Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Hands Of The Future, Inc; Junior Nature Club; Living Schoolyards, Zonda K. Bryant

Purdue P-12 Networking Summit & Poster Session

Programs to connect children to nature

Tropical Trees As Islands: Diversity Accumulation Of Armored Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) On Trees As A Function Of Forest Age, Hannah Shapiro

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) are some of the most invasive insects in the world. These cryptic plant parasites are most often encountered in managed agricultural ecosystems, but very little is known about their distribution, abundance, and diversity in tropical rainforest canopies, where they are likely to have their highest diversity. Because these ubiquitous insects are extreme generalists with undirected dispersal, their diversity (alpha and beta) accumulation can conceivably be modeled according to tenets derived from island biogeography theory. For example, one expectation is that older established trees should boast a higher species diversity and abundance than younger ones. Other …

Trox Paulseni (Coleoptera: Trogidae), A New Species From Nebraska And Kansas, Usa, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Insecta Mundi

Trox paulseni Ratcliffe, new species (Coleoptera: Trogidae), is described from Nebraska and Kansas, USA. A description, diagnosis to separate it from Trox hamatus Robinson (its closest congener), distribution, and illustrations are provided.

Determining The Pollination Mechanism Of A Problematic Invasive Species In The Gulf South: Triadica Sebifera, Jennifer Wester Clark

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the ecology of invasive species is vital to curb the homogenizing of ecosystems, yet the pollination mechanisms of the Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) in its introduced habitat remain ambiguous. This study examines self-pollination, wind pollination, and flower-visiting insects of tallow in a bottomland hardwood forest and Longleaf pine savannah in the U.S. Gulf South. These data suggest that self-pollination and airborne pollination are possible, but likely rare occurrences, although the possibility of apoxisis was not investigated. Seed production in exclusion experiments was significantly less than in open-pollinated flowers, and wind dispersal of tallow pollen dropped to …

Escape Strategy Of The Cockroach (Gromphadorhina Portentosa) To Heat And Looming Stimuli, Jiangda Ou

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Escape responses to aversive stimuli have been observed in insects, including species of cricket, fly, locust, and cockroach. The goal of this study was to investigate the escape strategy of the Madagascar cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa. In regard to this species, Erickson and colleagues (2015) showed that electrical stimulation of both cerci and antennae together could generate an escape response. However, in other reports (Olsen and Triblehorn, 2014), it was observed that wind could not elicit the escape response. In this study, G. portentosa was stimulated by looming and heat stimuli. A 2.5’’ black ball approaching at 1 m/s was used …

A New Species Of Dinonigidius De Lisle From Sri Lanka (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), M. J. Paulsen

Insecta Mundi

Dinonigidius bartolozzii Paulsen, new species, (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) is described from Sri Lanka, and compared with the only other species of the genus, D. ahenobarbus de Lisle from India.

The Influence Of Beached Harmful Algal Blooms On Terrestrial Arthropods On The Shore Of Lake Erie, Nadejda Mirochnitchenko, Kevin E. Mccluney

Honors Projects

Marine primary inputs, such as sea wrack and algae, offer a great niche for insects and other animals to exploit. The existence of a similar niche on the coast of lakes has received less attention. To complicate matters, many freshwater systems are seeing increases in proliferation of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria blooms. This study examined patterns in lake shore terrestrial arthropod abundance, diversity, and community composition across gradients of beached algae, with varying toxicity. We detected water microcystin effects on arthropod richness in survey three, beached material effects on Shannon’s Diversity in survey two, and water microcystin effects on the …

Relationships Between Nutrients, Periphyton Abundance, And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Scrapers In Ozark Highland Streams, Harrison Smith

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

We collected samples from seven Arkansas streams during the months of August 2014 and February 2015 with the objective of determining possible relationships between nutrients, periphyton abundance and benthic macroinvertebrates. We hypothesized that periphyton would be positively associated with nutrients, and that increases in periphyton biomass would increase the abundance and diversity of benthic scraper families. Samples were collected from three transects at each site. The periphyton was analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and ash free dry mass and Chl-a content. Macroinvertebrates families belonging to the feeding group of grazers/scrapers were compared with water column and periphyton nutrient concentrations, as …

Nocturnal Foraging Enhanced By Enlarged Secondary Eyes In A Net-Casting Spider, Jay A. Stafstrom, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animals that possess extreme sensory structures are predicted to have a related extreme behavioral function. This study focuses on one such extreme sensory structure—the posterior median eyes of the net-casting spider Deinopis spinosa. Although past research has implicated the importance of vision in the nocturnal foraging habits of Deinopis, no direct link between vision in the enlarged eyes and nocturnal foraging has yet been made. To directly test the hypothesis that the enlarged posterior median eyes facilitate visually based nocturnal prey capture, we conducted repeated-measures, visual occlusion trials in both natural and laboratory settings. Our results indicate that D. …

Emergence Phenology And Nematode Associates Of The Woodwasp, Sirex Nigricornis F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), In Arkansas And Mississippi Forests, Jessica Ann Hartshorn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sirex nigricornis F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) is a native woodwasp in eastern North America that inhabits dead and dying pine trees during its univoltine development. Sirex noctilio is native to Eurasia and North Africa and was discovered in the northeastern United States in 2004 after a century of accidental introductions across the Southern Hemisphere. Since then, it has spread to seven states and southern Ontario. There is concern about its potential to negatively affect the multi-billion dollar pine timber industry of the southeastern United States. Effective monitoring tools are necessary to track the spread and establishment of S. noctilio. Deladenus siricidicola …

Arthropods Infesting Small Mammals (Insectivora And Rodentia) Near Cedar Point Biological Station In Southwestern Nebraska, Lindsey Howell, Katelyn Jelden, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Scott L. Gardner, Donald D. Gettinger

Insecta Mundi

Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS) is located in the mixed grass prairie of the central Great Plains, at the transition between the subregions known as the “tall grass” and “short grass” prairies. Adding to the habitat diversity, there are wetlands and riparian habitats associated with the North Platte River and the edge of the Sandhills region of north central Nebraska. This concurrence of habitats supports a diverse small mammal community. The purpose of this paper is to assemble all published information on ectoparasites associated with small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) of southwestern Nebraska, and to report the results of an intensive …

Phylogeny Of The Oniticellini And Onthophagini Dung Beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) From Morphological Evidence, T. Keith Philips

Biology Faculty Publications

A phylogenetic study was conducted to hypothesize relationships of most of the genera of the Oniticellini and Onthophagini for the first time using morphological characters from a diverse array of external and internal sclerites. The monophyly and sister relationship of both tribes was found using Bayesian and parsimony analyses with heavily to moderately weighted data. An alternative hypothesis based on parsimony analyses of unweighted or slightly weighted data show a paraphyletic Oniticellini without the Onthophagini, although recognition of the subtribe Helictopleurina as a tribe would eliminate non-monophyly.

Of the three Oniticellini subtribes, the Helictopleurina and Drepanocerina are monophyletic. There is …

Effect Of Varied Disturbance Types On Dorylus (Anomma) Molestus Defensive Behavior In The West Usumbara Mountains, Tanzania., Ryan Mahar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study was to observe novel nest characteristics of Dorylus molestus (Siafu), as well as their defensive behavior in response to varied disturbance methods. The number of defensive soldiers at a specific section of a column was counted before and after each agitation. Varied agitation methods were used on columns without larvae presence to test how soldiers responded to different disturbance types. Disturbances on columns with larvae presence were compared to those on columns without larvae. Nest distribution, behavior, composition, and size were observed objectively. Mechanical disturbance was found to incite the greatest increase in defensive soldier …

Nestmate Recognition In Odorous House Ants (Tapinoma Sessile): Effects Of Social Plasticity, Urbanization, And Laboratory Maintenance, Timothy J. Luttermoser

Open Access Theses

Odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile) are a widespread North American ant species and common nuisance pest. In addition to their pest status, odorous house ants are of interest as a model system for understanding the factors that lead to variable queen number and nesting strategy across ants, as well as possible insight into common traits of exotic invasive (or “tramp”) ant species. While T. sessile is native to North America, in urban environments it forms large supercolonies with many queens and nest sites connected by trails, similar to a variety of exotic invasive ants, most of which are …

Effects Of Environmental Factors On The Abundance Of Blacklegged Ticks, Jasmine L. Miller, Roger A. Lebrun, Howard S. Ginsberg

Senior Honors Projects

The nymphal stage of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the major vector of Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne disease in North America. Tick abundance has generally been estimated using either flag/drag samples or samples from hosts. However, the biases of these sampling methods have not been adequately studied. We compared samples using both methods from sites in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Tick abundance was compared with variables related to weather (temperature, relative humidity, and tick adverse moisture events), vegetation (canopy cover, tree density, shrub density, ground vegetation, and leaf litter cover), and host abundance (mice, small mammals, medium …

A Hitchhiker’S Guide To Invasion Biology: Describing The Ecological Mechanisms Underlying The Range Expansions Of Two Ixodid Tick Species, Robyn M. Nadolny

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Increasing incidence of many tick-borne diseases have been linked to recent expansions of tick species distributions. Many tick species are expanding their ranges because of anthropogenic changes in the landscape, shifting climatic variables, and increasing populations of suitable host species and tick habitat. Few empirical studies have been performed, however, investigating the ecological mechanisms underlying these range expansions. Ticks are parasitic organisms that disperse across landscape by hitchhiking on hosts, but must then survive in the environment for long periods of time between bloodmeals. Two species of ixodid tick, Ixodes affinis and Amblyomma maculatum, are simultaneously expanding their ranges throughout …

Investigating Physiological Collaborations Between A Lower Termite And Its Symbionts, Brittany F. Peterson

Open Access Dissertations

This project was completed in an effort to better understand the contributions of symbiotic microbes to the biology of Reticulitermes flavipes, the eastern subterranean termite. Lower-termites, like R. flavipes, house symbionts from all three domains of life within their hindgut paunch. This intimate association is reflected in nearly every aspect of termite biology. Here, I investigate these physiological collaborations as they relate to digestion and immunity. My efforts focused on 1) quantifying the role of bacteria in wood digestion within the termite gut, 2) evaluating the role of symbionts in protection against pathogens, and 3) identifying gene products that bacterial …

Benefits Of Size Dimorphism And Copulatory Silk Wrapping In The Sexually Cannibalistic Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina Mira, Alissa G. Anderson, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

In sexually cannibalistic animals, male fitness is influenced not only by successful mate acquisition and egg fertilization, but also by avoiding being eaten. In the cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, the legs of mature males are longer in relation to their body size than those of females, and males use these legs to aid in wrapping a female’s legs with silk prior to and during copulation. We hypothesized that elongated male legs and silk wrapping provide benefits to males, in part through a reduced likelihood of sexual cannibalism. To test this, we paired females of random size with …

Effects Of Olfactory Cues On The Foraging Behavior Of A Carabid Beetle, Calosoma Wilcoxi, A Predator Of A Forest Defoliator., Kennesha J. Myrick-Bragg, Karen Kester, Derek M. Johnson

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Arthropod predators use environmental cues such as kairomones to locate herbivore prey. Several species have been shown to be attracted to volatiles emitted by herbivore host plants, as well as olfactory cues produced by the herbivore. Calosoma wilcoxi is a voracious predator that specializes on lepidopteran larvae often found in the forest canopy, showing a preference for the fall cankerworm. It is unknown whether C. wilcoxi uses olfactory cues associated with prey or their host plants to locate foraging sites.

The objective of this study is to use fall cankerworm frass, caterpillars, damaged oak leaves, and conspecifics to determine if …

The Behavioral Ecology Of Amblypygids, Kenneth J. Chapin, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Arachnologists have uncovered tantalizing details about amblypygid behavioral ecology—the study of the fitness consequences of their behavior. Thus, it is the aim of this review to position Amblypygi as a useful system in which to investigate the principles of animal behavioral ecology. We synthesize amblypygid habitat preference and navigation modalities; predator, prey, parasite, parasitoid, cannibal, and commensal interactions; resource contests and territoriality; mating systems and mate choice; parental investment and sociality; and genetics and genomics as they relate to behavioral ecology. We present ideas for future research in each of these areas and discuss future directions for Amblypygi behavioral ecology …

Absence Of Mate Choice And Postcopulatory Benefits In A Species With Extreme Sexual Size Dimorphism, Marie Claire Chelini, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Most hypotheses related to the evolution of female-biased extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) attribute the differences in the size of each sex to selection for reproduction, either through selection for increased female fecundity or selection for male increased mobility and faster development. Very few studies, however, have tested for direct fitness benefits associated with the latter – small male size. Mecaphesa celer is a crab spider with extreme SSD, whose males are less than half the size of females and often weigh 10 times less. Here, we test the hypotheses that larger size in females and smaller size in males …

Fourteen New Species Of Sonoma Casey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) With A Key To Species From Western North America, Michael L. Ferro

Insecta Mundi

Fourteen new species of faronine pselaphines in the genus Sonoma Casey are described: S. agitator (California); S. cardiac (Oregon); S. carltoni (Oregon); S. cataloochee (North Carolina); S. caterinoi (California); S. chandleri (California); S. cobra (California); S. colberti (California); S. maryae (Oregon); S. quellazaire (Oregon); S. rossellinae (California); S. stewarti (California); S. twaini (California); and S. virgo (California, Oregon). Thirteen are from western North America and one from the eastern U.S. These species bring the total diversity of the genus to 57 species—40 from western North America and 17 from the eastern U.S. A key to, and updated distributions for, all …

Nueva Especie De Kessleria Nowicki, 1864 Para Chile Central (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) Asociada A Maytenus Boaria Molina (Celastraceae), Danilo E. Cepeda

Insecta Mundi

The description of a new species of Kessleria (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) is presented, based on male

and female specimens obtained from laboratory rearing of material collected on their host, Maytenus boaria, of

the central region of Chile.

Se describe una nueva especie del género Kessleria (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) para Chile central,

en base a ejemplares macho y hembra, obtenidos de crianza de laboratorio de su hospedero, Maytenus boaria, de

la región central de Chile.

The Trichoptera Of Panama Iv. New Records For Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) From The Republic Of Panama, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris, Roger J. Blahnik, Robin E. Thomson

Insecta Mundi

The Republic of Panama currently has 300 recorded species of Trichoptera distributed among 14 families. Herein we add 42 new country records for Panama, including one new family (Anomalopsychidae) and three new genera (Anomalopsychidae: Contulma; Hydroptilidae: Byrsopteryx and Cerasmatrichia). The newly recorded caddisfly taxa increase Panama’s total known fauna to 342 species, distributed among 15 families and 50 genera. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds (cuencas).

Natural History, Ecology, And Conservation Of The Genus Polyphylla Harris, 1841. 1. New Species From The Southwestern United States And Baja California, Mexico, With Notes On Distribution And Synonymy (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Delbert A. La Rue

Insecta Mundi

Four new species of the genus Polyphylla Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the

southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, are described and illustrated: Polyphylla anivallis, P.

koso, P. morroensis, and P. socorriana. Two nomenclatural changes are proposed: Polyphylla ratcliffei Young is

placed into synonymy with P. avittata Hardy and Andrews, new synonymy; P. uteana Tanner is removed from

synonymy and reinstated as a valid species, reinstated status. The females of P. monahansensis Hardy and Andrews

and P. stellata Young are described and illustrated. New distributional records and ecological associations

are amended for P. …

Armored Scales (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) From Warm Temperate Forests In Korea, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

Andaspis recurrens Takagi and Kawai, Hypaspidiotus jordani (Kuwana), Lepidosaphes kamakurensis

(Kuwana) and Selenomphalus distylii Takagi from warm temperate forests are newly documented in the Korean

fauna of armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). Characteristics of these species are briefl y given and

illustrative photographs and information on their distribution and hosts are provided.

Key To Florida Alydidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) And Selected Exotic Pest Species, M. Andrew Jansen, Susan E. Halbert

Insecta Mundi

A key to the fourteen native Florida species and seven exotic pest species of Alydidae is presented here. The key uses external, non-genitalic morphology and allows for rapid separation of the native species and exotic pests included herein.

Corrections To Neotropical Rhinaspis Perty And Plectris Lepeletier And Audinet-Serville (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) Classifi Cation And Nomenclature, Andrew B. T. Smith

Insecta Mundi

The name Melolontha hypocrita Mannerheim, 1829 has been long unused, even though it is the type species of Hyporhiza Dejean, 1833. I examined the only known specimen from the type series and here designate it as the lectotype. Examination of this lectotype reveals that this species is best placed in the genus Rhinaspis Perty, 1830. Consequently, the genus Hyporhiza Dejean, 1833 is confi rmed as a junior synonym of Rhinaspis. Further, the replacement name Rhinaspis fuhrmanni is proposed for Rhinaspis hypocrita (Blanchard, 1850), a new secondary homonym of Rhinaspis hypocrita (Mannerheim, 1829). A homonymy problem was also discovered and …

A New Genus And Species Of Tanyproctini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) From The Coquimbo Region Of Chile, Andrew B. T. Smith, José Mondaca

Insecta Mundi

A new genus and species of Tanyproctini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) is described from the Coquimbo Region of Chile and compared with other taxa from Chile and neighboring countries.

Checklists Of Cucujidae, Laemophloeidae, And Silvanidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) From Iran, Michael C. Thomas, Hassan Ghahari

Insecta Mundi

The Iranian fauna of Cucujidae, Laemophloeidae, and Silvanidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) are summarized

in this paper. In total 2 species of Cucujidae (1 genus: Pediacus Shuckard), 6 species of Laemophloeidae (3 genera:

Cryptolestes Ganglbauer, Laemophloeus Dejean, and Placonotus MacLeay) and 7 species of Silvanidae (6 genera:

Uleiota Latreille, Psammoecus Latreille, Ahasverus Gozis, Nausibius Lentz, Oryzaephilus Ganglbauer, Psammoecus

Latreille, and Silvanus Latreille) are listed in this paper. Synonymies and distribution data are given.