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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
281— Insect Soundscapes In Western New York, Sarah Metz, Mackenzie Bancroft, Dana Moukaled
281— Insect Soundscapes In Western New York, Sarah Metz, Mackenzie Bancroft, Dana Moukaled
GREAT Day Posters
Recent assessments of insect populations suggest significant declines in abundance and diversity across the globe. These assessments have not included western New York, so it is important to gain an understanding of the insect diversity and abundance in our local habitats, particularly grasslands. One noninvasive way to sample insect populations is to record the acoustic signals used by these animals. Male insects of several taxa advertise for mates in the late summer by producing species-specific vocalizations at potential breeding sites. We are using acoustic recordings to examine three local sites for their use by singing insects. Acoustic recordings collected during …
085— Success Of Batesian Mimicry In The Ant-Mimicking Spider Myrmarachne Formicaria, Niaomi Vanalstine, Julia Ophals
085— Success Of Batesian Mimicry In The Ant-Mimicking Spider Myrmarachne Formicaria, Niaomi Vanalstine, Julia Ophals
GREAT Day Posters
Myrmarachne formicaria (Salticidae) is an ant-mimicking spider which arrived in North America fairly recently, first noted in Ohio in 2001. It is important to understand how M. formicaria will impact other species as it spreads throughout North America. The goal of this study was to assess the success of Batesian mimicry used by the ant-mimicking spider in avoiding predation when in a staged encounter with another salticid spider. Myrmarachne formicaria mimic ants in the movement of their forelegs to resemble ant antennae, as well as bob their abdomen. The predator spiders were placed in a small petri dish with either …
208— Describing Genetic Diversity In A Non-Native Ant-Mimicking Spider, Cassidy Mills, Jennifer L. Apple
208— Describing Genetic Diversity In A Non-Native Ant-Mimicking Spider, Cassidy Mills, Jennifer L. Apple
GREAT Day Posters
The ant-mimicking spider Myrmarachne formicaria (Salticidae) is a species native to Eurasia and was first identified in North America in 2001. It has since been found in many locations in the Northeast including western New York, western Pennsylvania, northeastern Ohio, and southern Ontario. Little is known about its introduction to North America and how it has dispersed since. By characterizing the mitochondrial genetic diversity of this species, we can learn about its introduction history and dispersal patterns in North America. Sequencing of a 600-bp mitochondrial DNA gene region spanning the 16s rRNA, leucine tRNA, and part of the ND1 gene …
135— Coral-Sponge Interactions On Rocky Point Reef, San Salvador, Bahamas, Michael Harvey, Anna Meichenbaum, Brooke Stickles
135— Coral-Sponge Interactions On Rocky Point Reef, San Salvador, Bahamas, Michael Harvey, Anna Meichenbaum, Brooke Stickles
GREAT Day Posters
We surveyed the intensity of competition for reef space between sponges and corals at the Rocky Point patch reef adjacent to San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. Our working hypothesis was that, because of a dearth of predators, fast growing, chemically unprotected sponges more likely to be involved in competitive interactions. Results indicate that competition for reef space was widespread, but contrary to our hypothesis no sponge or coral species was disproportionately more involved in these interactions. These results contradict previous studies on Rocky Point reef and in our discussion we propose an explanation for this discrepancy.
333— Effectiveness Of Batesian Mimicry In The Ant Mimicking Spider Myrmarachne Formicaria, Alanna Richman, Bea Dipzinski
333— Effectiveness Of Batesian Mimicry In The Ant Mimicking Spider Myrmarachne Formicaria, Alanna Richman, Bea Dipzinski
GREAT Day Posters
Myrmarachne formicaria is a non-native ant-mimicking spider that was first recorded in New York in 2006. Little is known about its natural history in its native range in Europe and Asia or in its newly colonized range in North America. Some spider species are Batesian mimics that resemble ants in order to avoid being eaten, since many potential predators will not prey on ants. To assess the effectiveness of Batesian mimicry in this species, we staged encounters with a larger salticid spider species that could be a potential predator of M. formicaria. In total, 12 predator spiders were observed …
136— Predation On Microbivalves By Juvenile Naticid Gastropods On San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, Eliza Merges
136— Predation On Microbivalves By Juvenile Naticid Gastropods On San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, Eliza Merges
GREAT Day Posters
Predator-prey interactions, where snails eat clams, evolutionarily has been a key interaction within marine molluscan communities. There is evidence of molluscan extinctions in the fossil record that are marked by changes in predation ratios. In this study, we will investigate predation of microbivalves by juvenile naticid gastropods in a shallow marine setting on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. We propose to test predation density within different environments (facies) of a lagoonal setting. Significantly different ratios between these facies in one time period can indicate that predator-prey interactions can change over time from one environment to another. It is more …
298— Rural Economic Growth And Disease Intervention In Ghana; The Edward Pettinella '73 Endowed Ambassadorship In Business, Lucas Sutton
298— Rural Economic Growth And Disease Intervention In Ghana; The Edward Pettinella '73 Endowed Ambassadorship In Business, Lucas Sutton
GREAT Day Posters
Schistosomiasis is a leading parasitic infection that debilitates many individuals in sub Saharan Africa. Because this parasitic infection involves a snail as an intermediate host, we use a native prawn species as a natural predator to decrease the population of this snail community. This study focuses on Tomefa, a primarily fishing peri-urban community located oi the outskirts of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. A survey was also given to the local community measuring economic characteristics. In the laboratory, Macrobrachium spp prawn exhibit preference of Bulinus snails over Biomphalaria snails while non-parasitic snails were consumed in higher proportion to parasitized …
170— A Comparison Of Native And Invasive Plant Species Microhabitats In Western Ny, Emelyn Bell
170— A Comparison Of Native And Invasive Plant Species Microhabitats In Western Ny, Emelyn Bell
GREAT Day Posters
Previous research concluded that the extended leaf phenology of invasive plant species Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle) reduced seed predation, possibly due to less favorable microclimates for invertebrate seed predators. In the fall of 2019, we conducted a field experiment to observe the microhabitat preferences of snails. In our study, we selected six pairs of invasive L. maackii and native Cornus racemosa (Gray Dogwood) throughout the Roemer Arboretum. Twice weekly, we recorded temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, light, soil pH, and soil moisture along with the number and size of snails found on the plant and within 0.3m of its surrounding …
260— Patterns Of Occupancy Of Artificial Nest Sites By Native Bees, Allison Menendez
260— Patterns Of Occupancy Of Artificial Nest Sites By Native Bees, Allison Menendez
GREAT Day Posters
Although people tend to think of honeybees when they think about pollination, many species of native bees are actually important pollinators. Declining native bee populations can be supported in several ways, including reducing pesticide use, providing native flowers as a food source, leaving natural nest sites unaltered, or even by providing artificial nests. At SUNY Geneseo, a bee barn with eleven wooden boxes filled with natural reed cavities of varying sizes is in the Spencer J Roemer Arboretum. Female bees lay brood in these cavities, and provision food for the developing young. Some native bees are overwintering in these cavities. …