Entomology Commons^™

Selection Of Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr Analysis In The Monarch Butterfly, Danaus Plexippus (L.), A Migrating Bio-Indicator, Huipeng Pan, Xiaowei Yang, Keith Bidne, Richard L. Hellmich, Blair D. Siegfried, Xuguo Zhou

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a powerful technique to quantify gene expression. To facilitate gene expression study and obtain accurate results, normalization relative to stably expressed reference genes is crucial. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (L.), is one of the most recognized insect species for its spectacular annual migration across North America. Besides its great voyages, D. plexippus has drawn attention to its role as a bio-indicator, ranging from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to natural ecosystems. In this study, nine reference genes from D. plexippus genome were selected as the candidate reference genes. The expression profiles of these …

Abiotic And Biotic Stressors Causing Equivalent Mortality Induce Highly Variable Transcriptional Responses In The Soybean Aphid, Laramy S. Enders, Ryan D. Bickel, Jennifer A. Brisson, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Blair D. Siegfried, Anthony J. Zera, Nicholas Miller

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Environmental stress affects basic organismal functioning and can cause physiological, developmental, and reproductive impairment. However, in many nonmodel organisms, the core molecular stress response remains poorly characterized and the extent to which stress-induced transcriptional changes differ across qualitatively different stress types is largely unexplored. The current study examines the molecular stress response of the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) using RNA sequencing and compares transcriptional responses to multiple stressors (heat, starvation, and plant defenses) at a standardized stress level (27% adult mortality). Stress-induced transcriptional changes showed remarkable variation, with starvation, heat, and plant defensive stress altering the expression of …

A Revised Catalog Of The Species Of Stenocrates Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini), With Descriptions Of Three New Species From Peru And Brazil And Stenocrates Inpai Ratcliffe, 1978 Placed In Junior Synonymy With Stenocrates Popei Endrödi, 1971, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Three new species of the South American genus Stenocrates Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) are described: Stenocrates serendipitus Ratcliffe, new species and Stenocrates mimeomus Ratcliffe, new species, both from Amazonian Peru, and Stenocrates hastatus Ratcliffe, new species from southeastern Brazil. Descriptions, diagnoses, distributions, and illustrations of the parameres of the new species are provided. Stenocrates inpai Ratcliffe, 1978, is placed in new junior synonymy with Stenocrates popei Endrödi, 1971, based upon the examination of additional specimens. A revised, annotated catalog of Stenocrates species is provided.

Beetles (Coleoptera) Of Peru: A Survey Of The Families. Scarabaeoidea, Brett C. Ratcliffe, M. L. Jameson, L. Figueroa, R. D. Cave, M. J. Paulsen, Enio B. Cano, C. Beza-Beza, L. Jimenez-Ferbans, P. Reyes-Castillo

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The 1042 species of Scarabaeoidea known to occur in Peru are listed with their taxonomic placement in families, subfamilies, and tribes.

Determining Optimum Soil Type And Salinity For Rearing The Federally Endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) Nevadica Lincolniana Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae), Stephen M. Spomer, Gary J. Brewer, Michael I. Fritz, Robert R. Harms, Kay A. Klatt, Aimee M. Johns, Sarah A. Crosier, Joseph A. Palmer

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Effective rearing methods are needed to recover the federally endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) nevadica lincolniana Casey, a subspecies that occurs exclusively in saline wetlands and seeps along Little Salt Creek in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Experiments were initiated to determine soil type and salinity concentrations appropriate for stimulating female oviposition in laboratory settings to produce larvae and/or adults for reintroduction to native habitats. In 2013, there were highly significant differences between native soil and a sand/loess soil mixture, but no differences between two salinity levels, 0.354 M and 0.5 M. In 2014, using only a sand/loess soil mixture, …

Biological Control With Trichogramma Pretiosum Increases Organic Maize Productivity By 19.4%, Maria De Lourdes Corrêa Figueiredo, Ivan Cruz, Rafael Braga Da Silva, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera frugiperda is a major pest causing maize yield loss in Brazil. There is therefore a need for control methods, notably for organic farming because classical pesticides are not allowed. A potential solution for organic maize is to apply the biological control agent Trichogramma pretiosum to reduce S. frugiperda populations. Here, we tested the application of one, two, or three releases of T. pretiosum. We measured plant damage ratings, egg masses parasitized, and grain yield. Results show that 79.2% of egg masses were parasited. Maize yields for parasited plots increased of 701 kg/ha versus control plots. This result equals a …

Predation Of Introduced Mosquito Larvae By The Midge Metriocnemus Knabi In The Phytotelma Of The Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Purpurea And Colonization Following Dry Conditions, Gary Joseph Torrisi, W. Wyatt Hoback, John E. Foster, Elvis A. Heinrichs, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The leaves of the carnivorous Sarracenia purpurea (Purple Pitcher Plant) provide habitat for obligate insects. Within the pitchers of this plant, Metriocnemus knabi (Pitcher Plant Midge) larvae coexist with Wyeomyia smithii (Pitcher Plant Mosquito) larvae. No other mosquito species has been reported to utilize this habitat in the presence of the midge. We tested whether the midge larvae were responsible for the elimination of other mosquito species. We introduced 1 Aedes triseriatus (Eastern Treehole Mosquito) larva, into each of 90 different pitchers. After 45–75 minutes, we extracted the fluid from the Purple Pitcher Plant and counted mosquito and midge larvae. …

Linkage Of An Abcc Transporter To A Single Qtl That Controls Ostrinia Nubilalis Larval Resistance To The Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1fa Toxin, Brad S. Coates, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Field evolved resistance of insect populations to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystalline (Cry) toxins expressed by crop plants has resulted in reduced control of insect feeding damage to field crops, and threatens the sustainability of Bt transgenic technologies. A single quantitative trait locus (QTL) that determines resistance in Ostrinia nubilalis larvae capable of surviving on reproductive stage transgenic corn that express the Bt Cry1Fa toxin was previously mapped to linkage group 12 (LG12) in a backcross pedigree. Fine mapping with high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) anchor markers, a candidate ABC transporter (abcc2) marker, and de novo mutations predicted from …

Impact Of Spodoptera Frugiperda Neonate Pretreatment Conditions On Vip3aa19 Insecticidal Protein Activity And Laboratory Bioassay Variation, Karen F. Da Silva, Terence A. Spencer, Carolina Camargo Gil, Blair D. Siegfried, Frederick S. Walters

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Variation in response to insecticidal proteins is common upon repetition of insect bioassays. Understanding this variation is a prerequisite to detecting biologically important differences.We tracked neonate Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) susceptibility to Vip3Aa19 over 17 generations using standardized bioassay methods. Five larval pretreatment conditions and one bioassay condition were tested to determine whether susceptibility was affected. These included: storage time; prefeeding; storage at reduced temperature; storage at reduced humidity; colony introgression of field-collected individuals. Extremes of photoperiod during the bioassay itself were also examined.

RESULTS: LC₅₀ values for two strains of S. frugiperda varied 6.6-fold or 8.8-fold over …

Patterns Of Differential Gene Expression In Adult Rotation-Resistant And Wild-Type Western Corn Rootworm Digestive Tracts, Chia-Ching Chu, Jorge A. Zavala, Joseph L. Spencer, Matías J. Curzi, Christopher J. Fields, Jenny Drnevich, Blair D. Siegfried, Manfredo J. Seufferheld

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is an important pest of corn. Annual crop rotation between corn and soybean disrupts the corn-dependent WCR life cycle and is widely adopted to manage this pest. This strategy selected for rotation-resistant (RR) WCR with reduced ovipositional fidelity to corn. Previous studies revealed that RR-WCR adults exhibit greater tolerance of soybean diets, different gut physiology, and host–microbe interactions compared to rotation-susceptible wild types (WT). To identify the genetic mechanisms underlying these phenotypic changes, a de novo assembly of the WCR adult gut transcriptome was constructed and used for RNA-sequencing analyses of …

Feed The Future Ipm Innovation Lab: A Critical Role In Global Food Security, R. Muniappan, Elvis A. Heinrichs

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The World Food Summit of 1966 defined ”food security” as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” Food insecurity is part of a continuum that includes hunger (food deprivation), malnutrition (deficiencies, imbalances, or excess of nutrients), and famine. The world faces three major challenges: (1) to match the rapidly changing demand for food, (2) to do so in ways that are environmentally and socially acceptable, and (3) to ensure that the world’s poorest people are no longer hungry. World population is expected to reach 9 …

How Do Free-Living, Lerp-Forming, And Gall-Inducing Aphalaridae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) Affect The Nutritional Quality Of Eucalyptus Leaves?, Anamika Sharma, James Allen, Soundararajan Madhavan, Anantanarayanan Raman, Gary S. Taylor, Murray J. Fletcher

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

About 380 described species of Psylloidea occur on Eucalyptus in Australia. These show differences in diversification, feeding behavior, and apparent patterns of development. We analyzed the quality of nutrients used by three species of Aphalaridae belonging to different feeding guilds on three species of Eucalyptus. We evaluated the quantity and quality of total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC), δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotope ratios, amino acids, and fatty acids. In general, TNC levels were greater in infested leaves than in uninfested leaves of the three species of Eucalyptus. TNC levels in the leaves of E. macrorhyncha F. …

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 …

Prehistoric Earth Oven Facilities And The Pathoecology Of Chagas Disease In The Lower Pecos Canyonlands, Karl Reinhard, Adauto Araujo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Understanding the endemic region of a disease is part of developing a concept of the disease’s natural history and its threat to human health in both ancient and modern times. Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and has recently been identified as an emergent disease in North America. Ancient endemicity and reemergence has been demonstrated by an examination of a mummy found on the border between Coahuila, Mexico and Texas, USA. This mummified man, who died over 1000 years ago, exhibits the gross pathology of megacolon, which is consistent with Chagas disease. We are now exploring the …

Managing Threats To The Urban Forest: From Dutch Elm Disease To Emerald Ash Borer - Learning From Experience, Christopher J. Borman

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

The urban forest provides important essential services to all municipalities; however, its value is often overlooked. The urban forest contributes to energy savings, environmental benefits, psychological well-being, and social benefits. Managing the urban forest in a sustainable manner is important if we wish to benefit from these services well into the future. Reliable management techniques have been created through previous experiences with pests, and these should be utilized and improved for use on urban forests.

American elm (Ulmus americana L.) was once a major component of the urban forests of North America. In 1927, Dutch elm disease (DED) was …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 26, No. 6, December 2014

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Grants - Publications - Meeting an Off-Campus Students - Faculty News - Blasts from the Past - Calendar of Events

The Effect Of Agricultural Practices On Sugar Beet Root Aphid (Pemphigus Betae Doane) And Beneficial Epigeal Arthropods, Rudolph J. Pretorius

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigated the effect of several agricultural practices on the sugar beet root aphid (Pemphigus betae Doane) and beneficial epigeal natural enemies in western Nebraska sugar beet agroecosystems. Eight glyphosate-tolerant sugar beet varieties were evaluated under field conditions for their resistance to root aphids. High levels of aphid resistance were detected for some varieties. In conjunction to this, pitfall sampling was conducted to determine the beneficial epigeal natural enemy complex in the area, which could contribute to the management of both root aphids and glyphosate-resistant weeds. Ground beetles comprised an important and abundant component of this fauna, with …

Nebline, November/December 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tiny Tastes Can Total BIG CALORIES Over the Holiday Season

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

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 …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 26, No. 5, October 2014

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Publications - Faculty News - Meeting an Off-Campus Student - Grants and Other Funding - Bruner Club News - Student News - Travel - BUGFEST Success

Nebline, October 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Smart Snacking

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Dangerous Mating Systems: Signal Complexity, Signal Content And Neural Capacity In Spiders, Marie E. Herberstein, Anne E. Wignall, Eileen Hebets, Jutta M. Schneider

Eileen Hebets Publications

Spiders are highly efficient predators in possession of exquisite sensory capacities for ambushing prey, combined with machinery for launching rapid and determined attacks. As a consequence, any sexually motivated approach carries a risk of ending up as prey rather than as a mate. Sexual selection has shaped courtship to effectively communicate the presence, identity, motivation and/or quality of potential mates, which help ameliorate these risks. Spiders communicate this information via several sensory channels, including mechanical (e.g. vibrational), visual and/or chemical, with examples of multimodal signaling beginning to emerge in the literature. The diverse environments that spiders inhabit have further shaped …

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 …

De Novo Transcriptome Of The Hemimetabolous German Cockroach (Blattella Germanica), Xiaojie Zhou, Kun Qian, Ying Tong, Junwei Jerry Zhu, Xinghui Qiu, Xiaopeng Zeng

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is an important insect pest that transmits various pathogens mechanically and causes severe allergic diseases. This insect has long served as a model system for studies of insect biology, physiology and ecology. However, the lack of genome or transcriptome information heavily hinder our further understanding about the German cockroach in every aspect at a molecular level and on a genome-wide scale. To explore the transcriptome and identify unique sequences of interest, we subjected the B. germanica transcriptome to massively parallel pyrosequencing and generated the first reference transcriptome for B. germanica.

Methodology/Principal Findings: A …

Nebline, September 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Youth Showcase Their Achievements at Super Fair

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Nebline, August 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Cherry Creek Habitat Provides Opportunities for Pollinator Education

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Special pullout section: Lancaster County Super Fair 2014 Schedule & Map

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 26, No. 4, August 2014

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Faculty News - Publications - Grants - Travel - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Student News