Environmental & Physical Sciences

Research Papers/Topics Environmental & Physical Sciences

Global population genetic structure and demographic trajectories of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens

Abstract: Background: The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is the most promising insect candidate for nutrient-recycling through bioconversion of organic waste into biomass, thereby improving sustainability of protein supplies for animal feed and facilitating transition to a circular economy. Contrary to conventional livestock, genetic resources of farmed insects remain poorly characterised. We present the first comprehensive population genetic characterisation of H. illucens. Based on ...

Organic Waste Substrates Induce Important Shifts in Gut Microbiota of Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens L.): Coexistence of Conserved, Variable, and Potential Pathogenic Microbes

Abstract: The sustainable utilization of black soldier fly (BSF) for recycling organic waste into nutrient-rich biomass, such as high-quality protein additive, is gaining momentum, and its microbiota is thought to play important roles in these processes. Several studies have characterized the BSF gut microbiota in different substrates and locations; nonetheless,in-depth knowledge on community stability, consistency of member associations,pathogenic associations, and microbe–microbe and hos...

Spatio‐temporal characteristics of meteorological drought under changing climate in semi‐arid region of northern Ethiopia

Abstract: Background: Below-normal availability of water for a considerable period of time induces occurrence of drought. This paper investigates the Spatio-temporal characteristics of meteorological drought under changing climate. The climate change was analyzed using delta based statistical downscaling approach of RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 in R software packages. The meteorological drought was assessed using the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI).Results: The result of climate change projections...

Low-cost technology for recycling agro-industrial waste intonutrient-rich organic fertilizer using black soldier fly

Abstract: Efforts to recycle organic waste using black soldier fly (BSF) larvae into high-quality alternative proteiningredients in animal feeds and organic fertilizers have gained momentum worldwide. However, thereis limited information on waste manipulation to increase nutrient retention for enhanced larval perfor-mance and frass fertilizer quality. In the present study, brewer’s spent grain with a carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 11 (control) was amended with sawdust to obtain substrat...

Detection of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii,in continental sub‑Saharan Africa

Abstract: The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is an insect pest of soft-skinned fruit, native to Eastern Asia. Since 2008, a world-wide dispersal of D. suzukii is seen, characterized by the establishment of the pest in many Asian, American and European countries. While the potential for invasion of continental Africa by D. suzukii has been predicted, its presence has only been shown for Morocco in Northern Africa. Knowledge about a possible establishment in other parts...

Role of conspecifics and personal experience on behavioral avoidance of contaminated flowers by bumblebees

Abstract: Pollinators use multiple cues whilst foraging including direct cues from flowers and indirect cues from other pollinators. The use of indirect social cues is common in social insects, such as honeybees and bumblebees, where a social environment facilitates the ability to use such cues. Bumblebees use cues to forage on flowers according to previous foraging experiences. Flowers are an essential food source for pollinators but also pose a high risk of parasite infection through the s...

Influence of Visual and Olfactory Cues on Field Trapping of the Pollen Beetle, Astylus atromaculatus (Col.: Melyridae)

Abstract: Field trapping experiments investigated the response of the pollen beetle Astylus atromaculatus to visual and olfactory cues during a 3-year period, 1999–2001. The visual preference of the pollen beetle was determined using yellow, white, blue, green and red water traps. The yellow trap was most attractive, capturing 56% of the total beetles trapped, with 30% caught by the blue and white traps, while 14% was caught by the red and green traps. The response of the beetle to olfacto...

Specialized Prey Selection Behavior of Two East African Assassin Bugs, Scipinnia repax and Nagusta sp. that Prey on Social Jumping Spiders

Abstract: The prey choice behavior and predatory strategies of two East African assassin bugs, Scipinnia repax (Stäl 1961) and Nagusta sp. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), were investigated in the field and the laboratory. Both of these species are from the subfamily Harpactorinae and specialize in eating spiders. They prey especially often on social jumping spiders (Salticidae) that build nest complexes (nests connected by silk) in vegetation near the shoreline of Lake Victoria. Both reduviid spec...

The butterfly Danaus chrysippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Kenya is Variably Infected with Respect to Genotype and Body Size by a Maternally Transmitted Male-killing Endosymbiont (Spiropla

Abstract: Female-biased sex ratios in Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus) (family Nymphalidae, subfamily Danainae, tribe Danaini) populations are attributed to the action of an endosymbiotic ‘male-killer’ bacterium of the genus Spiroplasma. In stark contrast to the extensive geographic range of their host, the Spiroplasma appears to be restricted to East Africa, where four African D. chrysippus subspecies exist sympatrically and form a hybrid zone. In this study, specimens collected at three sa...

Monitoring Wild Silkmoth, Gonometa Postica Walker, Abundance, Host Plant Diversity and Distribution in Imba and Mumoni Woodlands in Mwingi, Kenya

Abstract: A survey of the abundance of larvae and pupae of Gonometa postica Walker and their host plants....(continue from the attached pdf)

Stingless Bees in Kenya.

Abstract: The Commercial Insects Projector the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Icipe is investigating beekeeping with stingless bees, meliponiculture....(continue from the attached pdf)

Evaluation of Raw Silk Produced by Bivoltine Silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) Races in Kenya.

Abstract: Evaluation of raw silk produced in location S1 (laboratory) and S2 (field) was assessed during long rains (LR) and short rains (SR), using...(continue from the attached pdf)

Detection and Characterization of Kodamaea Ohmeri Associated with Small Hive Beetle Aethina Tumida Infesting Honey Bee Hives

Abstract: Honey bee colony infection by the small hive beetle (SHB) is associated with fermentation of hive materials. Pollen, beetles and robbing bees ( ten of each) ......

Do new Access and Benefit Sharing procedures under the Convention on Biological Diversity threaten the future of biological control?

Abstract: Abstract Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) countries have sovereign rights over their genetic resources. Agreements governing the access to these resources and the sharing of the benefits arising from their use need to be established between involved parties [i.e. Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)]. This also applies to species collected for potential use in biological control. Recent applications of CBD principles have already made it difficult or impossible to col...

Novel cross-stage Solitarising effect of Gregarious-phase adult desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria (Forska˚ l)) pheromone on hoppers

Abstract: Previous studies had demonstrated stage differentiation in the cohesion (aggregation) pheromone systems of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. In laboratory arena, the nymphal and adult stages responded aggregatively to their own pheromone, but dispersed evenly within the arena in the presence of the other. In the present study, we explored the effects of longer-term contact of field gregarious hopper bands and laboratory crowd-reared nymphs with the major constituent of the ...


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