The means by which plant genotypes influence species interactions and arthropod community structure remain poorly understood. One potential, but largely unstudied mechanism is that occurring through plant genetic variation in induced responses to herbivory. Here we test whether induced responses to leaf damage and genotypic variation for induction in Asclepias syriaca influence interactions amo...

In a previous study of the characteristics of acyl derivatives of polyhydroxy milkweed oil (PHMWO), it was observed that the densities and viscosities of the respective derivatives decreased with increased chain length of the substituent acyl group. Thus from the polyhydroxy starting material, attenuation in viscosity of the derivatives relative to PHMWO was found in the order: PHMWO ≫ PAcMWE ≫...

Soil-dwelling insects commonly co-occur and feed simultaneously on belowground plant parts, yet patterns of damage and consequences for plant and insect performance remain poorly characterized. We tested how two species of root-feeding insects aff ect the performance of a perennial plant and the mass and survival of both conspecifi c and heterospecifi c insects. Because root damage is expected ...

Pollinators in general and monarch butterflies in particular are in decline due to habitat loss. Efforts to restore habitats for insects that rely on specific plant groups as larvae or adults depend on the ability of practitioners to grow and produce these plants. Monarch larvae feed exclusively on milkweed species, primarily in the genus Asclepias, making propagation and restoration of these p...

In eastern North America, the field milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L. (Asclepiadaceae), is used in planting schemes to promote biodiversity conservation for numerous insects including the endangered monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus) (Nymphalidae). Less is known about its pollinators, and especially in urban habitats where it is planted often despite being under increasing pressure fro...

The products of the HOM/Hox homeotic genes form a set of evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that control elaborate developmental processes and specify cell fates in many metazoans. We examined the expression of the ortholog of the homeotic gene Sex combs reduced (Scr) of Drosophila melanogaster in insects of three divergent orders: Hemiptera, Orthoptera and Thysanura. Our data refle...