Predators fungi

Many grasses are known to act as reservoirs and sources of primary C. purpurea inoculum (Hoffmann and Schmutterer, 1983 Agrios, 1997). Since beetle banks and non-crop field margins are commonly used in organic farming to increase biodiversity, it is possible that these areas may also become sources of Claviceps inoculum. The goal for farmers must be to achieve a balance between the benefits of on-farm biodiversity (e.g. improved habitat for pest predators) and the risk of increased infection by fungi such as Claviceps. 

Mites are arachnids in the order Acari and should not be classified or referred to as insects. Mites are typically very small (about 0.5 mm) and have oval bodies with little or no differentiation of their two body regions. Over 50 species of mites have been found associated with stored products some feed directly on stored products, but others are predators, feed on fungi, or are parasites of other stored-product pests such as birds or rodents (Boczek, 1991). Mites can be important pests of stored food worldwide, but their economic importance varies considerably with location, commodity, and management practices. Some mite species can cause allergic reactions in... 

Due to their feeding habits, insects may potentially encounter a diversity of toxins. Both plants ( ) and microorganisms such as fungi (2) inake a diversity of chemicals that act as agents to defend against insects and other predators, including plant polymers such... 

Tomatoes, a major food source for humans, accumulate a variety of secondary metabolites including glycoalkaloids (1). These metabolites protect against the adverse effects of pathogens and predators, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects. 

About 99.9 percent of the chemicals humans ingest are natural, and the amounts of synthetic pesticide residues in foods are insignificant compared to the amount of natural pesticides that are always in our diet because of the plants we eat.13 Of all dietary pesticides that humans eat, 99.99 percent are natural chemicals produced by plants to defend themselves against fungi, insects, and other animal predators. The natural pesticides come in great variety because each plant produces a different array of such chemicals. 

Every plant has 40 to 50 pesticides it makes to kill off predators and fungi. They couldn t survive if they were not filled with toxic chemicals. They don t have teeth and claws, and they can t run away. So throughout evolution they ve been making newer and nastier pesticides. They re better chemists than Dow and Monsanto. [29]... 

Barron, G. L. (1992). Ligninolytic and cellulolytic fungi as predators and parasites. In The Fungal Community Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, ed. G. C. Carroll D.J. Wicklow. NewYork Marcel Dekker, pp. 311-54. 

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