- Home
- A-Z Publications
- Annual Review of Entomology
- Previous Issues
- Volume 62, 2017
Annual Review of Entomology - Volume 62, 2017
Volume 62, 2017
- Preface
-
-
-
Following the Yellow Brick Road
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 1–13More LessCharles Calisher was fascinated by microorganisms from the time he was in high school. He attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now University of the Sciences) (BS), then University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana (MS), and finally Georgetown University, in Washington, DC (PhD), the latter while employed at a commercial biological house. He was hired by the US Communicable Disease Center (now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta, Georgia, was transferred to its Fort Collins laboratories in 1973, and retired from there in 1992. After traveling the world a bit, Calisher joined the faculty of Colorado State University in 1993, then semiretired as professor emeritus in 2010. During all those years, he developed from a would-be virologist to an arbovirologist-epidemiologist, identifying scores of newly recognized viruses from throughout the world and helping to investigate disease outbreaks and epidemics. His interests (always primarily arboviruses but now also rodent-borne viruses and bat-borne viruses) continue to expand, and he continues to be involved in various aspects of virology and to assist and annoy journal editors and others in regard to viral taxonomy.
-
-
-
Behavioral Sabotage of Plant Defenses by Insect Folivores
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 15–34More LessPlant susceptibility to herbivore attack is determined not just by the suite of defenses present in different tissues of the plant, but also by the capabilities of the herbivore for tolerating, circumventing, or disarming the defenses. This article reviews the elaborate behaviors exhibited by leaf-chewing insects that appear to function specifically to deactivate hostplant defenses. Shortcomings in our understanding and promising areas for future research are highlighted. Behaviors covered include vein cutting, trenching, girdling, leaf clipping, and application of fluids from exocrine glands. Many of these behaviors have a widespread distribution, having evolved independently in multiple insect lineages. Insects utilizing the behaviors include significant agricultural, horticultural, and forestry pests, as well as numerous species important in natural ecosystems. Behavioral, ecological, and phylogenetic studies have documented the importance of the behaviors and their ancient history, but the molecular analysis of how the behaviors affect plant physiology has scarcely begun.
-
-
-
Neuropeptides as Regulators of Behavior in Insects
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 35–52More LessNeuropeptides are by far the largest and most diverse group of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms. They are ancient molecules important in regulating a multitude of processes. Their small proteinaceous character allowed them to evolve and radiate quickly into numerous different molecules. On average, hundreds of distinct neuropeptides are present in animals, sometimes with unique classes that do not occur in distantly related species. Acting as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, hormones, or growth factors, they are extremely diverse and are involved in controlling growth, development, ecdysis, digestion, diuresis, and many more physiological processes. Neuropeptides are also crucial in regulating myriad behavioral actions associated with feeding, courtship, sleep, learning and memory, stress, addiction, and social interactions. In general, behavior ensures that an organism can survive in its environment and is defined as any action that can change an organism's relationship to its surroundings. Even though the mode of action of neuropeptides in insects has been vigorously studied, relatively little is known about most neuropeptides and only a few model insects have been investigated. Here, we provide an overview of the roles neuropeptides play in insect behavior. We conclude that multiple neuropeptides need to work in concert to coordinate certain behaviors. Additionally, most neuropeptides studied to date have more than a single function.
-
-
-
Learning in Insect Pollinators and Herbivores
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 53–71More LessThe relationship between plants and insects is influenced by insects’ behavioral decisions during foraging and oviposition. In mutualistic pollinators and antagonistic herbivores, past experience (learning) affects such decisions, which ultimately can impact plant fitness. The higher levels of dietary generalism in pollinators than in herbivores may be an explanation for the differences in learning seen between these two groups. Generalist pollinators experience a high level of environmental variation, which we suggest favors associative learning. Larval herbivores employ habituation and sensitization—strategies useful in their less variable environments. Exceptions to these patterns based on habitats, mobility, and life history provide critical tests of current theory. Relevant plant traits should be under selection to be easily learned and remembered in pollinators and difficult to learn in herbivores. Insect learning thereby has the potential to have an important, yet largely unexplored, role in plant-insect coevolution.
-
-
-
Insect Pathogenic Fungi: Genomics, Molecular Interactions, and Genetic Improvements
Chengshu Wang, and Sibao WangVol. 62 (2017), pp. 73–90More LessEntomopathogenic fungi play a pivotal role in the regulation of insect populations in nature, and representative species have been developed as promising environmentally friendly mycoinsecticides. Recent advances in the genome biology of insect pathogenic fungi have revealed genomic features associated with fungal adaptation to insect hosts and different host ranges, as well as the evolutionary relationships between insect and noninsect pathogens. By using species in the Beauveria and Metarhizium genera as models, molecular biology studies have revealed the genes that function in fungus-insect interactions and thereby contribute to fungal virulence. Taken together with efforts toward genetic improvement of fungal virulence and stress resistance, knowledge of entomopathogenic fungi will potentiate cost-effective applications of mycoinsecticides for pest control in the field. Relative to our advanced insights into the mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis in plants and humans, future studies will be necessary to unravel the gene-for-gene relationships in fungus-insect interactive models.
-
-
-
Habitat Management to Suppress Pest Populations: Progress and Prospects
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 91–109More LessHabitat management involving manipulation of farmland vegetation can exert direct suppressive effects on pests and promote natural enemies. Advances in theory and practical techniques have allowed habitat management to become an important subdiscipline of pest management. Improved understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships means that researchers now have a firmer theoretical foundation on which to design habitat management strategies for pest suppression in agricultural systems, including landscape-scale effects. Supporting natural enemies with shelter, nectar, alternative prey/hosts, and pollen (SNAP) has emerged as a major research topic and applied tactic with field tests and adoption often preceded by rigorous laboratory experimentation. As a result, the promise of habitat management is increasingly being realized in the form of practical worldwide implementation. Uptake is facilitated by farmer participation in research and is made more likely by the simultaneous delivery of ecosystem services other than pest suppression.
-
-
-
MicroRNAs and the Evolution of Insect Metamorphosis
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 111–125More LessMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of a number of processes associated with metamorphosis, either in the less modified hemimetabolan mode or in the more modified holometabolan mode. The miR-100/let-7/miR-125 cluster has been studied extensively, especially in relation to wing morphogenesis in both hemimetabolan and holometabolan species. Other miRNAs also participate in wing morphogenesis, as well as in programmed cell and tissue death, neuromaturation, neuromuscular junction formation, and neuron cell fate determination, typically during the pupal stage of holometabolan species. A special case is the control of miR-2 over Kr-h1 transcripts, which determines adult morphogenesis in the hemimetabolan metamorphosis. This is an elegant example of how a single miRNA can control an entire process by acting on a crucial mediator; however, this is a quite exceptional mechanism that was apparently lost during the transition from hemimetaboly to holometaboly.
-
-
-
The Impact of Trap Type and Design Features on Survey and Detection of Bark and Woodboring Beetles and Their Associates: A Review and Meta-Analysis*
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 127–146More LessA large literature on the survey and detection of forest Coleoptera and their associates exists. Identification of patterns in the effect of trap types and design features among guilds and families of forest insects would facilitate the optimization and development of intercept traps for use in management programs. We reviewed the literature on trapping bark and woodboring beetles and their associates and conducted meta-analyses to examine patterns in effects across guilds and families; we observed the following general patterns: (a) Panel traps were superior to multiple-funnel traps, (b) bark beetles and woodborers were captured in higher numbers in traps treated with a surface treatment to make them slippery than untreated traps, (c) panel and multiple-funnel traps equipped with wet cups outperformed traps with dry cups, (d) black traps were superior to white and clear traps, and (e) purple traps were as good as or superior to green traps for Agrilus spp.
-
-
-
Tephritid Integrative Taxonomy: Where We Are Now, with a Focus on the Resolution of Three Tropical Fruit Fly Species Complexes
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 147–164More LessAccurate species delimitation underpins good taxonomy. Formalization of integrative taxonomy in the past decade has provided a framework for using multidisciplinary data to make species delimitation hypotheses more rigorous. We address the current state of integrative taxonomy by using as a case study an international project targeted at resolving three important tephritid species complexes: Bactrocera dorsalis complex, Anastrepha fraterculus complex, and Ceratitis FAR (C. fasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa) complex. The integrative taxonomic approach has helped deliver significant advances in resolving these complexes: It has been used to identify some taxa as belonging to the same biological species as well as to confirm hidden cryptic diversity under a single taxonomic name. Nevertheless, the general application of integrative taxonomy has not been without issue, revealing challenges that must be considered when undertaking an integrative taxonomy project. Scrutiny of this international case study provides a unique opportunity to document lessons learned for the benefit of not only tephritid taxonomists, but also the wider taxonomic community.
-
-
-
Emerging Themes in Our Understanding of Species Displacements
Yulin Gao, and Stuart R. ReitzVol. 62 (2017), pp. 165–183More LessThe displacement of a species from a habitat by actions of another is the most severe outcome of interspecific interactions. This review focuses on recent developments in the understanding of (a) ecological mechanisms that lead to displacements, (b) how outcomes of interspecific interactions are affected by the context of where and when they occur, and (c) impacts of displacements. Displacements are likely to escalate as their primary initiating factors—the spread of non-native species and environmental change—continue at unprecedented rates. Displacements typically result from interactions of multiple mechanisms, not all of which involve direct competition. Various biotic and abiotic factors mediate these mechanisms, so variable outcomes occur when the same species interact in different environments. Though replacement of one species by another has particular relevance to pest management and conservation biology, the cascading effects that displacements have in managed and natural systems are critical to understand.
-
-
-
Diversity of Cuticular Micro- and Nanostructures on Insects: Properties, Functions, and Potential Applications
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 185–205More LessInsects exhibit a fascinating and diverse range of micro- and nanoarchitectures on their cuticle. Beyond the spectacular beauty of such minute structures lie surfaces evolutionarily modified to act as multifunctional interfaces that must contend with a hostile, challenging environment, driving adaption so that these can then become favorable. Numerous cuticular structures have been discovered this century; and of equal importance are the properties, functions, and potential applications that have been a key focus in many recent studies. The vast range of insect structuring, from the most simplistic topographies to the most elegant and geometrically complex forms, affords us with an exhaustive library of natural templates and free technologies to borrow, replicate, and employ for a range of applications. Of particular importance are structures that imbue cuticle with antiwetting properties, self-cleaning abilities, antireflection, enhanced color, adhesion, and antimicrobial and specific cell-attachment properties.
-
-
-
Impacts of Insect Herbivores on Plant Populations
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 207–230More LessApparent feeding damage by insects on plants is often slight. Thus, the influences of insect herbivores on plant populations are likely minor. The role of insects on host-plant populations can be elucidated via several methods: stage-structured life tables of plant populations manipulated by herbivore exclusion and seed-addition experiments, tests of the enemy release hypothesis, studies of the effects of accidentally and intentionally introduced insect herbivores, and observations of the impacts of insect species that show outbreak population dynamics. These approaches demonstrate that some, but not all, insect herbivores influence plant population densities. At times, insect-feeding damage kills plants, but more often, it reduces plant size, growth, and seed production. Plant populations for which seed germination is site limited will not respond at the population level to reduced seed production. Insect herbivores can influence rare plant species and need to be considered in conservation programs. Alterations due to climate change in the distributions of insect herbivores indicate the possibility of new influences on host plants. Long-term studies are required to show if density-related insect behavior stabilizes plant populations or if environmental variation drives most temporal fluctuations in plant densities. Finally, insects can influence plant populations and communities through changing the diversity of nonhost species, modifying nutrient fluxes, and rejuvenating over mature forests.
-
-
-
Past, Present, and Future of Integrated Control of Apple Pests: The New Zealand Experience
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 231–248More LessThis review describes the New Zealand apple industry's progression from 1960s integrated pest control research to today's comprehensive integrated pest management system. With the exception of integrated mite control implemented during the 1980s, pest control on apple crops was dominated by intensive organophosphate insecticide regimes to control tortricid leafrollers. Multiple pest resistances to these insecticides by the 1990s, and increasing consumer demand for lower pesticide residues on fruit, led to the implementation of integrated fruit production. This substantially eliminated organophosphate insecticide use by 2001, replacing it with pest monitoring systems, threshold-based selective insecticides, and biological control. More recently, new demands for ultralow-residue fruit have increased the adoption of mating disruption and use of biological insecticides. Widespread adoption of selective pest management has substantially reduced the status of previously important pests, including leafrollers, mealybugs, leafhoppers, and mites for improved phytosanitary performance, and contributed to major reductions in total insecticide use.
-
-
-
Beekeeping from Antiquity Through the Middle Ages
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 249–264More LessBeekeeping had its origins in honey hunting—the opportunistic stealing of honey from wild honey bee nests. True beekeeping began when humans started providing artificial cavities within which the bees could build comb for the queen to lay her eggs and the workers could process honey. By 2450 BCE, the Egyptians had developed sophisticated apiculture, and, within two millennia, beekeeping with horizontal hives had spread throughout the Mediterranean. During Europe's Middle Ages, honey and wax became important commodities for trade, and beekeeping in skep, log, box, and tree hives flourished to meet the demand. Other species of honey bees contributed to the development and spread of beekeeping in Asia beginning around 300 BCE. Meanwhile, beekeeping evolved independently in Mesoamerica with the stingless bee Melipona beecheii, as documented by archaeological finds and written accounts that survived Spanish conquest.
-
-
-
Phylogeny and Evolution of Lepidoptera
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 265–283More LessUntil recently, deep-level phylogeny in Lepidoptera, the largest single radiation of plant-feeding insects, was very poorly understood. Over the past two decades, building on a preceding era of morphological cladistic studies, molecular data have yielded robust initial estimates of relationships both within and among the ∼43 superfamilies, with unsolved problems now yielding to much larger data sets from high-throughput sequencing. Here we summarize progress on lepidopteran phylogeny since 1975, emphasizing the superfamily level, and discuss some resulting advances in our understanding of lepidopteran evolution.
-
-
-
The Ambrosia Symbiosis: From Evolutionary Ecology to Practical Management
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 285–303More LessThe ambrosia beetle–fungus farming symbiosis is more heterogeneous than previously thought. There is not one but many ambrosia symbioses. Beetle-fungus specificity is clade dependent and ranges from strict to promiscuous. Each new origin has evolved a new mycangium. The most common relationship with host trees is colonization of freshly dead tissues, but there are also parasites of living trees, vectors of pathogenic fungi, and beetles living in rotten trees with a wood-decay symbiont. Most of these strategies are driven by fungal metabolism whereas beetle ecology is evolutionarily more flexible. The ambrosia lifestyle facilitated a radiation of social strategies, from fungus thieves to eusocial species to communities assembled by attraction to fungal scent. Although over 95% of the symbiotic pairs are economically harmless, there are also three types of pest damage: tree pathogen inoculation, mass accumulation on susceptible hosts, and structural damage. Beetles able to colonize live tree tissues are most likely to become invasive pests.
-
-
-
Social Life in Arid Environments: The Case Study of Cataglyphis Ants
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 305–321More LessUnlike most desert-dwelling animals, Cataglyphis ants do not attempt to escape the heat; rather, they apply their impressive heat tolerance to avoid competitors and predators. This thermally defined niche has promoted a range of adaptations both at the individual and colony levels. We have also recently discovered that within the genus Cataglyphis there are incredibly diverse social systems, modes of reproduction, and dispersal, prompting the tantalizing question of whether social diversity may also be a consequence of the harsh environment within which we find these charismatic ants. Here we review recent advances regarding the physiological, behavioral, life-history, colony, and ecological characteristics of Cataglyphis and consider perspectives on future research that will build our understanding of organic adaptive responses to desertification.
-
-
-
Processionary Moths and Associated Urtication Risk: Global Change–Driven Effects
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 323–342More LessProcessionary moths carry urticating setae, which cause health problems in humans and other warm-blooded animals. The pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa has responded to global change (climate warming and increased global trade) by extending its distribution range. The subfamily Thaumetopoeinae consists of approximately 100 species. An important question is whether other processionary moth species will similarly respond to these specific dimensions of global change and thus introduce health hazards into new areas. We describe, for the first time, how setae are distributed on different life stages (adult, larva) of major groups within the subfamily. Using the available data, we conclude that there is little evidence that processionary moths as a group will behave like T. pityocampa and expand their distributional range. The health problems caused by setae strongly relate to population density, which may, or may not, be connected to global change.
-
-
-
African Horse Sickness Virus: History, Transmission, and Current Status
Vol. 62 (2017), pp. 343–358More LessAfrican horse sickness virus (AHSV) is a lethal arbovirus of equids that is transmitted between hosts primarily by biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). AHSV affects draft, thoroughbred, and companion horses and donkeys in Africa, Asia, and Europe. In this review, we examine the impact of AHSV critically and discuss entomological studies that have been conducted to improve understanding of its epidemiology and control. The transmission of AHSV remains a major research focus and we critically review studies that have implicated both Culicoides and other blood-feeding arthropods in this process. We explore AHSV both as an epidemic pathogen and within its endemic range as a barrier to development, an area of interest that has been underrepresented in studies of the virus to date. By discussing AHSV transmission in the African republics of South Africa and Senegal, we provide a more balanced view of the virus as a threat to equids in a diverse range of settings, thus leading to a discussion of key areas in which our knowledge of transmission could be improved. The use of entomological data to detect, predict and control AHSV is also examined, including reference to existing studies carried out during unprecedented outbreaks of bluetongue virus in Europe, an arbovirus of wild and domestic ruminants also transmitted by Culicoides.
-
Previous Volumes
-
Volume 70 (2025)
-
Volume 69 (2024)
-
Volume 68 (2023)
-
Volume 67 (2022)
-
Volume 66 (2021)
-
Volume 65 (2020)
-
Volume 64 (2019)
-
Volume 63 (2018)
-
Volume 62 (2017)
-
Volume 61 (2016)
-
Volume 60 (2015)
-
Volume 59 (2014)
-
Volume 58 (2013)
-
Volume 57 (2012)
-
Volume 56 (2011)
-
Volume 55 (2010)
-
Volume 54 (2009)
-
Volume 53 (2008)
-
Volume 52 (2007)
-
Volume 51 (2006)
-
Volume 50 (2005)
-
Volume 49 (2004)
-
Volume 48 (2003)
-
Volume 47 (2002)
-
Volume 46 (2001)
-
Volume 45 (2000)
-
Volume 44 (1999)
-
Volume 43 (1998)
-
Volume 42 (1997)
-
Volume 41 (1996)
-
Volume 40 (1995)
-
Volume 39 (1994)
-
Volume 38 (1993)
-
Volume 37 (1992)
-
Volume 36 (1991)
-
Volume 35 (1990)
-
Volume 34 (1989)
-
Volume 33 (1988)
-
Volume 32 (1987)
-
Volume 31 (1986)
-
Volume 30 (1985)
-
Volume 29 (1984)
-
Volume 28 (1983)
-
Volume 27 (1982)
-
Volume 26 (1981)
-
Volume 25 (1980)
-
Volume 24 (1979)
-
Volume 23 (1978)
-
Volume 22 (1977)
-
Volume 21 (1976)
-
Volume 20 (1975)
-
Volume 19 (1974)
-
Volume 18 (1973)
-
Volume 17 (1972)
-
Volume 16 (1971)
-
Volume 15 (1970)
-
Volume 14 (1969)
-
Volume 13 (1968)
-
Volume 12 (1967)
-
Volume 11 (1966)
-
Volume 10 (1965)
-
Volume 9 (1964)
-
Volume 8 (1963)
-
Volume 7 (1962)
-
Volume 6 (1961)
-
Volume 5 (1960)
-
Volume 4 (1959)
-
Volume 3 (1958)
-
Volume 2 (1957)
-
Volume 1 (1956)
-
Volume 0 (1932)