Queen pheromones are chemical signals produced by reproductive individuals in social insect colonies. In many species they are key to the maintenance of reproductive division of labor, with workers beginning to reproduce individually once the queen pheromone disappears. Recently, a queen pheromone that negatively affects worker fecundity was discovered in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, presen...

The anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L. was kept in laboratory microcosms containing beech forest soil without litter, with beech leaf litter or with lime leaf litter. The structure of microfungal communities in soil, litter and fresh and aged (100 days) earthworm faeces was analysed using the washing and plating technique. The passage of mineral soil through the gut of L. terrestris affec...

Tribulus terrestris has significant antilithiatic efficacy established via both in vitro as well as in vivo studies and is used in numerous anti-urolithiatic herbal formulations viz. Cystone, Uriflow, Uritone and Neeri. However, to fully utilize its antilithiatic potential, the influence of different extraction parameters on antilithiatic ability of T. terrestris aqueous extract needs elucidati...

1. Increasing urbanisation is often cited as a cause of declining biodiversity, but for bumblebees there is evidence that urban populations of some species such as Bombus terrestris L. may be more dense than those found in agricultural landscapes, perhaps because gardens provide plentiful floral resources and nesting opportunities. 2. Here we examine the influence of urbanisation on the prevale...

Juvenile hormone (JH) is an important regulator of development and physiology in insects. While in many insect species, including bumble bees, JH functions as gonadotropin in adults, in some highly eusocial insects its role has shifted to regulate social behavior including division of labor, dominance and aggression. Studying JH functions across social insect species is important for understand...

Gokhshura (Tribulus Linn) of Family Zygophyllaceae is an indigenous plant which has been mentioned in Ayurveda with several clinical properties. The plant finds use in one form or the other in various ayurvedic preparations and this has been made it necessary to review the various studies carried out in its chemistry as well as pharmacology.

The enzymes O-seryl-A-acetylgalactosaminide glycosidase and A-acetyl-/?-D-hexosaminidase were found in the following invertebrates and vertebrates: Adamsia palliata, Mesostoma ehrenbergi, Bugula avicularia, Lumbricus terrestris, Pagurus prideauxi, Helix pomatia, Ciona intestinalis, Brachidanio albolineatus, Rana esculenta, chicken and ox. They were assayed by their action on neuraminic acid-fre...

background: according benefcial effects of  tribulus terrestris  (tt) extract on  tissue damage, the present study investigated the infuence of hydroalcoholic extract of tt plant on cisplatin (cis) (ebewe pharma, unterach, austria) induced renal tissue damage in male mice. methods: thirty mice were divided into five groups (n = 6). the first group (control) was treated with normal saline (0.9% ...

introduction: cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug used in chemotherapy. one of the limiting side effects of cisplatin is decreasing genital gland function, azoospermia and oligospermia. tribulus terrestris (tt) has been used as an aphrodisiac. the present study amid to investigate the protective effect of tt hydroalcoholic extract against cisplatin-induced apoptisis on testis in mice. methods: mal...