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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Masters Theses

Theses/Dissertations

2010

Bats

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Molecular Analysis Of Guano From Bats In Bat Houses On Organic Pecan Orchards, Veronica Angelelli Brown May 2010

Molecular Analysis Of Guano From Bats In Bat Houses On Organic Pecan Orchards, Veronica Angelelli Brown

Masters Theses

Bats are generalist predators of night flying insects, including many crop pests. Pecan nut casebearer (Acrobasis nuxvorella), hickory shuckworm (Cydia caryana), and several stink bug species are some of the most damaging crop pests in pecan orchards. Attracting bats to agricultural areas using bats houses may reduce the numbers of these pests and, consequently, their economic impact. This study uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) of mitochondrial DNA found in the guano of bats living in bat houses on organic pecan orchards to document the consumption of pecan nut casebearer, hickory shuckworm, and corn earworm ( …