Eating habits causing the ecological success of the Asian worm, the notorious beetle came from the East glutton for urban greenery, are due to a unique set of genes, allowing him to easily digest timber sourced from the most disparate.
The invasive insect that feeds on the trunk and the bark of the city's plants, and that in Western parks have few known predators, can count, as compared to other beetles, on a genetic arsenal that allows
you to extract the maximum amount of energy from her diet wood-based, and easy to get rid of harmful chemicals that it entails.
THE ORIGIN OF THE PROBLEM. Researchers at the University of Memphis compared the DNA of the stem of the Asian moth (Anoplophora glabripennis) with that of 14 other insects less "fussy." The species studied is morphologically similar to the Asian worm that is located, for example, in Lombardy (Anoplophora chinensis).
DIGESTION EFFICIENT. The Asian stem borer has more than 1,000 genes not found in other arthropods insects. Among these genes, 86 well (an unusually high number) coding for enzymes of the glycoside hydrolase family, which allow the animal to degrade all major polysaccharides present in the cells of plants, and get the sugars necessary for survival.
VERY ADAPTABLE. Especially, it is very different enzymes among them, a fact that allows the insect to feed on a range of incredibly high plants, in every corner of the Earth. The research gives reason for the pervasiveness of this and other similar invasive species, and perhaps will provide tools to counter the advance.
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