Mehta ◽  
Anil Kumar Sharma ◽  
Rajesh K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Iridoid Glycosides ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Picrorhiza Kurroa ◽  
Bioactive Constituents ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Picroside Ii ◽  
Endangered Status

: Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. (Family: Plantaginaceae) is a well-recognized an Ayurvedic herb. It is commonly called “Kutki” or “Kurro” and ‘Indian gentian’. Iridoid glycosides are the plant’s bioactive constituents and accountable for the bitter taste and medicinal properties of the plant. The iridoid glycosides such as picrosides and other active metabolites of the plant exhibited many pharmacological activities like hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunomodulator, anti-ulcerative colitis, antimicrobial etc. This review aims to provide updated information on the ethnobotany, synthetic phytochemistry, pharmacological potential, safety and toxicology of P. kurroa and its active metabolites. Indiscriminate exploitation, ecological destruction of natural habitats, slower plant growth and unawareness regarding cultivation and uprooting of plants has brought kutki as an endangered status. So, various techniques used for the conservation and production of bioactive metabolites from P. kurroa have also been reported. Information on the plant has been collected from Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus by using ‘Picrorhiza kurroa’, ‘Picroside-‘, ‘Picroside-II’, ‘Picroliv’, ‘Immunomodulator’ keywords. All studies on ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of plant from 2010- 2020 were comprised in this review article. The possible directions for the future research have also been outlined in brief in review article.

scholarly journals Modulation of host microtubule dynamics by pathogenic bacteria

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 571-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish K. Radhakrishnan ◽  
Gary A. Splitter
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Pathogens ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Microtubule Dynamics ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bacterial Effectors

AbstractThe eukaryotic cytoskeleton is a vulnerable target of many microbial pathogens during the course of infection. Rearrangements of host cytoskeleton benefit microbes in various stages of their infection cycle such as invasion, motility, and persistence. Bacterial pathogens deliver a number of effector proteins into host cells for modulating the dynamics of actin and microtubule cytoskeleton. Alteration of the actin cytoskeleton is generally achieved by bacterial effectors that target the small GTPases of the host. Modulation of microtubule dynamics involves direct interaction of effector proteins with the subunits of microtubules or recruiting cellular proteins that affect microtubule dynamics. This review will discuss effector proteins from animal and human bacterial pathogens that either destabilize or stabilize host microtubules to advance the infectious process. A compilation of these research findings will provide an overview of known and unknown strategies used by various bacterial effectors to modulate the host microtubule dynamics. The present review will undoubtedly help direct future research to determine the mechanisms of action of many bacterial effector proteins and contribute to understanding the survival strategies of diverse adherent and invasive bacterial pathogens.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document