Entomology Commons^™

The Effect Of Integrated Pest Management On Honey Bee Behavior And Colony Level Health, Kaitlyn Bresnahan

Biology Student Scholarship

Honey bees are the world’s most commercially valuable pollinators, and they face many threats. The greatest challenge facing honey bees is Varroa mites, which are parasitic mites that feed on bees’ fat bodies, killing bees and spreading diseases. While chemical treatments are available to stop the spread of mites, these treatments are insecticides, which are not ideal to put in a hive of insects. A popular organic method of mite management is using drone comb. Drone brood is preferentially chosen by mites for ovipositing and development because of its larger size and longer development time, so removing drone brood can …

Suitability And Nutritional Analysis Of Spotted Lanternfly Habitats, Kathryn Hickey

Biology Student Scholarship

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive bug that has recently started taking over the Northeastern US, and has even made it to Rhode Island. Although this species is intriguing with its bright red back and spots, it is hurting native plant species and the agriculture industry by feeding on crops, like grapes and cherries. It uses a tongue-like mouthpart to pierce through the plant and feed directly on the sap inside. This punctures plant stems and causes them to drip sap, wither, and even mold. The lanternfly’s most preferred host plant is the invasive tree-of-heaven, which grows and spreads quickly …

Effect Of Decreased Snowfall During An Atypical Winter On A Rare Butterfly’S Host Plant, Breelyn Gilbert

Biology Student Scholarship

In the Northeastern US, one result of climate change is decreased snowfall and earlier snowmelt. Such changes can alter the relationship between climate and the timing of cyclical biological phenomena— the phenology of organisms. This is especially concerning for species that interact with one another such as butterflies and their host plants. For this study, I focused on the host plant of the rare frosted elfin butterfly. The frosted elfin is a species of concern in RI, MA, and CT, among 8 other states, and they are a host plant specialist only laying eggs on yellow wild indigo (Baptisia …

Diversity Of Bees In Trees And Their Foraging Preferences On An Urban College Campus, Aidan Castricone

Biology Student Scholarship

Pollinators collect nutrients from blooming flowers; pollen provides proteins and fats, nectar provides carbohydrates. The few plants that bloom during early Spring are trees such as crabapple (Malus sp). Current research however, mainly focuses on pollinators that forage on the ground and overlooks pollinators foraging in the canopy of trees. Past research showed increased generalization of pollen foraging in bees as seasons move from spring to summer. Here I identified which bee species forage in the canopy on Providence College campus and will analyze the pollen collected using microscopy. This data can inform more specific research on diet breadth, …

Microplastics’ Effects On Painted Lady Butterfly Survivorship, Migratory Behavior, And Fecundity, Kaelin Ferland

Biology Student Scholarship

Kaelin Ferland ’23
Major: Environmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachael Bonoan, Biology

Human activity is affecting our planet at a microscopic level. In 2021, scientists first discovered microplastics in honeybees. Subsequent research has found that honeybee gut bacteria concentrations decrease because of microplastic ingestion, decreasing honeybee survivorship. The same might be true for other insect pollinators including butterflies. When butterflies visit flowers to feed, they simultaneously collect pollen on their wings. Due to the similar particulate structure of pollen and microplastics, it’s possible that butterflies collect microplastics in addition to food. We used painted lady butterflies to investigate if microplastics …

Diversity Of Bees In Trees On Urban College Campus, Aidan Castricone, Courtney Caccamo

Biology Student Scholarship

Aidan Castricone ’24, Major: Environmental Biology

Courtney Caccamo ’23 Majors: Environmental Biology and Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachael Bonoan, Biology

It is well known that insect pollinator populations are declining and a lack of nutrients (i.e flowering plants) may be contributing to this decline. Insect pollinators forage for pollen and nectar, which provides proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, from flowering plants. Current research on pollinator foraging behavior focuses on pollinators that forage on the ground thus overlooking those that forage in trees. Trees such as Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and crabapple (Malus sp.) bloom in early Spring, even before …

Circadian Rhythms Effect On Brain Metabolism In Mutant Flies, Olivia Kozub

Biology Student Scholarship

Olivia Kozub ’23
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Snodgrass, Biology

All organisms have an internal clock that drives physiological processes known as circadian rhythms. Being able to predict the environment and prepare for it, rather than simply react, is so critical to survival that this ability has been conserved from single cell organisms all the way to humans. These rhythms can be measured at the gene level, the protein level, the cellular level, the tissue level, all the way to oscillations in behavior. Measuring the metabolic activity of normal fly brains at different times of day will chart the …

Analyzing Behavior In Flies Modeling Frontotemporal Dementia, Colin Mcnulty, Julia Bonavolonta, Connor Barber

Biology Student Scholarship

Colin McNulty ’24, Major: Biology

Julia Bonavolonta ’24, Majors: Biology and Spanish

Connor Barber ’24, Major: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marla Tipping, Biology

In this project, the goal is to be able to study the behavioral differences in Drosophila melanogaster who model the neurological disease frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Flies modeling FTD are placed into multiple different tubes and loaded into an activity monitor; the same is done with control flies who do not model FTD. Over time, this machine tracks sleep cycles, movement, eating habits, and other behaviors. These results are filed into a computer where they then are then …

Honey Bee Nutrition Through The Ages, Kaitlyn Bresnaham

Biology Student Scholarship

Honey bee nutrition can tell us a lot about the state of the hive. It is known that summer worker bees and winter worker bees have different protein and carbon content, but not much research has been done on nutritional content throughout the life history stages of honey bees. I am examining differences in carbon and nitrogen content in the bees for the three different castes at various life stages. The results could allow for more efficient planting of pollinator friendly plants based on the nutritional needs of the colony, or could affect how beekeepers do supplemental feedings when necessary. …

Effect Of Dietary Protein On Honey Bee Pollen Foraging Behavior, Katherine Burke

Biology Student Scholarship

Bees obtain nutrients from flowers. Pollen provides proteins and fats; nectar provides carbohydrates. Pollen is important for providing essential amino acids which honey bees must obtain from their diet for proper development. Commercial honey bee colonies, however, pollinate monocultures, which contain one crop type thus, one unbalanced nutritional resource. We examined how a lack of protein diversity affects honey bee pollen foraging behavior. Bees were raised on three diet treatments: no manipulation, all 10 essential amino acids (EAAs, i.e., protein building-blocks), or only 6/10 EAAs. Bee-collected pollen was trapped upon return to the hive and nutritional content was analyzed. We …

Assessment Of Population Size, Survival, And Movement Behavior Of The Rare Frosted Elfin Butterfly, Breelyn Gilbert

Biology Student Scholarship

The frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus) is a locally rare Lycaenaid with spotty distribution throughout the eastern United States. As host plant specialists, frosted elfins only lay eggs on two plant species. Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), one of the host plants for this species, is found in abundance at Gavins Pond (Foxboro MA). Since 2000, Massachusetts Butterfly Club members have been informally monitoring the frosted elfin population at this site; however, no systematic population surveys have been done. Using their data, I estimated annual population size from 2000 to 2022. In 2022, I also performed …

Diversity Of Bees In Trees On An Urban College Campus, Aidan Castricone

Biology Student Scholarship

It is well known that insect pollinator populations are declining and a lack of nutrients (i.e flowering plants) may be a contributor to this decline. Insect pollinators forage for pollen and nectar, which provides proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, from flowering plants. Current research on pollinator foraging behavior focuses on pollinators that forage on the ground thus overlooking those that forage in trees. Trees such as Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) and crabapple (Malus sp.) bloom in early Spring, even before herbaceous perennials and forbs. Thus trees are likely the only places for early flying pollinators to find food. …

Topological Data Analysis And Ant Interaction Networks, Adam Banatwala, Esther Rønn

Mathematics & Computer Science Student Scholarship

Adam Banatwala ’22, Majors: Mathematics and Finance
Esther Rønn ’23, Majors: Physics and Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Murray, Mathematics and Computer Science

Our research group used topological data analysis (TDA) to quantify the movement and behavior of ants in a colony.

We extracted higher dimensional networks from point cloud data collected from Dr. James Waters’ lab. Varying the proximity parameter in this construction gives a sequence of networks. We analyzed the enduring topological features of these networks, and how these features evolve over time as the ants move in the colony. Both the experimental and null model simulation data …

Circadian Phase Shifts Effect Of Social Jetlag On Cellular Metabolism And Circadian Genes In Wildtype Flies, Olivia Kozub

Biology Student Scholarship

Olivia Kozub ’23
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Snodgrass-Belt, Biology

Drosophila, like humans, have circadian clocks which regulate behavioral and physiological systems within the body. This “biological clock” is synchronized to the environment via temperature and/or light cycles. Small fluctuations in day-length trigger a reset of circadian clocks daily. However, large disruptions can cause health and stress issues such as social jetlag. Social jetlag occurs when an individual’s biological clock clashes with the timing of one’s sleep schedule determined by social factors and the demands of the day.

Rare Elfin Abundance Correlates With Host Plant Density, Matthew Look

Biology Student Scholarship

Matthew Look ’22
Major: Environmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachael Bonoan, Biology

The rare frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus) is a host plant specialist; it lays eggs on only two plant species, including small yellow indigo (Baptisia tinctoria). This makes the butterfly especially vulnerable to habitat fragmentation. Using indigo samples and butterfly survey data, we examined the effect of indigo quantity and quality on elfin abundance at Gavins Pond (Sharon/Foxboro, MA). Indigo density significantly affected butterfly count—frosted elfins were more likely to be spotted in patches with high indigo density. While nutritional analysis is ongoing, current findings suggest that augmenting …

Effect Of Dietary Protein On Honey Bee Pollen Foraging Behavior, Caitlin Mchugh, Gracey Sorensen

Biology Student Scholarship

Caitlin McHugh ’24, Majors: Environmental Biology and Economics

Gracey Sorensen ’23, Major: Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachael Bonoan, Biology

Bees obtain nutrients from flowers. Pollen provides proteins and fats; nectar provides carbohydrates. Commercial honey bee colonies pollinate monocultures, which contain one crop type thus, one unbalanced nutritional resource. We examined how a lack of protein diversity affects honey bee pollen foraging behavior. Bees were raised on three diet treatments: no manipulation, all 10 essential amino acids (EAAs, i.e., protein building-blocks), or only 6/10 EAAs. Bee-collected pollen was trapped upon return to the hive and nutritional content was analyzed. We predict …

How Social Behavior And Interactions Scale With Group Size In Drosophila Melanogaster, Leigh Paradis

Biology Student Scholarship

Leigh Paradis ’23
Majors: Biology and Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Waters, Biology

The goal of this research project was to quantify interaction patterns in groups of fruit flies and determine if flies show evidence for a linear or non-linear effect of group size on their behavior. Specifically, I tested whether flies interact with each other at a constant rate, whether this depends on density or group size, and whether their interaction patterns correlate with overall energy use and metabolic rates. This research questions common assumptions about the differences between eusocial societies such as ants and bees and the solitary …

The Effect Of Circadian Phase Shifts On Cellular Respiration In Wild Type And Flies With Mutant Circadian Genes, Shannon Maguire, Michael Yarrows, Kathryn Donohue

Biology Student Scholarship

Shannon Maguire ’22, Major: Biology
Michael Yarrows ’22, Majors: Biology and Health Policy and Management
Kathryn Donohue ’22, Majors: Biology and Spanish

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamelas Snodgrass-Belt, Biology

Over the past semester, our team’s research has focused on circadian rhythms in wild type and mutant flies. Circadian rhythms, our body’s internal clock, are the biological processes which regulate the sleep/wake cycle as well as other physiological rhythms in all living organisms. Following a 24-hour light/dark cycle, circadian rhythms influence eating habits, physical activity, and metabolism. An organism’s circadian rhythms can be disrupted by an offset light/dark cycle, food availability, or …

There’S A New Species Of Thief Ant Hiding In The Pine Barrens Of Rhode Island, Justin Andries

Biology Student Scholarship

Major: Biology and Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Waters, Biology

Ants are often missed underfoot and overlooked, but they are among the most ecologically dominant groups of animals on the planet. There are more than 200 species of ants which have been scientifically recorded in New England but samples from Rhode Island represent less than a percent of the overall survey of our regional taxa. To discover the species that are found in Rhode Island, we are engaged in a multi-year and multi-location effort to systematically trap and accurately identify the ant species found in diverse rural and urban habitats …