Insects spiders

Jepson PC (1993) Insects, spiders and mites. In Calow P (ed) Handbook of ecotoxicology. Blackwell, Oxford... 

The three-dimensional structural architecture of plant defensins is exemplified by the structure of Rs-AFP, ° which comprises an N-terminal /3-strand followed by an ct-helix and two /3-strands (/3a/3/3 configuration). The /3-strands form a triple-stranded antiparallel /3-sheet. The three-dimensional structure is stabilized by three disulfide bonds. In general, in plant defensins two disulfide bonds form between the ct-helix and the central /3-strand. A third disulfide bond stabilizes the structure by linking the /3-strand after the helix to the coiled part after the ct-helix. This motif is called the cysteine-stabilized a/3-motif (CSa/3)" and also occurs in toxins isolated from insects, spiders, and scorpions.The fourth disulfide bond links the C-terminal end of the peptide with the N-terminal /3-strand. Two plant defensins, PhDl and PhD2, feature a fifth disulfide bond and have been proposed to be the prototypes of a new subclass within plant defensins." As a result of these structural features the global structure of plant defensins is notably different from o //3-thionins, which is one of the reasons for the different nomenclature. The structures of plant defensins Rs-AFP ° and NaDf are shown in Figure 6, where they are compared to the thionin /3-purothionin and the structurally more related drosomycin and charybdotoxin. ... 

Predatory Mites Veiy small, 8 legs, not true insects Spider mites... 

Insects, spiders, scorpions, crabs, centipedes, millipedes, and even some plankton are arthropods, the largest and most diverse animal phylum. Some are capable of producing very powerful toxins as an aid in the quest for food. Humans come in contact with these toxins, usually by accident or as a result of the animal defending itself. Some insects, mosquitoes and ticks for example, are capable of transmitting other organisms to humans that cause disease. While these organisms may be toxic to humans, they are not toxins and will not be discussed in this chapter. 

Chitin Homo- (j81—>4)GlcNAc Very large Structural in insects, spiders, crustaceans, gives rigidity and strength to exoskeletons... 

Bacteria, protozoa, and venomous animals synthesize numerous toxins that are used to kill their prey or to defend themselves. Sea anemones, jellyfish, cone snails, insects, spiders, scorpions, and snakes all make potent and highly specific neurotoxins. Plants form a host of alkaloids and other specialized products, some of which are specifically neurotoxic and able to deter predators. More than 500 species of marine cone snails of the genus Conus synthesize a vast array of polypeptide toxins (conotoxins), 487-489 some with unusual posttranslational modifications.490 491 The slow-moving snails are voracious predators that use their toxins, which they inject with a disposible harpoonlike tooth,492 to paralyze fish, molluscs, or worms.493... 

The high surface tension of water is an important physical property in the living world. It allows the tiniest creature (insects, spiders) to walk and even to jump on the water surface. The question arises about which frame conditions have to be fulfilled for this. 

Arthropoda Insects, spiders, trilobites. ticks, scorpions, centipedes, crustaceans, eurypterids Jointed appendages, hard exoskeleton largest and most diverse group freshwater, marine and terrestrial... 

Secret Weapons Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures, Harvard University Press. 

Eisner T, Eisner M, Siegler M (2005) Secret weapons Defenses of insects, spiders, scorpions and other many-legged creatures. Belknap Press, Cambridge, MA... 

The study of fossils in the sedimentary interbeds of Jurassic lava flows in Antarctica is motivated by the preservation paradox that arises because the most abundant fife forms (e.g., insects, spiders, scorpions, nematodes, and others) that lack solid shells or skeletons are vastly under-represented in the fossil record which favors the preservation of species that have hard parts but make up less than 20% of animal species (Babcock et al. 2006). 

Chitin forms the skeletal structure of invertebrates such as insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc. It is always found in conjunction with calcium carbonate and/ or proteins, and, chemically, it is a poly(i3-( 1 4)-A -acetyl-2-... 

Typical for arthropod (such as insects, spiders, crustaceans) neurosecretory tissue is that the secretory part of the glands is the outside surface see Fig. 25.1b 1), which, therefore, is readily accessible for MALDI matrix application. Furthermore, the tiny size of the tissue allows for whole mount tissue analysis (i.e., without the need of a cryostat) and for full gland analysis within a relatively short time frame. An additional advantage is that live... 

Eisner, T., M. Eisner and M. Siegler, Secret Weapons Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures (Belknap Press, Harvard, 2005, pp. 157-162). (Bombardier beetle)... 

---