Plant virus alters competition between aphid species

In the world of plant-feeding insects, who shows up first to the party determines the overall success of the gathering; yet viruses can disrupt these intricate relationships, according to researchers at Penn State.

Night-time lighting changes how species interact

Night-time lighting from streetlights and other sources has complex and unexpected effects on communities of plants and animals, new research shows.Previous studies have shown that artificial lighting affects a wide variety ...

Team nebulizes aphids to knock down gene expression

Researchers are nebulizing soybean aphids with RNA, which, when incorporated into the body, can hinder the expression of specific genes. The new method of delivering "interfering RNA" in a mist will likely speed the process ...

Milkweed defensive strategy drives away friends of enemies

Over millions of years under attack from insects, milkweed plants have developed considerable defenses. These include incredible toxicity – sufficient to kill a horse or sheep – which emanates from a milkweed's leaves ...

Light pollution shown to affect plant growth and food webs

Artificial night time light from sources such as street lamps affects the growth and flowering of plants and even the number of insects that depend on those plants for food, a study published today confirms.

Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance

Bent and tossed by the wind, a field of soybean plants presents a challenge for an Asian lady beetle on the hunt for aphids. But what if the air—and the soybeans—were still?

The betrayal of the aphids

Aphids are devastating insect pests and cause great losses to agriculture worldwide. These sap-feeding plant pests harbor in their body cavity bacteria, which are essential for the aphids' fecundity and survival. Buchnera, ...

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