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Variable Consequences Of Toxic Prey On Generalist Insect Predators, Kelly Jackson
Variable Consequences Of Toxic Prey On Generalist Insect Predators, Kelly Jackson
Theses and Dissertations--Entomology
Introduced species, like the lady beetle Harmonia axyridis, have been linked to declines of native species through mechanisms including intraguild predation and competitive superiority. However, competitive differentials between species may be mitigated if subdominant species can utilize resources that dominant species cannot. Previous research has shown that some strains of the aphid Aphis craccivora are toxic to H. axyridis. My goal was to investigate use of this resource by both H. axyridis and other lady beetles, to determine whether these aphids might be an exploitable resource for subdominant lady beetle species. I first examined the behavioral responses of …
A Comparative Study Of Eastern And Western North American Populations Of Hippodamia Convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Joshua S. Mccord
A Comparative Study Of Eastern And Western North American Populations Of Hippodamia Convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Joshua S. Mccord
Theses and Dissertations--Entomology
Hippodamia convergens is a widely distributed insect predator in the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. Several insectaries collect overwintering adults from aggregation sites in the Rocky Mountains during their winter dormancy. Collected beetles are then sold throughout the United States for augmentative biological control. This practice could have negative impacts on local populations of Hippodamia convergens in the Eastern United States. Intra-specific variation among H. convergens populations was examined for two characteristics of adults: photoperiodic induction of diapause and the presence of three known male-killing endosymbiont bacteria; Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, and Rickettsia. Four populations of H. …