1. Adult size and development time are the outcomes of growth and differentiation throughout the life of an individual organism – its developmental trajectory. Correlations among ages and sizes across different life stages may influence both direct and indirect components of selection on body size and age during development. 2. We used two field studies in experimental gardens in fall and summe...

Recent reports suggest that host-seeking nymphs in southern populations of Ixodes scapularis remain below the leaf litter surface, while northern nymphs seek hosts on leaves and twigs above the litter surface. This behavioral difference potentially results in decreased tick contact with humans in the south, and fewer cases of Lyme disease. We studied whether north-south differences in tick surv...

Field control failures with pirimiphos-methyl against the rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton), in Weslaco, Texas, USA, led us to investigate the susceptibility of this particular strain to pirimiphos-methyl, spinosad, pyrethrins synergized with piperonyl butoxide, and pirimiphos-methyl combined with synergized pyrethrins. In laboratory bioassays, 50 eggs of C cephalonica were exposed to u...

As aquaculture production continues to grow, producers are looking for more sustainable methods promote growth and increase fish health survival. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) with considerable benefits gut health, in recent years, butyrate has been commonly used as an alternative antimicrobials livestock production. In this study, we aimed assess the protective effects of sodium ...

Direct density-dependence through intraspecific competition may be an important mechanism permitting sustained herbivore outbreaks. In theory, interference competition could allow a relatively stable number of herbivore individuals to survive while moderating host plant damage. This research examined the potential role of intraspecific competition in permitting a decadelong outbreak of the aspe...

Most mosquito control efforts are primarily focused on reducing the adult population size mediated by reductions in the larval population, which should lower risk of disease transmission. Although the aim of larviciding is to reduce larval abundance and thus recruitment of adults, nonlethal effects on adults are possible, including transstadial effects on phenotypes of adults such as survival a...

In insects, whilst variations in life cycles are common, the basic patterns typical for particular groups remain generally conserved. One of the more extreme modifications is found in some subterranean beetles of the tribe Leptodirini, in which the number of larval instars is reduced from the ancestral three to two and ultimately one, which is not active and does not feed. We analysed all avail...