Mechanisms that allow for the coexistence of two competing species that share a trophic level can be broadly divided into those that prevent competitive exclusion of one species within a local area, and those that allow for coexistence only at a regional level. While the presence of aphid-tending ants can change the distribution of aphids among host plants, the role of mutualistic ants has not ...

Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.), a major weed causing economic, environmental, and human and animal health problems in Australia and several countries in Asia, Africa, and the PaciÞc, has been a target for biological control in Australia since the mid-1970s. Nine species of insects and two rust fungi have been introduced as biological control agents into Australia. These include Carmen...

The Palaearctic species of the Gasteruption assectator aggregate (Hymenoptera, Gasteruptiidae) are revised and three species are recognised. Two species are re-instated: Gasteruption boreale (Thomson, 1883), stat. n. and Gasteruption nigritarse (Thomson, 1883), stat. n., and both are excluded from the synonymy with Gasteruption assectator (Linnaeus, 1758). The general distribution of both speci...

Medicinal plants have been widely employed in treating various diseases for centuries and are still a major resource and repository that can be further exploited for a variety of infectious and non-infectious ailments. The popularity of medicinal herbs has grown significantly in recent years despite a dearth of information regarding their modes of action and continuing concerns over their effic...

The lipophilic ̄avonoids in leaf and ̄ower of Tanacetum parthenium and T. vulgaris have been compared. While those of T. parthenium are methyl ethers of the ̄avonols 6-hydroxykaempferol and quercetagetin, the surface ̄avonoids of T. vulgare are methyl ethers of the ̄avones scutellarein and 6-hydroxyluteolin. Apigenin and two ̄avone glucuronides are surprisingly present in glandular trichomes on...

Oral administration of the feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) extract led to significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects against acetic acid-induced writhing in mice and carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats, respectively. These responses were dose-dependent (10, 20, 40 mg/kg, p.o.). Parthenolide (1, 2 mg/kg i.p.), the active constituent of the extract also produced antinociceptive a...

Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease caused by trematode flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, affects more than 200 million people worldwide, and its control is dependent on a single drug, praziquantel. Tanacetum vulgare (Asteraceae) is used in folk medicine as a vermifuge. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of the crude extract (TV) and the essential oil (TV-...

The daisy-like flowers of pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium) are used to extract pyrethrins, a botanical insecticide with a long history of safe and effective use. Pyrethrum flowers also contain other potential defense compounds, particularly sesquiterpene lactones (STLs), which represent problematic allergenic residues in the extracts that are removed by the pyrethrum industry. The STLs are...