Entomology Commons^™

Variations In The Invertebrate Communities Of Wild Cape Cod Cranberry Bogs, Barbara Wagner

Masters Theses

As a species domesticated only in the last century, agricultural cranberry plants (Vaccinium macrocarpon) remain little removed from their wild relatives. Thus, it is a potential model species for studies of the earliest stages of domestication; however, there is little available quantitative information on its wild population biology and ecology. As such information is vital to studies of the ecological changes occurring during domestication, the purpose of this study was to consolidate the relevant knowledge available and conduct a preliminary search for patterns in the invertebrate communities of wild bogs. The alpha diversity was found to be greater …

Potential Interaction Between Pre- And Post-Emergence Herbicides And The Efficacy Of Insecticide And Fungicide Seed Treatments In Cotton, Cory Joseph Vineyard

Masters Theses

An apparent reduction in the performance of neonicotinoid seed treatments in controlling thrips, especially in cotton, has been observed, which has coincided with the increased use of both pre- and post-emergence herbicides to control glyphosate-resistant weeds. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential interactions of both pre- and post-emergence herbicides on the efficacy of insecticide and fungicide seed treatments in cotton

Aldicarb along with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam seed treatments reduced thrips numbers compared with non-treated seed. However, thiamethoxam did not provide effective control. Some pre-emergence herbicide treatments reduced plant health. While there was evidence that thrips injury …

Interactions Among Insect Defoliation, Insecticide Treatments, And Growth Rate In American And Hybrid Chestnuts, Ashley Elizabeth Case

Masters Theses

The American chestnut, Castanea dentata, was once one of the most useful and abundant canopy trees in eastern North American forests. Over the last 200 years, the species has been decimated by two exotic pathogens, Phytophthora cinnamomi and Cryphonectria parasitica, killing millions of trees and reducing surviving Castanea dentata to short-lived sprouts. Cryphonectria parasitica-resistance breeding programs are currently producing advanced backcross generations, which are being compared with pure American chestnut in field tests of growth performance and Cryphonectria parasitica resistance. The Asiatic oak weevil, Cyrtepistomus castaneus, has been identified as a common defoliator of chestnut seedlings in these …

Phylogenetic Analysis And Revision Of The Nearctic Androprosopa Mik (Diptera: Thaumaleidae) With An Emphasis On The Western Species, Robert John Pivar

Masters Theses

The family Thaumaleidae, also known as seepage midges, is an uncommonly encountered, understudied family of aquatic Diptera compared to its sister group, the Simuliidae. The goal of this project was to assess species diversity of the Nearctic Thaumaleidae and determine relationships among them. The western Nearctic fauna of Androprosopa Mik is revised to include twenty-eight species, six of which are described as new to science. Descriptions of the adult males of A. apache, A. arnaudi, A. magnipelvim, A. rainierensis, A. sierra and A. uvas are provided. Redescriptions of all remaining species are also provided, as well …

Density-Dependent Survival In The Larval Stage Of An Invasive Insect: Dispersal Vs. Predation, Adam A. Pepi

Masters Theses

1. The success of invasive species is often thought to be due to release from natural enemies. This hypothesis relies on the assumption that species are regulated by top-down forces in their native range and implies that species are likely to be regulated by bottom-up forces in the invasive range. Neither of these assumptions has been consistently supported with insects, a group which include many highly destructive invasive pest species.

2. Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is an invasive defoliator in North America that appears to be regulated by mortality in the larval stage in its invasive range. To …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Benthic Invertebrate Communities In The Emory River, Watts Bar Reservoir, Tn, Suzanne Jane Young

Masters Theses

The release of fly ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant (KIF) on 22 December 2008 discharged approximately 4.1 million cubic meters of coal ash into the adjacent aquatic and terrestrial systems. Previous benthic invertebrate investigations conducted by TVA and collaborative researchers concluded that benthic invertebrates in the Emory River were at moderate risk from ash-related constituents, primarily arsenic, in ash-contaminated sediment that remained in the Emory River following extensive dredging efforts. These conclusions were based on the observation of statistically significant reductions in growth and biomass in laboratory toxicity tests with Emory River sediment. Benthic invertebrate …

The Greenhouse Effect: Decomposition Rates In Human Remains Wrapped In Plastic, Barbara R. Forman

Masters Theses

Determining an accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) of human remains is important for several reasons. First, it is used to determine whether the individual is recently deceased, and therefore of medicolegal concern. If so, the estimated PMI is used in narrowing the possible identities of the deceased. PMI can also be used in excluding, or convicting, a murder suspect.

Though deviations may occur, it has been found that PMI can be calculated from the decomposition stages with reasonable accuracy (Galloway 1989, Megyesi 2001, Megyesi et al. 2005, Schiel 2008, Simmons et al. 2010). Some factors, such as low …

Assessment Of Pityophthorus Juglandis Colonization Characteristics And Implications For Further Spread Of Thousand Cankers Disease, Jackson Audley

Masters Theses

Nonnative, invasive forest insect pests are a significant threat to the health of global forest resources. Thousand cankers disease, a recently described disease threatening walnuts, is the result of an invasive insect-pathogen complex in which the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman) is a vector to the associated fungal pathogen, Geosmithia morbida. Both are native to the southwestern U.S. into northern Mexico, however, have been found well beyond their historic range, and now threaten black walnut (Juglans nigra) in the eastern U.S. Beetles have likely been spread via the transport of infested walnut logs.

The goal …

Trapping Methods For Ixodid Ticks And Pathogen Associations Of Amblyomma Maculatum (Gulf Coast Tick) In Western Tennessee, Sarah Elizabeth Mays

Masters Theses

Ticks are vectors of disease agents and pests of humans and animals. Various methods are used for tick monitoring and pathogen surveillance to assess tick distributions, pathogen prevalence and control measures, such as monitoring the changing geographic distribution of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. This project (1) compared the effectiveness of six trapping methods for the collection of hard (Ixodid) ticks in a typical grassland-forest habitat in southwestern Tennessee, and (2) examined pathogen associations of A. maculatum collected in western Tennessee.

To compare trapping methods across time and habitat types, a temporal study was conducted in 2013 and …

A Molecular And Morphological Investigation Of The Springtail Genus Orchesella (Collembola: Entomobryomorpha: Entomobryidae), Catherine Louise Smith

Masters Theses

Chapter 1 is devoted to a molecular overview of the North American members of the springtail genus Orchesella using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Both genes strongly support the presence of four major clades within Orchesella. Chapter 2 is a morphological revision of the species near Orchesella celsa Christiansen & Bellinger. Five new species are described based largely on chaetotaxonomical differences in. Chapter 3 is an investigation into the origins of United States populations of two introduced European members of the genus, Orchesella cincta Linnaeus and Orchesella villosa Linnaeus. Mitochondrial data between populations from the two continents indicates multiple introductions for …

Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Assemblages In Three New York Pine Barrens And The Impacts Of Hiking Trails, Grace W. Barber

Masters Theses

Ants are ecologically important, environmentally sensitive, widespread, and abundant, yet ant assemblages of many habitats remain poorly understood. Ants in inland barrens of New York State (NY) barely have been studied, but the limited data suggest such habitats are likely to support uncommon ant species and high species density for the region. To increase knowledge of these assemblages, I systematically collected ants from three inland barrens systems in NY, to create species lists and measure species density. I also investigated how hiking trails — a common man-made disturbance — may be impacting ant assemblages in these early-successional, disturbance-dependent ecosystems. My …

The Seasonality Of Two Parasitoids (Spathius Agrili And Tetrastichus Planipennisi) Of The Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus Planipennis, And A Survey For Native Natural Enemies Of The Emerald Ash Borer In Eastern Tennessee, Nicholas Andrew Hooie

Masters Theses

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennisi Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an invasive species of bark borer native to eastern Asia whose primary habitat and food sources are trees in the genus Fraxinus. EAB is a major pest of all North American Fraxinus species and is responsible for mortality of millions of trees across its current North American range of 23 U.S states and 2 Canadian providences. After the discovery of EAB in Tennessee in 2010, parasitoid releases were started under the national EAB Biological Control Program. A research project was initiated in 2012 to 1) study the seasonality …

Volatile Profiles And Resistance To Herbivory In Eastern Hemlock, Elizabeth A. Mckenzie

Masters Theses

Eastern hemlock hosts the hemlock woolly adelgid, an introduced sap-feeding insect that causes rapid deterioration of the host. Like most conifers, eastern hemlock produces a variety of constitutive and induced defenses, primarily terpenoids. To explore the relationship of terpenoid defenses with adelgid infestations, we artificially infested hemlocks at a forest site and a plantation site, and compared their terpenoid concentrations to those in control trees. Infested trees showed lower terpenoid concentrations than control trees, suggesting that eastern hemlock not only fails to induce production of terpenoids in response to adelgid infestation, but becomes less able to produce carbon-based defenses due …

Effect Of Spring And Winter Temperatures On Winter Moth (Geometridae: Lepidoptera) Larval Eclosion In New England, Emily L. Hibbard

Masters Theses

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to elucidate various factors influencing the temperature-dependent larval eclosion of winter moth, Operophtera brumata L, in New England. We found no difference in duration of the embryonic stage of eggs reared from larvae collected in Massachusetts (MA) and on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC), where winter temperatures are rarely below freezing. The number of growing degree days (GDD) required for larval eclosion declined with the number of days chilled in the laboratory and number of days below freezing in the field, confirming the findings of previous studies. Thus, eggs hatched with fewer GDD, when …

Evaluating Pollination Ecology Of The Endangered Pityopsis Ruthii (Small) Small (Asteraceae), Philip Anthony Moore

Masters Theses

Pityopsis ruthii (Small) Small, also known as Ruth’s golden aster, is a federally endangered herbaceous perennial, endemic to two river systems, the Hiwassee and the Ocoee, within the Cherokee National Forest, Polk County, Tennessee. There are approximately 13,000 individuals that may be at high risk of short-term extirpation (Thompson and Schwartz, 2006). Little is known of the basic reproduction and life history of P. ruthii. Clebesh and Sloan (1993), Cruzan (2001), Park (1998), and Wadl et al. (2014) found evidence that seed production and seed viability are highly variable. Clebesh and Sloan (1993) indicated that pollinator visitation was highly temporal …

Increasing Nursery Crop Canopy Density: Implications For Sustainable Insect Pest Management, Whitney Michelle Yeary

Masters Theses

Consumers are attracted to woody ornamental plants that have symmetrical, dense canopies. In order to get the desired canopy density and symmetry, growers often manipulate growth by pruning or applying chemical plant growth regulators. Another method of acquiring a dense plant canopy is for growers to purchase in vitro-propagated liners instead of traditional cutting-propagated liners. This work analyzed the validity of all three methods on several woody ornamental species. Liners from Cutting-propagated (CP) and in vitro-propagated (IVP) sources were purchased and treatments of pruning and PGRs were applied. Pruning only increased the canopy density of rhododendron (Rhododendron L. ‘Roseum Elegans’) …

The Role Of Landmarks In Territory Maintenance By The Black Saddlebags Dragonfly, Tramea Lacerata, Jeffrey Lojewski

Masters Theses

Territoriality can reduce competition for resources, but territorial defense can be costly. Therefore any behavior that reduces territorial costs may increase the net benefit of territoriality. Some species will align their territory boundaries with conspicuous landmarks that may serve to reduce defense costs. Dragonflies, including black saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), defend territories at breeding sites, keeping rival males away to allow themselves access to females. We used three treatments to investigate whether T. lacerata used landmarks: constraining landmarks (an object that provided a physical barrier to flight), non-constraining landmarks (an object of the same dimensions and construction that did …

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 …

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 …}

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 …

Nuclear Fingerprinting Identification Of Black Fly Species In The Simulium Jenningsi Species Group (Diptera: Simuliidae), Gail Lynn Senatore

Masters Theses

SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/johnmoulton/Desktop/SenatoreGailMay2012.docA molecular approach was taken to differentiate morphologically homogeneous species within the Simulium jenningsi species group (SJG). This group of Nearctic black flies consisting of 22 recognized species has its highest diversity in the southeastern United States. No other group of black flies in this region is more ubiquitous or pestiferous. Female black flies in this group are nearly isomorphic, which complicates identification, elucidation of host specificity and pest status, and directed control of through application of Bti in the appropriate natal streams. Among SJG species, only S. luggeri Nicholson & Mickel, S. jenningsi Malloch, and S. penobscotense Snoddy & …

Functional Characterization Of An Endoglucanase From Tribolium Castaneum (Tceg1) In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Characterization Of Cellulolytic Activity In The Digestive Fluids Of Thermobia Domestica (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae), Derek Mychel Shirley

Masters Theses

Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to be a significant biofuel due to its sustainability and high energy yield. However it is the recalcitrance of cellulose that presents a costly road block in the economic feasibility of cellulosic ethanol production. The enzymatic degradation of lignocellulosic biomass has the greatest potential for reducing the production costs of this process. While many commercially viable cellulases have been identified in bacteria and fungi, insects remain a relatively untapped source of these enzymes. In fact recent studies have shown that insects produce highly active endogenous cellulases capable of completely hydrolyzing cellulose to glucose, without the …

Management Of Ticks And Tick-Borne Disease In A Tennessee Retirement Community, Jessica Rose Harmon

Masters Theses

Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (HME) is an emerging disease first described in 1987 and is transmitted by the bite of Amblyomma americanum. Over the past 10 years, the CDC has documented increasing ehrlichiosis case reports nationwide. Our study site is a golf-oriented retirement community located in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. In 1993, four men at the study site had symptoms consistent with HME which prompted a CDC outbreak investigation and led community managers to mitigate ticks feeding on deer. The objectives of this study were to measure the efficacy of current tick mitigation attempts, to determine the level of …

Four Aspects Of Dogwood Pollination: Insect Visitation, A Novel Approach To Identify Pollen, Floral Volatile Emission, And Tracking Parentage, Paul Raymond Rhoades

Masters Theses

Part 1: Visitation of potential pollinators to Cornus florida and C. kousa flowers was assessed in East Tennessee in 2008 and 2009. Data regarding insect visitation rates to multiple trees per location were gathered throughout the flowering period. Diurnal and seasonal variations in visitation were recorded. Pollen coverage was assessed on portions of captured insect exoskeletons that were most likely to contact the stigma. Eleven families in four insect orders were collected from C. florida and 26 families in five orders from C. kousa. The most important pollinators in eastern Tennessee were bees in the Andrenidae and Halictidae. The most …

Identification And Characterization Of Novel Cellulases From Dissosteira Carolina (Orthoptera: Acrididae) And Molecular Cloning And Expression Of An Endo-Beta-1,4-Glucanase From Tribolium Castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Jonathan Duran Willis

Masters Theses

Cellulosic ethanol holds great potential as biofuel due to its sustainability and renewability, yet recalcitrance of cellulosic feedstocks prevents cost-efficient ethanol production. Enzymatic catalysis of lignocellulosic biomass has the greatest biotechnological potential for cost reductions to the production process. Even though numerous cellulolytic enzymes have been identified in bacteria, plant, and fungi, insects remain as a fairly unexplored prospecting resource. Many insects, either via endogenously or symbiotically derived enzymes, use cellulose as substrate for their energetic needs. Novel cellulases from insects may have the potential to be more efficient than alternative enzymes in the conversion of cellulose to fermentable sugars …

Imidacloprid Insecticide Treatments For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges Tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), Affect A Non-Target Soil Arthropod Community Surrounding Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis (L.) Carriere, William N. Reynolds

Masters Theses

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand, is an invasive pest that is causing declines in populations of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis Carriere, in eastern North American forests. The threat of losing the hemlock as a foundation species in eastern forests prompted reserve managers to devise and implement HWA management strategies integrating cultural, biological, and chemical control tactics. Chemical control methods, systemic imidacloprid applications and horticultural oil foliar sprays, provide the most immediate and effective control of HWA in accessible hemlocks. Non-target impacts of HWA chemical control methods on soil arthropod communities are undocumented.

Empirical studies in the field …

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Simulium Jenningsi Species-Group (Diptera: Simuliidae), Elizabeth Ann Alexander

Masters Theses

A molecular phylogenetic investigation was undertaken to identify species within the morphologically homogeneous Simulium jenningsi species group, a pestiferous group of 22 species of black flies restricted to the Nearctic region. Several species in this group have well documented medical and veterinary importance, most notably S. luggeri and S. jenningsi. Unfortunately, females are monomorphic, a conundrum given their pest status. The objective of this study was to examine the utility of molecular data in species identification, with obvious application to identification of pest females. Towards this end, we sequenced approximately 2 kilobases of sequence data from the mitochondrial (Cox …

A Revision Of Tomoceridae (Insecta: Collembola) In Great Smoky Mountains National Park And Southern Appalachians Using Morphological And Molecular Approaches, Kelly Lynn Felderhoff

Masters Theses

Large, heavily scaled tomocerid springtails (Collembola) are abundant in eastern forests, and are important components of the detrital food web. The genus Pogonognathellus predominates in the southern Appalachians While a number of well-delimited tomocerid species have been described, others have vague morphological boundaries and appear to be species complexes. Before this study began in 2005, four species were known to occur in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and the surrounding Appalachians (P. bidentatus, dubius, elongatus, flavescens). Also occurring throughout the area is Tomocerus lamellifera, a widespread and distinctive species. The goals of this project were to …