Spiroplasmas: diversity of arthropod reservoirs and host-parasite relationships

Spiroplasmas were found in 11 new insect hosts representing four orders: Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. Three of the new spiroplasmas were serologically distinct from all existing groups or subgroups. A spiroplasma that infects digestive tracts of Colorado potato beetles may be transmitted to uninfected insects that feed on contaminated plants. This simple type of spiroplasma-insect relationship may explain a growing list of isolations of spiroplasmas and other wall-less prokaryotes from plant surfaces.     

Adenovirus multiplication: inhibition by methisazone

Methisazone (5 to 40 microM) inhibited the multiplication of types 3, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 21, and 28 adenovirus; SV15 (a simian adenovirus) was also inhibited. A study of adenovirus 11 under single-cycle conditions showed that multiplication of the virus, was completely inhibited by 30 microM methisazone when addition of the compound was delayed until 13 hours after infection. A survey showed that the structure-activity relations of the action of methisazone against adenoviruses and pox viruses are similar.     

L-leucine: a neuroactive substance in insects

A compound was isolated from the blood of silkworm larvae, Bombyx mori, which had been prostrated with DDT; this compound increased the spontaneous discharge in the isolated abdominal nerve cord of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. The compound was identified as L-leucine.     

Ozone: depression of frond multiplication and floral production in duckweed

Plants of Lemna perpusilla #6746 grown in an environment charged daily with a low concentration of ozone over 2 weeks were slower to begin multiplying, had a significantly lower rate of frond doubling, and required longer to produce fewer flowers than control plants. Treated plants produced smaller, slightly yellow fronds but had no symptoms of acute injury. Control plants produced four times as many fronds and six times as many flowers as plants continuously exposed to ozone (0.1 part per million).     

Remote radar sensing: atmospheric structure and insects

A high-resolution radar sounder has been used in the simultaneous detection of atmospheric structure and insects. The vertical distribution of insects was often correlated with atmospheric structure. Continuous recordings revealed diurnal fluctuations and layering of insects at various altitudes.     

d-tubocurarine chloride: effect on insects

Injection of d-tubocurarine chloride into certain insects produces complete flaccid paralysis. The site of injection is closely related to the region of primary paralysis. The effect depends on concentration, with distinct differences in the optimum concentrations for various species so far tested. A dose-response curve has been prepared for Calliphora erythrocephala.     

Wolbachia and virus protection in insects

Wolbachia pipientis bacteria are common endosymbionts of insects that are best known for their ability to increase their prevalence in populations by manipulating host reproductive systems. However, there are examples of Wolbachia that exist in nature that seem to induce no reproductive parasitism trait and yet are able to invade populations. We demonstrate a fitness benefit for Wolbachia-infected insects that may explain this paradox. Drosophila melanogaster flies infected with Wolbachia are less susceptible to mortality induced by a range of RNA viruses. The antiviral protection associated with Wolbachia infection might be exploited in future strategies to reduce transmission of pathogens by insects.     

我国食用昆虫研究、开发现状与发展前景

介绍了中国食用昆虫的历史及食虫习俗、食用昆虫种质资源,分析了食用昆虫产品开发的现状及影响其开发的因素,指出了开发食用昆虫资源的应对措施及食用昆虫在中国的发展前景。     

Thermoregulation in endothermic insects

On the basis of body weight, most flying insects have higher rates of metabolism, and hence heat production, than other animals. However, rapid rates of cooling because of small body size in most cases precludes appreciable endothermy. The body temperature of small flies in flight is probably close to ambient temperature, and that of flying butterflies and locusts is 5 degrees to 10 degrees C above ambient temperature. Many moths and bumblebees are insulated with scales and hair, and their metabolism during flight can cause the temperature of the flight muscles to increase 20 degrees to 30 degrees C above ambient temperature. Curiously, those insects which (because of size, insulation) retain the most heat in the thorax during flight, also require the highest muscle temperature in order to maintain sufficient power output to continue flight. The minimum muscle temperature for flight varies widely between different species, while the maximum temperature varies over the relatively narrow range of 40 degrees to 45 degrees C. As a consequence, those insects that necessarily generate high muscle temperatures during flight must maintain their thoracic temperature within a relatively narrow range during flight. Active heat loss from the thorax to the abdomen prevents overheating of the flight motor and allows some large moths to be active over a wide range of ambient temperatures. Bumblebees similarly transfer heat from the flight musculature into the abdomen while incubating their brood by abdominal contact. Many of the larger insects would remain grounded if they did not actively increase the temperature of their flight muscles prior to flight. Male tettigoniid grasshoppers elevate their thoracic temperature prior to singing. In addition, some of the social Hymenoptera activate the "flight" muscles specifically to produce heat not only prior to flight but also during nest temperature regulation. During this "shivering" the "flight" muscles are often activated in patterns different from those during flight. The muscles contract primarily against each other rather than on the wings. However, the rate of heat production during shivering and flight is primarily a function of the action potential frequency rather than of the patterns of activation. Thermoregulation is a key factor in the energetics of foraging of some of the flower-visiting insects. The higher their muscle temperature the more flowers they can visit per unit time. When food supplies are ample, bees may invest relatively large amounts of energy for thermoregulation. While shivering to maintain high body temperatures during the short intervals they are perched on flowers (as well as while in the nest), bumblebees often expend energy at rates similar to the rates of energy expenditure in flight. Unlike vertebrates, which usually regulate their body temperature at specific set points, the body temperature of insects is labile. It often appears to be maintained near the lower temperature at which the muscles are able to perform the function at hand. The insects' thermal adaptations may not differ as much from those of vertebrates as previously supposed when size, anatomy, and energy requirements are taken into account.     

昆虫蛋白质的开发与应用

本文就昆虫蛋白质的国内外研究进展进行了系统阐述,指出昆虫食品开发的潜力大。     

相思树种的体外繁殖及基因工程研究进展

该文从茎尖的培养、器官发生和体细胞胚胎发生3个方面详细综述了国内外近30年来相思树体外繁殖的研究进展,并分析总结了相思树基因工程育种的研究近况,从而提出了相思树体外繁殖及基因工程研究所存在的问题及发展趋势.认为只有在阐明相思树体外再生的生化、生理机制的基础上,才能对其体外繁殖进行有效的控制,进而促进更多、更有价值的林木基因工程新品种的培育.      

Ecdysones and analogs: effects on development and reproduction of insects

Ingestion of certain synthetic ecdysone analogs inhibited larval growth and development in several species of insects, whereas 20-hydroxyecdysone was inactive or considerably less active. Natural 20-hydroxyecdysone and ponasterone A, and a synthetic ecdysone analog inhibited ovarian maturation and egg production in the adult housefly. These effects appeared to be related to hormonal activity.