Hemipterans (such as aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers) are some of the most devastating
insect pests due to the numerous plant pathogens they transmit as vectors, which are …

Herbivory, defined as feeding on live plant tissues, is characteristic of highly successful and
diverse groups of insects and represents an evolutionarily derived mode of feeding. Plants …

1. Bacterial symbionts play a prominent role in insect nutritional ecology by aiding in
digestion of food or providing nutrients that are limited or lacking in the diet. Thereby …

Aphids are important agricultural pests and also biological models for studies of insect-plant
interactions, symbiosis, virus vectoring, and the developmental causes of extreme …

Plant protease inhibitors (PIs) are natural plant defense proteins that inhibit proteases of
invading insect herbivores. However, their anti-insect efficacy is determined not only by their …

The evolution of intimate symbiosis requires the coordination of gene expression and
content between the distinct partner genomes; this coordination allows the fusion of …

Background Recent genomic analyses of arthropod defense mechanisms suggest
conservation of key elements underlying responses to pathogens, parasites and stresses. At …

The guts of insect pests are typical habitats for microbial colonization and the presence of
bacterial species inside the gut confers several potential advantages to the insects. These …

Bacterial symbionts are widespread in insects and other animals. Most of them are
predominantly vertically transmitted, along with their hosts' genes, and thus extend the …

Symbiotic associations are widespread in nature and represent a driving force in evolution.
They are known to impact fitness, and thereby shape the host phenotype [1–4]. Insects …