Entomology Commons^™

Finding Our Way Through Phenotypes, Andrew R. Deans, Suzanna E. Lewis, Eva Huala, Salvatore S. Anzaldo, Michael Ashburner, James P. Balhoff, David C. Blackburn, Judith A. Blake, J. Gordon Burleigh, Bruno Chanet, Laurel D. Cooper, Mélanie Courtot, Sándor Csösz, Hong Cui, Wasila Dahdul, Sandip Das, T. Alexander Dececchi, Agnes Dettai, Rui Diogo, Robert E. Druzinsky, Michel Dumontier, Nico M. Franz, Frank Friedrich, George V. Gkoutos, Melissa Haendel, Luke J. Harmon, Terry F Hayamizu, Yongqun He, Heather M. Hines, Nizar Ibrahim, Laura M. Jackson, Pankaj Jaiswal, Christina James-Zorn, Sebastian Köhler, Guillaume Lecointre, Hilmar Lapp, Carolyn J. Lawrence, Nicolas Le Novère, John G. Lundberg, James Macklin, Austin R. Mast, Peter E. Midford, István Mikó, Christopher J. Mungall, Anika Oellrich, David Osumi-Sutherland, Helen Parkinson, Martín J. Ramírez, Stefan Richter, Peter N. Robinson, Alan Ruttenberg, Katja S. Schulz, Erik Segerdell, Katja C. Seltmann, Michael Sharkey, Aaron D. Smith, Barry Smith, Chelsea D. Specht, R. Burke Squires, Robert W. Thacker, Anne Thessen, Jose Fernandez-Triana, Mauno Vihinen, Peter D. Vize, Lars Vogt, Christine E. Wall, Ramona L. Walls, Monte Westerfeld, Robert A. Wharton, Christian S. Wirkner, James B. Woolley, Matthew J. Yoder, Aaron M. Zorn, Paula Mabee

Entomology Faculty Publications

Despite a large and multifaceted effort to understand the vast landscape of phenotypic data, their current form inhibits productive data analysis. The lack of a community-wide, consensus-based, human- and machine-interpretable language for describing phenotypes and their genomic and environmental contexts is perhaps the most pressing scientific bottleneck to integration across many key fields in biology, including genomics, systems biology, development, medicine, evolution, ecology, and systematics. Here we survey the current phenomics landscape, including data resources and handling, and the progress that has been made to accurately capture relevant data descriptions for phenotypes. We present an example of the kind of …

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 …

Clues To Aquatic Beetle Research In Southeast Asia: A Multitude Of Ecological Niches, Microhabitats And Deduced Field Sampling Techniques, Hendrik Freitag

Biology Faculty Publications

The basic ecological classification of Southeast Asian beetle families that are associated with aquatic habitats is reviewed. The microhabitat preferences of the taxa are examined on family level with generic examples. Suitable collection methods for quantitative and qualitative sampling are suggested which take into account the different ecological adaptation patterns and microhabitat preferences.

Speed And Resolution In The Age Of Technological Reproducibility, Shawn Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The rate of acceleration of the biologic and synthetic world has for a while now, been in the process of exponentially speeding up, maxing out servers and landfills, merging with each other, destroying each other. The last prehistoric relics on Earth are absorbing the same oxygen, carbon dioxide and electronic waves in our biosphere as us. A degraded .jpeg enlarged to full screen on a Samsung 4K UHD HU8550 Series Smart TV - 85” Class (84.5” diag.). Within this composite ecology, the ancient limestone of the grand canyon competes with the iMax movie of itself, the production of Mac pros, …

Habitat Eradication And Cropland Intensification May Reduce Parasitoid Diversity And Natural Pest Control Services In Annual Crop Fields, D. K. Letourneau, Sara G. Bothwell Allen, Robert R. Kula, Michael J. Sharkey, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

California’s central coast differs from many agricultural areas in the U.S., which feature large tracts of monoculture production fields and relatively simple landscapes. Known as the nation’s salad bowl, and producing up to 90% of U.S. production of lettuces, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, this region is a mosaic of fresh vegetable fields, coastal meadow, chaparral shrubs, riparian and woodland habitat. We tested for relationships between the percent cover of crops, riparian and other natural landscape vegetation and the species richness of parasitic wasps and flies foraging in crops, such as broccoli, kale and cauliflower, and interpreted our results with respect …

Continuing Progress Towards A Phylogeny Of Tachinidae, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, John K. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac S. Winkler, Jeremy D. Blaschke, Z. L. Burington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Readers of this newsletter are likely familiar with our ongoing project to establish a framework phylogeny of world Tachinidae (see articles in The Tachinid Times 26 and 27). This collaborative project, involving myself, Jim O’Hara, Kevin Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac Winkler and a long list of collaborating tachinidophiles was initiated in 2012 with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Our goal is to produce a robust phylogenetic framework of Tachinidae that can be used to inform tachinid taxonomy, systematics research, and the patterns of tachinid evolution. In previous issues of The Tachinid Times we summarized our progress to date …

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; …

Nutritional Physiology Of Life-History Trade-Offs: How Food Protein–Carbohydrate Content Influences Life-History Traits In The Wing-Polymorphic Cricket Gryllus Firmus, Rebecca M. Clark, Anthony J. Zera, Spencer T. Behmer

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although life-history trade-offs result from the differential acquisition and allocation of nutritional resources to competing physiological functions, many aspects of this topic remain poorly understood. Wing-polymorphic insects, which possess alternative morphs that trade off allocation to flight capability versus early reproduction, provide a good model system for exploring this topic. In this study, we used the wing-polymorphic cricket Gryllus firmus to test how expression of the flight capability versus reproduction trade-off was modified across a heterogeneous protein–carbohydrate nutritional landscape. Newly molted adult female long- and short-winged crickets were given one of 13 diets with different concentrations and ratios of protein …

Non-Destructive Dna Extraction Methods That Yield Dna Barcodes In Spiders, Reva Ann Bork

Honors Program Theses

DNA barcodes are short sequences of nucleotides that differ from species to species (Hebert et al., 2003; Hebert & Gregory, 2005). DNA barcoding is very important in helping to reconstruct phylogenetic trees and to confirm the identity of threatened or endangered species in the wild. Additionally, it has become increasingly popular in the food industry to test the accuracy of the food being sold in fast food chains (Wong and Hanner, 2008). For scientific purposes, nondestructive DNA extraction techniques need to be explored because they allow for preservation of the voucher specimen, which is particularly important for rare or extinct …

Selective Processing By The L3 Auditory Interneuron In Acheta Domesticus : Juvenile Hormone Iii And Protein Kinase C, Ashley Ranae Lynch

Master's Theses

Juvenile Hormone III (JHIII) is a prolific and essential hormone in insects, controlling many aspects of insect physiology such as egg development, nymphal and larval maturation, diapause and metamorphosis. In female crickets, Acheta domesticus, JHIII increases selectivity in phonotactic behavior, narrowing phonotactic choices for Syllable Periods (SPs) of the Calling Songs (CSs) that most closely resemble the natural call of the male. JHIII has been suggested to work through a pathway that activates the protein kinase C (PKC) molecule. Chelerythrine Chloride (CC) is a potent inhibitor of PKC action. This study analyzes the responses of the L3 auditory interneuron, which …

Identification And Comparative Analysis Of Subolesin/Akirin Ortholog From Ornithodoros Turicata Ticks, Hameeda Sultana, Unnati Patel, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Subolesin is an evolutionary conserved molecule in diverse arthropod species that play an important role in the regulation of genes involved in immune responses, blood digestion, reproduction and development. In this study, we have identified a subolesin ortholog from soft ticks Ornithodoros turicata, the vector of the relapsing fever spirochete in the United States.

Methods: Uninfected fed or unfed O. turicata ticks were used throughout this study. The subolesin mRNA was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequenced. Quantitative-real time PCR (QRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate subolesin mRNA levels at different O. turicata developmental stages …

Butterfly And Floral Community Dynamics At A Native Prairie Agrofuel Research Site, Benjamin J. Hoksch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Agrofuel production in the Midwest has historically relied upon monoculture food crops (Zea mays and Glycine max) that do little to support biodiversity or maintain soil and water quality. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center is investigating the feasibility of establishing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable agrofuel. In 2009 48 research plots were established on three soil types, on land with a >30 year history of row crop production in Black Hawk County, IA. Each plot was seeded with one of four native prairie agrofuel crops: (1) Switchgrass1, (2) Grasses5 …

Effects Of The Exotic Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta) On The Growth And Survival Of The Threatened Hooded Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia Minor), Edward Marques

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plants and insects are some of the most biodiverse groups in the world and are constantly interacting. One unique interaction that has been observed occurs between carnivorous plants and insects; some plant species are capable of capturing and digesting insects for nutrients. Despite preying on these insects, there are cases where such interactions can been viewed as mutualistic. For instance, a nectar reward is produced by the plant to attract insects, and during visitation insects may fall prey to these plants. Additionally, carnivorous myrmecophytic plants may receive an added indirect benefit in the form of reduced herbivory, since ants have …

A New Species And Synonymy Of The Neotropical Eucelatoria Townsend And Redescription Of Myiodoriops Townsend, Diego J. Inclán, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The New World tropics represents the most diverse region for tachinid parasitoids (Diptera: Tachinidae), but it also contains the most narrowly defined, and possibly the most confusing, tachinid genera of any biogeographic region. This over-splitting of genera and taxonomic confusion has limited progress toward our understanding the family in this region and much work is needed to revise, redefine, and make sense of the profusion of finely split taxa. In a recent analysis of the Neotropical genus Erythromelana Townsend, two species previously assigned to this genus, Euptilodegeeria obumbrata (Wulp) and Myiodoriops marginalis Townsend were reinstated as monotypic genera. In the …

Cold Hardiness And Deacclimation Of Overwintering Papilio Zelicaon Pupae, Caroline M. Williams, Nicolai Annegret, Brent J. Sinclair, Laura V. Ferguson, Mark A. Bernards, Jessica J. Hellmann

Biology Publications

Seasonally-acquired cold tolerance can be reversed at warm temperatures, leaving temperate ectotherms vulnerable to cold snaps. However, deacclimation, and its underlying mechanisms, has not been well-explored in insects. Swallowtail butterflies are widely distributed but in some cases their range is limited by low temperature and their cold tolerance is seasonally acquired, implying that they experience mortality resulting from deacclimation. We investigated cold tolerance and hemolymph composition of Anise swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) pupae during overwintering in the laboratory, and after four days exposure to warm temperatures in spring. Overwintering pupae had supercooling points around − 20.5 °C and survived …

Population Genetics, Distributions And Phenology Of Bombus Latreille, 1802 And Xylocopa Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Amber Dawn Tripodi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work addresses multiple knowledge gaps in bee ecology, population health and phylogeography in order to provide insights into the changing distributions of native bees. A comparison of Arkansas bumble bee records mirrors range-wide surveys, with records of stable species (Bombus bimaculatus Cresson, 1863 and B. impatiens Cresson, 1863) increasing three-fold, and records of the declining B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773) dropping to 60% of historical levels. However, nationally-recommended conservation-genetics tools did not mirror these results on a regional level. Stable and declining species had equivalent genetic diversity in samples from Arkansas and Tennessee (H_S range: 0.46-0.63). Diploid males, …

A Cross-Seasonal Perspective On Local Adaptation: Metabolic 1 Plasticity Mediates Responses To Winter In A Thermal-2 Generalist Moth, Brent J. Sinclair, Caroline M. Williams, Wesley D. Chick

Biology Publications

No abstract provided.

Eight Legged Encounters, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

This program was funded in part by a National Science Foundation grant (DRL–1241482 to EAH). Material was developed in collaboration with Marie- Claire Chelini, Jessie Rose Storz, Cody Storz, and Malcolm Rosenthal. Steven Schwartz, Jason Stafstrom, Kathy French, Priscilla Grew, and Judy Diamond were all extremely helpful in grant writing, facilitating the first live event, and/or discussions. Pawl Tisdale (artist) was phenomenal to work with on all aspects of the project!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CLASSIFICATION & TAXONOMY STATIONS
I. WHAT IS AN ARTHROPOD? page 4 a. The goal of this station is to introduce the audience to some basic information …

White Fringetree, Chionanthus Virginicus, As A Novel Larval Host For Emerald Ash Boer, Don Cipollini

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Emerald ash borer is an invasive Asian pest of ash species in North America. All North American species of ash tested so far are susceptible to it, but there are no published reports of this insect developing fully in non-ash hosts in the field in North America. I report here evidence that EAB can attack and complete development in white fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus L., a species native to the southeastern U.S. that is also planted ornamentally.

Editorial Overview: Environmental Physiology: Insect Environmental Physiology, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

No abstract provided.

Multimodal Sensory Reliance In The Nocturnal Homing Of The Amblypygid Phrynus Pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi)?, Eileen A. Hebets, Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio, Samuel Aguilar-Argüello, Verner P. Bingman, Ignacio Escalante, Eben J. Gering, David R. Nelson, Jennifer Rivera, José Ángel Sánchez-Ruiz, Laura Segura-Hernández, Virginia Settepani, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Jay A. Stafstrom

Eileen Hebets Publications

Like many other nocturnal arthropods, the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus is capable of homing. The environment through which these predators navigate is a dense and heterogeneous tropical forest understory and the mechanism(s) underlying their putatively complex navigational abilities are presently unknown. This study explores the sensory inputs that might facilitate nocturnal navigation in the amblypygid P. pseudoparvulus. Specifically, we use sensory system manipulations in conjunction with field displacements to examine the potential involvement of multimodal—olfactory and visual—stimuli in P. pseudoparvulus’ homing behavior. In a first experiment, we deprived individuals of their olfactory capacity and displaced them to the opposite side of …

Host Specificity And Ectoparasite Load Of Bat Flies In Utila, Honduras, Courtney Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Bat flies (Streblidae) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of bats that display varying degrees of host specificity. A total of 265 streblid bat flies were collected from 122 bats belonging to the families Phyllostomidae and Natalidae from Utila, the smallest bay island of Honduras. Out of four host-parasite associations, three were considered primary. Out of the three bat species analyzed, one had significantly lower parasite prevalence and another had significantly higher parasite load and intensity. Both male and female bats were equally likely to be infested and variables of parasite density did not differ amongst host sex for any species. However, …

Collective Behaviour Without Collective Order In Wild Swarms Of Midges, Alessandro Attanasi, Andrea Cavagna, Lorenzo Del Castello, Irene Giardina, Stefania Melillo, Leonardo Parisi, Oliver Pohl, Bruno Rossaro, Edward Shen, Edmondo Silvestri, Massimilano Viale

Publications and Research

Collective behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in biology, cutting through a huge span of scales, from cell colonies up to bird flocks and fish schools. The most prominent trait of collective behaviour is the emergence of global order: individuals synchronize their states, giving the stunning impression that the group behaves as one. In many biological systems, though, it is unclear whether global order is present. A paradigmatic case is that of insect swarms, whose erratic movements seem to suggest that group formation is a mere epiphenomenon of the independent interaction of each individual with an external landmark. In these cases, …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Transcriptome Of The Female Synganglion Of The Black-Legged Tick Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) With Comparison Between Illumina And 454 Systems, Noble Egekwu, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Brooke W. Bissinger, R. Michael Roe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Illumina and 454 pyrosequencing were used to characterize genes from the synganglion of female Ixodes scapularis. GO term searching success for biological processes was similar for samples sequenced by both methods. However, for molecular processes, it was more successful for the Illumina samples than for 454 samples. Functional assignments of transcripts predicting neuropeptides, neuropeptide receptors, neurotransmitter receptors and other genes of interest was done, supported by strong e-values (<-6), and high consensus sequence alignments. Transcripts predicting 15 putative neuropeptide prepropeptides ((allatostatin, allatotropin, bursicon α, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), CRF-binding protein, eclosion hormone, FMRFamide, glycoprotein A, insulin-like peptide, ion transport peptide, myoinhibitory peptide, inotocin ( = neurophysin-oxytocin), Neuropeptide F, sulfakinin and SIFamide)) and transcripts predicting receptors for 14 neuropeptides (allatostatin, calcitonin, cardioacceleratory peptide, corazonin, CRF, eclosion hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone/AKH-like, insulin-like peptide, neuropeptide F, proctolin, pyrokinin, SIFamide, sulfakinin and tachykinin) are reported. Similar to Dermacentor variabilis, we found transcripts matching pro-protein convertase, essential for converting neuropeptide hormones to their mature form. Additionally, transcripts predicting 6 neurotransmitter/neuromodulator receptors (acetylcholine, GABA, dopamine, glutamate, octopamine and …

Wonders Of Wisconsin: A Study On Insect Macrophotography, Brenna L. Decker

Lawrence University Honors Projects

This past year I have been honing my skills as an entomologist and as a photographer. My solo exhibition “Wonders of Wisconsin: A Study on Insect Macrophotography” not only presents my personal progress, but also represents an overarching theme of a liberal arts education: connectivity. Everything we see or learn on campus and throughout life is connected. This audience-engaging exhibition has provided a visual for the connections between the fields of science and studio art, the art movements of New Objectivity and Relational Aesthetics, and between human and insect life.

The final exhibition opening on May 1^st at 5:30pm …

Divergent Transcriptional Responses To Low Temperature Among Populations Of Alpine And Lowland Species Of New Zealand Stick Insects (Micrarchus)., Luke T Dunning, Alice B Dennis, Brent J Sinclair, Richard D Newcomb, Thomas R Buckley

Biology Publications

In widespread and genetically structured populations, temperature variation may lead to among-population differentiation of thermal biology. The New Zealand stick insect genus Micrarchus contains four species that inhabit different thermal environments, two of which are geographically widespread. RNA-Seq and quantitative PCR were used to investigate the transcriptional responses to cold shock among lowland and alpine species to identify cold-responsive transcripts that differ between the species and to determine whether there is intraspecific geographical variation in gene expression. We also used mitochondrial DNA, nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA and transcriptome-wide SNPs to determine phylogeographic structure and the potential for differences in genetic …

Obligate Male Death And Sexual Cannibalism In Dark Fishing Spiders, Steven Schwartz, William E. Wagner, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Male dark fishing spiders (Dolomedes tenebrosus Araneae, Pisauridae) always die during their first and only copulation, making all males monogynous. Such obligate male death can be adaptive if it facilitates sexual cannibalism, and if sexual cannibalism results in male reproductive benefits, such as an advantage in sperm competition through reduced female remating. We first conducted an experiment to determine the extent to which D. tenebrosus (1) males are cannibalized by females and (2) females engage in remating, both of which are prerequisites for several adaptive hypotheses of male self-sacrifice. We then conducted an experiment to test the hypothesis that …