DOCSLIB.ORG

MORPHOMETRICS and VISUAL ECOLOGY of the ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID Diaphorina Citri KUWAYAMA (HEMIPTERA: LIVIIDAE)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
MORPHOMETRICS and VISUAL ECOLOGY of the ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID Diaphorina Citri KUWAYAMA (HEMIPTERA: LIVIIDAE) MORPHOMETRICS AND VISUAL ECOLOGY OF THE ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID Diaphorina citri KUWAYAMA (HEMIPTERA: LIVIIDAE) By THOMSON M. PARIS A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 © 2016 Thomson Paris To my mother and father ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for this research was in a large part provided by Drs. Phil Stansly and Sandra Allan through grants from the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. I thank Dr. Stansly, committee chair for his continued support, wise advice, counsel and encouragement throughout this process. I also thank other members of my committee Dr. Sandra Allan, Dr. Susan Halbert, and Dr. Dean Gabriel for their time, support, council and advice concerning my research. I would like to thank Dr. Sandra Allan for opening her lab, investing enormous amount of time, and providing all the tools necessary for successful research. I thank Dr. Richard Mankin for his support in providing help by means of advice, lab space, and volunteers. I thank Scott Croxton for assisting in the collection of ACP over the course of the years, for providing a place to stay while in Immokalee, and for many long talks. I thank Dr. Cesar Monzo for assisting in the collection of ACP in two different groves. I thank Jane Sharpe for making sure I never went hungry and also for providing much support in maintaining plants and ACP colonies at the USDA. I thank Heidi Burnsides for her work in assisting the morphometrics project, visual behavior bioassays and making sure the plants were always in good condition. I thank Barukh Rohde for his fellowship in all things research and in assisting in the recruitment of many wonderful undergraduate volunteers. I thank all the volunteers who assisted in various parts of the research; without you many elements of this research would not have been possible (Sandy Sanchez, Neha Pundi, Gabriella Hetsey, Klea Kulla, Katie Kang, Richard Robinson, Moshe Kodesh, Krystell Prince, Divyakshi Solanki, Meghan Medacier, Inbar Aberman, Morgan Hull, Danny Ghannoum, Daniel Fiallkovsky, Mary Kate Sirianni, Joe Denicola and Maya Jones). I thank Robert Aldridge and Nina Zagvazdina for their support. I thank Bradley Udell, the 4 best of the best. I thank Dr. Seth McNeil for providing assistance with computer coding and general wisdom. I thank Eric Paulsen for assistance when building several different bioassay arenas. I thank Larry Pitts for invaluable help with development of the variable resistance box. I thank Betty Weaver and Everett Foreman for their good humor and assistance in many different projects. I would like to thank my good friend and biological illustrator Xavier Moss for providing such excellent drawings of psyllids. I thank my family and girlfriend for their support and commitment to seeing me through this process, I love you all. I am thankful to God for leading me down this path. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ 11 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 17 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 17 History of Morphometrics .................................................................................. 18 Allometry .......................................................................................................... 21 Morphometric Variation .................................................................................... 22 Host plant Location ........................................................................................... 23 Color Choice Studies ........................................................................................ 24 Polarized Light .................................................................................................. 27 Circadian Clocks .............................................................................................. 28 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 30 2 HOST PLANT AFFECTS MORPHOMETRIC VARIATION OF Diaphorina citri ...... 33 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 33 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 35 Host Plants and ACP Rearing .......................................................................... 35 Preparation and Digitization of Specimens ....................................................... 36 Geometric Morphometrics ................................................................................ 38 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 38 Results .................................................................................................................... 40 Traditional Morphometrics ................................................................................ 40 Geometric Morphometrics ................................................................................ 42 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 44 3 MORPHOMETRIC EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON ASIAN CITRUS PSYLLID ................................................................................................... 61 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 61 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 64 Insect Colony .................................................................................................... 64 Effect of Temperature ....................................................................................... 64 Effect of Photoperiod ........................................................................................ 65 Field Collection of ACP .................................................................................... 65 6 Preparation and Digitization of Specimens ....................................................... 67 Geometric Morphometrics ................................................................................ 68 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 68 Results .................................................................................................................... 70 Effect of Temperature ....................................................................................... 70 Effect of Photoperiod ........................................................................................ 72 Color Morphs .................................................................................................... 73 Field Collection ................................................................................................. 75 Host Plants ....................................................................................................... 77 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 78 4 THE RELATIONSHIP OF REARING DENSITY IN THE LAB AND FIELD TO MORPHOMETRIC VARIATION OF Diaphorina citri ............................................. 102 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 102 Materials and Methods.......................................................................................... 104 Field Collection ............................................................................................... 104 Insect Colony .................................................................................................. 107 Effect of ACP Rearing Density ....................................................................... 107 Preparation and Digitization of Specimens ..................................................... 108 Traditional morphometrics .............................................................................. 109 Geometric morphometrics .............................................................................. 109 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 110 Results .................................................................................................................. 111 Effect of sampling location .............................................................................. 111 Effect of Density ............................................................................................. 113 Color Morph .................................................................................................... 114 Discussion ...........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pollination of Cultivated Plants in the Tropics 111 Rrun.-Co Lcfcnow!Cdgmencle
    ISSN 1010-1365 0 AGRICULTURAL Pollination of SERVICES cultivated plants BUL IN in the tropics 118 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO 6-lina AGRICULTUTZ4U. ionof SERNES cultivated plans in tetropics Edited by David W. Roubik Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Panama Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations F'Ø Rome, 1995 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. M-11 ISBN 92-5-103659-4 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. FAO 1995 PlELi. uion are ted PlauAr David W. Roubilli (edita Footli-anal ISgt-iieulture Organization of the Untled Nations Contributors Marco Accorti Makhdzir Mardan Istituto Sperimentale per la Zoologia Agraria Universiti Pertanian Malaysia Cascine del Ricci° Malaysian Bee Research Development Team 50125 Firenze, Italy 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Stephen L. Buchmann John K. S. Mbaya United States Department of Agriculture National Beekeeping Station Carl Hayden Bee Research Center P.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate-Related Transboundary Pests and Diseases
    HLC/08/BAK/4 CLIMATE-RELATED TRANSBOUNDARY PESTS AND DISEASES TECHNICAL BACKGROUND DOCUMENT FROM THE EXPERT CONSULTATION HELD ON 25 TO 27 FEBRUARY 2008 FAO, ROME CLIMATE CHANGE AND PEST DISEASES The movement of plant pests, animal diseases and invasive alien aquatic organisms across physical and political boundaries threatens food security and creates a global public concern across all countries and all regions. Countries allocate large resources to limit the spread and control of transboundary pests and diseases 1 such as avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease and locust. They also adapt animal and plant health services and activities and cooperate regionally and globally for prevention, early warning and control. There is clear evidence that climate change is altering the distribution, incidence and intensity of animal and plant pests and diseases such as Bluetongue, a sheep disease that is moving north into more temperate zones of Europe. Cannon (see Annex 1) found examples of plant pests whose distribution is shifting in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, most likely due to climatic factors. For example, migrant moths of the Old World bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera) had a phenomenal increase in the United Kingdom from 1969-2004 and there have been outbreaks at the northern edge of its range in Europe; cottony cushion scale ( Icerya purchasi) populations appear to be spreading northwards perhaps as a consequence of global warming; and cottony camellia scale ( Pulvinaria – Chloropulvinaria – floccifera) has become much more common in the United Kingdom, extending its range northwards in England and increasing its host range in the last decade or so, which is almost certainly in response to climate change.
    [Show full text]
  • Sweetpotato Major Pests.P65
    Sweetpotato:Sweetpotato:Sweetpotato: MajorMajorMajor PPPests,ests,ests, Diseases,Diseases, andand NutritionalNutritional DisordersDisordersDisorders T. Ames, N.E.J.M. Smit, A.R. Braun, J.N. O’Sullivan, and L.G. Skoglund ISBN 92-9060-187-6 Sweetpotato: Major Pests, Diseases, and Nutritional Disorders T. Ames, N.E.J.M. Smit, A.R. Braun, J.N. O’Sullivan, and L.G. Skoglund International Potato Center (CIP) C O N T E N T S The International Potato Center (CIP) is a scientific, nonprofit institution dedicated to the increased and more sustainable use of potato, Page sweetpotato, and other roots and tubers in the Foreword vii developing world, and to the improved management of agricultural resources in the Acknowledgments viii Andes and other mountain areas. CIP is part of the global agricultural research network known as the Consultative Group on Introduction 1 International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CGIAR Insect Pests of Sweetpotato and Their Management 3 International Potato Center Apartado 1558 Storage Root Feeders 4 Lima 12, Peru Sweetpotato Weevils (Cylas spp.) 4 West Indian Sweetpotato Weevil (Euscepes ISBN 92-9060-187-6 postfasciatus)10 Press run: 1000 Rough Sweetpotato Weevil (Blosyrus sp.) 12 Printed in Lima, Peru August, 1997 Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon spp.) 14 Peloropus Weevil (Peloropus batatae)14 Cover: Photo of chlorotic spots with and without purple margins induced White Grubs 15 by SPFMV (taken by S. Fuentes). Stemborers and Feeders 16 T. Ames, N.E.J.M. Smit, A.R. Braun, J.N. O’Sullivan, and L.G. Skoglund. Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon spp.) 16 1996. Sweetpotato: Major Pests, Diseases, and Nutritional Disorders.
    [Show full text]
  • Gold Medal Address / Allocution Du Médaillé D'or by Peter Kevan
    Gold medal address / Allocution du médaillé d'or By Peter Kevan Entomology: A celebration of Little Wonders ow does a plant gynoecologist qualify for an entomological Gold Medal? Yes, I Hcan be considered a plant gynoecologist - "Spread those petals!" That also makes me a plant androecologist. Most flowers are boystrous, and girlstrous. At the same time they are flam- boyant and flamgirlant adverstisements for sex. The "naughty bits" may be hanging out for all to dubbed anthropomorphic. Insects, when they visit see, or demurely hidden within the corolla. flowers, are not altruistic matchmakers. They de- That's all very well, be lewd, but for sexual mand recompense. What do they get? Mostly consummation, the union of male and female parts food. Nectar is sweet, but much more than that, it is needed. How do plants copulate? They use our is an elixir. Sugar for energy, amino acids for "Little Wonders". Yes, insects, especially are building the body beautiful, minerals as electro- plants' winged penises. And, the plant world is lytes, water for thirst. We can understand Shake- full of penis envy: "Mine is bigger than yours!"; spear's implication when he wrote "Where the "Mine stay longer than yours!"; "It's not how big bee sucks, there suck I; In a cowslip's bell I lie; it is, it's how you use it!" ...". Nectar is like Gatorade®. Pollen is nutri- Indeed, the jolly fun of plant procreation has tious. It's as nutritious as steak and eggs. Bees given me a career of insect study in Botany and "bake" bread with it, and feed it to their young.
    [Show full text]
  • Insects and Plants in the Pollination Ecology of the Boreal Zone
    Ecological Research (1993) 8, 247-267 REVIEW Insects and plants in the pollination ecology of the boreal zone P. G. KEVAN,1 E. A. TIKHMENEV2 AND M. Usux1 1 Department of Env, ronmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada and 2 Institute for Biological Problems of the North, Academy of Sciences, K. Marx Pr. 24, Magadan, 685000 Russia Pollination systems in the boreal zone range from generalist to specialist, both entomologically and botanically. The relative importance of wind pollination, insect pollination, sexual separation between and within plants, and between flowers, hermaphroditism of flowers, and various breeding systems are related to plant growth form and habitat. The diversity and specializations of anthophilous insects parallel those in other bioge0graphic zones, but seem less developed. We suggest that this reflects the combined effects of evolutionary youth, severity of climate, restriction of symbiont ranges within those of their hosts, and the naturally frequent perturbations by fire or insect outbreaks in the zone, requiring faunal and floral vagility and constraining specialization in mutualism. Modern perturbations by logging and pesticides seem to be well buffered because of the relative openness of the ecosystem (compared to others), although damage has been documented. Insect pollination is as much a keystone process in the boreal forest as elsewhere, despite the immediate counter-impression given by the dominance ofwind-pollinated conifers. Nevertheless, there are few studies, botanical or entomological in situ. The boreal system offers important opportunities in general and applied research in pollination ecology and synecology generally. Key words: anthecology; boreal; floral biology; pollinators; taiga. INTRODUCTION Baldwin (1991).
    [Show full text]
  • Niche Versus Chance and Tree Diversity in Forest Gaps
    Niche versus chance and tree 07t.pcl diversity in forest gaps Nicholas Brokaw and Richard T. Busing by have so many ecolo- Studies that are unprecedented in scale, detail are lower in the temperate zone, gists been concerned or approach show that niche partitioning direct light is less in the temper- W with gap dynamics in contributes less, and chance events more, than ate gaps but reaches further into forests? One compelling reason is expected to maintaining tree species richness the surrounding understory12. that gap dynamics might promote via gap dynamics in tropical and temperate The second premise is largely the coexistence of competing tree forests. Some tree species are differentially valid. In controlled studies in species and thus help explain tree adapted for regeneration in different gap both tropica1 13-15 and temperate diversity. Gap dynamics is the microenvironments. However, the stochastic forests5.16,17, many tree species do process by which one or a few availability of gaps, and limited recruitment of perform differently along resource trees die, leaving a gap in the for- juveniles, mean that gaps are filled mostly by gradients characteristic of the est canopy that is then filled by chance occupants rather than by best adapted gap—understory continuum, but other trees. Our question is: how species. This chance survival can slow some species do not8. The differ- much does niche partitioning competitive exclusion and maintain tree ences in performance involve (specialization on different re- diversity. Gap dynamics do not explain the establishment, growth and survival sources), versus chance events of latitudinal gradient in tree richness.
    [Show full text]
  • Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch
    Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch 83rd Annual Meeting March 16-19, 2012 Hilton Hotel Hartford, CT Entomologists Doing Entomology Photo Credits: male Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Gevork Arakelian; SWD distribution map, Hannah Burrack The Program Encapsulated – 2012 Friday, March 16 Evening President‘s Informal Reception 5:00-7:00 Hilton Ballroom West Saturday, March 17 Morning Registration 8:00-12:00 3rd floor foyer Executive Committee Meeting 8:00-11:00 Mark Twain Spotted Wing Drosophila 8:00-12:00 Connecticut salon A Poster Setup 8:00-12:00 Hilton Ballroom East/Central Bug‘s world 10:00-12:00 Hilton Ballroom West & foyer Afternoon Registration 12:00-5:00 3rd floor foyer Bug‘s world 12:00-3:00 Hilton Ballroom West & foyer Posters, Sponsors 12:00-5:00 Hilton Ballroom East/Central Student Poster Competition 12:00-5:00 Hilton Ballroom East/Central Student Oral Competition 1:00-5:48 Ethan Allen Evening President‘s Reception 6:00-8:00 Hilton Ballroom East/Central Branch Awards, ESA Presidential 8:00-11:00 Hilton Ballroom West Address & Linnaean Games Sunday, March 18 Morning Registration 8:00-12:00 3rd floor foyer IDEP Symposium 8:00-12:00 Ethan Allen Urban Entomology Symposium 8:00-12:00 Connecticut salon A Student Symposium w/ 8:00-12:00 Hilton Ballroom West Asa Fitch & Comstock Award Winners Afternoon Registration 12:00-5:00 3rd floor foyer Industry Symposium 1:00-5:00 Ethan Allen Taxonomy/Systematics Symposium 1:00-5:00 Connecticut salon A Submitted Oral Presentations 2:00-3:46 Mark Twain Evening Social and Cash Bar 6:00-7:00 3rd floor foyer Banquet, Student Competition 7:00-10:00 Hilton Ballroom West Awards & Keynote Speaker (Tom Turpin) Monday, March 19 Morning Final Business Meeting 7:00-8:00 Mark Twain Brown Marmorated Stink Bug 8:00-12:00 Hilton Grand Ballroom East Vector Biology Symposium 8:00-12:00 Ethan Allen Adjourn 12:00 2 Hotel Floor Plan 3 www.entsoc.org Phone: 301-731-4535 4 2012 Sponsors AMVAC BASF CORPORATION BAYER CROPSCIENCE DELAWARE DEPT.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Role of Nardonella Endosymbiont in Its Weevil Host
    Biological Role of Nardonella Endosymbiont in Its Weevil Host Takashi Kuriwada1., Takahiro Hosokawa2., Norikuni Kumano1, Keiko Shiromoto1, Dai Haraguchi1, Takema Fukatsu2* 1 Okinawa Prefectural Plant Protection Center, Naha, Japan, 2 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan Abstract Weevils constitute the most species-rich animal group with over 60,000 described species, many of which possess specialized symbiotic organs and harbor bacterial endosymbionts. Among the diverse microbial associates of weevils, Nardonella spp. represent the most ancient and widespread endosymbiont lineage, having co-speciated with the host weevils for over 125 million years. Thus far, however, no empirical work on the role of Nardonella for weevil biology has been reported. Here we investigated the biological role of the Nardonella endosymbiont for the West Indian sweet potato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus. This insect is an experimentally tractable pest insect that can easily be reared on a natural diet of sweet potato root as well as on an agar-based artificial diet. By larval feeding on an antibiotic-containing artificial diet, Nardonella infection was effectively eliminated from the treated insects. The antibiotic-treated insects exhibited significantly lighter body weight and lower growth rate than the control insects. Then, the antibiotic-treated insects and the control insects were respectively allowed to mate and oviposit on fresh sweet potatoes without the antibiotic. The offspring of the antibiotic-treated insects, which were all Nardonella-negative, exhibited significantly lighter body weight, smaller body size, lower growth rate and paler body color in comparison with the offspring of the control insects, which were all Nardonella- positive.
    [Show full text]
  • A Broca Da Batata-Doce (Euscepes Postfasciatus): Descrição, Bionomia E Controle
    ISSN 1519-7328 A Broca da Batata-Doce (Euscepes postfasciatus): Descrição, Bionomia e Controle 6 Introdução A batata-doce (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., Convolvulaceae) ocupa a quinta posição em termos de alimentos produzidos no mundo, alcançando uma produção de aproximadamente 135 milhões de toneladas em 2001. Desse total, aproximadamente 92% são produzidos na Ásia e ilhas do Pacífico, sendo quase 85% na China. Nesse mesmo ano, o Brasil produziu 485 mil toneladas, sendo que a maior parte é consumida na alimentação humana em sua forma natural; porém, nos últimos 20 anos, a cultura da batata-doce vem passando por uma fase de franca decadência, tendo diminuído sua área de plantio de quase 84.000 ha em 1980, com uma produtividade média nacional de 8,7 t/ha, para 44.000 ha em 2001, embora alcançando uma produtividade relativamente maior (11,0 t/ha). Todavia, essa cultura ocupa o quinto lugar em área plantada dentre Seropédica, RJ Outubro, 2002 as hortaliças cultivadas no Brasil, ficando atrás apenas da batata, melancia, cebola e tomate. Ademais, é cultivada em todos os estados brasileiros, sendo de grande importância para a população brasileira de baixa renda, Autor principalmente na região Nordeste, onde se situam hoje quase 40% da área plantada no país, embora com produtividade média de 10 a 40% inferior a média nacional. No Rio Grande do Sul, que responde por 29% da produção Elen de Lima Aguiar Menezes nacional, a produtividade está ao redor de 7 t/ha. Esses patamares de produtividade estão bem aquém dos alcançados pela China (19,2 t/ha) e, já se Engenheira Agrônoma, D.Sc.
    [Show full text]
  • Isolates of Entomogenous Nematodes Heterorhabditis Spp. and Mortality
    Isolates of entomogenous nematodes Heterorhabditis spp. and mortality ©f larvae of Gallería mellonella, Cylas formicarius, Euscepes postfasciatus and Cosmopolites sordidus1 ¿ 4 Wüfredo Figueroa } Jessé Roman and Marcos A. Acosta* ABSTRACT The effect of several isolates of entomogenous nematodes, Heterohab- ditis spp., from Puerto Rico was tested under laboratory conditions against larvae of Gallería mellonella, Cylas formicarius, Euscepes postfasciatus, ana Cosmopolites sordidus. Five isolates demonstrated their capacity to kill the insect larvae. Isolate 2 was considered highly effective against all insects tested; isolates 14 and 27 caused high mortality rates to larvae of G. mellonella, E. postfasciatus and C. sordidus. Isolate 17 was effective against larvae of C sordidus; isolate 18 against E. postfasciatus. The rest of the isolates tested varied greatly in their ability to kill the larvae of the insects used. RESUMEN Aislados de nematodos entomógenos, Heterorhabditis spp., y la mortalidad de larvas de los insectos Gallería mellonella (L), Cylas formicarius (Fabricius), Euscepes postfasciatus (Faírmaire) y Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar). Se estudió en el laboratorio el efecto de varios aislados de Puerto Rico de nematodes entomógenos, Heterorhabditis spp., sobre larvas de Gallería mellonella, Cylas formicarius, Euscepes postfasciatus y Cosmopolites sor­ didus. Cinco aislados demostraron su capacidad para matar las larvas de los insectos. El aislado 2 fue altamente efectivo contra las larvas de todos los insectos estudiados; el 14 y el 27 les causaron alta mortalidad a las larvas de G. mellonella, E. postfasciatus y C. sordidus. El aislado 17 fue efectivo contra C, sordidus; el 18 contra E. postfasciatus. Los otros aislados probados variaron altamente en su eficacia contra las larvas de los insectos examinados.
    [Show full text]
  • UAV System, Which Is Designed to Deliver Measured Quantities of Naturally Beneficial Predators to Combat Pest Infestations Within Economically Acceptable Timeframes
    A University of Sussex DPhil thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details SUSTAINABLE CONTROL OF INFESTATIONS USING IMAGE PROCESSING AND MODELLING By FAITHPRAISE, FINA OTOSI Submitted For the Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy ENGINEERING & DESIGN RESEARCH SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX BRIGHTON UK MAY 2014 FAITHPRIASE FINA DEDICATION To the almighty God, for his mercy, strength and wisdom to reason out solutions rationally. To my spouse, Mr. Bassey Otosi Faithpraise, for his love, support, dedication, encouragement and tolerance for the successful completion of this research work. To my beloved children (Princewill, Godswill, Favour and Success) for all their sacrificial love and effort. To my Late Father, Mr Mbang Opla for dedicating his time to persuade me to desire the pursuit of higher academic degrees. DEDICATION Page i To God be the Glory, Great things he has done: Take a look at the world of insects, what lesson do you learn? It is only a fool that will say “there is no God” If insects could obey the laws of nature, scientifically we called them nuisance.
    [Show full text]
  • Replacements, Co-Speciation and Promiscuity of Bacteriocyte Symbionts in Weevils
    The ISME Journal (2013) 7, 1378–1390 & 2013 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved 1751-7362/13 www.nature.com/ismej ORIGINAL ARTICLE Diversification of endosymbiosis: replacements, co-speciation and promiscuity of bacteriocyte symbionts in weevils Hirokazu Toju1,2,3, Akifumi S Tanabe2,4, Yutaka Notsu5, Teiji Sota6 and Takema Fukatsu1 1Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan; 2Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan; 3Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan; 4Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; 5Kanagawa Prefectural Zama Special Education School, Zama, Japan and 6Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan The processes and mechanisms underlying the diversification of host–microbe endosymbiotic associations are of evolutionary interest. Here we investigated the bacteriocyte-associated primary symbionts of weevils wherein the ancient symbiont Nardonella has experienced two independent replacement events: once by Curculioniphilus symbiont in the lineage of Curculio and allied weevils of the tribe Curculionini, and once by Sodalis-allied symbiont in the lineage of grain weevils of the genus Sitophilus. The Curculioniphilus symbiont was detected from 27 of 36 Curculionini species examined, the symbiont phylogeny was congruent with the host weevil phylogeny, and the symbiont gene sequences exhibited AT-biased nucleotide compositions and accelerated molecular evolution. These results suggest that the Curculioniphilus symbiont was acquired by an ancestor of the tribe Curculionini, replaced the original symbiont Nardonella, and has co-speciated with the host weevils over evolutionary time, but has been occasionally lost in several host lineages.
    [Show full text]