Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.2
3.0
Journals
Insects
Special Issues
Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest...
share announcement

Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest Ecosystems: Destabilizing Agents

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6919

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Erifili P. Nika

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: stored-product protection; chemical control; non-chemical control; stored-product insect biology and ecology; insect morphology; insect identification; insect population growth; insect demography; aphid parasitoids; forest entomology
Prof. Dr. Nickolas G. Kavallieratos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: stored-product protection; stored-product insect biology; chemical control; non-chemical control; trapping and sampling; taxonomy; aphid parasitoids; forest entomology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The trophic associations of arthropods (Insecta and Arachnida) constitute a complex natural system. However, they can be destabilized by biotic and abiotic factors. The impacts of destabilizers such as pesticides, climate change, water and air pollution, fertilizers, environmental degradation, industrial waste, pharmaceutical products, and changes in biodiversity on arthropods are yet to be discovered. Therefore, we are pleased to invite submissions of research and review articles to this Special Issue of Insects. Papers that consider the effects of the above factors on beneficial arthropods (e.g., predators, parasitoids, pollinators, etc.) are welcome.

Dr. Erifili P. Nika
Dr. Nickolas G. Kavallieratos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodiversity
  • pesticide
  • pollution
  • climate crisis
  • food chain

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 1398 KiB  
Article
Tuta absoluta-Specific DNA in Domestic and Synanthropic Vertebrate Insectivore Feces
by Dirk Janssen, Emilio González-Miras and Estefanía Rodríguez
Insects 2023, 14(8), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14080673 - 28 Jul 2023
Viewed by 2342
Abstract
The ecology of greenhouse pests generally involves parasitoid or predatory insects. However, we investigated whether the leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is part of the diet of domestic and synanthropic vertebrate animals, such as birds, reptiles, and mammals, and that [...] Read more.
The ecology of greenhouse pests generally involves parasitoid or predatory insects. However, we investigated whether the leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is part of the diet of domestic and synanthropic vertebrate animals, such as birds, reptiles, and mammals, and that take part in an ecosystem that contains a high density of tomato greenhouses. Feces from domesticated partridges, common quails, and chickens, as well as from wild lizards were collected within tomato greenhouses, and fecal pellets from bats, swallows, common swifts, and house martins living in the vicinity of tomato greenhouses were collected outside. The efficiencies of three different DNA extraction methods were compared on bird, reptile, and mammal stool samples, and the DNA extracts were analyzed using probe real-time PCR for the presence of T. absoluta DNA. The results showed that bats fed on the pest, which was also part of the diet of several bird species: partridges and common quails kept within tomato greenhouses and swallows and common swifts living outside but in the vicinity of tomato greenhouses. In addition, fecal samples of three lizard species living near tomato crops also tested positive for T. absoluta DNA. The results suggest that aerial foraging bats and insectivorous birds are part of ecosystems that involve leaf miners and tomato greenhouses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest Ecosystems: Destabilizing Agents)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
Five Surfaces Treated with d-Tetramethrin plus Acetamiprid for the Management of Tenebrio molitor and Alphitobius diaperinus: Which Is the Best?
by Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Erifili P. Nika and Penelope D. Gounari
Insects 2023, 14(5), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050452 - 11 May 2023
Viewed by 1957
Abstract
Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Alphitobius diaperinus Panzer (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are two common tenebrionids occurring in grain storages. In this study, we assessed the immediate and delayed mortalities caused by d-tetramethrin plus acetamiprid on five different surfaces, i.e., plastic, glass, metal, wood, [...] Read more.
Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Alphitobius diaperinus Panzer (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) are two common tenebrionids occurring in grain storages. In this study, we assessed the immediate and delayed mortalities caused by d-tetramethrin plus acetamiprid on five different surfaces, i.e., plastic, glass, metal, wood, and ceramic, against adults of the two species. The tests included two label doses of the insecticide (minimum and maximum) and two food scenarios (food and no food). Generally, the maximum dose was more efficient than the minimum dose, and the presence of food resulted in lower observed mortalities than when food was absent. Tenebrio molitor was more susceptible than A. diaperinus, at all dose, food, and surface scenarios. At delayed bioassays, both doses killed all T. molitor on plastic, while on wood, mortality ranged between 80.6 and 100.0%, regardless of the food scenario. Concerning A. diaperinus, delayed mortalities ranged among treated surfaces, food scenarios, and dose from 58.3 to 100.0%. The insecticide killed the most individuals when it was treated on glass, while when it was applied on wood caused the death of the least individuals. Concerning plastic, metal, and ceramic surfaces, no general trend was observed. The maximum dose of the tested insecticide provides elevated mortalities for both species when food is absent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest Ecosystems: Destabilizing Agents)
12 pages, 1037 KiB  
Article
Uncovering the Male Presence in Parthenogenetic Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae): Insights into Its mtDNA Divergence and Reproduction Strategy
by Nikoleta Eleftheriadou, Umar K. Lubanga, Greg K. Lefoe, M. Lukas Seehausen, Marc Kenis, Nickolas G. Kavallieratos and Dimitrios N. Avtzis
Insects 2023, 14(3), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030256 - 04 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1907
Abstract
Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae), an endemic species in Greece and Turkey, is a major contributor to the annual honey production in its native range. However, in the areas that it invades, lacking natural enemies, it has detrimental effects on pine trees and potentially [...] Read more.
Marchalina hellenica (Hemiptera: Marchalinidae), an endemic species in Greece and Turkey, is a major contributor to the annual honey production in its native range. However, in the areas that it invades, lacking natural enemies, it has detrimental effects on pine trees and potentially contributes to tree mortality. Although it was originally reported as thelytokous, males were later reported in Turkey and on several of the islands of Greece. To further disambiguate the exact parthenogenetic reproduction strategy of M. hellenica, we studied the emergence pattern of male individuals in Greece for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022). Furthermore, we examined the genetic variation among 15 geographically distant populations of M. hellenica in Greece using a mitochondrial DNA marker and compared the results with data from Turkey. The findings of this study document the existence of an additional M. hellenica population in its native range that repeatedly produces males, apart from the areas of Greece and Turkey in which they were initially reported, suggesting that males play a major, so far unknown role in the reproduction of this species. The populations in Greece and Turkey exhibited a strong genetic affinity, while human-aided dispersal seems to have obscured the genetic pattern acquired. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest Ecosystems: Destabilizing Agents)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop