News articles tagged with 'caterpillar' (Page 2)
Why female moths are big and beautiful
— 17 Mar 2010 13:19 | BiologyIn most animal species, males and females show obvious differences in body size. But how can this be, given that both sexes share the same genes governing their growth? University of…
Tobacco plant thwarts caterpillar onslaught by opening flowers in the morning
— 22 Jan 2010 15:59 | BiologyWe normally think of pollinators as providing a valuable service to plants, and they certainly do. In exchange for nectar, pollinators like the well-known honey bee carry pollen from…
Conflict between plant and animal hormones in the insect gut?
— 15 Sep 2009 13:00 | BiologyCis-OPDA (12-oxophytodienoic acid) is a highly reactive plant hormone which simultaneously serves as a precursor molecule of the metabolic 'master switch' jasmonic acid. Both signal…
New life histories emerge for invasive wasps, magnify ecological harm
— 21 Jul 2009 13:05 | BiologyA switch from annual to multiyear colonies and a willingness to feed just about any prey to their young have allowed invasive yellowjacket wasps to disrupt native populations of insects…
Understanding natural crop defences
— 1 Mar 2009 14:20 | BiologyEver since insects developed a taste for vegetation, plants have faced the same dilemma: use limited resources to out-compete their neighbours for light to grow, or, invest directly…
Honeybees as plant 'bodyguards'
— 23 Dec 2008 14:20 | BiologyHoneybees are important to plants for reasons that go beyond pollination, according to a new study published in the 23rd December issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.…
Diversity among parasitic wasps greater than suspected
— 5 Sep 2008 18:52 | BiologyA tiny wasp that lays its eggs under the skin of unwitting caterpillars belongs to one of the most diverse groups of insects on Earth. Now researchers report that its diversity is even…
Parasitoid turns its host into a bodyguard
— 4 Jun 2008 21:31 | BiologyThere are many examples of parasites that induce spectacular changes in the behaviour of their host. Flukes, for example, are thought to induce ants, their intermediate host, to move…
Tiny butterfly sees positive effects of climate change
— 2 Jun 2008 19:56 | BiologyThe butterfly Aricia agestis has expanded northwards in Britain during the last 30 years. It is thought that the recent expansion of the species is due to the increasing summer temperatures…
Insecticide cocktail delivers knockout punch
— 12 Mar 2008 13:56 | EnvironmentA cocktail of insecticides containing a plant protein and a common insecticide may be more lethal to crop pests than either ingredient used alone, according to biologists. The one-two…