Insecticides have played a major role in the management of agricultural and medical insect pests since their first application in pest control. The impacts of insecticide on the environment, as well as on organisms in ecosystems, have been addressed for decades. On the one hand, the side effects of insecticides on pollinating insects, natural predators and nontarget insects, can cause imbalances/disruption in ecosystems, and resurgence of target pests, which eventually leads to agricultural production losses. On the other hand, as one of the most successful groups of animals, insects have evolved a wide range of adaptive strategies that allow them to live in almost every habitat on earth, survive and reproduce even when subjected to chemical stresses such as natural plant allelochemicals and insecticides. Outbreaks of pests following insecticide application owing to hormesis effects and evolution of insecticide resistance in insects threatens the sustainability of insecticides employed as the most effective measure for control of agricultural and medical pests.
In the recent years, great progresses have been made in the physiological responses of insects on the aspects of feeding, courtship, reproduction, detoxification and nerve transmission to insecticides and the adaptation mechanisms of insects with the advance of genomic and post-genomic technologies. Further research on insecticide effects and adaptation mechanisms is of theoretical and applied importance in understanding the physiological responses and evolution of resistance and thus helping the development of more sustainable pest control strategies in the future.
Here, we are gathering both original research and review papers with the research topics including but not limited to:
• Side effects of plant metabolites/insecticides against, pollinator, predators or parasitoids
• Sublethal effects or hormesis effects of insecticides on development, reproduction, tolerance and behavior of insect pests, and the underling biochemical and molecular mechanisms
• Evolution of insecticide resistance/tolerance in insects, genetic characterizations and fitness cost
• Characterization of new genes, new proteins, new mutations or new pathways and regulation mechanisms involved in adaptation/tolerance/resistance to the chemical stress or insecticides.
Insecticides have played a major role in the management of agricultural and medical insect pests since their first application in pest control. The impacts of insecticide on the environment, as well as on organisms in ecosystems, have been addressed for decades. On the one hand, the side effects of insecticides on pollinating insects, natural predators and nontarget insects, can cause imbalances/disruption in ecosystems, and resurgence of target pests, which eventually leads to agricultural production losses. On the other hand, as one of the most successful groups of animals, insects have evolved a wide range of adaptive strategies that allow them to live in almost every habitat on earth, survive and reproduce even when subjected to chemical stresses such as natural plant allelochemicals and insecticides. Outbreaks of pests following insecticide application owing to hormesis effects and evolution of insecticide resistance in insects threatens the sustainability of insecticides employed as the most effective measure for control of agricultural and medical pests.
In the recent years, great progresses have been made in the physiological responses of insects on the aspects of feeding, courtship, reproduction, detoxification and nerve transmission to insecticides and the adaptation mechanisms of insects with the advance of genomic and post-genomic technologies. Further research on insecticide effects and adaptation mechanisms is of theoretical and applied importance in understanding the physiological responses and evolution of resistance and thus helping the development of more sustainable pest control strategies in the future.
Here, we are gathering both original research and review papers with the research topics including but not limited to:
• Side effects of plant metabolites/insecticides against, pollinator, predators or parasitoids
• Sublethal effects or hormesis effects of insecticides on development, reproduction, tolerance and behavior of insect pests, and the underling biochemical and molecular mechanisms
• Evolution of insecticide resistance/tolerance in insects, genetic characterizations and fitness cost
• Characterization of new genes, new proteins, new mutations or new pathways and regulation mechanisms involved in adaptation/tolerance/resistance to the chemical stress or insecticides.
