Junaid Ali Siddiqui

Bio: Junaid Ali Siddiqui is an academic researcher from South China Agricultural University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biology & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 15 publications receiving 36 citations. Previous affiliations of Junaid Ali Siddiqui include Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University & Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University.

Vespidae (Hymenoptera) of the Pothwar region of Punjab, Pakistan .

Abstract: Six genera and nine species of Eumeninae (Eumenes punctatus de Saussure, E. papillarius (Christ), Delta dimidiatipenne (de Saussure), D. p. pyriforme (Fabricius), D. esuriens (Fabricius), Rhynchium brunneum (Fabricius), Anterhynchium abdominale (Illiger), Antepipona sibilans (Cameron), Allorhynchium argentatum (Fabricius)) , two genera and six species of Polistinae (Polistes wattii (Cameron), P. olivaceus (De Geer), P. rothneyi carletoni van der Vecht, P. indicus Stolfa), Ropalidia brevita Das & Gupta, R. cyathiformis (Fabricius), and one genus and four species of Vespinae (Vespa basalis Smith, V, orientalis Linnaeus, V, tropica (Linnaeus), V. velutina Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau) are recorded from Pothwar region. Eumenes punctatus and E. papillarius are newly recorded from Pakistan. An illustrated keys to subfamilies, genera and species are given.

Role of Insect Gut Microbiota in Pesticide Degradation: A Review

Abstract: Insect pests cause significant agricultural and economic losses to crops worldwide due to their destructive activities. Pesticides are designed to be poisonous and are intentionally released into the environment to combat the menace caused by these noxious pests. To survive, these insects can resist toxic substances introduced by humans in the form of pesticides. According to recent findings, microbes that live in insect as symbionts have recently been found to protect their hosts against toxins. Symbioses that have been formed are between the pests and various microbes, a defensive mechanism against pathogens and pesticides. Insects’ guts provide unique conditions for microbial colonization, and resident bacteria can deliver numerous benefits to their hosts. Insects vary significantly in their reliance on gut microbes for basic functions. Insect digestive tracts are very different in shape and chemical properties, which have a big impact on the structure and composition of the microbial community. Insect gut microbiota has been found to contribute to feeding, parasite and pathogen protection, immune response modulation, and pesticide breakdown. The current review will examine the roles of gut microbiota in pesticide detoxification and the mechanisms behind the development of resistance in insects to various pesticides. To better understand the detoxifying microbiota in agriculturally significant pest insects, we provided comprehensive information regarding the role of gut microbiota in the detoxification of pesticides.

Vertically Transmitted Gut Bacteria and Nutrition Influence the Immunity and Fitness of Bactrocera dorsalis Larvae.

Abstract: Symbiotic bacterial communities that colonize the digestive tract of tephritid fruit flies interact with nutrient intake to improve the flies' fitness and immunity. Some bacterial species consistently inhabit the tephritid guts and are transmitted to the next generation vertically. These species contribute significantly to some aspects of their host's physiology. In the current study, we examined the role of four vertically transmitted bacteria (Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Providencia) on the fitness parameters and immunity of Bactrocera dorsalis larvae that were fed a nutritionally manipulated diet. For this purpose, eggs were collected from axenic, gnotobiotic, and symbiotic adult flies, and larvae were reared on four types of diets in which carbohydrate and/or protein contents were reduced and then compared with larvae raised on a control diet. The diet and bacterial interactions significantly affected the fitness and immunity of B. dorsalis. Larvae of axenic flies grew slower and displayed weaker immune-based responses (PO activity, antibacterial activity, survival) than larvae of gnotobiotic and symbiotic flies. Overall, larvae reared on the low-protein diet grew slower than those reared on the control or low-carbohydrate diets. Survival, PO activity, and antibacterial activity were significantly lower in the hemolymph of larvae reared on low-protein diets. Our results also revealed that the levels of hemolymph protein, glucose, trehalose, and triglyceride in larvae from axenic flies were significantly lower than those in larvae of the symbiotic group after they fed on most of the tested diets. These results strongly infer that diet and vertically transmitted bacteria are both essential contributors to the fitness and immunity of B. dorsalis.

Impact of invasive ant species on native fauna across similar habitats under global environmental changes

Abstract: Biotic invasions can predominantly alter the dynamics, composition, functions, and structure of natural ecosystems. Social insects, particularly ants, are among the most damaging invasive alien species. Invasive ant species are among the supreme threats to ecosystems. There are about 23 species of invasive ants recorded worldwide, according to the ant invasive databases. The ecological impacts of invasive ants comprise predation, hybridization, and competition with native species that changes the ecosystem processes with the biodiversity loss and upsurge of pests. The effects of invasion on native fauna in the same habitats might be catastrophic for the native community through various ecological mechanisms, e.g., habitat disturbance, resource competition, limiting the foraging activity of native species, and various other indirect mechanisms of invasive species. Invasive species may have harmful impacts on habitats and devastating effects on natural flora and fauna, and stopping these new species from being introduced is the most effective way to deter future invasions and maintain biodiversity. This paper reviews the literature to evaluate the effects of invasive ant species on the native species, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants sharing the same habitats as the non-native species under global environmental changes. We also highlighted the various management strategies that could be adopted in minimizing the adverse effects of these invasive ant species on the natural ecosystem. To this end, strategies that could regulate the mode and rate of invasion by these alien ant species are the most effective ways to deter future invasions and maintain biodiversity.

The Insect Societies

Abstract: In his introduction to this detailed survey of knowledge of insect societies, the author points out that research on insect sociology has proceeded in three phases, the natural history phase, the physiological phase and the population-biology phase. Advances in the first two phases have permitted embarkation in the third phase on a more rigorous theory of social evolution based on population genetics and writing this book, the author wished to relate the three phases of research on insects and to express insect sociology as population biology. A glossary of terms, a considerable bibliography and a general index are included. Other CABI sites 

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

Abstract: Twenty-four articles by biologists, ecologists, and other scientists represent a year's progress in the field. Among the topics addressed: the effects of introduced species, paleobiogeography, genetics and geographic structure, marine fisheries management, time as an ecological resource, genetic var

Drosophila microbiome modulates host developmental and metabolic homeostasis via insulin signaling

Abstract: The symbiotic microbiota profoundly affect many aspects of host physiology; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying host-microbe cross-talk are largely unknown. Here, we show that the pyrroloquinoline quinone–dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (PQQ-ADH) activity of a commensal bacterium, Acetobacter pomorum, modulates insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) in Drosophila to regulate host homeostatic programs controlling developmental rate, body size, energy metabolism, and intestinal stem cell activity. Germ-free animals monoassociated with PQQ-ADH mutant bacteria displayed severe deregulation of developmental and metabolic homeostasis. Importantly, these defects were reversed by enhancing host IIS or by supplementing the diet with acetic acid, the metabolic product of PQQ-ADH.

La Société de Physique et D'Histoire Naturelle de Genève

Abstract: GENEVA has long been renowned as the home of eminent men of science. Some of these, the de Saussures and the de Candolles, belonged to families which, like the Darwins, have produced several generations of distinguished scientific men. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Physical and Natural History Society of Geneva has a deservedly high reputation, and that its Memoirs find a ready exchange with the publications of most learned societies. Last October the Society celebrated its hundred and fiftieth anniversary, and an account of the meeting of celebration fills the pages of the October number of its proceedings. The centenary celebration in 1890 was naturally made a great occasion and the centenary volume of the Memoirs of the Society contains a number of important scientific papers, as well as a history of the Society prepared by the secretary, Dr. A. H. Wartmann.