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The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, has become one of the most damaging agricultural pests worldwide, yet the genetic basis of its extraordinary adaptability remains elusive. Recent studies have highlighted the pivotal role of newly evolved genes in adaptive evolution, and phylostratigraphy has emerged as a powerful conceptual framework to trace their origins. Here, we adopt this framework to investigate how new genes have contributed to the rapid adaptive evolution of S. frugiperda. Using high-quality genomic data, we inferred gene ages across evolutionary phylostrata and identified 277 newly evolved genes that originated after the divergence of Spodoptera. These new genes exhibit hallmark genomic signatures of recent origin, including shorter coding regions, simplified structures, and relaxed evolutionary constraints. Interestingly, transcriptomic analyses revealed strong tissue specificity, with pronounced enrichment in the antenna and brain, indicating possible involvement in chemosensory and neural functions essential for environmental and behavioral adaptation. Under diverse environmental challenges such as pesticide and parasitoid wasp exposure, and virus infection, we found many of the new genes acted as hubs in the regulatory networks associated with pesticide response. Together, our findings suggest that the emergence of new genes has played a critical role in shaping the rapid adaptive evolution of S. frugiperda and provide broader insights into how newly evolved genes contribute to species adaptation.

The beet army worm, Spodoptera exigua , is a widely distributed polyphagous pest of economically important crops worldwide. The management of this pest insect continues to face many challenges. Despite synthetic chemicals posing a serious threat to the environment, these remain the conventional approach for controlling S. exigua in the field. An over-reliance on chemical control has not only led to selection for resistance to insecticides and to a reduction of natural enemies, but has also polluted various components of ecosystem. Given these increasing pressures on the ecosystem, there is a need to implement integrated pest management (IPM) approaches exploiting a wider range of tools (biotechnological approaches, microbial control, biological control, cultural control, and use of host plant resistance) for an alternative to chemical control. The IPM approach can not only reduce the hazard of chemical residues in the environment and associated health problems, but may also provide best strategies to control insect pests. This review synthesizes published information on insecticide resistance of S. exigua and explores alternative IPM approaches to control S. exigua .

Insects rely heavily on olfaction to regulate essential behaviors such as host location, oviposition and mating. The invasive cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley represents a global threat to cotton and numerous cultivated crops. To elucidate the molecular basis of its olfaction mechanisms, we sequenced and assembled antennal transcriptomes from male and female adults using Illumina NovaSeq X Plus technology. Among 13,891 unigenes, 91 chemosensory genes were identified, including 40 odorant receptors, 13 gustatory receptors, 19 ionotropic receptors, 10 odorant-binding proteins, 7 chemosensory proteins, and 2 sensory neuron membrane proteins. Differential expression analysis revealed 6312 genes with significant sex-biased expression between male and female antennae, including 55 chemosensory genes. Phylogenetic analyses further clarified the evolutionary relationships of these chemosensory genes with homologs from other hemipteran species. Notably, validation confirmed that 18 PsolORs were male-biased. This comprehensive transcriptomic study establishes a foundation for further functional characterization of pheromone reception and provides valuable candidate genes for dissecting chemoreception mechanisms in P. solenopsis.

Intense competition requires that social media service providers execute two major business strategies: exploiting current functions while simultaneously exploring incremental innovation. Realization of these strategies is related to two types of member behavior: reinforced use and varied use. Drawing on identity theories, we examine the common and differential effects of two levels of social self-identity-relational identity and social identity-on reinforced and varied use and the moderating role of inertia on their effects on social media usage. Our results reveal that, although both identities have similar effects on usage behavior, users with higher social identities are more oriented toward variety seeking, while those with stronger relational identities are more oriented toward reinforcement. Inertia negatively moderates the impacts of social identity on social media use, but not the relationships between relational identity and social media use. The current research contributes to theory by decomposing social media usage into reinforced and varied use and reveals the common and differential influences of two levels of social self-identity on user behavior. Social media service providers should focus more on social identity to promote varied use and focus more on relational identity when they want to enhance reinforced use.

Photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction offers a sustainable approach for hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) synthesis, while the efficiency is limited by the challenge of synergistically optimizing the supply of oxygen, protons, and electrons. Here, by elaborately developing squaric acid-based zwitterionic covalent organic framework (STT COF), we propose a triple synergy strategy for boosting H 2 O 2 photosynthesis. The as-prepared STT COF delivers a high H 2 O 2 yield of 14356.5 μmol g –1  h –1 in pure water, with a notable apparent quantum yield of 40.0% at 420 nm, roughly 7.9 times that of its charge-neutral counterpart and outperforming other documented systems. Under natural sunlight irradiation, a 5 L H 2 O 2 solution (~400 μM) is produced in a continuous flow membrane reactor equipped with STT COF and gas diffusion layers. Mechanism studies demonstrate that STT COF induces a strong donor-acceptor (D-A) interaction to promote electron transfer, undergoes spontaneous hydrogenation for continuous protons and facilitating oxygen uptake in a favorable configuration, collectively creating a triple synergy to boost H 2 O 2 photosynthesis. The triple synergy of oxygen, proton, and electron supply is crucial for hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis. Here, the authors report a squaric-acid zwitterionic covalent organic framework that achieves this synergy, boosting hydrogen peroxide yield and enabling solar-driven continuous-flow production.

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most catastrophic citrus disease worldwide. SEC-dependent effectors (SDEs) play prominent roles in HLB pathogenesis, and 86 were predicted from the genome of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Nevertheless, little is known about the comprehensive picture of effector action mechanisms. In this study, RNA-seq was performed to explore the gene expression profiling of transgenic citrus plants expressing a CLas SDE, CLIBASIA₀0185 (0185-OE). A total of 6,506 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between 0185-OEs and the wild-type (WT) control through RNA-seq. Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated that molecular functions associated with cellular process, cell part, binding, and catalysis activity were affected. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were enriched in pathways including primary and secondary metabolisms. Further analysis demonstrated that DEGs implicated in sugar metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and endocytosis pathway were markedly induced in 0185-OE group compared to those in WTs. Ten genes were chosen to verify RNA-seq data with qRT-PCR, and their expression patterns were in good agreement with those of RNA-seq. The transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that CLIBASIA₀0185 (CLas0185) governed sugar metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and endocytosis for pathogen survival and development. The results determined a prominent role of CLas0185 in HLB pathogenicity that could be a target for disease management.

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is a serious pest of horticultural and agronomic crops. Using plant-released semiochemicals to control thrips is one eco-friendly control method for their management. In this study, to develop repellents and an attractant–repellent push–pull strategy for F. occidentalis, we investigated the effects of α-pinene and eucalyptol on their oviposition on pepper plants in cage experiments and evaluated the control efficiency of repellents on them in pepper fields. The control efficacy of a combination of aggregation pheromone attractants and plant volatile repellents was also investigated. The results showed that spraying eucalyptol (at the dose of 200 μL) and α-pinene (at the dose of 100 μL) significantly reduced the oviposition behavior of F. occidentalis in cage experiments. Field results showed that the application of eucalyptol and α-pinene could significantly reduce the population of F. occidentalis in the field, with the highest control efficacy of 80.96% and 66.66%, respectively. Furthermore, a push–pull strategy combining thrips-repellent eucalyptol and aggregation pheromone lures was an effective strategy to suppress a population of thrips in the field, with the highest control efficacy of 81.95%. The repellents and push–pull strategy developed here provided an effective method for the eco-friendly control of F. occidentalis.

Crickets use the pulse pattern of the species-specific calling song as a primary cue for mate recognition. Here we combined transcriptome profiling of brain regions with network-based analyses in Gryllus bimaculatus exposed to silence or pulse trains known to elicit strong or weak phonotactic attraction. Acoustic stimulation triggered specific transcriptional changes in the brain, with the anterior protocerebrum showing the most pronounced and selective responses to the calling song pattern, characterized by enrichment in neuromodulatory and neurotransmitter-related pathways. Weighted gene co-expression analysis identified a specific cluster of highly co-expressed genes in the anterior brain (termed the calling song-responsive module) that responded selectively only to the calling song stimulus. Genetic network topology analysis revealed six highly connected key hub genes within the calling song-responsive module—GbOrb2, Gbgl, Gbpum, GbDnm, GbCadN, and GbNCadN. These genes showed extensive interactions with many other genes in the network, suggesting their central regulatory role in response to calling song in female crickets. These findings support the anterior brain as a central integrator of cricket auditory mate recognition cues and point to a core molecular network that likely underpins this behavior.

Thrips pests have become an increasing concern in cotton fields in Xinjiang. is the primary thrips species during the flowering and boll stages, causing boll stiffening or cracking. However, limited studies have been conducted on controlling . In this study, using a leaf-tube residue method, we evaluated the susceptibility of field populations to three insecticides (spinetoram, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid) collected from different geographical sites across major cotton planting areas in Xinjiang. The results showed that populations exhibited very high susceptibility to spinetoram, ranging from 0.003 mg L in the Shihezi population to 0.036 mg L in the Korla population. The susceptibility of to imidacloprid and acetamiprid varied considerably among different field populations, with the relative resistance of 33.00 and 25.71, respectively. Reduced susceptibility to all three insecticides was detected in the Korla and Manasi populations, highlighting the importance of implementing effective resistance management and alternative control strategies. These findings provide valuable information for the appropriate control of in Xinjiang.

The diamide insecticide tetraniliprole is a valuable tool for managing major insect pests like the invasive tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick). However, the mechanisms underlying tetraniliprole resistance, as well as its associated fitness costs, remain unclear. In this study, we assessed the fitness of tetraniliprole-resistant (TetraRS) and susceptible (SS) strains of T. absoluta and conducted Illumina RNA-seq to compare their transcriptomes. We also used nanocarrier-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) to knockdown P450 genes and evaluate their role in tetraniliprole resistance. After eight generations of selection, T. absoluta developed a 20.80-fold resistance to tetraniliprole, accompanied by fitness costs. RNA-seq analysis revealed 3332 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 1707 upregulated and 1625 downregulated in the TetraRS compared to the SS strain. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations showed significant enrichment in categories related to metabolic processes, cellular processes, catalytic activity, cellular anatomical entity, and binding. These genes were also identified in key KEGG pathways such as cytochrome P450, drug metabolism, carbon metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, and protein processing. RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that P450 genes (CYP405D1, CYP6AB269, and CYP4AU1) were upregulated in TetraRS insects, in line with the RNA-seq results. Cytochrome P450 activity was significantly higher in the TetraRS strain than in the SS strain. Notably, nano-encapsulated dsRNA targeting these overexpressed P450 genes increased the susceptibility of T. absoluta to tetraniliprole. Further, cytochrome P450 activity was significantly reduced following silencing of P450 genes. These findings suggest that multiple genes and pathways, particularly P450 genes, contribute to tetraniliprole resistance in T. absoluta. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance in this key pest species.