Insect Ecology @ Au Sable - spring 2024

Many animals demonstrate site fidelity, which means the tendency to return to certain places. You can think of it as "site faithfulness" [1]. Salmon return to the same stream where their parents and ancestors have gone to breed, elephants in Africa migrate across deserts to return to rivers, humans go on pilgrimages, and birds migrate... If the animals are going on a trip, chances are they are not just wandering and instead are following some inner compass. Think about it this way. If you are traveling across a continent, you probably are going to stop at some rest areas. The best rest areas or breeding destinations or neighborhoods to live in have always been beneficial to you and your ancestors, and so you always go there because you can count on it having the things you are looking for: water, shelter, food, mates, suitable habitat, etc. [5] But what happens if these reliable places start becoming unreliable, or even downright dangerous? One of the most apparent examples i...

Despite having sampled aquatic insect larvae prior to this class, I had forgotten just how much I enjoy doing so. There is something so fun about kicking at rocks, scooping up netfuls of insects, digging through the collection, and taking out everything that moves. I honestly think I could do it for hours. Unfortunately, too much collection in the long-term would result in some major impacts on the health of aquatic ecosystems. Not only are many aquatic insect larvae important to their food web, but they are also important indicators of water quality in aquatic systems. The aquatic food web starts as all food webs do, with primary producers.  An aquatic food web Photo credit: bio.libretext.org Algae, rooted aquatic plants, and phytoplankton control this trophic level, bringing energy into a usable form for the rest of the ecosystem. These producers are then eaten by primary consumers like aquatic insect larvae, zooplankton, and small fish. Larger fish, amphibians, predaceous insect...

  Pheromones are defined as being chemical substances that are produced and released into the environment by an animal which affects the behavior or physiology of others in its species. This word is derived from the Greek words "pherin", which means "to carry", and "horman", which means "to excite" or "to stimulate". So pheromones exist in order to carry messages that will excite or stimulate other individuals in their species. Many animals make use of pheromones, which include reptiles, amphibians, and some mammals. Even humans make use of pheromones in things like perfume or cologne. However, it is uncertain if these pheromones have any real affects on other humans. Another group of animals that use pheromones are the insects.          Insects approach pheromones quite differently than our human brains might assume. To us humans, we think of pheromones as being something we are able to smell through our noses. However, insects do not ...

  Elusive in more ways than one, Lost Lake is a 43-square-acre lake hidden in a landscape of thick forest, only reachable by sketchy dirt and gravel roads ( “Lost Lake, Michigan” ). While physically “lost” in the woods, this lake seems to be “lost” to the internet too, because as much as I scavenged I could only find one site that talks about the lake itself! However, its secrecy made it a lovely place for canoeing, as we had the entire lake to ourselves to enjoy for its flora and fauna.  Our canoeing expedition took place on the afternoon of May 26th, 2023 and the journey to the lake itself went quite smoothly, except for the van being jostled and whacked by sticks on those chaotic dirt roads. I had the pleasure of being Jordan’s canoe partner, and after a short prologue from Dr. Hoekman, we were free to explore. We saw two beaver lodges, but no beavers, and a foraging loon. There were many insects as well, mayflies, stoneflies, and many tiger swallowtail butterflies flu...

  Today, I sat upon the beach below Au Sable’s campus. The muddy lake water below the skewed, brittle dock was like glass, reflecting the soles of the redwing boots my grandfather had given to me last summer. The weather I felt on my skin was balmy, the sky above me was blue, and the hotdogs I was happily consuming were crisp, smoky, and quite perfect. I was at peace with a world I was sure was full of joy, happiness, and benevolence towards all men. How wrong I was. As I lay in my restive repose, participating in my porcine feast, my peace and goodwill erupted into pain and grief, for a small bug, possibly an insect of the order Coleoptera, flew with a steely and malignant purpose into my vulnerable and unwitting right ocular implement. With surprise and slight alarm, I flinched. I blinked. I rubbed my orb-shaped organ. Horror and catastrophe! For this action unleashed the most unimaginably painful burning sensation, coating my eyeball immediately in its hellish excruciation. As...