Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology
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Item A high-quality de novo genome assembly for clapper rail (Rallus crepitans)(G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 2023-05-02) Elizondo, Elisa C.; Faircloth, Brant C.; Brumfield, Robb T.; Shakya, Subir B.; Ellis, Vincenzo A.; Schmidt, Carl J.; Kovach, Adrienne I.; Shriver, W. GregoryThe clapper rail (Rallus crepitans), of the family Rallidae, is a secretive marsh bird species that is adapted for high salinity habitats. They are very similar in appearance to the closely related king rail (R. elegans), but while king rails are limited primarily to freshwater marshes, clapper rails are highly adapted to tolerate salt marshes. Both species can be found in brackish marshes where they freely hybridize, but the distribution of their respective habitats precludes the formation of a continuous hybrid zone and secondary contact can occur repeatedly. This system, thus, provides unique opportunities to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving their differential salinity tolerance as well as the maintenance of the species boundary between the 2 species. To facilitate these studies, we assembled a de novo reference genome assembly for a female clapper rail. Chicago and HiC libraries were prepared as input for the Dovetail HiRise pipeline to scaffold the genome. The pipeline, however, did not recover the Z chromosome so a custom script was used to assemble the Z chromosome. We generated a near chromosome level assembly with a total length of 994.8 Mb comprising 13,226 scaffolds. The assembly had a scaffold N50 was 82.7 Mb, L50 of four, and had a BUSCO completeness score of 92%. This assembly is among the most contiguous genomes among the species in the family Rallidae. It will serve as an important tool in future studies on avian salinity tolerance, interspecific hybridization, and speciation.Item A new tribe of Tropiduchidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) with revision of the genus Buca and description of asymmetric hind leg spinulation(Florida Entomological Society, 2016-9) Gnezdilov,Vladimir M.; Bartlett,Charles R.; Bourgoin,Thierry; Vladimir M. Gnezdilov, Charles R. Bartlett, Thierry Bourgoin; Bartlett, Charles RA new tribe Bucini trib. nov. is erected for the genus Buca Walker, 1858 in Tropiduchidae (Elicinae), with a discussion of tribal features with respect to the New World fauna. Two new species of Buca are described from Ecuador (Buca asymmetrospinata sp. nov.) and French Guiana (Buca truncoptera sp. nov.). Keys to Buca species and to higher taxa of New World Tropiduchidae are provided. Male and female genitalia of Buca species are illustrated for the first time.Item A Review of the Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) of the United States: Supplement 1(Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 2023-04-28) Bartlett, Charles R.; Wilson, Stephen W.Here we review changes to the planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) fauna north of Mexico since the publication of “A review of the planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) of the United States” (Bartlett et al. 2014). There are 12 species in 4 families added to the fauna and 50 changes in the generic assignment in 4 families. The most significant faunal addition is the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula (White)), with populations reported in 14 states and vagrants in 3 more. We review some nomenclatural and taxonomic issues and provide a list of anomalous records that may represent unreported or undescribed species that require further investigation. All told, these additions and changes (excluding anomalous records) give totals of 175 genera and 924 species in 13 families of planthoppers, a net addition of 1 family, 8 genera, and 10 species to the tally provided in 2014.Item Artificial light at night is a top predictor of bird migration stopover density(Nature Communications, 2023-12-04) Horton, Kyle G.; Buler, Jeffrey J.; Anderson, Sharolyn J.; Burt, Carolyn S.; Collins, Amy C.; Dokter, Adriaan M.; Guo, Fengyi; Sheldon, Daniel; Tomaszewska, Monika Anna; Henebry, Geoffrey M.As billions of nocturnal avian migrants traverse North America, twice a year they must contend with landscape changes driven by natural and anthropogenic forces, including the rapid growth of the artificial glow of the night sky. While airspaces facilitate migrant passage, terrestrial landscapes serve as essential areas to restore energy reserves and often act as refugia—making it critical to holistically identify stopover locations and understand drivers of use. Here, we leverage over 10 million remote sensing observations to develop seasonal contiguous United States layers of bird migrant stopover density. In over 70% of our models, we identify skyglow as a highly influential and consistently positive predictor of bird migration stopover density across the United States. This finding points to the potential of an expanding threat to avian migrants: peri-urban illuminated areas may act as ecological traps at macroscales that increase the mortality of birds during migration.Item Autumn stopover hotspots and multiscale habitat associations of migratory landbirds in the eastern United States(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023-01-09) Guo, Fengyi; Buler, Jeffrey J.; Smolinsky, Jaclyn A.; Wilcove, David S.Significance: Understanding the en route habitat requirements of migratory birds is critical for conservation but difficult to know at a large scale. We mapped stopover density of landbirds during autumn migration for the eastern United States using radar data. At a coarse scale, we found that birds migrate across a relatively broad front, underscoring the importance of widespread, locally based conservation efforts. At finer scales, we identified stopover hotspots that consistently support high densities of migrants. We demonstrate that forests provide the most important habitats for autumn migrants and that deciduous forest fragments in heavily deforested regions support especially high densities of migrants. We also present evidence that the now-agriculture-dominated Midwest constitutes an inland migration barrier for forest birds. Abstract: Halting the global decline of migratory birds requires a better understanding of migration ecology. Stopover sites are a crucial yet understudied aspect of bird conservation, mostly due to challenges associated with understanding broad-scale patterns of transient habitat use. Here, we use a national network of weather radar stations to identify stopover hotspots and assess multiscale habitat associations of migratory landbirds across the eastern United States during autumn migration. We mapped seasonal bird densities over 5 y (2015 to 2019) from 60 radar stations covering 63.2 million hectares. At a coarse scale, we found that landbirds migrate across a broad front with small differences in migrant density between radar domains. However, relatively more birds concentrate along the Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains. At a finer scale, we identified radar pixels that consistently harbored high densities of migrants for all 5 y, which we classify as stopover hotspots. Hotspot probability increased with percent cover of all forest types and decreased with percent cover of pasture and cultivated crops. Moreover, we found strong concentrating effects of deciduous forest patches within deforested regions. We also found that the prairie biome in the Midwest (now mostly cropland) is likely a migration barrier, with large concentrations of migrants at the prairie–forest boundary after crossing the agricultural Midwest. Overall, the broad-front migration pattern highlights the importance of locally based conservation efforts to protect stopover habitats. Such efforts should target forests, especially deciduous forests in highly altered landscapes. These findings demonstrate the value of multiscale habitat assessments for the conservation of migratory landbirds.Item Biology and Management of Lesser Mealworm Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Broiler Houses(Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 2023-01-30) Sammarco, Ben C.; Hinkle, Nancy C.; Crossley, Michael S.Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), the lesser mealworm, is a ubiquitous generalist pest of poultry broiler and layer facilities, originating in southern Africa and now found worldwide. They spend their full life cycle within the litter and manure of poultry, causing structural damage to poultry houses, injuring birds, and acting as a reservoir for several avian pathogens, notably Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli. Management commonly consists of spraying walls and floors of poultry houses with organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, or spinosyns between flocks, and periodic removal and replacement of litter. Populations have been observed to become resistant to specific insecticides after ca. 10 yr of consistent use and exhibit cross resistance to insecticides of the same mode of action. Alternative cultural and biological control methods have been identified but are not currently implemented. More research is needed regarding the economic impact of A. diaperinus, the mechanisms of its insecticide resistance, and patterns and mechanisms of colonization for effective integrated pest management programs to be devised and implemented.Item Contrasting Role of Temperature in Structuring Regional Patterns of Invasive and Native Pestilential Stink Bugs(Public Library of Science, 2/29/16) Venugopal,P. Dilip; Dively,Galen P.; Herbert,Ames; Malone,Sean; Whalen,Joanne; Lamp,William O.; P. Dilip Venugopal, Galen P. Dively, Ames Herbert, Sean Malone, Joanne Whalen, William O. Lamp; Whalen, JoanneObjectives Assessment and identification of spatial structures in the distribution and abundance of invasive species is important for unraveling the underlying ecological processes. The invasive agricultural insect pest Halyomorpha halys that causes severe economic losses in the United States is currently expanding both within United States and across Europe. We examined the drivers of H. halys invasion by characterizing the distribution and abundance patterns of H. halys and native stink bugs (Chinavia hilaris and Euschistus servus) across eight different spatial scales. We then quantified the interactive and individual influences of temperature, and measures of resource availability and distance from source populations, and their relevant spatial scales. We used Moran's Eigenvector Maps based on Gabriel graph framework to quantify spatial relationships among the soybean fields in mid-Atlantic Unites States surveyed for stink bugs. Findings Results from the multi-spatial scale, multivariate analyses showed that temperature and its interaction with resource availability and distance from source populations structures the patterns in H. halys at very broad spatial scale. H. halys abundance decreased with increasing average June temperature and distance from source population. H. halys were not recorded at fields with average June temperature higher than 23.5 degrees C. In parts with suitable climate, high H. halys abundance was positively associated with percentage Developmenteloped open area and percentage deciduous forests at 250m scale. Broad scale patterns in native stink bugs were positively associated with increasing forest cover and, in contrast to the invasive H. halys, increasing mean July temperature. Our results identify the contrasting role of temperature in structuring regional patterns in H. halys and native stink bugs, while demonstrating its interaction with resource availability and distance from source populations for structuring H. halys patterns. Conclusion These results help predicting the pest potential of H. halys and vulnerability of agricultural systems at various regions, given the climatic conditions, and its interaction with resource availability and distance from source populations. Monitoring and control efforts within parts of the United States and Europe with more suitable climate could focus in areas of periurban Developmentelopments with deciduous forests and other host plants, along with efforts to reduce propagule pressure.Item The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project(Wiley-Blackwell, 2016-12-16) Hudson, Lawrence N.; Newbold, Tim; Contu, Sara; Hill, Samantha L. L.; Lysenko, Igor; De Palma, Adriana; Phillips, Helen R. P.; McCarthy, Jennifer L.; McCarthy, Kyle P.; McCarthy, Jennifer L.; McCarthy, Kyle P.The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.Item The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project(Wiley-Blackwell, 2016-12-16) Hudson, Lawrence N.; McCarthy, Jennifer L.; McCarthy, Kyle P.; McCarthy, Jennifer L.; McCarthy, Kyle P.The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.Item Differential introgression and the maintenance of species boundaries in an advanced generation avian hybrid zone(Biomed Central Ltd, 3/22/16) Walsh,Jennifer; Shriver,W. Gregory; Olsen,Brian J.; Kovach,Adrienne I.; Jennifer Walsh, W. Gregory Shriver, Brian J. Olsen and Adrienne I. Kovach; Shriver, W G.Background: Evolutionary processes, including selection and differential fitness, shape the introgression of genetic material across a hybrid zone, resulting in the exchange of some genes but not others. Differential introgression of molecular or phenotypic markers can thus provide insight into factors contributing to reproductive isolation. We characterized patterns of genetic variation across a hybrid zone between two tidal marsh birds, Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's (A. nelsoni) sparrows (n = 286), and compared patterns of introgression among multiple genetic markers and phenotypic traits. Results: Geographic and genomic cline analyses revealed variable patterns of introgression among marker types. Most markers exhibited gradual clines and indicated that introgression exceeds the spatial extent of the previously documented hybrid zone. We found steeper clines, indicating strong selection for loci associated with traits related to tidal marsh adaptations, including for a marker linked to a gene region associated with metabolic functions, including an osmotic regulatory pathway, as well as for a marker related to melanin-based pigmentation, supporting an adaptive role of darker plumage (salt marsh melanism) in tidal marshes. Narrow clines at mitochondrial and sex-linked markers also offer support for Haldane's rule. We detected patterns of asymmetrical introgression toward A. caudacutus, which may be driven by differences in mating strategy or differences in population density between the two species. Conclusions: Our findings offer insight into the dynamics of a hybrid zone traversing a unique environmental gradient and provide evidence for a role of ecological divergence in the maintenance of pure species boundaries despite ongoing gene flow.Item Discordant response of spider communities to forests disturbed by deer herbivory and changes in prey availability(Ecological Society of America, 2017-02-21) Landsman, Andrew P.; Bowman, Jacob L.; Andrew P Landsman, Jacob L Bowman; Landsman, Andrew P; Bowman, Jacob L.Despite the breadth of research on impacts of dense ungulate populations and invasive plants on native vegetation, work involving indirect effects on spider communities is explicitly lacking. Forest spiders depend on palatable insect prey and habitat structure, both of which are affected by herbivory and invasive vegetation. To examine the indirect interactions between spiders and these influential factors, we sampled spider communities, insect prey, and vegetation in paired deer exclusion plots in central Maryland. Spider abundance and richness increased with greater prey density, while increased habitat structure from deer exclusion reduced species richness and the abundance of a dominant web-building species. Multivariate analyses of spider families also demonstrated the importance of both prey availability and structural complexity to spider community composition. This work identifies the importance of both habitat structure and insect prey in defining the composition, abundance, and richness of forest spider communities. A long history of heavy browsing pressure has resulted in local spider fauna consisting of many species that are able to thrive in low-growing vegetation and open forest understories. Such changes to vegetative structure from dense deer populations and invasive plants have the potential to affect these important primary predators as well as araneophagic birds and the nutritional dynamics of forest food webs.Item Diversity and host specificity of Borrelia burgdorferi’s outer surface protein C (ospC) alleles in synanthropic mammals, with a notable ospC allele U absence from mixed infections(Infection and Immunity, 2023-12-15) Shifflett, Scarlet A.; Ferreira, Francisco C.; González, Julia; Toledo, Alvaro; Fonseca, Dina M.; Ellis, Vincenzo A.Interactions among pathogen genotypes that vary in host specificity may affect overall transmission dynamics in multi-host systems. Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is typically transmitted among wildlife by Ixodes ticks. Despite the existence of many alleles of B. burgdorferi’s sensu stricto outer surface protein C (ospC) gene, most human infections are caused by a small number of ospC alleles [“human infectious alleles” (HIAs)], suggesting variation in host specificity associated with ospC. To characterize the wildlife host association of B. burgdorferi’s ospC alleles, we used metagenomics to sequence ospC alleles from 68 infected individuals belonging to eight mammalian species trapped at three sites in suburban New Brunswick, New Jersey (USA). We found that multiple allele (“mixed”) infections were common. HIAs were most common in mice (Peromyscus spp.) and only one HIA was detected at a site where mice were rarely captured. ospC allele U was exclusively found in chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and although a significant number of different alleles were observed in chipmunks, including HIAs, allele U never co-occurred with other alleles in mixed infections. Our results suggest that allele U may be excluding other alleles, thereby reducing the capacity of chipmunks to act as reservoirs for HIAs.Item Evolving wildlife management cultures of governance through Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives(The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2024-04-17) Fisk, Jonathan James; Leong, Kirsten Mya; Berl, Richard E. W.; Long, Jonathan W.; Landon, Adam C.; Adams, Melinda M.; Hankins, Don L.; Williams, Christopher K.; Lake, Frank K.; Salerno, JonathanWithin governance agencies, academia, and communities alike, there are increasing calls to recognize the value and importance of culture within social-ecological systems and to better implement Indigenous sciences in research, policy, and management. Efforts thus far have raised questions about the best ethical practices to do so. Engaging with plural worldviews and perspectives on their own terms reflects cultural evolutionary processes driving paradigm shifts in 3 fundamental areas of natural resource management: conceptualizations of natural resources and ecosystems, processes of public participation and governance, and relationships with Indigenous Peoples and communities with differing worldviews. We broadly describe evolution toward these paradigm shifts in fish and wildlife management. We then use 3 case studies to illustrate the ongoing cultural evolution of relationships between wildlife management and Indigenous practices within specific historical and social-ecological contexts and reflect on common barriers to appropriately engaging with Indigenous paradigms and lifeways. Our case studies highlight 3 priorities that can assist the field of wildlife management in achieving the changes necessary to bridge incommensurable worldviews: acknowledging and reconciling historical legacies and their continued power dynamics as part of social-ecological systems, establishing governance arrangements that move beyond attempts to extract cultural information from communities to integrate Indigenous Knowledges into dominant management paradigms, and engaging in critical reflexivity and reciprocal, accountable relationship building. Implementing these changes will take time and a commitment to processes that may initially feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar but have potential to be transformative. Ethical and culturally appropriate methods to include plural and multivocal perspectives and worldviews on their own terms are needed to transform wildlife management to achieve more effective and just management outcomes for all.Item First record of the family Issidae (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Fulgoroidea) from the Hawaiian Islands(Biodiversity Data Journal, 2022-03-22) Gnezdilov, Vladimir; Bartlett, Charles R.Background: Euroxenus vayssieresi (Bonfils, Attie & Reynaud, 2001) (Issinae, Sarimini) was described (in the genus Borbonissus Bonfils, Attie & Reynaud, 2001) from Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean and, previous to this report, has not been recorded elsewhere. Euroxenus vayssieresi is here illustrated and re-described to improved taxonomic diagnosis. New information: Euroxenus vayssieresi is recorded for the first time from the Island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Archipelago. This is first record of the family Issidae from the Hawaiian Archipelago.Item Genotype-environment associations support a mosaic hybrid zone between two tidal marsh birds(John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2015-12-29) Walsh, Jennifer; Rowe, Rebecca J.; Olsen, Brian J.; Shriver, W. Gregory; Kovach, Adrienne I.; Jennifer Walsh, Rebecca J. Rowe, Brian J. Olsen, W. Gregory Shriver & Adrienne I. Kovach; Shriver, W. GregoryLocal environmental features can shape hybrid zone dynamics when hybrids are bounded by ecotones or when patchily distributed habitat types lead to a corresponding mosaic of genotypes. We investigated the role of marsh-level characteristics in shaping a hybrid zone between two recently diverged avian taxa – Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson’s (A. nelsoni) sparrows. These species occupy different niches where allopatric, with caudacutus restricted to coastal marshes and nelsoni found in a broader array of wetland and grassland habitats and co-occur in tidal marshes in sympatry. We determined the influence of habitat types on the distribution of pure and hybrid sparrows and assessed the degree of overlap in the ecological niche of each taxon. To do this, we sampled and genotyped 305 sparrows from 34 marshes across the hybrid zone and from adjacent regions. We used linear regression to test for associations between marsh characteristics and the distribution of pure and admixed sparrows. We found a positive correlation between genotype and environmental variables with a patchy distribution of genotypes and habitats across the hybrid zone. Ecological niche models suggest that the hybrid niche was more similar to that of A. nelsoni and habitat suitability was influenced strongly by distance from coastline. Our results support a mosaic model of hybrid zone maintenance, suggesting a role for local environmental features in shaping the distribution and frequency of pure species and hybrids across space.Item Impact of heat waves on egg survival and biological performance across life stages in the Asian corn borer(Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 2023-01-02) Quan, Yudong; Mason, Charles E.; He, Kanglai; Wang, Zhenying; Wei, HongyiOne of the many extreme events as a result of climate change is the frequent appearance of extraordinarily daily high temperatures that can directly drive an insect's adaptive response. Insects have complex life cycles that may uncouple temperature's effects in one stage from the physiology in the next. In this study we focused on the Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), one of the most important pests of maize (corn) in Asia, investigated the consequences of eggs exposed to ecologically relevant heat shock regimes, simulating heat waves at extreme high temperature. This consisted of five 90-min heat treatments separated by two degrees that ranged from 37 to 45°C for three consecutive days compared to a constant temperature of 25°C. Temperature that triggered mortality was between 39 and 41°C. Egg hatching significantly declined when temperature was 41°C or higher. There was no egg hatching at 45°C. Developmental times were significantly prolonged and the larval growth rate became slower in treatments of 41 and 43°C. There were no significant differences in pupal mass, fecundity, and sex ratio among treatments. Life table parameters showed significant adverse effects at treatments of 41 and 43°C. Depending on the fitness response of the ACB, environmental heat waves can be classified into three categories based on temperature criteria, i.e., adaptable (35–39°C), critical (39–45°C), and fatal (≥45°C). The findings of the present study will serve as an important reference for forecasting the population dynamics of the ACB.Item Long-term dynamics in local host-parasite interactions linked to regional population trends(Wiley-Blackwell, 8/18/16) Ladin,Zachary S.; D'Amico,Vincent; Baetens,Jan M.; Roth,Roland R.; Shriver,W. Gregory; Zachary S. Ladin, Vincent D�Amico, Jan M. Baetens, Roland R. Roth, and W. Gregory Shriver; Shriver, W G.;Roth, Roland RayTemporal changes in the relative abundances of host-parasite populations can influence the magnitude of the effects of corresponding interspecific interactions. When parasite populations are at relatively low abundance, the negative effects on host populations may be insignificant, but when parasite abundance increases beyond critical thresholds, they can have population limiting effects on the host. Here, we used data from a 40-yr demographic study on breeding Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) and avian brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in the mid-Atlantic United States to disentangle host-parasite interactions. The relative abundance for these two species has changed both locally and regionally over this time period with a reduction in host abundance coincident with an increase in the parasite population. We detected a fivefold increase in Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism rates of Wood Thrushes over the 40-yr time period leading to a reduction in Wood Thrush fitness (i.e.,adult survival, fecundity, and recruitment). After accounting for the effects of Wood Thrush age, individual, and annual and within-season variation in reproduction, we found that Wood Thrushes exhibited increased reproductive effort (produced more nests per year) as nest parasitism rates increased. Additionally, we found that as parasitism rates increased, both Wood Thrush clutch size and fecundity declined. In conjunction with widespread habitat loss and land use change on both wintering and breeding ranges, increasing rates of Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism are reducing Wood Thrush fitness, and are likely contributing to observed regional Wood Thrush population declines. Coordinated local and regional efforts to reduce Brown-headed Cowbird populations, particularly in fragmented landscapes, may help reduce the decline for Wood Thrushes, and likely other parasitized Neotropical migratory species.Item Maternal care in Gargaphia decoris (Heteroptera, Tingidae), with comments on this behavior within the genus and family(Sociedade Brasileira de Entomologia, 2015-04-09) Guidoti, Marcus; Tallamy, Douglas W.; Marsaro, Alberto Luiz Jr.; Marcus Guidoti, Douglas W. Tallamy, Alberto Luiz Marsaro Júnior; Tallamy, Douglas W.Maternal care in Gargaphia decoris is described for the first time. A video is presented as supplementarymaterial. The knowledge on such trait within Tingidae is summarized. The behavior within the family isdiscussed, and the potential as a source of phylogenetic characters for further analyses is stressed.Item Moths are less attracted to light traps than they used to be(Journal of Insect Conservation, 2024-04-19) Battles, Ian; Burkness, Eric; Crossley, Michael S.; Edwards, Collin B.; Holmstrom, Kristian; Hutchison, William; Ingerson-Mahar, Joseph; Owens, David; Owens, Avalon C.S.As evidence of global insect declines continues to mount, insect conservationists are becoming increasingly interested in modeling the demographic history of at-risk species from long-term survey data. However, certain entomological survey methods may be susceptible to temporal biases that will complicate these efforts. Entomological light traps, in particular, may catch fewer insects today than they once did due solely to increases in anthropogenic light pollution. Here we investigate this possibility by comparing the demographic histories of corn earworm moths (Helicoverpa zea) estimated from pairs of blacklight and pheromone traps monitored at the same farms. We find a stark decline in blacklight trap efficacy over 25 years of monitoring in Delaware, USA, mirrored over 10 years of monitoring in New Jersey, USA. While the precise causes of this decline remain a subject for discussion, the practical consequences are clear: insect conservationists cannot fully rely on long-term trends from entomological light traps.Item New extralimital breeding records of saltmarsh sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta) and Nelson's sparrows (Ammospiza nelsoni) and their implications(Ecology and Evolution, 2023-09-19) Ruskin, Katharine J.; Clark, Jonathan D.; Hotopp, Alice; Kovach, Adrienne I.; Guido, Nicole A.; Hernandez, Dean L.; Peña, Colin; Webb, Samantha N.; Shriver, W. GregorySaltmarsh (Ammospiza caudacuta) and Nelson's (A. nelsoni) sparrows are sister taxa that breed in tidal marshes along the coast of the Northeastern United States and Canada. The Saltmarsh Sparrow breeds from mid-coast Maine south to Virginia, while the Acadian Nelson's Sparrow breeds from the Canadian maritime provinces south to northern Massachusetts. Here, we present three extralimital observations of breeding Saltmarsh (n = 2) and Nelson's (n = 1) sparrows. In 2021 and 2022, we observed Saltmarsh Sparrow females attending nests at Mendall Marsh, ME, and Milbridge, ME, respectively, approximately 60 and 110 km beyond the documented northern extent of the Saltmarsh Sparrow breeding range. In 2022, we observed a breeding-condition male Nelson's sparrow singing in the upriver portion of a marsh on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, approximately 115 km beyond the previously documented southern extent of the Nelson's Sparrow breeding range. We confirmed morphological species identification using a panel of microsatellite DNA loci. Due to both the well-documented population declines of these species in the region and the intensity of sampling effort undertaken in recent years, we suggest that these observations likely are not indicative of range expansion. However, they do indicate that these 2 taxa have the capacity to use and successfully reproduce in marshes well beyond their established breeding limits. Our findings provide novel insight into the potential for these taxa to occur and successfully breed outside their documented breeding ranges. Given increased interest in their conservation, these results support the idea that management actions aimed at creating or maintaining nesting habitat across both species ranges could benefit both taxa.