1,721,017 research outputs found
Behavior-based control tools against Tephritidae flies infesting soft fruits: a review
No full textSoft fruits are economically important crops for many areas worldwide and are sensitive to a large number of arthropod pests, including several Tephritidae flies. Since soft fruits are consumed by a broad array of consumers, high safety standards are required to improve health requirements. In particular, develop of new eco-friendly strategies to control tephritid pests is recommended. Behavioral ecology in Tephritidae is widely investigated, but little is known about their pre-courtship and mating behavior. Here we focused on reviewing current knowledge about sexual communication in tephritids infesting soft fruits (TISF). Firstly, we reviewed lek dynamics and male-male aggression in TISF occurring in precourtship
behaviors. Thus, mating behavior sequences were examined, with special reference to physical (visual, vibrational and acoustical) and chemical cues (sex pheromones and parapheromones) leading mating dynamics. Lastly, current and potential IPM applications to control TISF are delineated, specially focusing to improvement of monitoring, to sterile
insect technique and “lure and kill” tools, including improvement of male annihilation technique with the application of sprayable specialized pheromones and lures
Behavior-based control tools against Tephritidae flies infesting soft fruits: a review
No full textSoft fruits are economically important crops for many areas worldwide and are sensitive to a large number of arthropod pests, including several Tephritidae flies. Since soft fruits are consumed by a broad array of consumers, high safety standards are required to improve health requirements. In particular, develop of new eco-friendly strategies to control tephritid pests is recommended. Behavioral ecology in Tephritidae is widely investigated, but little is known about their pre-courtship and mating behavior. Here we focused on reviewing current knowledge about sexual communication in tephritids infesting soft fruits (TISF). Firstly, we reviewed lek dynamics and male-male aggression in TISF occurring in precourtship
behaviors. Thus, mating behavior sequences were examined, with special reference to physical (visual, vibrational and acoustical) and chemical cues (sex pheromones and parapheromones) leading mating dynamics. Lastly, current and potential IPM applications to control TISF are delineated, specially focusing to improvement of monitoring, to sterile
insect technique and “lure and kill” tools, including improvement of male annihilation technique with the application of sprayable specialized pheromones and lures
Visual and olfactory female-borne cues evoke male courtship in the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
No full textWe investigated the courtship and mating behavior of the pan-tropical polyphagous endoparasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck. The courtship and mating displays, the magnitude of male-male sexual approaches and the role of female-borne cues evoking male courtship behavior were quantified. The sequence of events leading to copulation in this parasitoid did not differ from that found for other braconids. Females refused to copulate more than once. Same-sex courtships were observed among males and their possible role in an adaptive context is discussed. Olfactory female-borne cues played a key role in eliciting the courtship responses of males. Males were attracted by freshly dead females, but not by dead females soaked in hexane, nor by visual cues from females alone. Intense male wing fanning behavior was elicited by crushed abdomens of virgin females, suggesting that the female abdomen is the source of a short-distance pheromone crucial in evoking male courtship. Further studies are required to clarify the exact nature of the chemicals involved
Functional status and quality of life of stroke survivors undergoing rehabilitation programmes in a hospital setting
No full textBACKGROUND: While the positive effects of rehabilitation on physical functioning are well documented in stroke literature, more controversial results arise from the evaluation of the impact on quality of life.OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to examine the associations among functional status and different measures of quality of life in a sample of inpatients undergoing rehabilitation programmes, and to consider the role of psychological distress, coping strategies and social support.METHODS: Twenty-nine stroke survivors were evaluated at the admission to a hospital-based Rehabilitation Unit and just before discharge. Questionnaires for the evaluation of functional status, health-related QoL, individualised QoL, psychological distress, coping strategies and social support were administered to them.RESULTS: While functional status improves significantly after treatment, individualised evaluations of QoL seem to be less affected. Adaptive coping strategies and social support showed significant correlations with positive outcomes on specific QoL domains, whereas psychological distress was associated with negative outcomes.CONCLUSIONS: The data from the present study support the evidence that different measures of QoL and functional status are not strongly associated one another, and that psychological distress, coping strategies and social support can be significantly related to specific outcome measures
Invasive mosquito vectors in Europe: From bioecology to surveillance and management
No full textInvasive mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) play a key role in the spread of a number of mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. Anthropogenic changes play a significant role in affecting their distribution. Invasive mosquitoes usually take advantage from biotic homogenization and biodiversity reduction, therefore expanding in their distribution range and abundance. In Europe, climate warming and increasing urbanization are boosting the spread of several mosquito species of high public health importance. The present article contains a literature review focused on the biology and ecology of Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. japonicus japonicus, Ae. koreicus, Ae. atropalpus and Ae. triseriatus, outlining their distribution and public health relevance in Europe. Bioecology in-sights were tightly connected with vector surveillance and control programs targeting these species. In the final section, a research agenda aiming for the effective and sustainable monitoring and control of invasive mosquitoes in the framework of Integrated Vector Management and One Health is presented. The WHO Vector Control Advisory Group recommends priority should be given to vector control tools with proven epidemiological impact
Early adult learning affects host preferences in the tephritid parasitoid Psyttalia concolor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
No full textParasitic wasps rely on a hierarchy of stimuli to
locate their hosts. Olfactory cues from the natal host complex
affect parasitoid preferences and can be learned by
parasitoids during larval stages and the early adult stage.
While the existence of pre-imaginal conditioning has been
documented in several braconid aphid parasitoids, no evidence
has yet been provided for parasitic wasps attacking
Tephritidae. Psyttalia concolor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
is a koinobiont larval–pupal endoparasitoid of tephritid flies.
In this study, we evaluated the influence of larval and early
adult experience on subsequent host seeking in P. concolor
females. Parasitoids were reared using Ceratitis capitata or
Bactrocera oleae larvae as hosts, and emerging wasp adults
were tested for host preferences in two-choice bioassays. P.
concolor females preferred to oviposit in, and had higher
oviposition success rates on the natal host. When P. concolor
females were excised from their host puparia, preventing
them from chewing emergence holes, they lost their
natal host preference, solidifying the evidence of early adult
learning for host selection. This study adds to the growing
body of basic knowledge on braconid host-location behavior.
From an applied point of view, training procedures for
early adult learning has potential for use in mass rearing of
parasitoids employed in biological control programs against
tephritid flies
Lek dynamics and cues evoking mating behavior in tephritid flies infesting soft fruits: implications for behavior-based control tools
No full textVOCs-Mediated Location of Olive Fly Larvae by the Braconid Parasitoid Psyttalia concolor: A Multivariate Comparison among VOC Bouquets from Three Olive Cultivars
Full text linkHerbivorous activity induces plant indirect defenses, as the emission of herbivorous-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), which could
be used by parasitoids for host location. Psyttalia concolor is a larval pupal endoparasitoid, attacking a number of tephritid flies
including B. oleae. In this research, we investigated the olfactory cues routing host location behavior of P. concolor towards B. oleae
larvae infesting three different olive cultivars. VOCs from infested and healthy fruits were identified using GC-MS analyses. In
two-choice behavioral assays, P. concolor females preferred infested olive cues, which also evoked ovipositional probing by female
wasps. GC-MS analysis showed qualitative and quantitative differences among volatiles emitted by infested and healthy olives.
Volatile emissions were peculiar for each cultivar analyzed. Two putative HIPVs were detected in infested fruits, regardless of
the cultivar, the monoterpene (E)--ocimene, and the sesquiterpene (E-E)--farnesene. Our study adds basic knowledge to the
behavioral ecology of P. concolor. From an applied point of view, the field application of the above-mentioned VOCs may help to
enhance effectiveness of biological control programs and parasitoid mass-rearing techniques
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