Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Arthropod Plant Interact 2021 Jun 25;15(3):375-385. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA USA 94132.

The phytohormone production hypothesis suggests that organisms, including insects, induce galls by producing and secreting plant growth hormones. Auxins and cytokinins are classes of phytohormones that induce cell growth and cell division, which could contribute to the plant tissue proliferation which constitutes the covering gall. Bacteria, symbiotic with insects, may also play a part in gall induction by insects through the synthesis of phytohormones or other effectors. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2020 9;14(6):671-684. Epub 2020 Nov 9.

Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 102, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden.

Insect chemical ecology (ICE) evolved as a discipline concerned with plant-insect interactions, and also with a strong focus on intraspecific pheromone-mediated communication. Progress in this field has rendered a more complete picture of how insects exploit chemical information in their surroundings in order to survive and navigate their world successfully. Simultaneously, this progress has prompted new research questions about the evolution of insect chemosensation and related ecological adaptations, molecular mechanisms that mediate commonly observed behaviors, and the consequences of chemically mediated interactions in different ecosystems. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2020 13;14(2):193-206. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK.

Floral guides are signal patterns that lead pollinators to floral rewards after they have located the flower, and increase foraging efficiency and pollen transfer. Patterns of several floral signalling modalities, particularly colour patterns, have been identified as being able to function as floral guides. Floral temperature frequently shows patterns that can be used by bumblebees for locating and recognising the flower, but whether these temperature patterns can function as a floral guide has not been explored. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2018 Feb 5;12(1):21-29. Epub 2017 Jul 5.

Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, 1040 E 4 Street, PO Box 210077, Tucson AZ 85721.

Plants have evolved many defenses against insect herbivores, including numerous chemicals that can reduce herbivore growth, performance, and fitness. One group of chemicals, the tropane alkaloids, is commonly found in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and has been thought to reduce performance and fitness in insects. We examined the effects of the tropane alkaloid scopolamine, the alkaloid constituent of , which is the most frequent host plant for the abundant and widespread insect herbivore in the southwestern United States. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2015 Dec 8;9(6):613-622. Epub 2015 Oct 8.

Division of Open Areas and Biodiversity, Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, Jerusalem, Israel.

Damage to petals may have varying effects on the reproductive success of the plant. The variation may depend on the kind of damage to the corolla. Whether the damage is limited to the corolla, as is usually the case with nectar-robbing perforations, or extending to the reproductive parts of the flower, as in the case of florivory holes, might determine the extent of the effect on the plant's reproduction. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2012 Dec;6(4):671-681

Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Sexually deceptive orchids mimic signals emitted by female insects in order to attract mate-searching males. Specific attraction of the targeted pollinator is achieved by sex pheromone mimicry, which constitutes the major attraction channel. In close vicinity of the flower, visual signals may enhance attraction, as was shown recently in the sexually deceptive orchid . Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2010 Sep;4(3):141-148

Department of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria,

Almost all species of the orchid genus Ophrys are pollinated by sexual deception. The orchids mimic the sex pheromone of receptive female insects, mainly hymenopterans, in order to attract males seeking to copulate. Most Ophrys species have achromatic flowers, but some exhibit a coloured perianth and a bright, conspicuous labellum pattern. Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2009 Dec;3(4):203-208

Brackenridge Field Laboratory and Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.

Neotropical and butterflies actively collect pollen onto the proboscis and extract nutrients from it. This study investigates the impact of the processing behaviour on the condition of the pollen grains. Pollen samples ( = 72) were collected from proboscides of various species and in surrounding habitats of the Tropical Research Station La Gamba (Costa Rica). Read More

Arthropod Plant Interact 2008 Jun;2(2):101-107

Towson University, Department of Biological Sciences, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252.

Nine alkaloids (acridine, aristolochic acid, atropine, berberine, caffeine, nicotine, scopolamine, sparteine, and strychnine) were evaluated as feeding deterrents for gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar (L.); Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Our aim was to determine and compare the taste threshold concentrations, as well as the ED(50) values, of the nine alkaloids to determine their potency as feeding deterrents. Read More