Soil/Root Dwelling - Homoptera

Cabbage Root Maggots

Cabbage root maggot flies are delicate, hump backed grey-brown flies, about 5-7mm long. Cabbage maggot flies are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, but each will only be found on their appropriate family crop.

Cabbage Root maggot infesting a cabbage under a microscope.



• Small, white bullet shaped eggs are laid in the soil to form maggots which are white and legless they are found in the roots and around the roots as well.

This image shows how cabbage root has affected roots to the crops hugely and reduced the roots making it unable for growth. On top of this, the plant is parasitic for human consumption.

Onion and seedcorn maggot flies are very similar! 

Soil and Root Dwellers- Nematodes

Classification;

 

• Plant-boring pests- Attack the plants roots, tubers, bulbs, rhizomes or the basal regions of the stem
• Some are disease vectors
• Above ground feeders- on the leaves above ground in wet weather or dark phase.

 

Nematoda; A virus Vector

• They are free-living
• Attack the outside of the plants (ectoparasitic)
• Live within the plant as well (endoparasitic)
• These can be classed as either migratory (Moving around form to one place to another) or sedentary (staying in one place)  

Example; Xiphinema spp. (Dagger nematodes)

 

 

This is a soil food web which shows how nematodes are put into the system as a vector under the soil and into animal species as well.

 

 

 

Root-Knot nematodes are plant parasitic nematodes. They exists in the soil where the areas are hot in climate or winters are short. About 5% of global crop loss is due to this nematode, the root-knot development drains the plant's photosynthetic material and nutrients.

Root-knot has a huge economical impact damaging plants and field crop. These nematodes are distributed worldwide and are extremely difficult to control.





Root Knot; Before and After







The Domains

Correct me if I am wrong.... but there are 3 main domains in the 'tree of life'

1. Eukaya
2. Archea
3. Bactria

As stated above this are the main 3 domains... lets go into a bit more depth.

DOMAIN EUKAYA;
This domain contains 4 more domains within it;

1. Protista
2. Fungi
3. Plante
4. Animalia

DOMAIN ARCHEA;

These are only found in the most EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS:

·         Hot springs

·         Anerobic or microaerophilic conditions

·         Sulphurous Volcanic upwellings

·         Extremely saline conditions

·         High alkalinity

·         Extremely acidic conditions

 

Phylum: EURYARCHAEOTA

·         Metgangens

·         Obligate anaerobes producing methane

·         Some are also extreme thermophiles

·         Extreme Halophiles

·         Some use Bacteriorhodopsin to photosynthesis

 

Methanobrevibacter smithii

Domain: Archaea

Kingdom: Euryarchaeota

Phylum: Euryarcheota

Class: Methanobacteria

Order: Methanobacteriales

Family: Methanobacteriaceae

Genus: Methanobrevibacter

Species: M. smithii

 

Phylum: Crenarchaeota

-          Extreme acidophilic and/or thermophiles (often found at volcanic vents)

-          E.g Thermus aquaticus= taq polymerase used DNA amplification

-          Some can survive pH 0.9 and >70 degrees

Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Domain: Archaea

Kingdom: Crenarchaeota

Phylum: Crenarchaeota

Class: Thermoprotei

Order: Sulfolobales

Family: Sulfolobaceae

Genus: Sulfolobus

Species: Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
 

DOMAIN BACTERIA;

Phylum: Proteobacteria

·         Gram negative

-          Negatively charged cell wall:

       Helps evading Phagocytosis

       Physical Barrier

·         Largest Number of species:

-          E.coli, salmonella, vibrio, Helicobacter

-          Anaerobic, Chemoautotrophs, photoautotrophs, heterotrophs

-          Beneficial symbionts

-          Pathogens

Example;

ESCHERICHA COLI (E.COLI)

Domain: Bacteria

Phylum: Eubacteria

Class: Protebacteria

Order: Gammaprotebacteria

Family: Enterobacteriace

Genus: Escherichia

Species: E.Coli

Phylum: Firmicutes

·         Gram positive, with cell wall containing teichoid acids

·         Teichoid acids:

-          Movement of cations in/out of the cell

-          Antigenic specificity

-          Some produce extremely persistent endospore e.g. anthrax, tetanus

·         Actinomycetales are filamentous bacteria

·         Superficially resembling fungi

·         Important component of the soil microbiota

·         Some serious pathogen, e.g. Mycobacterium

·         Produce many antibiotics, e.g. Streptomycin group

STAPHYLOCOCCUS ALBUS (S.ALBUS)

Domain: Bacteria

Phylum: Firmicutes

Class: Cocci

Order: Bacillales

Family: Staphylococcaceae

Genus: Staphylococcus

Species: Staphylococcus Albus