#Americans would pay to help monarch butterfliesamericans place high value on butterfly royalty. A recent study suggests they are willing to support monarch butterfly conservation at high levels up to about 6 billion dollars
if extrapolated to all U s. households. If even a small percentage of the population acted upon this reported willingness the cumulative effort would likely translate into a large untapped potential for conservation of the iconic butterfly.
Monarch butterfly populations have been declining across Mexico California and other areas of the United states since 1999.
A 2012 survey at the wintering grounds of monarchs in Mexico showed the lowest colony size ever recorded.
The multigenerational migration of the monarch butterfly is considered one of the world's most spectacular natural events said Jay Diffendorfer a USGS scientist and the study's lead author.
Much of the decline in monarch numbers has been blamed on the loss of milkweed the native plants on which monarch caterpillars feed.
The study indicates that economic values of monarch butterflies are potentially large enough to mobilize people for conservation planting
and caterpillars like monarchs that eat the leaves. This study shows that not only might consumers pay more for monarch-friendly milkweeds grown without systemic insecticides in the potting soil
and butterfly migrations seed-setting by plants and the emergence of animals--including ants--from winter dormancy.
#and the beesare our favourite garden flowers attractive to hungry visitors such as bees and butterflies to feed on?
pollinators such as bees and butterflies are in decline globally with one of the main causes being the loss of flowers especially in the countryside.
Bees (87 per cent) and hoverflies (nine per cent) were the most frequent visitors with butterflies and moths just two per cent and all other insects also two per cent.
They would look like butterfly wings Artyukhov said. Bundles might stick to each other but they wouldn't collapse completely Yakobson added.
The study Multi-State Trials of Bt Sweet corn Varieties for Control of the Corn earworm (Lepidoptera:
Noctuidae) analyzed the performance of Bt sweet corn comparing its rate of infestation and marketability to genetically identical varieties that lacked Bt proteins.
The authors found that for pest management of the corn earworm Bt sweet corn consistently performed better than its non-Bt counterparts even those that were sprayed with conventional insecticides.
Famous weevils moths and borer beetles live in a very comfortable environment when in the middle of a silo or warehouse fill with grains.
Changes among the plants can be seen as they respond to cabbage white butterfly caterpillars and stinkbugs introduced during the experiment.
#African caterpillars resistant to GM maizelike many other transgenic crops Bt maize synthesises its own pesticide:
Notwithstanding the success of these strategies IRD scientists and their South african partners have revealed now that a major pest of maize the moth Busseola fusca has developed an unusual defense mechanism against Bt toxin in South africa.
and should go beyond the simple implementation of refuges for Bt-susceptible moths. Bt maize and resistance developmentgenetically engineered maize is created by introducing a gene into the plant genome that expresses a toxic protein from a bacterium i e.
which destroys the gut of any moth larvae eating the plant. The technique is effective and unlike wide spectrum pesticides it only targets larvae of moths.
However sooner or later insect species may be able to develop a mechanism of resistance against any pesticides.
and in order to delay the evolution of resistance in pest populations the concept of maintaining refuges for Bt susceptible moths was developed.
since 1995 with resistance yet to develop among lepidopteran pests. The exception to the rulehowever about seven years after Bt maize was introduced to South africa in the late 1990's scientists observed resistant Busseola fusca caterpillars
and more importantly these resistant insects seemed to reproduce and spread rapidly. To explain this phenomenon scientists in South africa together with IRD researchers crossed resistant South african moths with susceptible moths imported from Kenya where Bt maize is commercialized not yet.
The offspring developed perfectly on Bt maize and were as resistant as the South african resistant parents.
The moth does not seem to have followed the expected pattern of adaptation. At this stage there are several hypotheses as to the nature of the mechanism
They found that at the molecular level caddisfly silk differs greatly from other terrestrial spun silks such as those from spiders or silkworms.
Muscled mothsalthough few gym rats want to admit it whispery moth wings and bulging human biceps aren't that different.
But logistically looking at the protein structures within a moth's muscle cells is no easy task.
The experiment setup involved gluing a moth by its thorax to a support structure attaching a series of electrodes to its flight muscles to trigger its wings to beat at a rapid pace
The results shed light on more than the mechanics of moth flight--it may redefine our understanding of how our own muscles function.
and author of a study in Science that examined the cross bridge cycling in the muscles of moths had to seek out Thomas Irving.
when a moth flaps its wings a bit of a tug of war is happening at a molecular level.
and his team observed that the top of the moth's thorax which is the muscle that makes the wings move was cooler on top than on the bottom.
This energy transfer process allows the moth to fly without expending a large amount of energy. Daniel says that the presence of elastic energy was not a surprise.
At a molecular level a moth's muscle is not very different than a human's meaning that elastic energy may serve a much larger role in human muscle function than researchers previously thought.
The protein is strongly insecticidal to the cotton bollworm an important agricultural pest according to research published September 11 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Glenn King and Maggie Hardy from the Institute of Molecular
Cotton bollworm a pest that attacks crop plants was more sensitive to OAIP-1 than termites and mealworms
Baldcypress swamps are an ecosystem that once spread across the southeastern and eastern United states. They are currently being restored in some areas of the Gulf Coastal plain after years of degradation from agriculture saltwater intrusion and pests like the tent caterpillar.
#Temperature alters population dynamics of common plant peststemperature-driven changes alter outbreak patterns of tea tortrix--an insect pest
The researchers looked at more than 50 years of data on the tea tortrix and also developed an independent mathematical population model that can predict population dynamics under both constant and seasonally driven temperature regimes.
While the tea tortrix is native to Japan many similar moths exist in North american including the spruce bud moth grape berry moth light brown apple moth and summer fruit tortrix.
Japan used long-term data on the population dynamics of the tea tortrix that span 51 years and more than 200 outbreaks.
We found the tea tortrix data very interesting said Bjã¸rnstad. Often in North america we have one
The tea tortrix starts out in this way but the researchers found that desynchronization does not occur.
and the developmental rate of the tea tortrix is said high Bjã¸rnstad. The population grows very fast
To better understand how temperature influences tea tortrix and other insect populations the researchers developed a mathematical population model that is based on the insect life cycle
The berry bushes also produce flowers of value to pollinators like butterflies insects and hummingbirds; food for other small and large mammals;
To identify the virus in this family that will most effectively control the Guatemalan potato moth The french-Ecuadorian research team have analysed the pathogens among moths from all over the world.
The researchers detected it in moths from twelve different countries. Moreover it has the widest activity spectrum:
it produces a mortality rate among Guatemalan potato moth larvae of more than 98%!%Slow action#Pulverised on the surface of potatoes or the eggs of the invasive species the granulovirus contaminates the larvae through ingestion.
Its use also requires expert knowledge and detailed monitoring of the moth's biological cycle ecology and behaviour
Moreover each viral strain attacks a very limited number of insect species. This host specificity means that the Guatemalan potato moth can be targeted
Need for an integrated control strategyfor efficient control of the Guatemalan potato moth the use of this viral pesticide must therefore necessarily form part of an integrated control strategy.
#Populations of grassland butterflies decline almost 50 percent over two decades: European reportgrassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011.
This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
In the report the data of the Butterfly monitoring scheme in Germany have been incorporated which is supported scientifically by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ).
The fall in grassland butterfly numbers is particularly worrying according to the report because these butterflies are considered to be representative indicators of trends observed for most other terrestrial insects
which together form around two thirds of the world's species. This means that butterflies are useful indicators of biodiversity and the general health of ecosystems.
Seventeen butterfly species are examined in'The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator: 1990-2011'comprising seven widespread and 10 specialist species. Of the 17 species eight have declined in Europe two have remained stable and one increased.
For six species the trend is uncertain. Butterflies examined in the report include the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
which has declined significantly the Orangetip (Anthocharis cardamines) which seems to be stable since 1990 and the Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
This dramatic decline in grassland butterflies should ring alarm bells--in general Europe's grassland habitats are shrinking.
We must recognise the importance of butterflies and other insects--the pollination they carry out is essential for both natural ecosystems and agriculture.
Why are butterflies disappearing? Intensifying agriculture and abandoned land are the two main trends affecting the populations of grassland butterflies.
Agriculture has intensified where the land is relatively flat and easy to cultivate and on the other handlarge areas of grasslands have been abandoned in mountainous and wet regions mainly in eastern and southern Europe.
Both intensification and abandonment result in the loss and degradation of habitat for grassland butterflies.
In addition butterflies are also vulnerable to pesticides often used in intensively managed farming systems. Farmland is abandoned often for socioeconomic reasons.
In some regions of northwestern Europe grassland butterflies are restricted now almost to road verges railway sidings rocky or wet places urban areas and nature reserves.
Monitoring Europe's butterfliesthe report is based on the European Grassland Butterfly Indicator compiled by De Vlinderstichting (Dutch Butterfly Conservation) Butterfly Conservation Europe
The indicator brings together information from national butterfly monitoring schemes in 19 countries across Europe most of them European union Member States.
Thousands of trained professional and volunteer recorders count butterflies on approximately 3 500 transects scattered widely across Europe.
This volunteer fieldwork is essential for understanding the state and trends of Europe's butterflies.
The report therefore suggests that the recent halving of butterfly numbers may be the most recent development in a much bigger long-term decline.
The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator could be used as a measure of success of agriculture policies.
Sustainable funding of butterfly indicators would help validate and reform a range of policies and help achieve the goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2020.
#New Anagnorisma moth species from beautiful Binaloud Mountain Iranresearchers described a new species of Noctuidae moth from Iran which is described the fifth species of the genus Anagnorisma.
During an expedition at high altitude of above 2500 m of northeastern Iran on a cold night in late summer 2012 a couple of undescribed specimens of Anagnorisma moths were collected.
Owlet moths (Family noctuidae) are a large worldwide group of more than 20000 species of nocturnal lepidopterans attracted to lights
Larvae of some species are known as cutworms and live in the soil near the soil surface
and germination rate to the speed of growth the competitive ability and the resistance against herbivores like caterpillars.
#Caterpillars attracted to plant SOSPLANTS that emit an airborne distress signal in response to herbivory may actually attract more enemies according to a new study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Plant science.
which prey on herbivorous insects but also caterpillars of the Egyptian cotton leafworm moth Spodoptera littoralis a species that feeds on maize leaves.
Adult moths and butterflies avoid food plants that are under attack by conspecifics. This seems adaptive
But we found that S. littoralis caterpillars are attracted actually to the odor of damaged maize plants even
To determine what kind of odors the caterpillars preferred the researchers let the caterpillars chose among several odors by placing them in an olfactometer a device consisting of four tubes connected to a central chamber with each tube introducing an airflow carrying a different odor.
The caterpillars were more than twice as likely to crawl towards the odor from maize plants under attack by conspecifics than towards undamaged plants especially
and the caterpillars had fed already on maize. So what might be the advantage to the caterpillars of moving towards plants that are infested already?
When S. littoralis caterpillars drop from a plant they are highly vulnerable to predators and pathogens in the soil as well as to starvation.
The advantage seems to be fallen that caterpillars can quickly rediscover the plant on which they fed.
The caterpillars feed less and move more when exposed to high concentrations of the volatiles.
By moving away from freshly damaged sites they can minimize risk of predation and avoid competition explained Prof.
Turlings and colleagues propose that hungry S. littoralis caterpillars do the best of a bad job by moving towards volatile organic compounds released by damaged maize plants.
but at least the caterpillars are assured of a suitable plant. Adult moths on the other hand are much more mobile
and take little risk exploring the environment to discover the best food source --so they avoid maize that is already under attack.
In the 1980s widespread gypsy moth infestation in Pennsylvania led to the death or near death of large stands of oak trees in the state forests especially in south-central Pennsylvania.
In parts of the state forests there were no roads in areas associated with the gypsy moth devastation said Kasson.
or two older female ailanthus trees near areas where foresters removed trees following the gypsy moth infestation
#The sun moth: A beautiful new species Stenoloba solaris from Chinascientist describe a new striking species of moth from China with an engaging wing pattern.
The new species Stenoloba solaris has inspired its name by the orange circular patch on its wings that resembles the rising sun. The study was published in the open access journal Zookeys.
The newly described sun moth belongs to the Family noctuidae also known as owlet moths which refers to their robustly built bodies.
With more than 35000 known species out of estimated possibility for more than 100000 in total total they constitute the largest Lepidoptera family.
Other species have caterpillars which have the extraordinary ability to feed on some poisonous plants the chemicals contained in
and in recent years the EPA has relaxed its requirements for planting refuges in the U s. Perhaps the most compelling evidence that refuges work comes from the pink bollworm
#Pollinators easily enhanced by flowering agri-environment schemesagri-environment schemes aimed to promote biodiversity on farmland have positive effects on wild bees hoverflies and butterflies.
#Female moths use olfactory signals to choose the best egg-laying sitesfunctional calcium imaging in the antennal lobes of a female Manduca sexta moth:
whether the moths respond to (Z)- 3-hexenyl acetate or (E)- 2-hexenyl acetate. The odor of A z)- 3-isomer or A z)- 3/(E)- 2 ratio in favor of A z)- 3-isomer according to the odor bouquet of an unattacked plant guides ovipositing Manduca
females to plants that have yet been spared by herbivorous caterpillars. Copyright: Anna Spã¤the MPI Chem.
Ecol. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena Germany discovered that the ability of Manduca sexta moths to recognize changes in the profile of volatile compounds released by plants being attacked by Manduca caterpillars allows them to lay their eggs on plants that are less likely
to be attacked by insects and other predators and to avoid competing against other caterpillars of the same species for resources.
The results of field experiments and neurobiological studies were published now in the open access online journal elife.
Attracting the enemies of the herbivoresthe hawkmoth Manduca sexta lays its eggs on various plants including tobacco and Sacred Datura plants (Datura wrightii.
Once the eggs have hatched into caterpillars they start eating the leaves of their host plant
and if present in large numbers these caterpillars can quickly defoliate and destroy the plant.
but enzymes released by M. sexta caterpillars'spit change some of these molecules into (E)- 2-hexenyl acetate
The resulting changes in the volatile profile alerts Geocoris bugs to the presence of M. sexta caterpillars on the plant their potential prey.
Ideal conditions for Manduca offspringnow the scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology show another interesting effect of the chemical odor conversion:
Just like Geocoris bugs adult female M. sexta moths are able to detect the changes in the green volatile profile emitted by Sacred Datura plants that have been damaged by M. sexta caterpillars.
This alerts the moths to the fact that Geocoris bugs are likely to predate eggs
and caterpillars on the plant and as a consequence the moths lay their eggs on unattacked plants.
Ecology and Neurobiology The researchers also identified the neural mechanism that allows moths to detect the slightest changes in the volatile profile of plants that have already been attacked by caterpillars.
Neurobiological studies of the moth brain revealed that E-and Z-odors lead to different activation patterns.
The two isomers of hexenyl acetate activated different regions in the antennal lobe of the moth (see images above.
This suggests that the female moths have isomer-specific receptors and neurons on their antennae says Bill Hansson director of the institute.
No Social Butterfly Semachrysa jade Country: Malaysiasocial media lacewing: In a trend-setting collision of science and social media Hock Ping Guek photographed a beautiful green lacewing with dark markings at the base of its wings in a park near Kuala lumpur
Butterfly diversity continued to fall in all three countries at roughly the same rates as in the past.
and the United states used historical and contemporary records of species'presence held by organizations including the European Invertebrate Survey Butterfly Conservation the Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society the INBO Research Institute
when orchardists sprayed pesticides to control codling moths. Since the phase out of organophosphate insecticides though the woolly apple aphid has been making a comeback in central Washington and elsewhere.
when orchardists sprayed pesticides to control codling moths. Since the phase out of organophosphate insecticides though the woolly apple aphid has been making a comeback in central Washington and elsewhere.
caterpillars. The seasonal timing of the food peak has advanced over twice as fast as that of the birds
and caterpillar peak in the woods will keep growing and so will the impact following the temporary rescue
The fact that moths ants and fruit flies are known now to self-medicate has profound implications for the ecology and evolution of animal hosts and their parasites according to Mark Hunter a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and at the School
which animals such as baboons and woolly bear caterpillars medicate themselves. One recent study has suggested that house sparrows and finches add high-nicotine cigarette butts to their nests to reduce mite infestations.
Parasite-infected monarch butterflies protect their offspring against high levels of parasite growth by laying their eggs on anti-parasitic milkweed.
and butterflies can choose food for their offspring that minimizes the impacts of disease in the next generation Hunter said.
For example when gypsy moth caterpillars consume foliage high in certain toxic compounds transmission of viruses between the caterpillars is reduced facilitating moth outbreaks.
For their experiments the group collected cotton bollworm--also known as corn earworm or Helicoverpa zea-a species of moth that is a major agricultural pest and selected it for resistance against one of the Bt toxins Cry1ac.
As expected the resistant caterpillars survived after munching on cotton plants producing only that toxin. The surprise came
If the assumption of redundant killing is correct caterpillars resistant to the first toxin should survive on one-toxin plants
But on the two-toxin plants the caterpillars selected for resistance to one toxin survived significantly better than caterpillars from a susceptible strain.
and may also explain the reports indicating some field populations of cotton bollworm rapidly evolved resistance to both toxins.
Carriã re explained that this is especially problematic with cotton bollworm and some other pests that are not highly susceptible to Bt toxins to begin with.
But if inheritance of resistance is seen dominant as with cotton bollworm matings between a resistant moth
and a susceptible moth can produce resistant offspring which hastens resistance. According to Tabashnik overly optimistic assumptions have led the EPA to greatly reduce requirements for planting refuges to slow evolution of pest resistance to two-toxin Bt crops.
Our main message is to be more cautious especially with a pest like the cotton bollworm Carriã re said.
and bean--most species have specialized highly butterfly-shaped flowers with bilateral symmetry fused stamens and strongly differentiated standard wing
and butterflies as well as bees) to 456 plant species. He identified and described several hundred insects previously unknown to science.
These pollinators including bees flies butterflies and beetles usually live in natural or semi-natural habitats such as the edges of forests hedgerows or grasslands.
Baker then learned that Lakhtakia was able to replicate certain biological materials such as fly eyes and butterfly wings.
Luke Alphey and colleagues explain that the Lepidoptera a large family of insects with a caterpillar stage cause widespread damage worldwide to cotton;
They developed the lethal genetic sexing system in two pests the pink bollworm which damages cotton crops and the diamondback moth
#Biologists use diag trees to help solve gypsy moth mysteryworking beneath the towering oaks and maples on the University of Michigan's central campus Diag undergraduate researchers and their faculty adviser helped explain an observation that had puzzled insect ecologists who study voracious leaf-munching gypsy moth caterpillars.
The caterpillars which defoliate and sometimes kill stands of trees in the Upper Midwest and the Northeast are especially fond of oaks
but sugar maple trees appear to be relatively resistant to the European pest. Biologists wondered whether the caterpillars shun sugar maples in part
because their leaves are less nutritious than the leaves of other trees. To find out U-M biochemist Ray Barbehenn
when gypsy moths do most of their feeding. However the researchers found that protein is more abundant in oak leaves than in maple leaves.
She said her work studying protein metabolism in gypsy moth caterpillars shaped her decision to pursue a doctorate in nutrition.
In the gypsy moth study the students used a long-pole pruner to reach into the crowns of Diag oaks and maples and collect leaves.
The whole-body essential amino acid composition of gypsy moth caterpillars was measured to estimate their optimum dietary protein composition which was compared with the EAA compositions of oak and maple leaves.
The ability to literally walk out the door to work on tree defenses against pests like the gypsy moth coupled with an abundance of undergraduate talent makes the U-M campus an ideal location for studies in insect chemical ecology Barbehenn said.
The protein study showed that gypsy moths would have to devour more maple leaves than oak leaves to achieve the same amount of nourishment.
That is different from most species such as deer warblers and swallowtail butterflies whose populations tend to be regular around some average abundance based on food weather and other external factors says Matt Ayres a professor in the Department of Biological sciences at Dartmouth and senior author on the paper.
#Genome of diamondback moth provides new clues for sustainable pest managementan international research consortium led by Fujian Agriculture Forestry University (FAFU)
and BGI has completed the first genome sequence of the diamondback moth (DBM) the most destructive pest of brassica crops.
The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) preferentially feeds on economically important food crops such as rapeseed cauliflower and cabbage.
Compared with other sequenced insect species they found that the diamondback moth possesses a relatively larger set of genes
Additionally the genome-based phylogeny demonstrated that DBM was a basal lepidopteran species which is supported well by its modal karyotype.
In this study researchers found DBM has a larger set of insecticide resistance-related genes than silkworm (B. mori) that had little exposure to insecticide over 5000 years of domestication.
and have the first publicly accessible database of diamondback moth genome. I expect we could translate our achievements into real actions for sustainable pest management in the near future.
The complete genome sequence of diamondback moth is publicly available via visit http://www. iae. fafu. edu. cn/DBM.
e g. caterpillars) consume more nonnative (introduced from other places) oak leaf material in areas with diverse native plant communities than in less diverse communities.
The Max Planck scientists have discovered now why this defensive strategy fails to work against Spodoptera larvae.
which explains the success of Spodoptera species. Plants usually defend themselves against insect feeding by producing toxins or deterrents.
With the abundance of maize grown throughout the world it is not surprising that the crop has many insect pests including larvae of the Genus spodoptera.
In North and South america the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda is an important maize pest causing considerable damage.
The plant also produces an enzyme active in caterpillar guts which cleaves DIMBOA-glucoside to release the sugar.
or cease growing but not the fall armyworm. A group of researchers led by Daniel Giddings Vassã£o
Caterpillars of the fall armyworm and two other Spodoptera species deploy a gut enzyme that catalyzes the attachment of a sugar to the toxic free DIMBOA.
Like his colleague Daniel Giddings Vassã£o Felipe Wouters is from Brazil where fall armyworm caused major losses of the maize yield before Bt maize was introduced.
According to a Reuters report this summer Brazilian farmers are complaining that Bt is not protecting the plants against the fall armyworm any longer.
If we can better understand how much this gut enzyme has helped the fall armyworm to become such a dangerous pest on maize we may be able to use this to our advantage by impairing this insect enzyme
and the encoding genes that are responsible for the detoxification process in the fall armyworm. They also want to look for equivalent enzymes in related species and compare these.
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