Secretions of arthropods
2007 Impact statement- Eisner, Thomas
abstract
We are concerned with the isolation and characterization of chemicals used as communicative signals by insects--substances that mediate courtship and reproduction activities, or provide defense against predators, parasites, and pathogens.
submitted by
- Eisner, Thomas | Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Chemical Ecology
issue being addressed
Insects are our chief competitors on Earth. It is essential to understand how chemicals contribute to their survival if we are to control insects that are pests or vectors of disease or foster those species that benefit us by pollinating our crops or contributing to the maintenance of wilderness habitats.
response
We have isolated and characterized a large number of chemicals upon which insects depend for survival. The compounds have included repellents by which insects fend off predators, and pheromones by which they attract and assess one another prior to mating. Our work has shown how insects fit into ecosystems, and how they make use of chemicals in most activities related to their survival.
impact assessment
Our studies have contributed to the understanding of the role of insects in the natural world, and of how they interact with other organisms, including mutualists and antagonists, by use of communicative signals. The study is largely basic in its implications, but can obviously benefit any constituency (including medical and agricultural constituencies) that deals with insects as pests or vectors of disease.
academic priority area
- Land-Grant Mission | CALS academic priority
topic description
Chemical ecology
has geographic focus
- Tompkins County | county
- New York State | state
funding source description
- National Institutes of Health
- Hatch
- Johnson & Johnson
key personnel
- Jerrold Meinwald
- Marta del Campo
From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008