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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Seasonality Of Forensically Relevant Diptera In Northwestern Indiana, Sarah M. Stanley, Trevor Stamper
Seasonality Of Forensically Relevant Diptera In Northwestern Indiana, Sarah M. Stanley, Trevor Stamper
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
Minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) estimations are critical to solving cases of equivocal death and the accuracy of these predictions can depend on the understanding of necrophagous fly successional patterns. In order to better understand the successional patterns of necrophagous flies, it is important to know the seasonality of forensically relevant fly species—that is, the baseline pattern of their presence and absence in relation to annually cyclic environmental factors. Since many environmental factors play a role in insect seasonality, it is possible that some of these factors can be summed to create an index that represents seasonality in a simpler form. …
The Role Of Entomology In Environmental And Science Education: Comparing Outreach Methods For Their Impact On Student And Teacher Content Knowledge And Motivation, Faith J. Weeks
Open Access Dissertations
Outreach programming can be an important way for local students and teachers to be exposed to new fields while enhancing classroom learning. University-based outreach programs are offered throughout the country, including most entomology departments as few individuals learn about insects in school and these programs can be excellent sources of entomological education, as well as models to teach environmental and science education. Each department utilizes different instructional delivery methods for teaching about insects, which may impact the way in which students and teachers understand the insect concepts presented. To determine the impact of using entomology to enhance science and environmental …
Undercover Predators: Vegetation Mediates Foraging, Trophic Cascades, And Biological Control By Omnivorous Weed Seed Predators, Carmen K Blubaugh
Undercover Predators: Vegetation Mediates Foraging, Trophic Cascades, And Biological Control By Omnivorous Weed Seed Predators, Carmen K Blubaugh
Open Access Dissertations
Weed pressure is the most costly challenge that vegetable growers face, requiring more labor investment than other production inputs. Vertebrate and invertebrate seed predators destroy a large percentage of weed propagules on the soil surface, and their ecosystem services may ease labor requirements for farmers in herbicide-free systems. Cover provided by living vegetation is an important predictor of seed predator activity, and my dissertation takes a comprehensive approach to understanding the behavior, predator, and environment-mediated mechanisms by which cover impacts weed seed predation in crop environments. ^ First, I performed a meta-analysis of 27 studies to quantitatively evaluate what is …
Carrion-Associated Arthropods In Rural And Urban Environments, Serena Daye Gross
Carrion-Associated Arthropods In Rural And Urban Environments, Serena Daye Gross
Open Access Dissertations
Preferences of arthropods are important in forensic entomology, as the species collected can help determine the postmortem interval or if remains have been moved. This study looked at arthropods that are attracted to pig carcasses in rural and urban habitats in Northwest Indiana. The species and number of carrion-associated arthropods that are found at a carcass vary with habitat type, month, and stage of decomposition. Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a synanthropic species that was found in higher numbers in urban locations for both adults and larvae. Though L. sericata had higher numbers in urban habitats, caution must be exercised …
Characterization Of Hessian Fly From Israel, Alisha J Johnson
Characterization Of Hessian Fly From Israel, Alisha J Johnson
Open Access Dissertations
Mayetiola destructor Say, the Hessian fly, is a gall midge and a member of the Dipteran family Cecidomyiidae. It is a common pest of wheat found throughout all of the major wheat growing areas of the world and poses a serious economic threat to the United States (US), particularly in the Southeast winter wheat region. Damage to wheat is done solely by feeding first and second in-star larvae. Hessian fly (Hf) infestations result in a loss in grain yield by the stunting and/or killing of seedling wheat plants in the winter and by causing breakage at the nodes of the …
Eco-Evolutionary Factors Drive Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles, Which Intercept Plant Defense, Elizabeth K. Rowen
Eco-Evolutionary Factors Drive Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles, Which Intercept Plant Defense, Elizabeth K. Rowen
Open Access Theses
Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) mediate a wide variety of interactions in ecosystems. However, many volatile compounds are found across plant taxa, and some are exploited to attract natural enemies for biological control. Subtle changes in HIPV blends can produce profound changes in the behavior of predators, parasitoids and herbivores, and may also alter the defensive processes of neighboring plants. I investigated different ecological and evolutionary factors to understand how plant volatile emissions are affected by feeding guild, herbivore diet breadth and domestication. I meta-analyzed 109 studies and found that specialists induce more total volatiles than generalists. Domesticated species have stronger …
Potential Of Ozone Technology For German Cockroach (Bblattella Germanica (L.)) Management, Yanlin Tian
Potential Of Ozone Technology For German Cockroach (Bblattella Germanica (L.)) Management, Yanlin Tian
Open Access Theses
German cockroaches (Blattella germanica (L.)) are important urban pests that adversely impact human health. Previous studies indicated that ozone technology (ozone gas) can be used as a management tool to control insect pests in grain storage facilities, stored foods and some finished products. The goal of my study was to broaden the applicability of ozone from traditional stored grain pests to B. germanica. The first part of my study determined the concentration-time (CT) relationship of ozone required to achieve 100% mortality in various life stages (adults, nymphs and eggs) ofB. germanica. Results showed that eggs were the most ozone-tolerant …
Investigation Of Dried Distillers Grains With Solubles (Ddgs) Susceptibility To Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium Castaneum (Herbst)) Infestation, Mahsa Fardisi
Open Access Dissertations
Protecting livestock feed from insect infestation is a common challenge that feed facility managers and farmers have to deal with. It becomes an issue of importance because insect infestation degrades feed quality and quantity. Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) is added to livestock feed because of its high protein content. As DDGS usage in animal feed increases, understanding the susceptibility of DDGS, when mixed with livestock feed, to insect infestation is necessary for safe feed storage. This research addressed four questions. The first looked at the susceptibility of DDGS, when stored as a raw ingredient, to Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) …
Dopamine Receptor Antagonists As New Mode-Of-Action Insecticide Leads For Control Of Aedes And Culex Mosquito Vectors, Andrew B. Nuss, Karin F K Ejendal, Trevor B. Doyle, Jason M. Meyer, Val J. Watts, Catherine A. Hill
Dopamine Receptor Antagonists As New Mode-Of-Action Insecticide Leads For Control Of Aedes And Culex Mosquito Vectors, Andrew B. Nuss, Karin F K Ejendal, Trevor B. Doyle, Jason M. Meyer, Val J. Watts, Catherine A. Hill
Department of Entomology Faculty Publications
New mode-of-action insecticides are sought to provide continued control of pesticide resistant arthropod vectors of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We previously identified antagonists of the AaDOP2 D1-like dopamine receptor (DAR) from the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, with toxicity to Ae. aegypti larvae as leads for novel insecticides. To extend DAR-based insecticide discovery, we evaluated the molecular and pharmacological characteristics of an orthologous DAR target, CqDOP2, from Culex quinquefasciatus, the vector of lymphatic filariasis and West Nile virus. CqDOP2 has 94.7% amino acid identity to AaDOP2 and 28.3% identity to the human D1-like DAR, hD1. CqDOP2 and AaDOP2 exhibited similar …
Metatranscriptomic Profiles Of Eastern Subterranean Termites, Reticulitermes Flavipes (Kollar) Fed On Second Generation Feedstocks, Swapna Priya Rajarapu, Jacob T. Shreve, Ketaki P. Bhide, Jyothi Thimmapuram, Michael E. Scharf
Metatranscriptomic Profiles Of Eastern Subterranean Termites, Reticulitermes Flavipes (Kollar) Fed On Second Generation Feedstocks, Swapna Priya Rajarapu, Jacob T. Shreve, Ketaki P. Bhide, Jyothi Thimmapuram, Michael E. Scharf
Department of Entomology Faculty Publications
Background: Second generation lignocellulosic feedstocks are being considered as an alternative to first generation biofuels that are derived from grain starches and sugars. However, the current pre-treatment methods for second generation biofuel production are inefficient and expensive due to the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose. In this study, we used the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), as a model to identify potential pretreatment genes/enzymes specifically adapted for use against agricultural feedstocks. Results: Metatranscriptomic profiling was performed on worker termite guts after feeding on corn stover (CS), soybean residue (SR), or 98% pure cellulose (paper) to identify (i) microbial community, (ii) pathway …
Identification, Description, And Activity Of Proteins In The Tergal Glands Of The German Cockroach, Blattella Germanica (L.), Aaron Myers
Open Access Theses
German cockroaches are important urban pests that have been linked to asthma and serious allergic reactions in sensitized individuals. In this research project I, (i) identified different proteins expressed in the tergal glands of male German cockroaches, (ii) determined the expression levels of these proteins in different cockroach life stages and tissues, and (iii) investigated the role of the tergal gland alpha-amylase (BGTG-1) protein. ^ Four major tergal gland proteins were separated on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. With peptide sequencing two of these proteins were identified as alpha-amylase (BGTG-1) and Blattella germanica allergen 2 (Bla g 2). Both of these proteins …