Insect Ecology @ Au Sable - spring 2024

It’s common knowledge that insects molt--but have you ever wondered how it happens? How does an insect know when to start recycling its old exoskeleton for a new one? Or to spin a cocoon, or form a chrysalis? As you might expect, these processes do not just happen randomly; on the contrary, the mechanisms are very complex and timed to occur at precise moments during development. So, what is behind all of this intricate coordination? Hormones! Hormones—chemical messengers used throughout an organism’s body—cause larvae to molt into the next instar and adults to burst out of their pupae (Meyer, 2016b). Depending on the stage of development, though, different hormones will be in the main spotlight. Molting is divided into three main steps: apolysis, forming a new exoskeleton below the old one; ecdysis, shedding the old exoskeleton; and sclerotization, the hardening of the new exoskeleton (Meyer, 2016a). Photo Credit: Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium For hemimetabolous insects, the...

As I wandered through the long grasses surrounding Dead Man's Bog, I noticed small green flecks popping up above the grass in somewhat sporadic movements, seeking to avoid my thundering footfalls. You may notice these yourself on a warm day, these small insects hopping just a step ahead, as if leading you onward through the grass.  Image Source: Bruce Marlin, 2009 via Wikipedia These tiny trail guides are called treehoppers . While the treehoppers collected from the bog fall into a grass-residing species (Three-pointed Alfalfa Hopper), this group of insects spend most of their time among the shrubs and trees on which they feed, as the name implies.  Image: Three-pointed Alfalfa Treehopper  Image Source: Kyle Kittelberger, 2013 The name "treehoppers" refers to the Superfamily Membracoidea under the Order Hempitera, containing the families Aetalionidae, Melizoderidae, and Membracidae (Deitz et al., 2008). These are not to be confused with leaf- or planthoppers which fall un...

The term “coevolution” is defined as “the mutual changes in two or more species, usually one following the other, that affect their interactions”(Jarzen and Dilcher, 2010). The most widely known coevolutionary relationship is between flowering plants (angiosperms) and their pollinators. Over many years, plants and animals have evolved to create a shared evolutionary history. This relationship helps to support a diverse ecosystem and creates a healthy balance. Without pollinators, flowering plants would struggle to thrive, and without the nectar from these flowers, the pollinators would be struggling as well as it is a major source of energy for them. It is estimated that 75% of plant species need a pollinator’s assistance to pass on their pollen (Insect Pollination: Process, Diagram & Adaptations, 2021).  Flowers have adapted to support pollinators that include insects like bees, butterflies, moths, flies, etc. as well as birds and bats- in return, these pollinators help with f...

Parasites disturb and terrify many people. The idea of something living inside of or biting into us, in order to (sometimes unknowingly) steal resources like blood or nutrients, can send shivers down the spine. It doesn’t help that parasites are some of the best known vectors of disease, whether it be mosquitoes spreading malaria or ticks spreading lyme disease. Suffice it to say, it’s very likely that most people would say they don’t want to be parasitized, and some may even go so far as to support attempts to drive human parasites to extinction. Unfortunately for both us and insects, however, the insect world is full of parasitic organisms, some of which parasitize humans, and others of which parasitize other insects. Insect parasitism is simply widespread and diverse, so much so that understanding it is critical to understanding insect relations as a whole. The ever-famous mosquito parasitizing human skin. ( Source: Bryan Reynolds 2015 ) There are actually two distinct types of p...

       In any successful society, communication is crucial. This is as true for human societies as it is for those in the family Formicidae (ants). Ants have surprisingly nuanced communication skills despite their inability to speak. While we communicate through touch, gestures, and sounds, ants use pheromones in addition to those methods to communicate with those in their colony. This, of course, is due to the eusocial nature of ants which require advanced communication to function properly.             How does this work? Well, when an ant needs to signal the colony, it secretes a pheromone. Other ants in vicinity can pick up this signal using chemoreceptors in their antennae. This signal invokes a programmed response the ant must perform. Pheromones can produce a wide variety of responses in ants like, display rank, mark trails, and raise an alarm (Lugmayer 2016). These all ensure order within ant colonies ...

Bogs have always seemed like a place removed from reality, kind of like how quicksand exists, but you never run into it as much as you believed you would as a kid. That being said, when we were told we were going to be going to a bog as a field trip, I was over the moon. Now, you may be asking yourself, “ what even is a bog ?” which is a totally valid question. Typically occurring in the northeast region of the United States, a bog is characterized by the peat moss it hosts, which, as it decomposes, makes the water acidic and nutrient-poor. This makes the perfect environment for a variety of exciting fauna and flora, most notably cranberries and carnivorous plants. Just off the road, a short ten-minute drive from campus is Bear Lake Bog . Dr. Hoekman lecturing about the bog. Photo credit: Anna Lowry It was a beautiful muggy, overcast day when we arrived. The rain came gently and intermittently, which kept the flying insects at bay. However, this allowed us to truly appreciate the bog b...

With a body that is thin as paper, it goes unnoticed through the brush as you walk through it. Of course, I am talking about the violin beetle. The scientific name for the beetle is the Mormolyce phyllodes , belonging to the genus Mormolyce , the family Carabidae, and the Order Coleoptera . The genus name Mormolyce comes from the Greek word Mormo. That word pertains to the woman of Greece by the same name. As the story goes, she was a bogey-woman that had the inclination to bite and or kill the children that lived in her town. Her reason behind this was to give the parents of the children a well needed death-threat against their offspring. Photo by Dr. Arthur Anker Like all members of the order Coleoptera , the beetle has a hard elytra that covers the back of the abdomen of the beetle. What differentiates this species of beetle from others is the general shape of the elytra on the back. The elytra extends far off of the back of the beetle into a thin sheet. The shape of the elytra...