79 research outputs found
Cucumber mosaic virus and its 2b RNA silencing suppressor modify plant-aphid interactions in tobacco
The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b protein not only inhibits anti-viral RNA silencing but also quenches
transcriptional responses of plant genes to jasmonic acid, a key signalling molecule in defence against
insects. This suggested that it might affect interactions between infected plants and aphids, insects that
transmit CMV. We found that infection of tobacco with a 2b gene deletion mutant (CMVD2b) induced
strong resistance to aphids (Myzus persicae) while CMV infection fostered aphid survival. Using electrical
penetration graph methodology we found that higher proportions of aphids showed sustained phloem
ingestion on CMV-infected plants than on CMVD2b-infected or mock-inoculated plants although this did
not increase the rate of growth of individual aphids. This indicates that while CMV infection or certain viral
gene products might elicit aphid resistance, the 2b protein normally counteracts this during a wild-type
CMV infection. Our findings suggest that the 2b protein could indirectly affect aphid-mediated virus
transmission
Extra-pair parentage and personality in a cooperatively breeding bird
Why so much variation in extra-pair parentage occurs within and among populations remains unclear. Often the fitness costs and benefits of extra-pair parentage are hypothesised to explain its occurrence; therefore, linking extra-pair parentage with traits such as personality (behavioural traits that can be heritable and affect reproductive behaviour) may help our understanding. Here, we investigate whether reproductive outcomes and success are associated with exploratory behaviour in a natural population of cooperatively breeding Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island. Exploratory behaviour correlates positively with traits such as risk-taking behaviour and activity in other wild bird species and might promote extra-pair mating by increasing the rate at which potential extra-pair partners are encountered. We therefore predicted that fast-exploring individuals would have more extra-pair offspring. There is also a potential trade-off between pursuing extra-pair parentage and mate guarding in males. We therefore also predicted that fast-exploring males would be more likely to pursue extra-pair parentage and that this would increase the propensity of their mate to gain extra-pair parentage. We found that neither the total number of offspring nor the number of extra-pair offspring were associated with a male’s or female’s exploratory behaviour. However, there was a small but significant propensity for females to have extra-pair fertilisations in pairs that were behaviourally disassortative. Overall, we conclude that, due to the small effect size, the association between exploratory behaviour and extra-pair paternity is unlikely to be biologically relevant. Significance statement: True genetic monogamy is rare, even in socially monogamous systems, and multiple factors, such as behaviour, social structure, morphology and physiology, determined by the biological system can cause variation in extra-pair parentage (EPP). Therefore, investigating the inherent differences in these factors among individuals could be informative. We investigated whether reproductive outcomes/success are associated with differences in the propensity to explore novel environments/objects in a promiscuous, island-dwelling cooperatively breeding bird, the Seychelles warbler. Our results showed that exploratory behaviour was not associated with the number of offspring produced by an individual, and thus the long-term fitness consequences of different exploratory tendencies did not differ. We also found that the propensity to engage in EPP in females was higher in dissimilar behavioural pairs, but due to the small effect size, we hesitate to conclude that there are personality-dependent mating outcomes in the population
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Impact of bokashi fermentation on life-history traits of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae at an industrial scale
Larvae of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (BSFL) are increasingly used in a circular economy context for industrial production of protein, oil, and frass, while serving as a sustainable method for managing numerous types of organic waste. On both fronts, there are ongoing efforts to optimise feedstocks for increased larval performance, yields of protein and/or oil, and efficiency of volumetric reduction of waste. Fermentation of organic waste prior to providing it to BSFL can help accomplish both goals. A few studies have individually evaluated fermenting agents such as lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, showing that they can improve BSFL digestion of biowaste. However, the potential of co-fermentation by multiple microbes to improve waste digestion by BSFL has not been well explored. Here we tested a type of anaerobic fermentation, known as bokashi, that simultaneously uses lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, on a common nutritious industrial feedstock (brewery’s spent grains) and on a nutritionally poor agricultural waste (unharvested oranges) on resulting life-history traits of BSFL. We show that bokashi-fermented substrates increased BSFL biomass and growth rate on both feeding substrates and dramatically reduced BSFL development duration on the nutritionally challenging oranges. Besides this, BSFL reared on fermented industrial feedstock reached the peak weight a day earlier, on average, than those feeding on the same unfermented substrate. Collectively, these effects would be beneficial for industrial BSF farming. We also highlight research areas to be tackled before bokashi fermentation can become widely adopted by the BSF farming sector
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