Abstract: Gut microbiota plays important roles in many physiological processes of the host including digestion, protection, detoxification, and development of immune responses. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) has emerged as model for gut-microbiota host interaction studies due to its gut microbiota being highly conserved and having a simple composition. A key gap in this model is understanding how the microbiome differs regionally, including sampling from the tropics and in particular from Af...
Abstract: Studies on the expression of genes in different contexts are essential to our understanding of the functioning of organisms and their adaptations to the environment. Gene expression studies require steps of normalization, which are done using the stable expression pattern of reference genes. For many different eusocial bees reference genes have been discovered, but not for the primitively eusocial Euglossini bees. We used available genomic resources of Euglossini species and the ge...
Abstract: The population dynamics of the honey bee pest Aethina tumida Murray (small hive beetle) have been studied in the United States with ßight and Langstroth hive bottom board traps baited with pollen dough inoculated with a yeast Kodamaea ohmeri associated with the beetle.However, little is known about the population dynamics of the beetle in its native host range. Similarly baited Langstroth hive bottom board traps were used to monitor the occurrence and seasonal abundance of the bee...
Abstract: Myrmarachne melanotarsa, an ant-like jumping spider (Salticidae) from East Africa, is an accurate mimic of Crematogaster sp. and associates unusually closely with its models. M. melanotarsa is remarkable in that it forms dense aggregations and builds large nest complexes (numerous individuallyoccupied nests connected to each other by silk).Other salticids (Pseudicius spp., Menemerus spp.) live with M. melanotarsa in the same nest complex.These aggregations, which can exceed 50 cons...
Abstract: Instances are documented of finding individuals of Portia africana in the field living aggregated in the webs of other spiders, in the nest complexes of other salticids, around solitary nests of other salticids, and around the nests of oecobiid spiders. Aggregation members included all active juvenile stages of P. africana, as well as adult males and females. More than one individual of P. africana sometimes fed on the same prey. Small juveniles of P. africana were more often than ...
Abstract: Pollinator decline has attracted global attention and substantial efforts are underway to respond through national pollinator strategies and action plans. These policy responses require clarity on what is driving pollinator decline and what risks it generates for society in different parts of the world. Using a formal expert elicitation process, we evaluated the relative regional and global importance of eight drivers of pollinator decline and ten consequent risks to human well-bei...
Abstract: The success of Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Schneider) Andrássy (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae) as a biological control agent of molluscs has led to a worldwide interest in phasmarhabditids. However, scant information is available on the lifecycle development of species within the genus. In the current study, the development of P. hermaphrodita, Phasmarhabditis papillosa, Phasmarhabditis bohemica and Phasmarhabditis kenyaensis were studied using ex vivo cultures, in order to improve o...
Abstract: Parasitoids are promising biocontrol agents of the devastating fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. However, parasitoid performance is a function of several factors, including host-associated symbiotic bacteria. Providencia alcalifaciens, Citrobacter freundii, and Lactococcus lactis are among the symbiotic bacteria commonly associated with B. dorsalis, and they influence the eco-physiological functioning of this pest. However, whether these bacteria influence the interaction between thi...
Abstract: Monitoring of destructive invasive weeds such as those from the genus Striga requires accurate, near real-time predictions and integrated assessment techniques to enable better surveillance and consistent assessment initiatives. Thus, in this study, we predicted the potential ecological niche of Striga (Striga asiatica) weed in Zimbabwe, to identify and understand its propagation and map potentially vulnerable cropping areas. Vegetation phenology from remote sensing, bioclimatic an...
Abstract: The demand for well-trained bioinformaticians to support genomics research continues to rise. Unfortunately, undergraduate training in Kenya does not prepare students for specialization in bioinformatics. Graduates are often unaware of the career opportunities in bioinformatics, and those who are may lack mentors to help them choose a specialization. The Bioinformatics Mentorship and Incubation Program seeks to bridge the gap by laying the foundation for a bioinformatics training p...
Abstract: Disgust and neophobia elicited by whole insect products, has necessitated the need to mask insect-based food products. The physico-chemical parameters, sensory acceptance, and willingness to pay (WTP) for wheat biscuits supplemented with cricket powder was evaluated. The biscuits’ color intensity correlated with the cricket inclusion levels. Spread ration of cricket-enriched-biscuits increased (1.0–1.2-folds), while the hardness and fracturability decreased (1.0–1.3-folds and...
Abstract: Accurate and reliable information on the distribution of tsetse habitats is crucial for the effective management of African Trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. However, conducting large-scale surveillance of tsetse flies to develop distribution maps is impractical due to vast areas infested and limited resources available. To address this challenge, we evaluated the applicability of tsetse habitat models developed in the intensively sampled Shimba Hills National Reserve in Kenya...
Abstract: Background: Changes in climate and land use can alter risk of transmission of parasites between domestic hosts and wildlife,particularly when mediated by vectors that can travel between populations. Here we focused on tsetse flies (genus Glossina), the cyclical vectors for both Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) and Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT). The aims of this study were to investigate three issues related to G. palldipes from Kenya: 1) the diversity of vertebrate hosts ...
Abstract: Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is an important food security crop with economic, nutritional, and medicinal value. It is a source of carbohydrates for millions of people in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific Islands. Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant varieties. However, adequa...
Abstract: Background: Strategies for combatting residual malaria by targeting vectors outdoors are gaining importance as the limitations of primary indoor interventions are reached. Strategies to target ovipositing females or her ofspring are broadly applicable because all mosquitoes require aquatic habitats for immature development irrespective of their biting or resting preferences. Oviposition site selection by gravid females is frequently studied by counting early instar larvae in habita...