Entomology Commons^™

Identification And Characterization Of Peak Activity, Environmental Variables, And Bacterial Pathogens In A. Americanum L. At Ames Plantation, West Tennessee, Brian Hendricks

Masters Theses

The status of tick-borne diseases (TBD) in the southeastern United States is uncertain due to a number of factors including, but not limited to emerging pathogens, misdiagnoses, and modifications to landscapes. Ehrlichiosis and rickettiosis are two of the most common TBDs; these are caused by Ehrlichia and Rickettsia bacteria that can be transmitted by a number of different tick species. The objectives of this study were to identify Amblyomma americanum (the Lone Star tick) peak activity and habitat preferences and characterize the potential role of A. americanum in tick-borne disease cycles in southwestern Tennessee. Using vegetation drags and CO_{2 …}

Trends In Borrelia Spp. Prevalence In Ixodes Spp. Ticks From The Southeastern Coastal United States, Lauren Paul Maestas

Masters Theses

The Lyme borreliosis (LB) cycle, involving Ixodes scapularis and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Bbss), is well documented in the northeastern US, where LB is becoming increasingly prevalent. In coastal North Carolina, I. affinis has been shown to have a higher incidence of Bbss than I. scapularis. My objectives were, to assess changes in prevalence of Bbss in Ixodes spp. along a transect from Virginia to Florida, and to assess the value of dogs and mesomammals as sentinels for spread of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.

Ixodes spp. were collected at sites from 37.4^o N to 30.0^{o …}

Intra- And Inter-Ear Compensation For Insect Injury To Field Corn, Zea Mays L., Sandra Jean Steckel

Masters Theses

Research was done in 2010 and 2011 at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson, TN to investigate how southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar, (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), when infested at different densities and growth stages, affected the yield of infested, non-Bt corn plants and neighboring Bt plants. Infesting non-Bt corn plants with southwestern corn borer larvae caused significant injury. The number of larvae infested on plants and the timing of these infestations were factors that affected the amount of yield loss. There was little compensation by Bt plants that were adjacent to infested plants.

Other studies were done …

Molecular Systematics Of The Subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae), Jeremy Daniel Blaschke

Masters Theses

The subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae) is composed of obligate endoparasitoid flies that attack heteropteran insects, many of which are important agricultural pests. To lay a foundation for future studies in phasiine life history and their potential for use as biological control agents, the phylogenetic relationships within Phasiinae were explored using nucleotide sequences of two genes, CAD and LGL. A total of 63 taxa for CAD and 73 taxa for LGL were included in the analyses, representing 58 genera. Maximum likelihood inference methods were employed to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in separate analyses of each gene and in a combined dataset. Phylogenetic …

The Life History And Control Of Pityophthorus Juglandis Blackman On Juglans Nigra L. In Eastern Tennessee, Katheryne Avery Nix

Masters Theses

In the last decade, western states have experienced an increasing mortality rate in Juglans nigra L., black walnut, as a result of the fungal species Geosmithia morbida Kolařík et al. that results in numerous cankers that girdle the branches, resulting in dieback and tree mortality. The only known vector of G. morbida is the walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman. This newly recognized disease/insect complex has been named Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) due to the quantity of cankers produced by G. morbida.

Recently, TCD was discovered in the eastern U.S. To limit the spread of TCD in eastern …