1,353 research outputs found
Microbial symbionts of parasitoids
Parasitoids depend on other insects for the development of their offspring. Their eggs are laid in or on a host insect that is consumed during juvenile development. Parasitoids harbor a diversity of microbial symbionts including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. In contrast to symbionts of herbivorous and hematophagous insects, parasitoid symbionts do not provide nutrients. Instead, they are involved in parasitoid reproduction, suppression of host immune responses, and manipulation of the behavior of herbivorous hosts. Moreover, recent research has shown that parasitoid symbionts such as polydnaviruses may also influence plant-mediated interactions among members of plant-associated communities at different trophic levels, such as herbivores, parasitoids, and hyperparasitoids. This implies that these symbionts have a much more extended phenotype than previously thought. This review focuses on the effects of parasitoid symbionts on direct and indirect species interactions and the consequences for community ecology
inducibility, severity and success of egg-killing leaf necrosis depends on plant genotype and egg clustering
Plants employ various defences killing the insect attacker in an early stage.
Oviposition by cabbage white butterflies (Pieris spp.) on brassicaceous
plants, including Brassica nigra, induces a hypersensitive response (HR) -
like leaf necrosis promoting desiccation of eggs. To gain a deeper insight
into the arms race between butterflies and plants, we conducted field and
greenhouse experiments using different B. nigra genotypes. We investigated
variation in HR and consequent survival of P. brassicae egg clusters. Impact
of egg density, distribution type and humidity on HR formation and egg
survival was tested. HR differed among plant genotypes as well as plant
individuals. Egg density per plant did not affect HR formation. Remarkably,
egg survival did not depend on the formation of HR, unless butterflies were
forced to lay single eggs. Larval hatching success from single eggs was lower
on plants expressing HR. This may be due to increased vulnerability of single
eggs to low humidity conditions at necrotic leaf sites. We conclude that
effectiveness of HR-like necrosis in B. nigra varies with plant genotype,
plant individual and the type of egg laying behaviour (singly or clustered).
By clustering eggs, cabbage white butterflies can escape the egg-killing,
direct plant defence trait
Evaluation of Two Implant Strategies, Revalor- XH or a Combination Revalor- IH/Revalor- 200 on Heifer Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics
A commercial feedlot trial examined effects of two implant strategies (Revalor- IH on d 1 and re- implanted with Revalor- 200 on d 101 or Revalor- XH on d 1) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of heifers fed 183 days. Th ere were no differences between implant strategies for final body weight, dry matter intake, and average daily gain. Heifers implanted with the combination IH/200 treatment had improved carcassadjusted feed conversion, greater LM area, and lower calculated yield grade compared to heifers implanted with XH. Th e response in growth performance between the two implant strategies suggests that the partiallycoated Revalor- XH implant can be used in place of a more aggressive implant strategy when heifers are fed to similar days
Hyperparasitoids exploit herbivore-induced plant volatiles during host location to assess host quality and non-host identity
Although consumers often rely on chemical information to optimize their foraging strategies, it is poorly understood how top carnivores above the third trophic level find resources in heterogeneous environments. Hyperparasitoids are a common group of organisms in the fourth trophic level that lay their eggs in or on the body of other parasitoid hosts. Such top carnivores use herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to find caterpillars containing parasitoid host larvae. Hyperparasitoids forage in complex environments where hosts of different quality may be present alongside non-host parasitoid species, each of which can develop in multiple herbivore species. Because both the identity of the herbivore species and its parasitization status can affect the composition of HIPV emission, hyperparasitoids encounter considerable variation in HIPVs during host location. Here, we combined laboratory and field experiments to investigate the role of HIPVs in host selection of hyperparasitoids that search for hosts in a multi-parasitoid multi-herbivore context. In a wild Brassica oleracea-based food web, the hyperparasitoid Lysibia nana preferred HIPVs emitted in response to caterpillars parasitized by the gregarious host Cotesia glomerata over the non-host Hyposoter ebeninus. However, no plant-mediated discrimination occurred between the solitary host C. rubecula and the non-host H. ebeninus. Under both laboratory and field conditions, hyperparasitoid responses were not affected by the herbivore species (Pieris brassicae or P. rapae) in which the three primary parasitoid species developed. Our study shows that HIPVs are an important source of information within multitrophic interaction networks allowing hyperparasitoids to find their preferred hosts in heterogeneous environments
QED for a Fibrillar Medium of Two-Level Atoms
We consider a fibrillar medium with a continuous distribution of two-level
atoms coupled to quantized electromagnetic fields. Perturbation theory is
developed based on the current algebra satisfied by the atomic operators. The
one-loop corrections to the dispersion relation for the polaritons and the
dielectric constant are computed. Renormalization group equations are derived
which demonstrate a screening of the two-level splitting at higher energies.
Our results are compared with known results in the slowly varying envelope and
rotating wave approximations. We also discuss the quantum sine-Gordon theory as
an approximate theory.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures, uses harvmac and epsf. In this revised version,
infra-red divergences are more properly handle
Gyromagnetic Factors and Atomic Clock Constraints on the Variation of Fundamental Constants
We consider the effect of the coupled variations of fundamental constants on
the nucleon magnetic moment. The nucleon g-factor enters into the
interpretation of the measurements of variations in the fine-structure
constant, alpha, in both the laboratory (through atomic clock measurements) and
in astrophysical systems (e.g. through measurements of the 21 cm transitions).
A null result can be translated into a limit on the variation of a set of
fundamental constants, that is usually reduced to alpha. However, in specific
models, particularly unification models, changes in alpha are always
accompanied by corresponding changes in other fundamental quantities such as
the QCD scale, Lambda_QCD. This work tracks the changes in the nucleon
g-factors induced from changes in Lambda_QCD and the light quark masses. In
principle, these coupled variations can improve the bounds on the variation of
alpha by an order of magnitude from existing atomic clock and astrophysical
measurements. Unfortunately, the calculation of the dependence of g-factors on
fundamental parameters is notoriously model-dependent.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figures. Discussions of the effects of the polarization
of the non-valence nucleons, spin-spin interaction and nuclear radius on the
nuclear g-factor are added. References added. Matches published versio
Dicke effect in a quantum wire with side-coupled quantum dots
A system of an array of side-coupled quantum-dots attached to a quantum wire
is studied theoretically. Transport through the quantum wire is investigated by
means of a noninteracting Anderson tunneling Hamiltonian. Analytical
expressions of the transmission probability and phase are given. The
transmission probability shows an energy spectrum with forbidden and allowed
bands that depends on the up-down asymmetry of the system. In up-down symmetry
only the gap survives, and in up-down asymmetry an allowed band is formed. We
show that the allowed band arises by the indirect coupling between the up and
down quantum dots. In addition, the band edges can be controlled by the degree
of asymmetry of the quantum dots. We discuss the analogy between this
phenomenon with the Dicke effect in optics.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Physica
The Phantom Bounce: A New Oscillating Cosmology
An oscillating universe cycles through a series of expansions and
contractions. We propose a model in which ``phantom'' energy with
grows rapidly and dominates the late-time expanding phase. The universe's
energy density is so large that the effects of quantum gravity are important at
both the beginning and the end of each expansion (or contraction). The bounce
can be caused by high energy modifications to the Friedmann equation, which
make the cosmology nonsingular. The classic black hole overproduction of
oscillating universes is resolved due to their destruction by the phantom
energy.Comment: Four pages, one figure. V3: version to appear in JCA
Enhanced Transmission of Light and Particle Waves through Subwavelength Nanoapertures by Far-Field Interference
Subwavelength aperture arrays in thin metal films can enable enhanced
transmission of light and matter (atom) waves. The phenomenon relies on
resonant excitation and interference of the plasmon or matter waves on the
metal surface. We show a new mechanism that could provide a great resonant and
nonresonant transmission enhancement of the light or de Broglie particle waves
passed through the apertures not by the surface waves, but by the constructive
interference of diffracted waves (beams generated by the apertures) at the
detector placed in the far-field zone. In contrast to other models, the
mechanism depends neither on the nature (light or matter) of the beams
(continuous waves or pulses) nor on material and shape of the multiple-beam
source (arrays of 1-D and 2-D subwavelength apertures, fibers, dipoles or
atoms). The Wood anomalies in transmission spectra of gratings, a long standing
problem in optics, follow naturally from the interference properties of our
model. The new point is the prediction of the Wood anomaly in a classical
Young-type two-source system. The new mechanism could be interpreted as a
non-quantum analog of the superradiance emission of a subwavelength ensemble of
atoms (the light power and energy scales as the number of light-sources
squared, regardless of periodicity) predicted by the well-known Dicke quantum
model.Comment: Revised version of MS presented at the Nanoelectronic Devices for
Defense and Security (NANO-DDS) Conference, 18-21 June, 2007, Washington, US
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