DNA & Taxonomy Barcode

by Philippe GARCELON This article is based on the work done by the researchers David Porco, and Louis Deharveng (National Museum of natural history) who exploit the genetic tool and were kind enough to send me documents related to their research on Springtails.   Introduction Despite the emergence of genetic identification techniques, on the basis of the DNA…

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Parthenogenesis in insects: synthesis

by Benoit GILLES In order for them to multiply, nature has endowed living organisms with a wide diversity of reproductive systems. In insects, one of these strategies is parthenogenesis. This is based on the development of individuals from unfertilized gametes, thus without the need for fertilization. This strategy is interesting for more than one reason:…

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Be versatile or specialize? The choice of flowers and their pollinators

By Vincent ALBOUY Specialization/Generalism Specialization is defined as physical, biological and/or behavioural adaptation to a small group of partners. Bryona dioica (Bryona dioica), a wild Cucurbitaceae, flowers in spring in hedges and wastelands. Its greenish-white flowers attract various collectors. Among them, a small blackish bee marked with red, andrène de la bryone (Andrena florea), visits…

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Insect Vision – Part 3: Physiological receptors, colours and polarization

The eyes (vision), in their diversity of form and structure, allow any organism (invertebrates and vertebrates) to collect light energy (photons), convert it into electrical energy which will then be transmitted to the brain via neurons where it will be analyzed and interpreted to give birth to a mental representation of the environment to the…

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The ovipositor of parasitoid hymenoptera: how micro-surgery is inspired by nature’s inventions

By Pascal ROUSSE In the world of parasitoids (lire this article), the ovipositor, also called oviscapte (abdominal appendix with which eggs are deposited), has a crucial role since it allows to locate precisely the egg laying in space and time, which is essential when it has to match the biological cycle of the host. Before…

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