BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Mosquito control is facing a threat due to the emergence of resistance to synthetic insecticides. Insecticides of botanical origin could serve as potential alternatives in future. Larvicidal efficacies of different parts of mangrove plants belonging to Rhizophoraceae family were tested against the late IV instar larvae of dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. METHODS Different...

studies of postmeiotic chromosomes have been impeded by the thick exine of immature pollen grains. chromosome staining of immature and adult pollen grains through conven-tional acetocarmine procedure is tedious and often leads to unsatisfactory results. an acetocarmine stain, used in conjugation with carnoy’s solution as fixative for 72 hrs or until the chlorophyll-containing tissues of spike b...

Environmental conditions in coastal salt marsh habitats have led to the development of specialist genetic adaptations. We evaluated six DNA barcode loci of the 53 species of Poaceae and 15 species of Chenopodiaceae from China's coastal salt marsh area and inland area. Our results indicate that the optimum DNA barcode was ITS for coastal salt-tolerant Poaceae and matK for the Chenopodiaceae. Sam...

Biological mediation of carbonate dissolution represents a fundamental component of the destructive forces acting on coral reef ecosystems. Whereas ocean acidification can increase dissolution of carbonate substrates, the combined impact of ocean acidification and warming on the microbioerosion of coral skeletons remains unknown. Here, we exposed skeletons of the reef-building corals, Porites c...

The weathering of volcanic rocks contributes significantly to the global silicate weathering budget, effecting carbon dioxide drawdown and long-term climate control. The rate of chemical weathering is influenced by the composition of the rock. Rock-dwelling micro-organisms are known to play a role in changing the rate of weathering reactions; however, the influence of rock composition on bio-we...

Crosses between different genera of plants are rare and a satisfactory cytological study of such hybrids has never been made. A comparison of chromosome behavior in genus and species crosses is of interest in connection with a comparison of genetic and taxonomic relationships. A cytological analysis should also show the reason why crosses of genera are almost completely or quite sterile and whe...

a total of 65 pollen types were identified from two years atmospheric pollen survey in the environmental conditions of south assam. out of them, eight pollen types viz., acacia auriculiformis, amaranthus spinosus, cassia alata, cleome gynandra, cocos nucifera, imperata cylindrica, ricinus communis and trewia nudiflora, were selected for biochemical studies on the basis of their dominance in the...

A new species of Pseudotetracha from Northern Territory, Australia, is described and compared with Pseudotetracha marginicollis (Sloane, 1906). The position of the species in the genus and the subgeneric classification of Pseudotetracha Fleutiaux, 1894 are discussed. It is proposed that the genus would be divided into the following species groups: "australasiae", "australis", "blackburni", "cru...