Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Flowers In Space Attacked By Aliens: Understanding The Spatial Ecology Behind The Devastating Damage By A Thistle Bud Weevil On Pitcher’S Thistle At Whitefish Dunes State Park, Wi, Zechariah D. Meunier

Lawrence University Honors Projects

One of the most threatened plants in the Great Lakes region is Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), which inhabits sand dunes along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior. In addition to risks from habitat loss and invasive species, C. pitcheri are imperiled by a thistle bud weevil (Larinus planus) that was originally distributed for biological control of nonnative thistles. During the summer of 2014, we empirically studied the devastating damage caused by L. planus on a population of C. pitcheri at Whitefish Dunes State Park, WI, to determine what factors influence the distribution and intensity …

Time-Frequency Analysis Reveals Pairwise Interactions In Insect Swarms, James G. Puckett, Rui Ni, Nicholas T. Ouellette

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The macroscopic emergent behavior of social animal groups is a classic example of dynamical self-organization, and is thought to arise from the local interactions between individuals. Determining these interactions from empirical data sets of real animal groups, however, is challenging. Using multicamera imaging and tracking, we studied the motion of individual flying midges in laboratory mating swarms. By performing a time-frequency analysis of the midge trajectories, we show that the midge behavior can be segmented into two distinct modes: one that is independent and composed of low-frequency maneuvers, and one that consists of higher-frequency nearly harmonic oscillations conducted in synchrony …

Soil Preferences Of Nicrophorus Beetles And The Effects Of Compaction On Burying Behavior, Kelly A. Willemssens

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier was declared federally endangered in 1989 and many efforts to prevent this species from going extinct are ongoing. The Nicrophorus beetles bury small carcasses for reproductive purposes. They also reside in the soil during times of daily and seasonal inactivity. To better understand why N. americanus is in decline, the importance of soil texture, moisture, vegetation, gravel, the burial depth, and the effect of compaction on their burying behavior was examined.

All tested species preferred moist soils with N. orbicollis having a significant preference for wet (pN. marginatus had a significant preference for …

Life History And Natural Enemies Of Parthenolecanium Spp. In Four Southeastern States, Ernesto Robayo Camacho

All Dissertations

Soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) are some of the most prevalent and difficult to control arthropod pests in urban landscapes of the southern United States. European fruit lecanium, Parthenolecanium corni (Bouche), and oak lecanium, Parthenolecanium quercifex (Fitch), are commonly found in mixed populations as pests of oak trees (Quercus spp.) in the region. The phenology and natural enemies of the two species are poorly understood, which in turn hinders pest managers' ability to develop an integrated management program against these species. This research project aims to fill the information gaps concerning the life history and natural enemies of P. corni and …

Undercover Predators: Vegetation Mediates Foraging, Trophic Cascades, And Biological Control By Omnivorous Weed Seed Predators, Carmen K Blubaugh

Open Access Dissertations

Weed pressure is the most costly challenge that vegetable growers face, requiring more labor investment than other production inputs. Vertebrate and invertebrate seed predators destroy a large percentage of weed propagules on the soil surface, and their ecosystem services may ease labor requirements for farmers in herbicide-free systems. Cover provided by living vegetation is an important predictor of seed predator activity, and my dissertation takes a comprehensive approach to understanding the behavior, predator, and environment-mediated mechanisms by which cover impacts weed seed predation in crop environments. ^ First, I performed a meta-analysis of 27 studies to quantitatively evaluate what is …

Carrion-Associated Arthropods In Rural And Urban Environments, Serena Daye Gross

Open Access Dissertations

Preferences of arthropods are important in forensic entomology, as the species collected can help determine the postmortem interval or if remains have been moved. This study looked at arthropods that are attracted to pig carcasses in rural and urban habitats in Northwest Indiana. The species and number of carrion-associated arthropods that are found at a carcass vary with habitat type, month, and stage of decomposition. Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a synanthropic species that was found in higher numbers in urban locations for both adults and larvae. Though L. sericata had higher numbers in urban habitats, caution must be exercised …

Environmental Impacts On Life History In Container Breeding Mosquitoes, Kathleen May Westby

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I explore different ways that the environment impacts life history in mosquitoes in ways that may alter vectorial capacity. In chapter I, I tested if short-term sugar deprivation experienced after exposure to La Crosse virus altered infection rates in Aedes albopictus and if sugar treatment and virus infection status altered blood feeding behavior and fecundity. I found no evidence that sugar deprivation impacted infection rates or fecundity. Sugar deprivation did increase blood feeding. There was no effect of infection status on blood feeding or fecundity. In chapter II, I tested for effects of seasonal cues (temperature and …

Temporal Patterns Of Nutrition Dependence In Secondary Sexual Traits And Their Varying Impacts On Male Mating Success, Malcolm F. Rosenthal, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Variation in the quantity of nutrients ingested over an individual’s lifetime is likely to differentially affect distinct male secondary sexual traits and courtship signals, potentially providing females with information about a male’s past and present foraging history. We hypothesize that female choice is thus influenced by a male’s lifetime foraging history. To test this, we manipulated the quantity of nutrients (i.e. prey items) available to male wolf spiders, Schizocosa stridulans, using a fully crossed 2 × 2 design with low versus high prey quantity across juvenile and adult life stages, and assessed the impact of these diet treatments on male …

Butterfly Biology, Joshua Feingold

Quadrivium: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Scholarship

A photographic exploration of butterflies from larvae to adults in Davie, Florida.

Cold Truths: How Winter Drives Responses Of Terrestrial Organisms To Climate Change, Caroline M. Williams, Hugh A.L. Henry, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

Winter is a key driver of individual performance, community composition, and ecological interactions in terrestrial habitats. Although climate change research tends to focus on performance in the growing season, climate change is also modifying winter conditions rapidly. Changes to winter temperatures, the variability of winter conditions, and winter snow cover can interact to induce cold injury, alter energy and water balance, advance or retard phenology, and modify community interactions. Species vary in their susceptibility to these winter drivers, hampering efforts to predict biological responses to climate change. Existing frameworks for predicting the impacts of climate change do not incorporate the …

Understory Diversity And Composition Drives Carabid Assemblages, Tierney Brosius, Michael Reisner

Biology: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

Fire suppression has nearly eliminated fire as a disturbance in temperate deciduous forests. Lack of fire is transforming these ecosystems through a positive feedback loop termed mesophication: cool, damp, shady conditions become continually more favorable for a few mesophytic species, while deteriorating for diverse array of heliophytic ones. Disturbances caused by urbanization fragment and degrade remnant forests. In urban settings, human management (or lack thereof) is often a dominate driver of succession. Carabid diversity, understory vegetation, patch size, patch connectivity, and permeable surface area were all examined in multiple forest plots in Rock Island and Moline. The result of this …

Factors Affecting The Spatial Distribution Of Oviposition Sites For Tandem Black Saddlebags Dragonflies (Odonata: Libellulidae), Jessica L. Thornton, Paul V. Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Oviposition site location may be affected by (1) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the offspring (e.g., resource availability, competition, predation risk) and (2) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the female (e.g., predation risk or mate ha- rassment). In cases in which both the male and female are involved in locating a site, costs and benefits may differ for each parent and the resulting oviposition site location may represent the outcome of selection pressures on one or both of them. We studied oviposi- tion behavior in the black saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata Hagen), a species in which …

Factors Affecting The Spatial Distribution Of Oviposition Sites For Tandem Black Saddlebags Dragonflies (Odonata: Libellulidae), Jessica Thornton, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Oviposition site location may be affected by (1) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the offspring (e.g., resource availability, competition, predation risk) and (2) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the female (e.g., predation risk or mate ha- rassment). In cases in which both the male and female are involved in locating a site, costs and benefits may differ for each parent and the resulting oviposition site location may represent the outcome of selection pressures on one or both of them. We studied oviposi- tion behavior in the black saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata Hagen), a species in which …

The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Genetic, life history, and environmental factors dictate patterns of variation in sexual traits within and across populations, and thus the action and outcome of sexual selection. This study explores patterns of inheritance, diet, age, and mate-choice copying on the expression of male sexual signals and associated female mate choice in a phenotypically diverse group of Schizocosa wolf spiders. Focal spiders exhibit one of two male phenotypes: ‘ornamented’ males possess large black brushes on their forelegs, and ‘non-ornamented’ males possess no brushes. Using a quantitative genetics breeding design in a mixed population of ornamented/non-ornamented males, we found a strong genetic basis …

Octopamine Levels Relate To Male Mating Tactic Expression In The Wolf Spider Rabidosa Punctulata, Eileen A. Hebets, Matthew Hansen, Thomas C. Jones, Dustin J. Wilgers

Eileen Hebets Publications

In the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata, upon encountering a female, males use one of two distinct strategies: (1) they court the female in an attempt to elicit a mating, or (2) they engage in a direct-mount tactic that involves extensive grappling with the female until a mating is achieved. The latter tactic appears more sexually aggressive, and both tactics come with the risk of being cannibalized. We explored the physiological mechanisms underlying this behavioral variation by assessing the relationship between circulating levels of the biogenic amine octopamine (OA), a neuromodulator suggested to play a role in “fight or flight” responses …

Functional Approach To Condition, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animal signaling is commonly thought to be costly. Signaling costs can arise via a variety of avenues, including energy expenditure, predator attraction, and so on (reviews in Zuk and Kolluru, 1998; Kotiaho, 2001), and are predicted to increase with signal expression (e.g., size, amplitude, and intensity; Johnstone, 1997). Due to these costs, signaler condition, which is hypothesized to be a reflection of a signaler’s genetic quality, is expected to influence the level of signal expression one can afford (Zahavi, 1975), resulting in a positive correlation between signaler condition and signal expression – that is, condition-dependent signaling (Zahavi, 1977; West-Eberhard, 1979; …

Nueva Técnica De Microscopía Electrónica De Barrido Para El Estudio De Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera), Andrea Saracho Bottero, Lucía E. Claps

Insecta Mundi

Se presenta un protocolo para preparar material de Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera) para realizar observaciones con microscopía electrónica de barrido. Esta técnica consiste en muestras conservadas en alcohol 96°, limpiadas con xilol y acetona y llevadas directamente a la etapa de hidratación y una posterior deshidratación, en alcohol, omitiendo la fi jación en formaldehído gluteraldehído y la posfijación en tetróxido de osmio. Se destaca la importancia de la limpieza del material y la correcta realización de punto crítico, en la etapa de desecación.

A new protocol to prepare material of Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera) for observation with scanning electron microscopy is presented. …

The Trichoptera Of Panama. Ii. Ten New Species Of Microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae), Steven C. Harris, Brian J. Armitage

Insecta Mundi

In the Republic of Panama, the family Hydroptilidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) is currently represented by 82 species distributed among 14 genera. In this publication we provide descriptions and illustrations for 10 new species of hydroptilids in the subfamily Hydroptilinae: Tribe Leucotrichiini—Zumatrichia teribe and Z. zegla; Tribe Neotrichiini—Neotrichia pamelae and N. parabullata; and, Tribe Ochrotrichiini—Metrichia nowaczyki, M. sencilla, Nothotrichia panama, Ochrotrichia abrelata, O. nimmoi, and O. pulgara. The genus Nothotrichia is recorded from Panama for the first time.

A Revision Of The Biting Midges In The Culicoides (Monoculicoides) Nubeculosus-Stigma Complex In North America With The Description Of A New Species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), William L. Grogan Jr., Timothy J. Lysyk

Insecta Mundi

This revision of the Nearctic biting midges in the Culicoides (Monoculicoides) nubeculosus-stigma complex recognizes four species: C. grandensis Grogan and Phillips, C. riethi Kieffer, C. stigma (Meigen) and C. shemanchuki, new species, from Alberta, Canada and North Dakota, USA. Culicoides stigma is recorded for the first time in the Nearctic region from Alberta, Canada. Culicoides gigas Root and Hoffman is a junior synonym of Culicoides riethi Kieffer (new synonym). A key is provided for the recognition of both sexes of the four North American species in the Culicoides (Monoculicoides) nubeculosus-stigma complex.

A Checklist Of Natural Enemies Of Diaphorina Citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) In The Department Of Valle Del Cauca, Colombia And The World, Takumasa Kondo, Guillermo González F., Catherine Tauber, Yoan Camilo Guzmán Sarmiento, Andrés Felipe Vinasco Mondragon, Dimitri Forero

Insecta Mundi

In recent years, populations of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), have increased in rural citrus orchards and urban backyard gardens. In order to find biological control options for D. citri, a search for natural enemies was conducted in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The collections were carried out in citrus orchards in rural areas and house gardens and street trees in urban areas. Natural enemies were collected from D. citri found on Citrus spp. and Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (Rutaceae). A total of 16 species of natural enemies of D. citri distributed in …

Natural History Of The Tortoise Beetle, Discomorpha (Discomorpha) Biplagiata (Guérin) (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Omocerini), R. Wills Flowers, Caroline S. Chaboo

Insecta Mundi

The first natural history account of Discomorpha (Discomorpha) biplagiata (Guérin) (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Omocerini) from Ecuador is presented. Larvae and adults feed on the leaves and stems of Cordia hebeclada Johnst. (Boraginaceae), the first documented host plant for the species. Oviposition and pupation also occur on this host. Young larvae suffered heavy predation, especially from Ectatomma sp. (Formicidae: Ponerinae) and Oplomus nr. marginalis (Pentatomidae: Asopinae).

Se presenta la primera cuenta de la historia natural para Discomorpha (Discomorpha) biplagiata (Guérin) de Ecuador. Las larvas y los adultos se alimentan de las hojas y tallos de Cordia hebeclada Johnst. (Boraginaceae), su primera planta …

The Beetles Of The Lesser Antilles (Insecta, Coleoptera): Diversity And Distributions, Stewart B. Peck

Insecta Mundi

The island arc of the Lesser Antilles lies at the eastern margin of the Caribbean Sea in the Western Hemisphere, and stretches from the eastern end of the islands of the Greater Antilles (at the Virgin Islands), south to a position near the continental islands of Trinidad and Tobago at the north eastern corner of South America. The islands are a part of the West Indian Islands biodiversity “hotspot” and have been available for terrestrial colonization for about the past 15 million years. This is a status report on present knowledge of the beetle faunas of these islands, which is …

New Species And New Country Records For Vietnamese Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera), Tatiana I. Arefina-Armitage, Brian J. Armitage

Insecta Mundi

Identification of caddisfly specimens (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Vietnam collected by or for the Royal Ontario Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin revealed nine new species in a variety of families and genera. New species include: Philopotamidae—Dolophilodes carpenteri and Wormaldia montuosa; Stenopsychidae—Stenopsyche siniaevi; Polycentropodidae—Nyctiophylax hatinh; Psychomyiidae—Eoneureclipsis afonini; Hydropsychidae—Maesaipsyche lappa; Glossosomatidae—Agapetus darlingi and Agapetus grimaldi; and, Molannidae—Molannodes sapa. In addition, new records for 11 species and two genera (Georgium and Tagalopsyche) of caddisflies from Vietnam …

The Enigmatic Milliped Genus Pandirodesmus Silvestri 1932 And Description Of A New Species From Tobago Represented By Males (Polydesmida: Leptodesmidea: Chelodesmidae: Chelodesminae: Pandirodesmini), Rowland M. Shelley, Jamie M. Smith

Insecta Mundi

Pandirodesmus rutherfordi, n. sp., represented by 18 individuals including eight adult males, occurs in secondary forests near Charlotteville and Speyside, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago. Along with the type and second species, P. disparipes Silvestri, from Guyana and known only from females, the segmental legs of P. rutherfordi alternate between long (anterior pairs) and short (posterior ones), spiracular openings are on straw-like tubules, and ozopores are located on paramedian metatergal spines. These features appear to be adaptations for biotopes of loose sand, detritus, or frass, and 17 specimens, including the six juveniles, exhibit coatings of “sand grains” that are loosely …

Notas Sobre La Identifi Cación Y Distribución De Centris Testacea Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Anthophila; Apidae), Julio A. Genaro

Insecta Mundi

Information about the range of distribution of Centris (Centris) testacea Lepeletier has not been historically accurate. Range of distribution and identifi cation of the species is clarifi ed. Images of both sexes as well as male terminalia are presented. Centris testacea is a good species, with no synonym names. According to the available information, C. testacea should be considered endemic to the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola.

A New Genus Of Rhinotragini For Molorchus Laticornis Klug, 1825 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Robin O. S. Clarke, Amoret Spooner, Joachim Willers

Insecta Mundi

Klugiatragus gen. nov. is described for Epimelitta laticornis (Klug, 1825) because this species has closed procoxal cavities, a crucial diagnostic incompatible with Epimelitta Bates, 1870, which has open procoxal cavities. Both sexes of this species are illustrated.

Listado Actualizado De Diaspídidos Sobre Frutos Tropicales Y Primer Registro De Pseudaulacaspis Cockerelli (Cooley) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Para La Argentina, Cristian Amún, Lucía E. Claps

Insecta Mundi

Resumen. En este trabajo se actualiza el conocimiento sobre la presencia de cochinillas protegidas en frutos tropicales en Argentina y se registra por primera vez a Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli (Cooley) para Argentina y Sudamérica. Se presentan tres asociaciones nuevas para el mundo: Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) / Musa paradisiaca L.; Hemiberlesia cyanophylli (Signoret) / M. paradisiaca y Acutaspis paulista (Hempel) / Persea americana Miller, y 10 asociaciones nuevas de diaspídido/fruto tropical para Argentina. Se cita por primera vez para este país, asociada a frutos tropicales, a A. paulista, Hemiberlesia palmae (Cockerell), Mycetaspis personata (Comstock) y P. cockerelli.

Abstract. This paper updates …

The Trichoptera Of Panama I. New Records For Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) From The Republic Of Panama, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris, Ralph W. Holzenthal

Insecta Mundi

The Republic of Panama currently has 245 recorded species of Trichoptera distributed among 13 families. Herein we add 32 new country records for Panama, including one new family (Limnephilidae) and one new genus (Limnephilus). We also provide the first collection information for Oxyethira maya Denning for Panama. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major cuencas (water basins).

Una Especie Nueva Del Género Hempelicoccus Kozár Y Konczné Benedicty (Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) En La Argentina, Patricia González, María Begoña Riquelme Virgala, Agustina Ansa

Insecta Mundi

Hempelicoccus alba (Coccoidea: Eriococcidae), a new species for Argentina is described and illustrated. A key to the seven known species of Argentina is provided

Nueva Especie De Lycomedes Brème, 1844 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) De Los Andes Colombianos Y Clave Para Identifi Cación De Las Especies, Luis Carlos Pardo- Locarno, Alfonso Villalobos Moreno, Román Stechauner Rohringer

Insecta Mundi

A new scarab species of the genus Lycomedes Brème, 1844 is described, totaling five species of the genus reported for Colombia. Lycomedes salazari was collected in an oak forest at the high Andean region of Santurbán in the municipality of California, Santander Department, Colombia. Besides inhabiting the highest altitude known for the genus, L. salazari has affi nities with L. buckleyi Waterhouse, 1880, but differs on the cephalic, thoracic and leg morphologies. Biological notes and an updated key for the adults of the genus are included.