Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Host-Plant Density On Herbivores And Their Parasitoids: A Field Experiment With A Native Perennial Legume, Andrea Salas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Senna mexicana chapmanii (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae), an attractive and threatened species native to pine rocklands of southern Florida, is consumed by folivorous caterpillars of Sulfur butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Caterpillars may be deterred or eaten by predators, but also very important are parasitoids, both flies and wasps. This study investigated the effects of plant density on Sulfur caterpillar numbers and rates of parasitization.

Senna mexicana chapmanii plantations were established at agricultural and urban areas; both sites are adjacent to protected pine rockland areas. Sulfur butterfly immature stages were collected and reared to glean information regarding number of herbivores and rates of parasitization. …

The Ecology Of Extrafloral Nectar In Senna Mexicana Var. Chapmanii, Ian M. Jones

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extrafloral nectar (EFN) mediates food-for-protection mutualisms between plants and defensive insects. Senna mexicana var. chapmanii is a perennial legume native to the pine rockland habitats of south Florida. My dissertation focuses on how anthropogenic changes to the pine rocklands might affect EFN production by S. chapmanii, and the outcome of EFN mediated interactions. First, I investigated the influence of time of day, leaf damage, and leaf age on EFN production in S. chapmanii. Plants produced more nectar at night than during the day, and leaf damage resulted in increased EFN production. Furthermore, the response to leaf damage was …