A5000403165- Plant and animal studies
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Entomological Studies and Ecology
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Insect Pheromone Research and Control
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Forest Management and Policy
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Forest ecology and management
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Date Palm Research Studies
- Research on scale insects
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
George Washington University
2014-2024
Wesleyan University
2005-2011
University of Denver
2011
University of Missouri–St. Louis
1998-2009
Institut de recherche en horticulture et semences
2006
University of South Florida
2006
University of Utah
2005
University of Missouri
2005
Tulane University
2005
University of Pennsylvania
2005
Understanding variation in resource specialization is important for progress on issues that include coevolution, community assembly, ecosystem processes, and the latitudinal gradient of species richness. Herbivorous insects are useful models studying specialization, interaction between plants herbivorous one most common consequential ecological associations planet. However, uncertainty persists regarding fundamental features herbivore diet breadth, including its relationship to latitude...
Ecological specialization is a fundamental and well-studied concept, yet its great reach complexity limit current understanding in important ways. More than 20 years after the publication of D. J. Futuyma G. Moreno's oft-cited, major review topic, we synthesize new developments evolution ecological specialization. Using insect-plant interactions as model, focus on four critical areas: genetic architecture, behavior, interaction complexity, macroevolution. We find that theory based simple...
Abstract. 1. Community level oak–tannin–insect patterns have been largely unexplored since Paul Feeny's ground‐breaking research. Two hypotheses were tested for Quercus velutina and Q. alba in the Missouri Ozarks: abundance richness of leaf‐chewing herbivores are negatively correlated with foliar condensed tannin concentrations variation explains herbivore community structure. 2. In 2001, tannins understorey canopy these two oak species quantified simultaneously censuses May, during leaf...
By creating or modifying habitats used by other organisms, physical ecosystem engineers can influence local patterns of biological diversity. However, there have been very few empirical studies quantifying engineering effects in different systems. In this study, we examined the effect shelter-building caterpillars on species richness and guild structure leaf-chewing herbivores occupying individual white oak (Quercus alba) saplings. For each two years, disrupted leaf-tie formation 93 saplings...
Abstract 1. Specialization on ephemeral resources (e.g. new leaves) should produce large annual variation in herbivore population size when the timing of availability those is unpredictable. Despite considerable evidence for impacts synchrony with budburst survival larval Lepidoptera, previous studies adult Geometridae and Noctuidae found no correlations between insect phenology variability. 2. We surveyed Lepidoptera feeding Quercus alba Q. velutina Missouri from 1993 to 2003 examined...
Predators have played a significant role in the evolution of herbivorous insects, and we can observe wide variety larval defense mechanisms nature, especially among members Lepidoptera.Slug caterpillars (Limacodidae) are known for their unusual morphologies, including various types protuberances stinging spines on dorsal surfaces, which suggest that has been strongly shaped by interactions with predators.We tested hypothesis limacodid larvae would suffer less predation from generalist...
Leaftying caterpillars that attack white oak, Quercus alba , use silk to tie together two leaves form a “leaf sandwich” or leaftie within which they feed. Because leaftying are small when first eclose (<1 mm in length), apparently require touching order construct their leafties. We show saplings of Q. vary greatly the degree spatially distributed throughout canopies, i.e. percent varies from 4% 36% per plant. then tested hypothesis this difference plant architecture, number leaves,...
1. The bottom-up factors that determine parasitoid host use are an important area of research in insect ecology. Host size is likely to be a primary cue for foraging parasitoids due its potential influence on offspring development time, the risk multiparasitism, and immunocompetence. mediated part by host-plant traits herbivore growth potentially affect herbivore's quality as parasitoids. 2. Here, we tested how caterpillar plant species adult fly whether influences wasp sex allocation. We...
The cellular arm of the insect immune response is mediated by activity hemocytes. While hemocytes have been well-characterized morphologically and functionally in model insects, few studies characterized non-model insects. Further, role ontogeny mediating not well understood invertebrate systems. goals current study were to (1) determine effects caterpillar size (and age) on hemocyte density naïve caterpillars challenged with non-pathogenic bacteria, (2) characterize diversity cell types...
Extreme weather events dramatically impact populations of individual insect species but the consequences such for entire communities are not well documented. We present evidence that late spring frosts and summer drought negatively affect community insects found on Missouri oaks (Quercus alba Q. velutina), amounting to a 23-186 fold decrease depending oak species, size feeding guild, specific event. Spring faunas required three years or more following reach pre-event levels, whereas were...
During a recent periodical cicada emergence, over 80 bird species altered their foraging behaviors to feed on the abundant insects. This diet shift reduced rate of predation forest caterpillars, doubling both abundance and amount leaf tissue they consumed. Regional biomass pulses thus have potential disrupt usual patterns energy flow in ecosystems.
Natural enemies often cause significant levels of mortality for their prey and thus can be important agents natural selection. It follows, then, that selection should favor traits enable organisms to escape from into "enemy-free space" (EFS). EFS was originally proposed as a general force in structuring ecological communities, but more recently has become conceptually narrow is typically only invoked when studying the evolutionary ecology host plant use by specialized insect herbivores. By...
Journal Article Leaf Pubescence Affects Distribution and Abundance of Generalist Slug Caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Get access John T. Lill, Lill 1 1Corresponding author: George Washington University, Department Biological Sciences, 2023 G St., Suite 340, NW, Washington, DC 20052 (e-mail: lillj@gwu.edu). Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Robert J. Marquis, Marquis Rebecca E. Forkner, Forkner 2Current address: Biology, University South...
A variety of ecological factors influence host use by parasitoids, including both abiotic and biotic factors. Light environment is one important parameter that differs among habitats influences a suite plant nutritional resistance traits in turn affect herbivore performance. However, the extent to which these bottom‐up effects “cascade up” higher trophic levels relative importance direct indirect sunlight on tritrophic interactions are unclear. The objective this study was test how light...
Factors including host abundance, quality, and the degree to which hosts provide enemy‐free space (EFS) may drive plant choice by phytophagous insects. Herbivores also experience fitness tradeoffs among hosts, promoting polyphagy. The fall webworm Hyphantria cunea is a dietary generalist that feeds on broad array of trees across its geographic range. Here, we investigate drivers tree use in Connecticut (CT) Maryland (MD). Neither caterpillar performance nor EFS was associated with frequency...
Once every 13 or 17 years within eastern North American deciduous forests, billions of periodical cicadas concurrently emerge from the soil and briefly satiate a diverse array naive consumers, offering rare opportunity to assess cascading impacts an ecosystem-wide resource pulse on complex food web. We quantified effects 2021 Brood X emergence report that more than 80 bird species opportunistically switched their foraging include cicadas, releasing herbivorous insects predation essentially...