Bark beetle management and ecology in southern pine forests
Bacterial plasmids -- the freeloading and the heavy-lifters -- balance the high price of disease
Studying self-replicating genetic units, called plasmids, found in one of the world's widest-ranging pathogenic soil bacteria -- the crown-gall-disease-causing microorganism Agrobacterium tumefaciens -- Ind ...
How ants tame the wilderness: Rainforest species use chemicals to identify which plants to prune
Survival in the depths of the tropical rainforest not only depends on a species' ability to defend itself, but can be reliant on the type of cooperation researchers discovered between ants and tropical trees. ...
Genome of blue stain fungus evolved to bypass tree defense in mountain pine beetle epidemic
The genome of the fungus that helps mountain pine beetles infect and kill lodgepole pines has been decoded in a University of British Columbia study.
Scientists study essential oils to attract asian citrus psyllid
Risk of beetle outbreaks rise, along with temperature, in the warming West
'Velcro' effect in Guianese ants
In Guiana, symbiosis between Azteca ants and the Cecropia tree (or trumpet tree) is frequent. However, a surprising discovery has been made: one species of ant (Azteca andreae) uses the "Velcro" principle ...
World's oldest fig wasp fossil proves that if it works, don't change it
The world's oldest known example of a fig wasp has been found on the Isle of Wight. The fossil wasp is almost identical to the modern species, proving that this tiny but specialised insect has remained virtually ...
Landscape-scale treatment promising for slowing beetle spread
Mountain pine beetles devastating lodgepole pine stands across the West might best be kept in check with aerial application of flakes containing a natural substance used in herbal teas that the insects release to avoid overcrowding ...