Santa Cruz Island Reserve

05 Oct, 05 PM - 08 Oct, 05 PM

Spatial dynamics of host-multiparasitoid interactions: the bordered plant bug and its parasitoids Species interactions are inherently spatial entities, as individuals disperse across the landscape to obtain resources and avoid natural enemies. Dispersal is likely to be an important mechanism in promoting species persistence, particularly in communities subject to high levels of environmental heterogeneity and/or temporal variability. This is especially important in host-parasitoid interactions in which most species are ectotherms whose physiology and behavior are driven by environmental variation in temperature. Given mounting evidence of climate change, the spatial dynamics of host-parasitoid interactions are likely to become increasingly important in the biological control of pest outbreaks. Bordered plant bugs (Largus californicus) move between patches of the host-plant, bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus). Eggs are attacked by a parasitoid wasp (Gryon largi) and later instars and adults are attacked by a parasitoid wasp (unidentified sp.) and a tachinid fly (Trichopoda pennipes). I seek to investigate how dispersal-ability and temperature-sensitivity affect the persistence of the host (plant bugs) and coexistence of the parasitoid species on Santa Cruz Island. As a first step, I will census patches of lupine on a monthly basis and collect individuals (~10 adults and 10 5th instar nymphs) to determine percent parasitized. I will also perform a mark-recapture experiment to determine the dispersal ability of plant bugs as well as collect adults and later nymphal stages to maintain a laboratory culture at UCLA to determine temperature-sensitivity in controlled-temperature incubators. The proposed works stands to make important contributions through the investigation of both temperature-sensitivity and dispersal ability in a host-multiparasitoid community, which is critically important in predicting future pest dynamics due to environmental changes, such as climate change.

Visit #26360 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 24208 | Research

Spatial dynamics of host-multiparasitoid interactions: the bordered plant bug and its parasitoids

graduate_student - University of California, Los Angeles

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Christopher Johnson Oct 5 - 8, 2011 (4 days)

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Dorm 1 Oct 5 - 8, 2011