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Nonpathogenic Organisms & InsectsTechnically, the living together of dissimilar organisms regardless of the result of such an association is called symbiosis. Thus, every insect/microorganism association is a symbiotic association and this would include all associations discussed within the subject area of biological control. Insects have many associations with many species of nonpathogenic organisms. Although these associations are not usually directly involved in biological control of insects, it is important that anyone investigating insect pathogens as biological control agents be aware that these associations exist. When examining insects and diagnosing insect diseases, nonpathogenic organisms are often encountered and may be confused with true insect pathogens. Following types of insect/nonpathogenic organisms associations. Casual associationsInsects harbor microorganisms that occur in their immediate environment. Bacteria, fungal conidia, free living Protozoa and other organisms adhere to the cuticle of insects and may pass throuth the digestive tract. Such associations are largely accidential and are usually neither harmful nor beneficial to either insect or microorganism. Mutualistic symbiontsMost groups of organisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and Protozoa) have mutualistic associations with insects. These associations may be either intracellular or extracellular and are usually associated with insects that have some nutritional difficulty. In such cases, the microorganisms provide a required nutritional compound or an enzyme necessary for converting an unusable food product into a usable food product.. Biological control potentialAlthough there have been attempts to manipulate mutualistic insect/microorganism associations as a means of biological control, the potential of this approach appears limited at this time. |
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Please send feedback to lsolter@uiuc.edu Copyright © Midwest Institute for Biological Control, 2004 This page was last updated 22 May 2004 |
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