Plants with bioactive properties are greatly useful in preventing and controlling blood-sucking and disease-vector invertebrates, particularly in developing countries and low-income communities. Their application is a...Plants with bioactive properties are greatly useful in preventing and controlling blood-sucking and disease-vector invertebrates, particularly in developing countries and low-income communities. Their application is a promising alternative to synthetic compounds whose use remains a health, environmental, and economic challenge. However, many are still unknown and unvalued, while others are becoming ignored and threatened. The main objective of this ethnobotanical study is to identify and characterize indigenous and locally grown plants against blood-sucking and disease-vector insects. Salient opportunities and challenges of using these plants are documented and discussed. Semi-structured interviews, using a prepared questionnaire, were conducted with 228 informants. The consensus index (CI) was calculated to analyze the reliability of the collected information. The identified 31 anti-insect plant species belong to 20 botanical families, four morphological categories, and six habitat types. They can be categorized as insecticidal plants (42% of the total), insect repellent (42% of the total), and both insecticidal and insect repellent (16% of the total). More than 54% of these are still abundant in the study area, while about 35.5% have become rare and difficultly accessible. Based on the numerical importance of related anti-insect plant species, the seven targeted blood-sucking insects range in the following decreasing order: Jiggers (16 species) > Fire Ants (9 species) > Flies (8 plants) > Mosquitoes (4 species) > Fleas (2 species) > Bedbugs (1 species) > lice (0 species). The three most commonly used plants, with the highest confirmation indices, are Tetradenia riparia (ICs = 0.712), Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii (ICs = 0.302), and Solanum aculeastrum (ICs = 0.288). The antimicrobial role of many locally grown anti-insect plants and the multiple other associated valorization possibilities are ignored by most informants. Domesticating, propagating, protecting, and promoting the sustainable use of these plants would be an appropriate route for their conservation and continued availability.展开更多
Larvae of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (Black Soldier Fly) are voracious feeders which consume a wide range of organic materials. Thus, they can be used in simple mechanical systems to reduce organic was...Larvae of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (Black Soldier Fly) are voracious feeders which consume a wide range of organic materials. Thus, they can be used in simple mechanical systems to reduce organic waste and also as a nutritional factor for animal livestock, in the context of recycling the organic matter. In the present study we investigated the effect of two combinations of nutrient substrates on the immature development time of H. illucens. Poultry feed and urban bio-waste (catering organic waste) were used as nutritional substrates in two rates, 150 and 250 mg/larva. Results showed that both the food source and the quantity affected the BSF immature development time significantly. In total, significantly shorter immature development was recorded in poultry feed treatment compared with the catering waste. Moreover, immature development time in the 250 mg/larva/day treatment was significantly shorter compared with the 150 mg/larva/day treatment. Results of the present study could be useful and offer optimal solutions for BSF larvae cultivations, especially in large commercial scale units.展开更多
The composition, structure and Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs) of aquatic insects were investigated in Kodjoboué lake (South-East of Côte d’Ivoire) to assess water quality. Four sites (K1 - K4) were sa...The composition, structure and Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs) of aquatic insects were investigated in Kodjoboué lake (South-East of Côte d’Ivoire) to assess water quality. Four sites (K1 - K4) were sampled during eight campaigns. At each site aquatic insects were collected using a kick-net (25 × 20 cm, 500 μm mesh size). Environmental variables were also recorded during this period. Water was collected from each sampling site for nutrient (phosphorus, nitrate) analysis in laboratory. A total of 68 aquatic insect taxa belonging to six orders and 32 families were recorded during the study. Site K4, subject to intense agricultural activity, had the lower diversity and least balanced stand with the lowest values of Shannon-Weaver index, Pielou’s Evenness index and rarefied richness. The functional approach revealed five major FFGs: predators, scrapers, shredders, gatherers-collectors and filter-collectors. Among the different functional feeding groups, the percentage of predators was higher than that of other groups at all the sites. The P/R report indicated that our four sites are characterized as heterotrophic with K1 as the least heterotrophic. Focused Principal Component Analysis (FPCA) showed that parameters of water, like pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate were statistically correlated with species abundance. The diversity and Functional Feeding Groups metrics of aquatic insects used to describe the state of Kodjoboué lake reveal its disturbed state.展开更多
There is a general assumption in the literature that insect herbivory increases towards the tropics, but decreases with increasing altitude. Similar generalities have been identified along other environmental gradient...There is a general assumption in the literature that insect herbivory increases towards the tropics, but decreases with increasing altitude. Similar generalities have been identified along other environmental gradients, such as resource, temperature, climatic and biotic gradients. However there is growing evidence in the scientific literature that such generalities are not consistent. This could be due to a number of reasons including the lack of consistency in the way herbivory is assessed such as different methodologies used by researchers, or fundamental differences in leaf damage caused by different types of insect herbivores. Here we assess 61 publications researching insect herbivory along a range of environmental gradients (both biotic and abiotic) and review the methods that researchers have used to collected their data. We found leaf chewing from samples collected in North America dominated the field and most studies assessed herbivory on a single host plant species. Thirty three percent of the studies assessed latitudinal gradients, while 10% assessed altitudinal gradients. Insect herbivory was most commonly expressed as percentage leaf damage using point herbivory. Fewer studies measured a range of different types of herbivory (such as sap sucking, leaf mining, galling, and root feeding) as leaves aged. From our synthesis, we hope that future research into insect herbivory along environmental gradients will take into account herbivory other than just leaf chewing, such as sap sucking, which may cause more damage to plants. Future research should also assess herbivory as a rate, rather than just a single point in time as damage to a young leaf may be more costly to a plant than damage to a mature or senescing leaf. Measurements of plant traits will also assist in comparing herbivory across habitats, plant species, and within species physiological variation. The true impacts that insects have on plants via herbivory along environmental gradients are still poorly understood.展开更多
文摘Plants with bioactive properties are greatly useful in preventing and controlling blood-sucking and disease-vector invertebrates, particularly in developing countries and low-income communities. Their application is a promising alternative to synthetic compounds whose use remains a health, environmental, and economic challenge. However, many are still unknown and unvalued, while others are becoming ignored and threatened. The main objective of this ethnobotanical study is to identify and characterize indigenous and locally grown plants against blood-sucking and disease-vector insects. Salient opportunities and challenges of using these plants are documented and discussed. Semi-structured interviews, using a prepared questionnaire, were conducted with 228 informants. The consensus index (CI) was calculated to analyze the reliability of the collected information. The identified 31 anti-insect plant species belong to 20 botanical families, four morphological categories, and six habitat types. They can be categorized as insecticidal plants (42% of the total), insect repellent (42% of the total), and both insecticidal and insect repellent (16% of the total). More than 54% of these are still abundant in the study area, while about 35.5% have become rare and difficultly accessible. Based on the numerical importance of related anti-insect plant species, the seven targeted blood-sucking insects range in the following decreasing order: Jiggers (16 species) > Fire Ants (9 species) > Flies (8 plants) > Mosquitoes (4 species) > Fleas (2 species) > Bedbugs (1 species) > lice (0 species). The three most commonly used plants, with the highest confirmation indices, are Tetradenia riparia (ICs = 0.712), Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii (ICs = 0.302), and Solanum aculeastrum (ICs = 0.288). The antimicrobial role of many locally grown anti-insect plants and the multiple other associated valorization possibilities are ignored by most informants. Domesticating, propagating, protecting, and promoting the sustainable use of these plants would be an appropriate route for their conservation and continued availability.
文摘Larvae of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) (Black Soldier Fly) are voracious feeders which consume a wide range of organic materials. Thus, they can be used in simple mechanical systems to reduce organic waste and also as a nutritional factor for animal livestock, in the context of recycling the organic matter. In the present study we investigated the effect of two combinations of nutrient substrates on the immature development time of H. illucens. Poultry feed and urban bio-waste (catering organic waste) were used as nutritional substrates in two rates, 150 and 250 mg/larva. Results showed that both the food source and the quantity affected the BSF immature development time significantly. In total, significantly shorter immature development was recorded in poultry feed treatment compared with the catering waste. Moreover, immature development time in the 250 mg/larva/day treatment was significantly shorter compared with the 150 mg/larva/day treatment. Results of the present study could be useful and offer optimal solutions for BSF larvae cultivations, especially in large commercial scale units.
文摘The composition, structure and Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs) of aquatic insects were investigated in Kodjoboué lake (South-East of Côte d’Ivoire) to assess water quality. Four sites (K1 - K4) were sampled during eight campaigns. At each site aquatic insects were collected using a kick-net (25 × 20 cm, 500 μm mesh size). Environmental variables were also recorded during this period. Water was collected from each sampling site for nutrient (phosphorus, nitrate) analysis in laboratory. A total of 68 aquatic insect taxa belonging to six orders and 32 families were recorded during the study. Site K4, subject to intense agricultural activity, had the lower diversity and least balanced stand with the lowest values of Shannon-Weaver index, Pielou’s Evenness index and rarefied richness. The functional approach revealed five major FFGs: predators, scrapers, shredders, gatherers-collectors and filter-collectors. Among the different functional feeding groups, the percentage of predators was higher than that of other groups at all the sites. The P/R report indicated that our four sites are characterized as heterotrophic with K1 as the least heterotrophic. Focused Principal Component Analysis (FPCA) showed that parameters of water, like pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate were statistically correlated with species abundance. The diversity and Functional Feeding Groups metrics of aquatic insects used to describe the state of Kodjoboué lake reveal its disturbed state.
文摘There is a general assumption in the literature that insect herbivory increases towards the tropics, but decreases with increasing altitude. Similar generalities have been identified along other environmental gradients, such as resource, temperature, climatic and biotic gradients. However there is growing evidence in the scientific literature that such generalities are not consistent. This could be due to a number of reasons including the lack of consistency in the way herbivory is assessed such as different methodologies used by researchers, or fundamental differences in leaf damage caused by different types of insect herbivores. Here we assess 61 publications researching insect herbivory along a range of environmental gradients (both biotic and abiotic) and review the methods that researchers have used to collected their data. We found leaf chewing from samples collected in North America dominated the field and most studies assessed herbivory on a single host plant species. Thirty three percent of the studies assessed latitudinal gradients, while 10% assessed altitudinal gradients. Insect herbivory was most commonly expressed as percentage leaf damage using point herbivory. Fewer studies measured a range of different types of herbivory (such as sap sucking, leaf mining, galling, and root feeding) as leaves aged. From our synthesis, we hope that future research into insect herbivory along environmental gradients will take into account herbivory other than just leaf chewing, such as sap sucking, which may cause more damage to plants. Future research should also assess herbivory as a rate, rather than just a single point in time as damage to a young leaf may be more costly to a plant than damage to a mature or senescing leaf. Measurements of plant traits will also assist in comparing herbivory across habitats, plant species, and within species physiological variation. The true impacts that insects have on plants via herbivory along environmental gradients are still poorly understood.
