Growing concern about the influence of climate change on flowering plants, pollinators, and the mutualistic interac- tions between them has led to a recent surge in research. Much of this research has addressed the co...Growing concern about the influence of climate change on flowering plants, pollinators, and the mutualistic interac- tions between them has led to a recent surge in research. Much of this research has addressed the consequences of warming for phenological and distributional shifts. In contrast, relatively little is known about the physiological responses of plants and insect pollinators to climate warming and, in particular, how these responses might affect plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we summa- rize the direct physiological effects of temperature on flowering plants and pollinating insects to highlight ways in which plant and pollinator responses could affect floral resources for pollinators, and pollination success for plants, respectively. We also con- sider the overall effects of these responses on plant-pollinator interaction networks. Plant responses to wanning, which include altered flower, nectar, and pollen production, could modify floral resource availability and reproductive output of pollinating in- sects. Similarly, pollinator responses, such as altered foraging activity, body size, and life span, could affect patterns of pollen flow and pollination success of flowering plants. As a result, network structure could be altered as interactions are gained and lost, weakened and strengthened, even without the gain or loss of species or temporal overlap. Future research that addresses not only how plant and pollinator physiology are affected by warming but also how responses scale up to affect interactions and networks should allow us to better understand and predict the effects of climate change on this important ecosystem service .展开更多
Flowers are multisensory displays used by plants to influence the behavior of pollinators. Although we know a great deal about how individual signal components are produced by plants and detected or learned by pollina...Flowers are multisensory displays used by plants to influence the behavior of pollinators. Although we know a great deal about how individual signal components are produced by plants and detected or learned by pollinators, very few experiments directly address the function of floral signal complexity, i.e. how the multicomponent nature of these signals benefits plant or pollinator. Yet, experimental psychology suggests that increasing complexity can enhance subjects＇ ability to detect, learn and remember stimuli, and the plant＇s reproductive success depends upon ensuring that pollinators learn their signals and so transport pollen to other similar （conspecific） flowers. Here we explore functional hypotheses for why plants invest in complex floral displays, focusing on hypotheses in which floral signals interact to promote pollinator learning and memory. Specifically, we discuss how an attention-altering or context-providing function of one signal may promote acquisition or recall of a second signal. Although we focus on communication between plants and pollinators, these process-based hypotheses should apply to any situation where a sender benefits from enhancing a receiver＇s acquisition or recall of information .展开更多
Peptidoglycan recognition proteins （PGRP） play an important role in innate immunity in insects through the activation of the Imd pathway, which has been shown to be required in the antibacterial response in insects ...Peptidoglycan recognition proteins （PGRP） play an important role in innate immunity in insects through the activation of the Imd pathway, which has been shown to be required in the antibacterial response in insects and in the limitation of the number of Plasmodium berghei oocysts developing in mosquito midgut. The LCI gene of the PRGP family in Anopheles gambiae produces many products through alternative splicing. In this work, we demonstrate that PGRP-LC1a alone is sufficient to activate the Imd pathway in the A. gambiae L3-5 cell line through a combination of terminal or internal deletions, and RNA interference against endogenous PGRP-LC products. In the absence of endogenous PGRP-LC proteins, the integrity of the cytoplasmic domain is necessary for LCla function, while that of the extracellular domain is not. Moreover, the shorter the extracellular domain, the higher the activity for LC1 a. However, the removal of either the cytoplasmic or the extracellular PGRP-binding domain has little impact on the activity of LC 1 a in the presence of endogenous PGRP-LC proteins.展开更多
文摘Growing concern about the influence of climate change on flowering plants, pollinators, and the mutualistic interac- tions between them has led to a recent surge in research. Much of this research has addressed the consequences of warming for phenological and distributional shifts. In contrast, relatively little is known about the physiological responses of plants and insect pollinators to climate warming and, in particular, how these responses might affect plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we summa- rize the direct physiological effects of temperature on flowering plants and pollinating insects to highlight ways in which plant and pollinator responses could affect floral resources for pollinators, and pollination success for plants, respectively. We also con- sider the overall effects of these responses on plant-pollinator interaction networks. Plant responses to wanning, which include altered flower, nectar, and pollen production, could modify floral resource availability and reproductive output of pollinating in- sects. Similarly, pollinator responses, such as altered foraging activity, body size, and life span, could affect patterns of pollen flow and pollination success of flowering plants. As a result, network structure could be altered as interactions are gained and lost, weakened and strengthened, even without the gain or loss of species or temporal overlap. Future research that addresses not only how plant and pollinator physiology are affected by warming but also how responses scale up to affect interactions and networks should allow us to better understand and predict the effects of climate change on this important ecosystem service .
文摘Flowers are multisensory displays used by plants to influence the behavior of pollinators. Although we know a great deal about how individual signal components are produced by plants and detected or learned by pollinators, very few experiments directly address the function of floral signal complexity, i.e. how the multicomponent nature of these signals benefits plant or pollinator. Yet, experimental psychology suggests that increasing complexity can enhance subjects＇ ability to detect, learn and remember stimuli, and the plant＇s reproductive success depends upon ensuring that pollinators learn their signals and so transport pollen to other similar （conspecific） flowers. Here we explore functional hypotheses for why plants invest in complex floral displays, focusing on hypotheses in which floral signals interact to promote pollinator learning and memory. Specifically, we discuss how an attention-altering or context-providing function of one signal may promote acquisition or recall of a second signal. Although we focus on communication between plants and pollinators, these process-based hypotheses should apply to any situation where a sender benefits from enhancing a receiver＇s acquisition or recall of information .
文摘Peptidoglycan recognition proteins （PGRP） play an important role in innate immunity in insects through the activation of the Imd pathway, which has been shown to be required in the antibacterial response in insects and in the limitation of the number of Plasmodium berghei oocysts developing in mosquito midgut. The LCI gene of the PRGP family in Anopheles gambiae produces many products through alternative splicing. In this work, we demonstrate that PGRP-LC1a alone is sufficient to activate the Imd pathway in the A. gambiae L3-5 cell line through a combination of terminal or internal deletions, and RNA interference against endogenous PGRP-LC products. In the absence of endogenous PGRP-LC proteins, the integrity of the cytoplasmic domain is necessary for LCla function, while that of the extracellular domain is not. Moreover, the shorter the extracellular domain, the higher the activity for LC1 a. However, the removal of either the cytoplasmic or the extracellular PGRP-binding domain has little impact on the activity of LC 1 a in the presence of endogenous PGRP-LC proteins.
