SETTING OUR RESEARCH AGENDAS: INSTITUTIONAL ECOLOGY, INFORMING SCIENCES, OR MANAGEMENT FASHION THEORY?

A new reflexive discourse is emerging in the IS research community concerning how we, as academic scholars in the information systems field, set and pursue our research agendas. How should we choose our research topics, how should we conduct our research, and how should we communicate our research results? This panel will present and debate the merits of three distinct perspectives concerning the setting of our research agendas in information systems. There will be three short rounds of presentations by the three panelists: Richard Baskerville, Grandon Gill and Neil Ramiller. Following these presentations, Michael Myers (panel chair) will briefly summarize the discussion so far and give his own views with respect to the merits of the three arguments. After suggesting some key points for debate, he will then facilitate what promises to be an interesting and lively discussion with the audience

Preliminary results of pheromone identification in Zygaena loti, and the potential for pheromones in burnet moth conservation.

Zygaena loti scotica (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) is a threatened species endemic to Western Scotland. Its known distribution is currently limited to approximately 10km2 in Western Argyll, which are under careful management for the insect’s conservation as a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species. In 2014, a small number of Z. loti were collected from Scotland and reared for pheromone identification. Headspace collection and gland extraction was carried out on two female moths, from which compounds were subsequently analysed by Gas Chromatogram Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Potential pheromone compounds eliciting an antennal response in males were assessed by GC-linked Electro-Antennographic-Detection (GC/EAD). Analyses revealed one potential compound present in female glands and headspace samples. Candidate pheromone lures were produced and tested at various sites in Western Argyll in order to determine behavioural responses of male Z. loti to a synthetic blend containing the previously identified compound. In this presentation the study is discussed as well as the potential for pheromones as a tool for monitoring and studying rare zygaenids

Effects of hydroxycinnamic acid esters on sweetpotato weevil feeding and oviposition and interactions with Bacillus thuringiensis proteins

Sweetpotato weevil (SPW) pest management is challenging because the pest target is sub-terranean, so the application of pesticides is impractical and usually ineffective. Host plant resistance and the genetic transformation of sweetpotatoes to produce entomotoxic Bt proteins offer potential for environmentally benign pest control. Resistance can be conferred by naturally occurring hydroxycinnamic acids which protect against oviposition by adults, but these compounds are restricted to the root surface so do not protect against the cortex bound larvae where the greatest damage occurs. Resistance could be enhanced if combined with expression of Bt proteins in transformed plants but interactions between hydroxycinnamic acids and Bt proteins remain unknown. Here the bioactivity of Cry7Aa1 protein and hydroxycinnamic acid esters was evaluated individually and in combination against SPW larvae and mortality determined. Low and high concentrations of hydroxycinnamic acid esters alone caused significantly higher mortality of both weevil species in all experiments compared to the control. SPW larval mortality was greater when tested as a combination of hydroxycinnamic acid esters and Bt protein but this effect was additive not synergistic. Although we report no evidence of antagonistic interactions the antifeedant effects of the plant compounds conferring host plant resistance could have reduced consumption of the Bt protein in our assays leading to a lower efficacy when combined. Further work is required to determine if the toxic effects of Bt proteins function alongside host plant resistance in sweetpotato under field conditions

Utilizing insect behavior in chemical detection by a behavioral biosensor

Traditionally, biosensors have been defined as consisting of two parts; a biological part, which is used to detect chemical or physical changes in the environment, and a corresponding electronic component, which tranduces the signal into an electronically readable format. Biosensors are used for detection of volatile compounds often at a level of sensitivity unattainable by traditional analytical techniques. Classical biosensors and traditional analytical techniques do not allow an ecological context to be imparted to the volatile compound/s under investigation. Therefore, we propose the use of behavioral biosensors, in which a whole organism is utilized for the analysis of chemical stimuli. In this case, the organism detects a chemical or physical change and demonstrates this detection through modifications of its behavior; it is the organism's behavior itself that defines the biosensor. In this review, we evaluate the use and future prospects of behavioral biosensors, with a particular focus on parasitic wasps