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Information
| Unit | INSTITUTE OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES |
| PLANT PROTECTION (MASTER) (WITH THESIS) | |
| Code | BK604 |
| Name | Chemical ecology of insects |
| Term | 2025-2026 Academic Year |
| Term | Fall |
| Duration (T+A) | 3-0 (T-A) (17 Week) |
| ECTS | 6 ECTS |
| National Credit | 3 National Credit |
| Teaching Language | Türkçe |
| Level | Belirsiz |
| Type | Normal |
| Mode of study | Yüz Yüze Öğretim |
| Catalog Information Coordinator | Doç. Dr. Serkan PEHLİVAN |
| Course Instructor |
The current term course schedule has not been prepared yet.
|
Course Goal / Objective
The aim is to examine the communication mechanisms insects use through chemical signals within an environmental and ecological context. It focuses on understanding the effects of semiochemicals such as pheromones, kairomones, and synomones, as well as other plant-derived volatile compounds on insect behavior, and how this knowledge can be applied in biological control and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
Course Content
This course addresses the chemical interactions between insects and their environment and the ecological consequences of these interactions. It provides a detailed examination of the structure and function of semiochemicals (such as pheromones, kairomones, allomones, and synomones) that play key roles in insect behavioral and physiological processes. The course also offers theoretical insights into the roles of chemical signals in behaviors such as host location, mating, defense, and social communication, as well as how these signals are produced, released, and perceived in an environmental context. Special focus is given to herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) and how these volatiles attract parasitoids and predators at the third trophic level. Finally, the course analyzes how this knowledge can be integrated into integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, emphasizing the practical roles of semiochemicals in attraction, repellence, monitoring, and mass trapping. Current innovations in chemical ecology—such as synthetic ecology, olfactory receptor engineering, and the use of CRISPR—will be discussed through examples from recent literature.
Course Precondition
Entomology
Resources
Cardé, R.T. & Millar, J.G. (2004). Advances in Insect Chemical Ecology Wyatt, T.D. (2014). Pheromones and Animal Behavior. J .M. Pasteels, J. C. Grégoire & M. Rowell-Rahier (1983). "The chemical ecology of defense in arthropods" . Annual Review of Entomology. 28: 263–289.
Notes
Review articles and current SCI-E sources
Course Learning Outcomes
| Order | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| LO01 | Explains how insects perceive and interpret environmental chemical signals. |
| LO02 | Defines the classification and functions of semiochemicals such as pheromones, kairomones, allomones, and synomones. |
| LO03 | Evaluates insect–plant–natural enemy interactions in the context of chemical ecology and is able to explain tritrophic relationships. |
| LO04 | Explains the fundamental principles of behavioral and electrophysiological methods such as orientation behavior (olfactometer), electroantennography (EAG), and volatile analysis techniques (e.g., GC-EAD), and interprets their applications. |
| LO05 | Analyzes how knowledge gained from chemical ecology can be utilized in biological control and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. |
Relation with Program Learning Outcome
| Order | Type | Program Learning Outcomes | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLO01 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Has knowledge on basic topics about general science, general agricultural engineering and plant production | 1 |
| PLO02 | Yetkinlikler - Öğrenme Yetkinliği | Knows the biology, ecology, systematics and control strategies of diseases, pests and weeds causing yield losses in plants | 3 |
| PLO03 | Yetkinlikler - Öğrenme Yetkinliği | Knows the identification and the biology of the diseases and how to control diseases,pests and weeds causing yield losses in plants in practice | 2 |
| PLO04 | Yetkinlikler - Öğrenme Yetkinliği | Comprehends the plant protection problems, gains the ability to solve the problems via scientific methods | |
| PLO05 | Beceriler - Bilişsel, Uygulamalı | Obtains the skill to use a laboratory, analyzes and evaluates the results and prepares reports | |
| PLO06 | Yetkinlikler - Bağımsız Çalışabilme ve Sorumluluk Alabilme Yetkinliği | Decides to the most useful control strategy to cope with the plant protection problems and gets them to be used correctly | |
| PLO07 | Yetkinlikler - Öğrenme Yetkinliği | Has necessary knowledge to use the essential technologies, synthesizes them to prepare oral presentations | |
| PLO08 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | By synthesizing basic and conceptual knowledge about plant protection, she/he gains the ability to develop her/himself in the field of science she/he wants to specialize in, within the framework of the professional qualifications she/he has acquired during her/his undergraduate education | 1 |
| PLO09 | Yetkinlikler - Alana Özgü Yetkinlik | He/she can follow and elucidate domestic and international periodicals in the field he/she wants to specialize in. | |
| PLO10 | Yetkinlikler - Bağımsız Çalışabilme ve Sorumluluk Alabilme Yetkinliği | Can present results of the scientific research as a report/thesis and produce scientific publications | |
| PLO11 | Yetkinlikler - Bağımsız Çalışabilme ve Sorumluluk Alabilme Yetkinliği | To be able to apply the knowledge gained on environmental/public health and biosecurity issues in relation to agricultural production. | |
| PLO12 | Yetkinlikler - Bağımsız Çalışabilme ve Sorumluluk Alabilme Yetkinliği | 116 / 5.000 Çeviri sonuçları Reaches up-to-date resources on plant protection and field and gains the ability to use them for solving problems. | |
| PLO13 | Yetkinlikler - Öğrenme Yetkinliği | Develops skills in using laboratory methods and techniques | |
| PLO14 | Yetkinlikler - Alana Özgü Yetkinlik | Can contribute to the solution of social, scientific, cultural, and ethical problems in the field of plant protection. |
Week Plan
| Week | Topic | Preparation | Methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Chemical Ecology and Basic Concepts | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım |
| 2 | Olfactory System and Receptors in Insects | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Tartışma, Soru-Cevap |
| 3 | Pheromones and classification | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 4 | Kairomones, allomones, synomones | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 5 | Host-Finding Behaviors and Chemical Signals | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 6 | Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles (HIPVs) | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 7 | Tritrophic interactions | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 8 | Mid-Term Exam | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Sözlü Sınav |
| 9 | Y-Tube Olfactometer Assays and Design | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 10 | Electrophysiological Methods in Insect Olfaction: EAG and GC-EAD | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 11 | Chemical Communication in Social Insects | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 12 | The us of Semiochemicals in Entegrated Pest Management | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 13 | Entegrated Pest Management and İnsect Ecology | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 14 | Novel aplications on chemical ecology | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 15 | General comments | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 16 | Term Exams | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Ödev |
| 17 | Term Exams | PowerPoint presentation, course materials, notes, and other resources. | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Sözlü Sınav |
Student Workload - ECTS
| Works | Number | Time (Hour) | Workload (Hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Related Works | |||
| Class Time (Exam weeks are excluded) | 14 | 2 | 28 |
| Out of Class Study (Preliminary Work, Practice) | 14 | 6 | 84 |
| Assesment Related Works | |||
| Homeworks, Projects, Others | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Mid-term Exams (Written, Oral, etc.) | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| Total Workload (Hour) | 142 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 (h) | 5,68 | ||
| ECTS | 6 ECTS | ||