Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

The Mechanoreceptor Piezo Is Required For Spermatogenesis In Bombyx Mori, Zhongjie Zhang, Xiaojing Liu, Bo Hu, Kai Chen, Ye Yu, Chenxin Sun, Dalin Zhu, Hua Bai, Subba Reddy Palli, Anjiang Tan

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background The animal sperm shows high diversity in morphology, components, and motility. In the lepidopteran model insect, the silkworm Bombyx mori, two types of sperm, including nucleate fertile eupyrene sperm and anucleate unfertile apyrene sperm, are generated. Apyrene sperm assists fertilization by facilitating the migration of eupyrene spermatozoa from the bursa copulatrix to the spermatheca. During spermatogenesis, eupyrene sperm bundles extrude the cytoplasm by peristaltic squeezing, while the nuclei of the apyrene sperm bundles are discarded with the same process, forming matured sperm.

Results In this study, we describe that a mechanoreceptor BmPiezo, the sole Piezo ortholog in B. mori, …

A Balancing Act: Microrna Mediated Insect-Bacterial Homeostasis And The Tsetse Fly, Mason Hubbard Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Microbial symbioses are ubiquitous across all kingdoms of life with broad and diverse impacts on the evolution of species. The sum of all microbes living in, on, or otherwise in close association with a host form the microbiota. In some cases, the development of a stable microbial association seems to have been necessary for the specialization of diet, as can be observed in numerous insect species, especially wood-eating, sap-feeding, and blood-feeding organisms. For the medically and economically tsetse fly (family Glossinidae), the mutualistic bacteria Wigglesworthia glossinidia is required for proper reproduction and supplementation of nutrients that the fly does not …

Investigation Of L-Serine Synthesis And Transport As Stabilizing Feedback Mechanisms Within The Tsetse-Wigglesworthia Symbiosis, Ryan Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tsetse flies (Glossina morsitans), which are the obligate vectors of Old-World trypanosomes (Trypanosoma spp.) that cause African trypanosomiasis, have a bacteriome that houses the intracellular endosymbiont Wigglesworthia glossinidia. The ancient coevolution of these species has led to the integration of Wigglesworthia metabolism into tsetse physiology and a subsequent reliance on nutrient exchange for maintaining the fitness of both partners. The establishment of this obligate mutualism has facilitated the emergence of feedback mechanisms that stabilize the symbiosis, such as that which involves the exchange of L-serine and B vitamins. The Gammaproteobacteria Wigglesworthia supplement B vitamins lacking …

Sweetening The Deal: Enhancing Flower Production And Quality For Native Pollinators In Urban Landscapes, Yaelle Esther Reeve

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Urban landscapes can support pollinator conservation, but traditional landscape designs lack the diverse mixtures of native plants needed to support native pollinators. Although native plants support pollinators and can survive with less water and fertilizer than non-native landscape plants, they do not always grow well under modified urban soil conditions and irrigation regimes. A better understanding of the factors influencing flower production and the quality of native plants is needed if we are to design landscapes that support pollinator conservation. This study focused on how flower production and quality in different native plants responded to compost and irrigation treatments. The …

Interdisciplinary Learning: How Different Ways Of Thinking Can Fuel Passion And Expand Understanding., Allison Amy Peschek

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This Capstone project was created to show the profound experience resulting from an extended range of interdisciplinary learning, and how different methods, when paired together, can enhance a learning experience. This was a personal project of exploration into those different angles, and primarily focused on avenues of logical and creating learning, respectively. These methods have been implemented by this author often in the past, but this capstone will explore this concept further, as there is a lot of potential in combining these different methods and biases in learning, to both further passion and understanding as a learner, but to also …

An Assessment Of Functional Characteristics In Macroinvertebrates And Fishes In The Lower Ogeechee River, Molly A. Mckeon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The southeastern United States is a hotspot for aquatic biodiversity; yet this region is also considered vulnerable to climate and land–use changes. The Ogeechee River is an unimpeded blackwater river in Georgia that drains into the Atlantic Ocean and a unique ecosystem due to the preservation of its natural state; Historically, research conducted in the river establishes a baseline for long-term ecological studies. The aim of this study is to compare aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish community composition data collected in 2014 to 2017 to a recently collected dataset from 2023 and document temporal changes. Water quality monitoring was performed throughout …

Aggressive And Non-Aggressive Behaviors In Mixed And Non-Mixed Dorymyrmex Smithi And Dorymyrmex Bureni Colonies Of Southeastern Georgia, Usa, Renee K. Nowicki

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Dorymyrmex species, ‘pyramid’ or ‘cone’ ants, are Dolichoderines distributed across North America. Two relatively well-studied species, Dorymyrmex smithi and Dorymyrmex bureni, are commonly found throughout southeastern Georgia. These species are part of a socially parasitic relationship while simultaneously having starkly different colony structures. Dorymyrmex smithi is a polydomous, polygynous species with colonies that are often expansive, at times having hundreds to thousands of nests per colony. Dorymyrmex smithi is a temporary social parasite of D. bureni, a monodomous, monogynous species. The specific mechanism of this parasitism is currently unknown. Preliminary behavioral assay data from a limited number of …

New State Records Of Buprestidae (Coleoptera) For Idaho, Usa, Richard L. Westcott

Insecta Mundi

Five new state records for Idaho in the genera Agrilus Curtis, Anthaxia Eschscholtz, and Buprestis Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) are included herein, with brief comments thereon. Two of the species are believed to be introduced. Agrilus liragus Barter and Brown is elevated to a full species, resurrected status.

Platygastroidea In The Oxford University Museum Of Natural History: Taxonomic Updates And A Photographic Catalog Of Type Specimens, Elijah J. Talamas, Jessica Awad, Francesco Tortorici, Norman F. Johnson

Insecta Mundi

High resolution images are provided for type specimens of Platygastroidea (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) in the Hope Entomological Collections, Oxford University. We formally resurrect Trissoscelio Kieffer revised status to accommodate T. bifasciata (Dodd) new combination, T. indica (Mani) new combination, T. nigriceps Kieffer revised combination, T. ruficeps Kieffer revised combination, and T. punctaticeps Kieffer revised combination. Paridris subplana (Dodd) new combination is transferred from Sceliacantha Dodd to Paridris Kieffer and treated as a senior synonym of P. coorgensis Sharma.

Revision Of The Elongatus And Pecki Species Groups Of Anillinus Casey, 1918 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Anillini), With Four New Species And Notes On Anillinus Turneri Jeannel, 1963, Curt W. Harden, Michael S. Caterino

Insecta Mundi

The small, eyeless beetles of the genus Anillinus Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Anillini) comprise a diverse, ubiquitous, but poorly known component of insect biodiversity in the southeastern United States. Their limited dispersal capabilities make them ideal subjects for biogeography, but taxonomic problems and undescribed species diversity hamper such studies. In this paper, we redescribe four enigmatic species, Anillinus docwatsoni Sokolov and Carlton, Anillinus elongatus Jeannel, Anillinus pecki Giachino, and Anillinus turneri Jeannel, and consider their relationships. The elongatus species group is revised, with descriptions of four newly discovered species, Anillinus arenicollis Harden and Caterino, new species, Anillinus montrex Harden …

Synopsis Of The Subfamily Prosympiestinae In New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Marie-Claude Larivière, André Larochelle

Insecta Mundi

The subfamily Prosympiestinae (Heteroptera: Aradidae) is revised for New Zealand. Three genera and thirteen species are recognized.

Five species are described as new: Neadenocoris centralis Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris hoarei Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris northlandicus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris pseudovatus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neadenocoris wellingtonensis Larivière and Larochelle new species.

One new synonymy is established: Neadenocoris reflexus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959 becomes a junior synonym of Neadenocoris acutus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959.

A revision of all taxa is provided. Descriptions, identification keys, illustrations of male parandria, habitus …

Five Unusual New Species Of Rhyparus Westwood, 1845 From Mexico And Central America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), Paul E. Skelley, Andrew B. T. Smith

Insecta Mundi

Five new species of Rhyparus Westwood, 1845 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini) are described: R. cucullatus Skelley and Smith from Guatemala, R. hexadentatus Skelley and Smith from Mexico and Guatemala, R. loughlini Skelley and Smith from Mexico, R. platypygus Skelley and Smith from Guatemala and Honduras, and R. pteronellus Skelley and Smith from Mexico. A description, diagnosis, images, and distributional map are presented for each species.

New Synonym Of Attagenus Tigrinus (Fabricius, 1792) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Attageninae), Graham J. Holloway, Andreas Herrmann

Insecta Mundi

The Attagenus bifasciatus species complex (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Attageninae) surrounds the Mediterranean and extends into Asia. Several species are recognised but all of them are very similar to each other, and brief, old descriptions do not help to distinguish among them. Here the holotype A. tigrinus (Fabricius) and a syntype series of A. bifasciatus rossii Ganglbauer (subsequently raised to A. rossii) all collected from Italy were dissected to facilitate genital examination. From this genitalic study, Attagenus rossii is placed as a new synonym of A. tigrinus.

Endophytic Fungi Associated With Galls And Host Plants Of Asphondylia Borrichiae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), Shannon Lynn Sharpe

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Asphondylia borrichiae, like other gall-forming gnats, are obligate symbionts to the endophytic fungi (EF) they deposit when laying eggs. Asphondylia spp. and EF are important biocontrol agents, yet details surrounding their diversity, life cycles, and host interactions remain poorly understood. Galls and leaf-stem tissues from two host plants were surveyed to identify and compare EF diversity between the host tissues and species of A. borrichiae. Identification of 114 isolates was carried out by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS 1/4 primers). Pairwise alignments in multiple genetic databases were bolstered by phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 31: Amphilinidea Poche 1922 (Order) [Platyhelminthes, Cestoda, Cestodaria], Klaus Rohde

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the cestode (tapeworm) order Amphilinidea Poche, 1922, a large group of large endoparasitic worms infecting the body cavity of freshwater and marine teleost (bony) fishes and freshwater turtles. Covers the morphology of the adults and larvae and the life cycle of a representative species, Austramphilina elongata, and a discussion of other species in the group, including their taxonomy and phylogeny.

Chapter 31 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Klaus Rohde. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap031

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 27: Litobothriidea Dailey, 1969 (Order) [Platyhelminthes, Cestoda, Eucestoda], Luis García-Prieto, Berenice Adán-Torres, Brenda Atziri García-García, Omar Lagunas-Calvo

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the cestode (tapeworm) order Litobothriidea Dailey, 1969. The 9 species included in the order, all belonging to the genus Litobothrium, infect the spiral intestine of sharks in the order Lamniformes in the tropical eastern Pacific to the central Indo-Pacific marine ecoregions. Covers their main morphological characteristics, description and summary of a representative species, L. amplificum (Kurochkin and Slankis, 1973) Euzet, 1994, taxonomy, and life cycles.

Chapter 27 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Luis García-Prieto, Berenice Adán-Torres, Brenda Atziri García-García, and Omar Lagunas-Calvo. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 30: Relics Of “Tetraphyllidea” Van Beneden, 1850 (Order) [Platyhelminthes, Cestoda, Eucestoda], Berenice Adán-Torres, Omar Lagunas-Calvo, Brenda Atziri García-García, Luis García-Prieto

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the relics of cestode (tapeworm) order “Tetraphyllidea” van Beneden, 1850, parasites found in the spiral intestine and occasionally the stomach of species from all orders of elasmobranch fishes. Includes a discussion of their main morphological characteristics, a description and summary of a representative species, Duplicibothrium cairae Ruhnke et al., 2000, taxonomy, and life cycle.

Chapter 30 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Berenice Adán-Torres, Omar Lagunas-Calvo, Brenda Atziri García-García, and Luis García-Prieto. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap030

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 32: Gyrocotylidea (Order): The Most Primitive Group Of Tapeworms [Platyhelminthes, Cestoda, Cestodaria], Willi E. R. Xylander, Klaus Rohde

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the cestode order Gyrocotylidea, the most primitive group of tapeworms, including a discussion of their taxonomy, a description of the structure of the adult and the larva, life cycle, and ecological and economic importance.

Chapter 32 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Willi E. R. Xylander and Klaus Rohde. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap032

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 33: Aspidogastrea (Subclass) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Aspidogastrea], Klaus Rohde

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) subclass Aspidogastrea, a very small group of trematodes with around 80 species, none of them of economic importance, but are of great interest because of their unique structure, their simple life cycles (which may well be the most primitive or ancestral one among the trematodes, and the extraordinarily complex sensory/nervous systems found in some species. Includes a desciption of their general morphology, life cycles, taxonomy and phylogeny, infection process, localization in the host, and ecological infection dynamics.

Chapter 33 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Klaus Rohde. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 34: Introduction To Diplostomida Olson Et Al., 2003 (Order) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Diplostomida], Lucrecia Acosta Soto, Bernard Fried, Rafael Toledo

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An introduction to the trematode (fluke) order Diplostomida Olson et al., 2003, one of the two main lineages from which subclass Digenea have diversified. Includes a discussion of Diplostomida systematics, general morphology, and human pathogenesis, including schistosomiasis.

Chapter 34 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Lucrecia Acosta Soto, Bernard Fried, and Rafael Toledo. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap034

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 36: Introduction To Plagiorchiida La Rue, 1957 (Order)[Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Rafael Toledo, Bernard Fried, Lucrecia Acosta Soto

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An introduction to the large trematode (fluke) order Plagiorchiida La Rue, 1957, one of two fundamental branches of the Digenea (along with the Diplostomida). Includes a classification and basic morphological characteristics.

Chapter 36 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Rafael Toledo, Bernard Fried, and Lucrecia Acosta Soto. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap036

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 38: Echinostomata La Rue, 1926 (Suborder) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Rafael Toledo, Bernard Fried, Lucrecia Acosta Soto

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) suborder Echinostomata La Rue, 1926, which includes numerous species of trematodes that are parasites of humans and domestic animals and are of great health significance. Includes taxonomy, general morphological characteristics, identification, and life cycles for several groups, as well as brief discussions of human echinostomiasis, fascioliasis, and fasciolopsiasis.

Chapter 38 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Rafael Toledo, Bernard Fried, and Lucrecia Acosta Soto. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap038

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 35: Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912 (Family): Fish Blood Flukes [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Diplostomida], Russell Q.-Y. Yong

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode family Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912, also known as the fish blood flukes. Covers identification methods, general morphology, taxonomy, life cycles, and effect on the aquaculture industry.

Chapter 35 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Russell Q.-Y. Yong. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap035

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 39: Haplosplanchnata Olson Et Al., 2003 (Suborder): Two Hosts With Half The Guts [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Daniel C. Huston

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the suborder Haplosplanchnata Olson et al., 2003, a small, but distinct lineage within the Plagiorchiida. Includes a discussion of the methods of identification, general morphological characteristics, taxonomy, and life cycles.

Chapter 39 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Daniel C. Huston. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap039

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 37: Bivesiculata Olson Et Al., 2003 (Suborder): Small, Rare, But Important [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Thomas H. Cribb, Scott C. Cutmore

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the the small, rare, but important group of trematodes (flukes) in suborder Bivesiculata Olson et al., 2003, found in the intestine of marine bony fishes in the class Osteichthyes. Includes identification methods, general morphology, life cycles, and taxonomy.

Chapter 37 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology by Thomas H. Cribb and Scott C. Cutmore. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap037

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 40: Hemiurata Skrjabin & Guschanskaja, 1954 (Suborder) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Lucrecia Acosta Soto, Bernard Fried, Rafael Toledo

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) suborder Hemiurata Skrjabin & Guschanskaja, 1954, one of the most diverse groups of digeneans. They usually occur in the stomach and intestine mainly of marine teleost fishes but also in freshwater teleosts, elasmobranchs, amphibians, and reptiles, and have a wide geographical distribution, found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Includes discussion of general morphological characteristics, taxonomy, and life cycles.

Chapter 40 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Lucrecia Acosta Soto, Bernard Fried, and Rafael Toledo. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 42: Opisthorchis (Genus) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida], Sue Ann Gardner

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

A very brief overview of the trematode (fluke) genus Opisthorchis, including taxonomy, human medical importance, and life cycle.

Chapter 42 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, compiled by Sue Ann Gardner from information from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap042

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 43: Allocreadiidae Looss, 1902 (Family) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida, Xiphidiata], Gerardo Pérez-Ponce De León, David Iván Hernández-Mena, Brenda Solórzano-García

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) family Allocreadiidae Looss, 1902, mainly found as parasites of the digestive tracts of freshwater fishes. Includes a discussion of the taxonomy and classification, main morphological characteristics, morphological variability, life cycle, population biology, phylogenetic relationships, species diversity, and descriptions of representative species.

Chapter 43 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Gerardo Pérez-Ponce de León, David Iván Hernández-Mena, and Brenda Solórzano-García. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap043

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 44: Haematoloechidae Odening, 1964 (Family) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida, Xiphidiata], Virginia León-Règagnon

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) family Haematoloechidae Odening, 1964, parasites of the lungs of amphibians that are found on every continent except Antarctica. Their life cycle includes a snail and an aquatic arthropod as first and second intermediate hosts, respectively, and a frog or salamander as the definitive host. Includes a discussion of the main characters, taxonomy, phylogenetics, life cycles, host range, and biogeography.

Chapter 44 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Virginia León-Règagnon. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap044

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Chapter 45: Lecithodendriidae Lühe, 1901 (Family) [Platyhelminthes, Trematoda, Digenea, Plagiorchiida, Xiphidiata], Jeffrey M. Lotz

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

An overview of the trematode (fluke) family Lecithodendriidae Lühe, 1901, which inhabit the intestinal tract of insectivorous bats and occasionally birds. Includes a discussion of identification, general morphological charcteristics, systematics, taxonomy, life cycles, human and veterinary health significance, and ecology.

Chapter 45 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology, by Jeffrey M. Lotz. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap045