Entomological Networks: Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Newcastle University Tuesday 12th to Thursday 14th September 2017

INFORMATION & ABSTRACTS

https://www.royensoc.co.uk/events

Welcome by Professor Michael Hassell CBE FRS

President of the Royal Entomological Society

On behalf of the Convenors, Trustees and Officers of the Royal Entomological Society, I welcome you to Ento’17 in Newcastle. It is twenty years since the first “Ento” meeting was held in Newcastle with a Symposium Insect Populations: in Theory and in Practice and then the first National Meeting of the Royal Entomological Society. Since that time the format of the Ento meetings has evolved as has the Royal Entomological Society.

The overall theme for Ento’17 is Entomological Networks and we are interpreting this theme in its broadest sense. Entomological Networks have implications at all scales within entomology from the role of genes in the evolution of complex social behaviour to the impacts of environmental change on species-interaction networks. The presenters at the meeting will address topics across this range of scales. I hope you will take the opportunity to network with the other participants at the meeting and also to enjoy your visit to the University and to Newcastle and Gateshead.

I wish you an enjoyable and very productive meeting.

A note from the Convenors

Welcome to Ento’17, in which we focus on Entomological Networks: Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution. We have brought together sixteen keynote speakers and other invited and offered presentations in what we hope you will agree is an exciting programme.

Each half day starts with keynote presentations to set the scene and then the programme divides into two or three concurrent sessions. Speakers and session chairs have been asked to keep strictly to the published start times for particular talks so that you can transfer between the sessions if you wish. As the venues are close together and to avoid disruption we ask that you wait until two minutes before the start of the next talk before leaving the previous one.

Posters and exhibits will be available in all the breaks and there is a specific poster session on Tuesday afternoon, before the President’s wine reception.

Some of the talks and posters are presented by students who are eligible for student prizes and this will be based on votes from you.

The first meeting of the Public Understanding of Entomology SIG will be on Wednesday 13 September 1:30-5:30pm. The meeting is free-of-charge but all delegates MUST register in advance, including those already attending Ento‘17, to ensure there are enough spaces and refreshments.

This meeting is the result of a very productive collaboration between the convenors at the University of Hull and the University of Newcastle and we would like to thank the many people who have helped with the meeting. Bill Blakemore, Kirsty Whiteford, Luke Tilley and all their colleagues at the Royal Entomological Society have been vital to the meeting.

We would like to thank the University of Newcastle for additional financial support and many colleagues across the university who have helped us. We also thank the Session Chairs, the Presenters, our student helpers and of course you, the delegates.

Darren Evans, James Gilbert, Gordon Port

Information

Venues Lecture halls & registration desk can be found in the Herschel Building (#17) and the refreshments, posters & exhibitors can all be found in the Lindisfarne room (#4) on campus; see map in this booklet.

Loading your presentation Please ask one of the Ento’17 team at the reception desk to load your presentation as soon as possible. It will not be possible to use your own laptop. If your presentation includes animations/videos, please upload and check your presentation well in advance of the session in which you are speaking. Talks have been allocated either 30 minutes (27 + 3 minutes for questions) or 15 minutes (12 + 3 minutes for questions). The session chair will alert you 5 minutes before the end. Speakers are requested to keep to time as there are parallel sessions.

Posters Posters should be displayed on the poster boards in the Lindisfarne room for the duration of the meeting. Presenters should be available by their posters during the poster session, 17.00-18.00 on Tuesday 12th September.

Internet Access Delegates can connect using the eduroam service (for those from participating institutions) or using the WiFi network WiFi Guest to access the Internet using their own computer. The service is provided free of charge, is simple to use and requires no configuration changes to the visitor’s computer.

Social media We welcome social media participation at Ento’17. Please use hashtag #ento17 and connect with the Society on twitter @RoyEntSoc and on Facebook at facebook.com/Royentsoc. Please respect presenter’s wishes if they request that their work not be shared online.

Travel There is no visitor parking on campus. Local public car parking and Park and Ride options are available https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/parking/car-parks-and-on- street-parking. Taxi ranks can be found throughout Newcastle – the nearest is by the Haymarket Bus station. Travel to and from Newcastle Airport is easiest by Metro train. The journey time takes around 25 minutes from Haymarket. There are trains every 12 minutes during the day. Newcastle Central Station is the mainline station and is a three-minute journey by Metro train from Haymarket. There are trains every 5-7 minutes.

Medical and Emergencies Should you experience difficulties during the conference please contact one of the conference team or go to the reception desk. The Royal Victoria Infirmary, just west of the main campus, has a Minor Injuries Unit. In the event of a fire or other emergency a siren will sound. You must leave the building immediately by the nearest available exit, following the green and white FIRE EXIT pictograms.

Catering Morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch will be served in the Lindisfarne room. Please see the programme for times. Entomophages will find a range of suitable snacks supplied by Crunchy Critters (www.cruncycritters.com). In addition, the Courtyard restaurant in the Old Library Building (#25) and the café at the Great North Museum: Hancock (#34) provide refreshments. A range of snacks and meals are also available at the Northern Stage (#3). Campus Coffee (#8) and a number of pubs along Percy Street (opposite the Haymarket Metro Station) serve a range of drinks and meals.

Money There are free cash machines in the Student’s Union (#5) and near Campus Coffee (#8).

President’s Wine reception All delegates are invited to attend the President’s Welcome Wine Reception on Tuesday 12th September in the Lindisfarne room. There is no charge. Wine, soft drinks and nibbles from 18.00- 19.00.

Conference dinner and ceilidh The Conference Dinner (ADMISSION BY TICKET ONLY) is at 19.00 on Wednesday 13th September, at the Centre for Life, Newcastle, NE1 4EP, this is located near to the main train station (#82 on City Centre map). Ceilidh music will be provided after dinner by the “Angels of the North” one of the Northeast's best- loved ceilidh bands. The Angels promise some entomological themed dances.

Nearby attractions The Great North Museum:Hancock (#34) and the quayside which is linked to the Gateshead Quays arts quarter and the Sage Gateshead by the Gateshead Millenium Bridge are local attractions. For others, see http://www.visitnortheastengland.com

Exhibitors The following organisations will have stands at Ento’17 in the Lindisfarne room (#4)  CABI  Cambridge University Press  Entocast  GT Vision  Harper Adams  ICE2020  NHBS  Wiley

Student Prizes Student prizes will be awarded separately for poster and oral presentations. Both will be awarded based on voting by all delegates adjudicated by a small panel of Society Fellows. On-line voting is encouraged and participants will receive an email about this during the meeting. If you do not wish to vote on-line, voting sheets will be available from the reception desk. Prize winners will be announced during the closing session on Thursday 14th afternoon.

Other meetings supported by the Royal Entomological Society

Saturday, September 23, 2017 - Insect Festival Bristol 2017; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - Insect pollination special interest group meeting Venue: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF Convenors: Jenni Stockan &Michael Garratt

Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - Orthoptera special interest group meeting Venue: Neil Chalmers Room, Natural History Museum, London Convenor: Björn Beckmann

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - Electronic & Computing Technology Special Interest Group Venue: The Mansion House, St Albans, AL2 3NS Convenor: Mark O'Neill

July 2-6 2018 European Congress of Entomology Venue: Expo Convention Centre, Naples, Italy

Wednesday, August 29, 2018 - 09:00 to Friday, August 31, 2018 - Ento'18 The good, the bad and the ugly - exploring the importance of lesser studied insects. Venue: Edge Hill University, Ormskirk Convenors: Anne Oxbrough & Clare Strode

Why contribute to and attend ICE2020Helsinki?

The International Congress of Entomology, better known as ICE, comes around every four years. Scientists that work in the broad area of entomology have a choice to attend either ICE or other more specialist or regional meetings. Entomological research is becoming increasingly complex, global and changing rapidly with new technologies and innovations at all levels of organization from molecular biology to community ecology. To provide valuable input and insight for the further development and implementation of global research in entomology, we have to engage in a broader reflection on the economic and societal value of entomology with a global perspective. ICE provides that opportunity and illustrates how we can use research and innovation in entomology for something greater than the achievements of one’s own research, reaching out to solve fundamental future problems and challenges facing our planet. In 2020, the International Congress of Entomology will strive to answer how entomology as a discipline can help to achieve a healthy planet, a diverse planet, a planet which is able to feed its growing population, and how entomology can cope with the changing planet. The scientific programme for ICE2020Helsinki will be focused on presenting the latest achievements in entomology, and on future trends and challenges concerning our discipline. On the advice of the ICE Council, the local organizing committee has selected 15 scientific themes for the ICE2020Helsinki congress, reducing the number of sections and rearranging the traditional topics in an innovative way. The sections reflect the special characteristics of the northernmost ever ICE, or “entomology with latitude”, and include: 1. Arctic, Alpine and Polar Entomology 2. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology 3. Biological Control and Insect Pathology 4. Ecosystem Services 5. Interactions and communication between trophic levels 6. Ecology and Evolution 7. Food Chain and Horticultural Entomology 8. Forest and Urban Entomology 9. Genetics, Genomics, and Systematics 10. Physiology and Developmental Biology 11. Insect and Microbial Molecular Biology 12. Invasive species and Regulatory Entomology 13. Domesticated Insects and Insect Rearing 14. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 15. Current Special and Forward-looking Topics We believe that any topic in entomology can easily find a home among the main themes which we have selected, and invite proposals for symposia for ICE2020Helsinki to address exciting developments in entomology and to present approaches to our main theme: “Entomology for our planet”. About 10-20 symposia are expected under each of 15 sections. ICE2020Helsinki will host at least six outstanding plenary lectures by world leaders in various areas of entomology – one on each day of the congress. We have secured two plenary speakers at this stage:  Dr. Segenet Kelemu, Director General of ICIPE (Nairobi, Kenya); see http://www.icipe.org/about_team/governing-council/dr-segenet-kelemu-2  Prof. Alexey Polilov, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia); see http://entomology.ru/main_menu/persons/pages/polilov_en.htm One plenary speaker slot is reserved for the Wigglesworth Memorial Lecture, to be nominated and awarded by the Royal Entomological Society (UK). The Organizing Committee of ICE2020Helsinki cordially invites all entomologists to attend the next International Congress of Entomology in Helsinki, 19–24 July 2020. Please visit the ICE2020Helsinki website to lodge your symposium proposal and to receive email updates. Heikki Hokkanen, President of the ICE2020Helsinki Ingeborg Menzler-Hokkanen, Secretary General of ICE2020Helsinki email: [email protected] www.ICE2020Helsinki.fi https://www.facebook.com/ICE2020Helsinki/ Programme Tuesday 12 September

Curtis Auditorium 09:00 Opening remarks

Chair: Darren Evans 09:15 Lars Chittka Insect Intelligence 09:45 Jenny Hodgson Networks to enable species to survive climate change 10:15 Catherine Reavey Nutritional complexity and its role in the mediation of host-parasite interactions

10:45 Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits

Lecture Theatre 1 Curtis Auditorium Lecture Theatre 2 Session 1 Cognition Session 2 Ecology and Session 3 Insect Interactions Chair: Audrey Dussutour Conservation Chair: Angharad Gatehouse Chair: Jenny Hodgson 11:15 1.1 Great minds don't all 2.1 Conserving the Duke of 3.1 Understanding the think alike: locusts see Burgundy Butterfly in the UK mechanisms underlying differently Matthew Hayes insect-host plant Claire Rind phenological mismatch: a focus on sycamore and two associated aphid species Vicki Senior 11:30 1.2 The emergence of 2.2 Carrion Beetles 3.2 Differential Effects of navigational behaviour in assemblages in Broadleaf Water Limitation on Plant- insects: lesson from crawling Woodland, Coniferous Aphid Interactions larvae and walking ants Daniel Leybourne Plantations and Unforested Antoine Wystrach Habitat Matthew Esh, 11:45 1.3 Praying mantids and the 2.3 Stump-harvesting for 3.3 Distasteful nectar toxins illusion of ‘flicker-fusion’ bioenergy has transient deter floral robbery Diana Umeton impacts on abundance, Sarah E. Barlow richness and community structure of beetle assemblages. Christopher D. Williams 12:00 1.4 The temporal dynamics 2.4 Responses of woodland 3.4 of VOC-induced tomato Diptera to habitat creation in Bioassay of Vitex negundo L. defence priming a long-term, large-scale leaf extracts against Thomas McDaniel natural experiment Dichomeris eridantis Meyrick Kirsty Park on Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. Gunjan Srivastava 12:15 1.5 Parasitoid induces rapid 2.5 Ecology of the mosquito behavioral changes and Culex modestus, a potential makes the host to guard its vector of West Nile Virus in pupa the UK. Prabitha Mohan Anthony Abbott

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch, Posters and Exhibits

Curtis Auditorium Chair: James Gilbert 14:00 Nina Wedell Sex, conflict and selfish genes 14:30 David Shuker Reproductive interference in insects

15:00 Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits

Lecture Theatre 1 Curtis Auditorium Session 4 Management of insects Session 5 Sexual Selection and parental care Chair: Gordon Port Chair: Janice Edgerly 15:30 4.1 Understanding the behaviour of the 5.1 Sex on the brain: male plastic cowpea weevil in the wild: towards reproductive strategies and cognition developing new control strategies. Amanda Bretman C. E.Ahuchaogu, 15:45 4.2 New Technologies and Molecules for 5.2 A sexual arms race in water striders: Crop Protection evaluating ecological, neutral and spatial Angharad M. R. Gatehouse hypotheses Jen Perry 16:00 4.3 Defining optimal methods for gene 5.3 Bugbase: exploring macroevolution of knockdown by RNA interference in the cat insect parental care and life history flea, Ctenocephalides felis James Gilbert Catriona McIntosh 16:15 4.4 Bright lights and heady aromas: 5.4 Effect of parental care on the interactions with DEET and light traps development of honest warning signals in in Archie K. Murchie the burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) Carita Lindstedt-Kareksela 16:30 4.5 Biotic potential of different densities of 5.5 Host shift induces changes in the sexual aphid parasitoids, Diaeretiella rapae behaviour of the dried bean beetle (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) (Acanthoscelides obtectus) via altered feeding on Brevicoryne brassicae chemical signalling M. A. Aqueel József Vuts,

17:00 Posters and Exhibits

18:00 – 19:00 Wine reception

Wednesday 13 September

Curtis Auditorium Chair: Nina Wedell 09:00 Ana Sendova-Franks Ants as a Model of Social Interaction 09:30 Audrey Dussutour Recent Advances in the Integrative Nutrition of Ants 10:00 Janice Edgerly Silk as Armor and a Web of Adaptation (the Order Embioptera) 10:30 Heikki Hokkanen & Ingeborg Menzler-Hokkanen: Invitation to ICE2020Helsinki: an update

10:45 Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits Lecture Theatre 1 Curtis Auditorium Lecture Theatre 2 Session 6 Biodiversity and Session 7 Social insects Session 8 General Ecosystem Functioning Chair: Ana Sendova-Franks entomology Chair: Sarah E. Barlow Chair: Claire Rind 11:15 6.1 Soil matters: 7.1 A spatial blueprint for 8.1 Micro-•CT Scanning of management impacts on social insect nests Liadopsylla hesperia natural regulation of root Thomas Owen Richardson (Hemiptera:Psylloidea) and pests of field vegetables. Phylogeny of Liadopsylla Celine Delabre Reveals the Emergence of True Psylloidea Esme Ashe-•Jepson 11:30 6.2 Pollinator forage in the 7.2 Sex-linked cheating in 8.2 Establishment of a novel Fens: A prickly problem costly cooperative in vitro feeding system for Hilary Conlan antipredator defence in the honeybee mite, Varroa social pine sawfly destructor Carita Lindstedt-Kareksela Craig R. Christie 11:45 6.3 Multiple insect-related 7.3 Investigating the genetic 8.3 Ammonia and water ecosystems services derived basis of worker reproduction hardness tolerance in larval from field margins in sub- in the bumble bee Bombus stages of Anopheles gambiae Saharan Africa terrestris. s.l.: Prospects for improved Sarah E J Arnold David Prince mass-rearing techniques for vector control. Nwamaka Akpodiete 12:00 6.4 Predators, pests and 7.4 Deformed wing virus 8.4 A Tale of Sixty Trees - protected species: transmission in Apis Defoliation of bird cherry Behavioural interactions mellifera and potential spill trees in early life has long between carabid beetles and over to non-Apis species term effects the EU-protected Kerry slug Emma L. Bradford Simon R Leather Geomalacus maculosus Aidan O’Hanlon 12:15 6.5 The Impact of Cultivation 7.5 Can solitary bee larvae 8.5 Catching flies with on Soil Arthropods and regulate their macronutrient honey(dew): Determination Associated Functions intake? of sugar-rich dietary Francisca Sconce Alex Austin components of marsh flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), potential biocontrol agents of pestiferous molluscs Allison Bistline-East 12:30 6.6 Dragonflies, wetlands and people John P. Simaika

12:30-13:30 Lunch, Posters and Exhibits

Curtis Auditorium 13:30 Public Understanding of Entomology SIG if you wish to attend this meeting you must register in advance at http://www.royensoc.co.uk/content/public-understanding-entomology-sig-13-september-2017 even if you have registered for Ento’17

13.30 Welcome – James Gilbert (University of Hull) and Luke Tilley (Royal Entomological Society)

13.40 Andrew Salisbury (Royal Horticultural Society): It’s not all pests! Communicating Garden Entomology

14.00 Audrey Dussutour (Universite Paul Sabatier): Take a lesson from the ants

14.20 Simon Leather (Harper Adams University): Sticking my head above the parapet: Why I started (and continue) blogging

14.40 John Baird (University of Aberdeen): Sex and bugs and rock and roll – why insects offer limitless opportunities to communicate with the world out there

15.00 Peter Brown (Anglia Ruskin University): The UK Ladybird Survey: Lessons from citizen science

15.20 Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits

15.40 Claire Seeley (Education Consultant): Entomology in the classroom

16.00 Archie Murchie (Agrifood & Biosciences Institute): On tap, not on top: communicating entomology to policy makers and other stakeholders

16.20 Liam Crowley & Nicholas Howe (University of Birmingham): Podcasting and people: Disseminating entomological knowledge through new media

16.40 Sarah Beynon (Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm): Engaging different audiences with entomology - Why I often talk about 'bugs' and not 'invertebrates'

17.00 Group discussion

17.30 Close

19:00 Conference Dinner at Centre for Life.

Thursday 14 September

Curtis Auditorium Chair: Darren Evans 09:00 Ramiro Morales-Hojas How can molecular ecology help us improve monitoring insect pests of agricultural importance? 09:30 Yoshifumi Yamawaki Decision-making and motor control in the praying mantis: To attack or not to attack. 10:00 Nicola Nadeau How did the butterfly get its colours? The evolution and genetics of colour and pattern in Heliconius butterflies

10:30 Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits Curtis Auditorium Lecture Theatre 1 Session 9 Important Invertebrate Areas – a Session 10 Molecular Ecology tool to conserve the UK’s invertebrates Chair: Nicola Nadeau Chair: Craig McAdam 11:00 9.1 An Introduction to Important 10.1 Sex-biased genes and rapid adaptation Invertebrate Areas- a tool to conserve the Nathan W Bailey UK’s invertebrates Jamie Robins 11:15 9.2 Developing the Important Invertebrate 10.2 Molecular approaches in identification, Areas: A Technical Overview diversity and management of important Tom L. Thomson insect vectors, Thrips palmi and Aphis gossypii K. B. Rebijith 11:30 9.3 Using Important Invertebrate Areas to 10.3 Hybridisation in UK mosquitoes: A conserve bumblebees bridge for disease transmission? Richard Comont Clare Strode 11:45 9.4 Looking closer at Important Invertebrate 10.4 The post-reintroduction population Areas- fine-scale mapping genetics of the Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary Jamie Robins butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) Michelle Davis 12:00 9.5 How might we use Important 10.5 The role of salivary factors in the Varroa Invertebrate Areas? Examples from the mite - honey bee – deformed wing virus- Cairngorms National Park axis: determining their actions and identity. Hayley Wiswell Ewan M. Campbell 12:15 9.6 The value of identification and key resources of Important Invertebrate Areas David Heaver

12:15 – 13:30 Lunch, Posters and Exhibits

Curtis Auditorium Chair: James Gilbert 13:30 Mathieu Lihoreau Nutritional interactions in insect societies 14:00 Darren Evans Merging DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis to understand and build resilient terrestrial ecosystems 14:30 Closing remarks and prizes 15:00Tea/Coffee, Posters and Exhibits & depart Abstracts Tuesday 12 September: Morning

Insect Intelligence Lars Chittka (Keynote speaker) School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

[email protected] @LChittka Bees display visual-cognitive capacities that in some views conform to the basic criteria of concept learning, attention, sensitivity to number and metacognition. This raises the obvious question of how such capacities may be implemented at a neuronal level in the miniature brains of insects. We need to understand the neural circuits, not just the size of brain regions, which underlie these feats. Neural network analyses show that cognitive features found in insects, such as numerosity, attention and categorisation-like processes, may require only very limited neuron numbers. Using computational models of the bees' visual system, we explore whether seemingly advanced cognitive capacities might 'pop out' of the properties of relatively basic neural processes in the insect visual periphery, and their connection with the mushroom bodies, higher order learning centres in the brains of insects.

Networks to enable species to survive climate change Jenny Hodgson (Keynote speaker) University of Liverpool

[email protected] @condatisKE Habitat loss and fragmentation exacerbate the threat from climate change: gaps in habitat may prevent species from shifting their ranges to track suitable climate conditions. In response to this, conservationists are increasingly aiming to restore networks of habitat, which they hope will be functionally connected for many species. I have studied, empirically and theoretically, a range of proposed approaches to conservation given the threat of climate change. These studies have started to show us (a) Why traditional conservation (focussing on habitat quality in special sites) still works, (b) What could be the role for agri-environment schemes in supporting species across the wider landscape, and (c) When trying to enhance connectivity in large-scale habitat networks, where is best to restore? I will summarise the conservation messages from this research, and suggest priorities for future research.

Nutritional complexity and its role in the mediation of host-parasite interactions Catherine Reavey2,3 ((Keynote speaker), Sheena Cotter1, Charlotte Miller1,2, Ekhlas Al Shareefi2, Bobby Holdbrook3, Judith Smith4, David Raubenheimer5, Stephen Simpson5 and Ken Wilson3 1School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK 2School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Rd, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK 3Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK 4School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 2HE, UK 5Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia [email protected] Insects are beset by numerous parasites, whose effects range from mildly debilitating to fatal. As a consequence they have evolved a range of behavioural and physiological responses to deal with this threat, including the deployment of a suite of immune responses. However, an effective immune response depends upon the nutritional state of the host; immunity is costly in terms of resources. In addition, the parasite relies on the host for its nutrients, and its ability to replicate in the host may also depend on the nutritional state of the host. Using lepidopteran and coleopteran model systems we have shown that different arms of the immune system work most effectively in different regions of nutrient space, and that, when infected, hosts can modify their intake of nutrients to improve their immune response. We also show that parasite growth can be impeded directly by the host diet, and that hosts may in fact choose a diet whose nutritional balance does not support parasite replication. Thus the nutritional environment can have both direct and indirect effects on host-parasite interactions, and nutrient intake plasticity is a likely target for selection in the battle against parasites.

Space for notes

Session 1 Cognition 1.1 Great minds don't all think alike: locusts see differently Claire Rind (Keynote speaker), University of Newcastle [email protected]

Locusts see things differently to us, their multi faceted eye looks out with a 270 degree field of view vertically and horizontally, but the greatest difference from our vision is in temporal resolution. Locusts like many other insects are active in bright light which means they receive many photons resolving changes occurring in as little as 10 thousands of a second. Locusts can see small image changes across neighbouring columns, each column processing information from one facet of the eye. They can make these local comparisons very quickly, because of the precise layout of the processing that occurs in duplicated columns behind the compound eye. I have been working on a neuron in the locust which is part of their early warning system for detecting a very important category of stimulus: looming images. Looming images grow exponentially in size on the eye and are produced by something on a collision course with the locust. The neuron is called the lobula giant motion detector (LGMD). It is excited by looming images and provides an increasing rate of discharge as collision nears, even when looming occurs against a busy background of other moving images. How it does it and the consequences for a locust in a swarm is the subject of my talk. Videos of swarming locusts in Australia hunted in by black kites will be used to illustrate the outcome of activation of this pathway.

1.2 The emergence of navigational behaviour in insects: lesson from crawling larvae and walking ants Antoine Wystrach (Invited speaker) CRCA (Research Centre on Animal Cognition), CNRS / Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France [email protected] Navigation requires the coordination between different type of actions (e.g., choosing a direction, going forward etc...), and the control mechanisms that ‘triggers’ these actions is often characterised as decision making. Here we will see that distinct behaviour can spontaneously emerge from simple, continuous processes without the need to ‘trigger’ or ‘select’ actions. The behaviour can be described as showing 'decisions', but these decisions cannot be reduced to the underlying mechanisms, and it is thus vain to seek for their neural correlates. We will see that such non- reducible, distributed processes emerging from the interaction between brain, body and environment can provide robust and generalist solutions to various and apparently different navigational tasks.

1.3 Praying mantids and the illusion of ‘flicker-fusion’ Diana Umeton Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University [email protected] @DianaUmeton Insects’ conspicuous colour patterns (e.g. red-and-black stripes) are thought to advertise prey defences to would-be predators. However, there is an alternative and yet untested idea: when moving at sufficient speed, stripes can ‘blur’ and help prey to match their background. This is called the ‘flicker-fusion’ effect, but can high contrast stripes really be a form of camouflage for moving prey? We tested the flicker-fusion hypothesis using praying mantids tracking computer generated moving prey. Consistent with the hypothesis, we found that conspicuous striped bugs were less visible with increasing speed, and that fine-striped bugs were tracked less than wide-striped ones. Crucially, at higher speed, the fine-striped prey seemed to ‘disappear’ on a grey background in a manner that suggests the stripes were blurring into grey. Our data support the idea that highly conspicuous pattern, which are commonly found across insects, could act as camouflage when prey are moving. We discuss our novel finding in terms of praying mantids’ visual systems, and highlight the importance of considering prey movement in the evolution of insects’ defensive coloration.

1.4 The temporal dynamics of VOC-induced tomato defence priming Thomas McDaniel, Barry Brogan, Roy. A. Sanderson, Angharad M.R. Gatehouse, David George and Colin R. Tosh STUDENT PRESENTER School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Devonshire Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, [email protected] Differing bouquets of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are given off by plants when damaged or infested with insect pests, which may be detected by uninfested plants that can respond by activating defences or becoming primed in preparation for an imminent infestation. This work seeks to assess the presence and efficacy of VOC-based communication between tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) as a method of controlling the glasshouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), a highly damaging crop pest. This study sought to characterise: 1) the ability of non-infested tomato plants to use VOCs to detect the predicament of other, whitefly-infested tomato plants, 2) whether an optimal combination exists of whitefly infestation time to produce defence-inducing VOCs, and time of exposure to VOCs, to maximally increase tomato resistance against whitefly, and 3) the mechanism of any VOC-induced resistance. Twenty four combinations of different whitefly- infestation and VOC-exposure times were undertaken, with the resulting resistance assessed by monitoring whitefly settling preference and oviposition on these plants. Results indicate the presence of whitefly-induced VOC communication between tomatoes. This work has promise as an efficient and environmentally sustainable whitefly control method in glasshouses, and is the first study to examine the temporal dynamics of VOC-induced whitefly defence in tomato.

1.5 Parasitoid induces rapid behavioral changes and makes the host to guard its pupa Prabitha Mohan and Palatty Allesh Sinu Department of Animal Science, Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, India-671314 [email protected] Some parasities alter the behaviour and physiology of their hosts to enhance their own fitness. Microplitis pennatula (Braconidae) have been seen to manipulate the behaviour of its host (Psalis pennatula) larvae. Through studying the behavioural response of the host larvae pre and post- parasitisation, this paper reports another maniplulative parasitoid wasp which adds to the growing evidences of such cases. The specific questions studied were; behavioral changes in a parasitised host larvae pre and post-parasitoid pupation and whether the behavioral changes in the host larva manifests gradually or abruptly?

The field-collected female M. pennatula wasps were introduced to second instar host-larvae. After the successful parasitisation, the host-larvae were monitored for their mobility and feeding activity during pre and post-pupation of M. pennatula and compared with that of the unparasitized host- larvae. The response of parasitized host-larvae towards pupal hyperparasitoid of M. pennatula, i.e. Brachymeria sp was studied. After parasitoid pupation host-larva stopped feeding and became immobile and responded to the approaching hyperparasitoid through violent head-swings. The study found that behavioral changes in the host larvae occurred abruptly rather than gradually. The response of host larvae towards external interruption shows that P. pennatula acts as a perfect body guard to its parasitoid.

Session 2 Ecology and Conservation 2.1 Conserving the Duke of Burgundy Butterfly in the UK Matthew Hayes (Invited speaker) Institution: Cambridge University, Zoology Department, Insect Ecology Group. [email protected] The Duke of Burgundy butterfly (Hamearis lucina) has undergone severe declines since the mid-20th Century and is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. However, despite its endangered status, H. lucina is very understudied, with only two papers investigating its specific habitat requirements in the UK.

Most research has examined the optimal larval habitat of H. lucina; however, adults appear to also require specific habitat features. Therefore, to implement effective management for this species it is essential that we understand the requirements of each life stage. Furthermore, for all life stages of H. lucina the impact of climate change remains poorly understood and we lack knowledge of how its ecological niche might vary with regional temperature.

In this project, I investigate the optimal microclimates for both larval and adult H. lucina in order to assess which habitat features and associated management options are best for the species. The study is being carried out in conjunction with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) Wildlife Trust so that any findings from this research will directly influence conservation management on Wildlife Trust reserves. These results will be particularly important for informing how best to conserve H. lucina in light of projected climate change.

2.2 Carrion Beetles assemblages in Broadleaf Woodland, Coniferous Plantations and Unforested Habitat Matthew Esh, Anne Oxbrough STUDENT PRESENTER Edge Hill University, Lancs, UK. [email protected] @SilphidEsh Carrion beetles are important species in terrestrial ecosystems; they decompose vertebrate carrion which is important as it completes the nutrient cycle putting nutrients into the soil causing vegetation to flourish. The behaviour of carrion beetles especially Nicrophorinae genus in the family Silphidae has been widely studied - they exhibit bi-parental care when their young have hatched - this is a very uncommon beetle behaviour. Their ecology however is relatively understudied despite their importance to ecosystem functions and applications in fields such as forensic entomology. This research will determine carrion beetle assemblages in major habitats (native ancient woodland, non- native coniferous plantations and unforested sites (Grassland/Heathland) using carrion baited (with cheese and dead mice) pitfall traps across the growing season. Environmental parameters including topography, aspect, soil type, pH, litter and vegetation cover will be measured in plots adjacent to the pitfall traps, to determine their influence on assemblage structure. I hypothesise that assemblage will change between the different habitats with Nicrophorus vespilliodes expected to dominate the abundance of the catch over all habitats. Nicrophorinae will be very abundant in forest habitats in comparison with Silphinae but in the open areas these will be similar. This will be the first study to examine UK Silphidae across a range of habitats adding to knowledge of their ecology and phenology nationally and in European temperate climates.

2.3 Stump-harvesting for bioenergy has transient impacts on abundance, richness and community structure of beetle assemblages. Christopher D. Williams, Karen D. Shevlin, Roseanne Hennessy, Aoife B. Dillon, Philip O’Dea and Christine T. Griffin School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, UK. [email protected] @chrisdavidwill1 Harvesting of tree stumps for bioenergy is popular and, whereas the environmental impact has been considered with respect to ecosystem processes, there have been fewer studies on the impact of stump-harvesting on biodiversity. We carried out pitfall-trap surveys of beetle communities at eight plots across four sites (four plots were clear-fells where stumps remained and four were clear-fells where stumps were harvested). Initially, we recovered 7743 beetles when stumps were extracted but still on site (Year 1). All beetles were identified to family level and ground beetles and wood-associated beetles to species level. One year after stumps were extracted, the survey was repeated. In this collection 2898 individual beetles were recovered. In Year 1, stump-harvesting had a negative impact on beetle abundance and richness. However, one year after stumps were removed there were no significant differences in these variables at any site. At the community level, stump-harvesting weakly, but significantly, affected carabid composition. One year after stumps were removed, stump-harvesting had no effect on community composition. Stump-harvesting initially negatively affects beetle abundance, family-richness and carabid species- richness and community structure, but that effects are not large, are site-specific and are probably not persistent.

2.4 Responses of woodland Diptera to habitat creation in a long-term, large-scale natural experiment Park1 KJ (Invited speaker), Fuller1 L, Fuentes- Montemayor1 E, Watts2 K, Macgregor3 NA, Bitenc1 K, 1Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling 2Forest Research

3Natural England / Durrell Institute of Conservation, Kent [email protected] New native woodlands are typically created in a small and isolated configuration, potentially reducing their value as a resource for biodiversity. Whilst habitat restoration and creation should be beneficial for woodland biodiversity, there is limited evidence about the value of secondary woodlands and the relative or combined effects of local (e.g. woodland size) and landscape-scale (e.g. connectivity) variables for woodland insects. In this study we surveyed 78 woodlands created in the last 160 years across England and Scotland for hoverflies and craneflies. We found 27% of British woodland hoverfly species and 43% of British woodland cranefly species in the study sites, indicating that woodland insects are colonising created native woodlands, despite their fragmented nature. Landscape-scale variables had no effect on woodland-associated hoverflies or craneflies relative to local-scale variables. Local-scale variables relating to habitat quality (i.e. structural heterogeneity of trees and understory cover) had the strongest influence on hoverfly abundance and species richness. To benefit woodland-associated flying insects, woodland creation and restoration should maintain a focus on habitat quality. This should include active management to facilitate a diverse tree and understorey vegetation structure.

2.5 Ecology of the mosquito Culex modestus, a potential vector of West Nile Virus in the UK. Anthony Abbott, Gay Gibson, Richard Hopkins STUDENT PRESENTER Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich [email protected] The aim of this study is to establish the habitat preferences of the mosquito Culex modestus in the UK so that its likely presence/absence can be rapidly determined in areas most vulnerable to West Nile Virus (WNV) becoming established in the UK. Culex modestus was first found in the North Kent marshes in 2010, and is of particular public health interest due to its importance as a bridge vector of WNV from the amplifying host, birds, into humans and equines. Currently little is known about Cx modestus habitat preferences and population dynamics. Larval sampling was conducted in the North Kent marshes between June and November 2015 and 2016. Four habitat areas were sampled fortnightly, collecting larvae from wetland drainage ditches along with information on both abiotic and biotic factors at each sample point. Culex modestus larvae were present from early July until late October at all four locations. In 2016 an additional six locations were visited along the southeast coast of the UK.

Space for notes

Session 3 Insect interactions 3.1 Understanding the mechanisms underlying insect-host plant phenological mismatch: a focus on sycamore and two associated aphid species Vicki Senior, Tom Oliver, Simon Leather, Karl Evans STUDENT PRESENTER Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, University of Sheffield [email protected] @VickiOwl Species interactions have a temporal component driven by environmental cues. Previous work has suggested that the impacts of climate change vary between trophic levels and there is concern that this may drive shifts in community dynamics. However, the mechanisms driving phenological shifts are largely unexplored with few long-term field studies assessing trophic mismatches of interacting species in the same spatial area – particularly for insects. Here, we use a 20-year data series on sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and two associated aphid species Drepanosiphum platanoidis and Periphyllus testudinaceus to assess climatic drivers of aphid spring emergence and bud-burst, and their consequences for population dynamics at a local scale. We use a moving window approach to assess the effects of temperature and rainfall, whilst controlling for winter temperature, on phenology. Warmer spring temperatures between mid-March and May were found to significantly advance spring phenology of the host tree and both aphid species, although there is inter-specific variation in the precise time period during which weather is most closely associated with phenology. Notably, we find some evidence that warmer temperatures during February and increased spring precipitation may delay emergence of both aphid species. These findings provide a basis to explore these effects upon trophic mismatch and determine subsequent population effects of shifts in spring phenology.

3.2 Differential Effects of Water Limitation on Plant-Aphid Interactions Daniel Leybourne1,2,3, Jorunn Bos1,2, Tracy Valentine3 & Alison Karley STUDENT PRESENTER 1The University of Dundee, Division of Plant Sciences. 2The James Hutton Institute, Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences. 3The James Hutton Institute, Department of Ecological Sciences. [email protected] The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, is a significant pest, transmitting viruses that cause yield losses of 10-80%. Altered environmental conditions can positively or negatively affect one, or both, of the organisms in the plant-aphid system. Examining interactions at the plant-aphid interface under different environmental conditions can identify novel approaches to enhance crop tolerance to single or combined stressors.

The impact of water limitation on plant-aphid interactions was assessed by quantifying aphid performance and cereal plant responses to different water limitation conditions using a modern barley cultivar, Hordeum vulgare cv. Concerto, and a barley wild relative with partial-aphid resistance, H. spontaneum 5 (HsP5).

Responses of the two plant types to water limitation were similar for some traits (e.g. biomass accumulation), while other responses were species-dependent (e.g. stomatal conductance). Aphid performance on Concerto decreased under water limitation, whereas performance on HsP5 remained low irrespective of water stress treatment. These results indicate differences between the two plant types in their biochemical, nutritional or molecular responses to water limitation and their quality for aphid performance. A suite of biochemical, molecular and electrophysiological approaches is currently being employed to establish the basis of differential plant susceptibility to R. padi under water-sufficient and -limited conditions. 3.3 Distasteful nectar toxins deter floral robbery Sarah E. Barlow,1* (Keynote speaker) Geraldine A. Wright2, Carolyn Ma2, Marta Barberis3, Ian W. Farrell4, Emily C. Marr5, Alice Brankin4, Bruce M. Pavlik1* & Philip C.

Stevenson4,6 1 Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA 2 Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Via Zamboni 33, Bologna, Italy 40126 4 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK 5 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA 6 Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK *formerly 4 [email protected] Toxic nectar is an ecological paradox. Indeed, very few studies have investigated the role of plant toxins in nectar for defence against nectar robbers. Here, we compared two Aconitum species (A. napellus and A. lycoctonum) that have flowers specialized for long-tongued bumblebee pollinators (Bombus hortorum) but are occasionally robbed by short-tongued bumblebees (B. terrestris). Field observations, using novel automated monitoring technology (Rana), revealed that pollinator visits to flowers were much more frequent than by robbers, but visits correlated negatively with nectar alkaloid concentration and declined sharply between 200-380ppm. However, alkaloid concentrations of > 20ppm were deterrent to B. terrestris suggesting robbers were less tolerant of nectar alkaloids. Nectar of both plant species contained similar concentrations of carbohydrates and toxic alkaloids, but A. lycoctonum was more likely to secrete nectar in each flower and was also visited more frequently by pollinators and robbers. We conclude that alkaloids in Aconitum sp. nectar affect rates of both pollinator visitation and robbery but may have co-evolved with nectar availability to maintain the fitness benefits of specialized plant-pollinator relationships. Chemical defence of nectar is, however, ultimately constrained by pollinator gustatory sensitivity.

3.4 Bioassay of Vitex negundo L. leaf extracts against Dichomeris eridantis Meyrick on Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. Gunjan Srivastava Forest Entomology Division, Forest Research Institute, New Forest, Dehradun – 248006, (Uttarakhand), India [email protected] Dichomeris eridantis Meyrick is an important pest of Dalbergia sissoo, an economically and ecologically important forest tree species. Present study aimed to evaluate an effective and ecofriendly bio pesticide using three extracts of Vitex negundo leaves against this pest. Insecticidal efficacy of Vitex Petroleum Ether (VPE) extract; Acetone (VAC) extract and Methanol (VMT) extract were tested against the third, fourth and fifth larval instars of D. eridantis at seven different concentrations (0.03%, 0.06%, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%) each, in the laboratory. Analysis of corrected mortality data revealed maximum mean% mortality (74.76%) due to VAC extract (1.5%) followed by VAC at its 1.0% concentration (65.87%). VPE was least effective. Highest larval mean% mortality (47.07%) was in 3rd instars and least in 5th instars. Maximum mean% mortality (53.17%) was obtained at 168 hours of leaf extract application. Interaction between larval stages and duration of treatments was highly significant (p< .001). In each case, duration, treatment concentration and age of larval instar, were found crucial in proving efficacy of different treatment concentrations. Hence, VAC extract has strong insecticidal effect and a potential future as an effective, safe and ecofriendly bio pesticide against D. eridantis.

Space for notes

Tuesday 12 September: Afternoon Sex, conflict, and selfish genes Nina Wedell (Keynote speaker) Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, CORNWALL TR10 9FE UK [email protected] Selfish Genetic Elements (SGEs) are genes, organelles or microorganisms present within the genome or cell of an organism that spread by subverting normal patterns of inheritance to increase their representation in the next generation; hence the term ‘selfish’. SGEs such as endosymbionts, transposable elements, and segregation distorters are ubiquitous in living organisms and often associated with fitness costs to the bearer. The most common type of SGEs are transposable elements that frequently have wide-ranging effects on genome regulation, including the level of gene expression, often with large phenotypic effects. Despite their impact on the reproduction of their host, their potential role in sexual selection is largely overlooked. I will discuss some recent work examining the impact of transposable elements that confer DDT resistance in flies. I will show that such resistance alleles can also affect the behaviour and reproduction of their host, often with sex specific effects, and argue they can be important contributors in shaping sexual selection.

Reproductive interference in insects David M. Shuker (Keynote speaker) School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH UK

[email protected] Mating systems are important forms of social networks, describing how, when, where and how often males and females come together to mate and raise offspring. In recent years though, our understanding of animal mating systems is being enriched by the consideration of – to use a popular phrase – “when good mating systems go bad”, of which insects provide many important examples. One such unusual feature of mating systems are hetero-specific mating interactions, encapsulated in the concept of reproductive interference. Reproductive interference (RI) occurs when members of different species engage in reproductive interactions, leading to a fitness cost to one or both actors. In this talk, I will do three things. First, I will consider the definition of reproductive interference and discuss the extent to which a failure of species discrimination is central to a definition of RI. Second, I will review the various forms RI takes in insects, including signal interference (“signal-jamming”), disrupted mate searching, hetero-specific rivalry, mate choice errors, or misplaced courtship, mating attempts or copulation. Third, I will discuss some of the causes and consequences of RI, focusing in particular on mating systems and mating system evolution. I will finish by considering future ways forward, highlighting the opportunities for new mating systems theory, and for tests of existing theory, presented by reproductive interference.

Session 4 Management of insects 4.1 Understanding the behaviour of the cowpea weevil in the wild: towards developing new control strategies. Ahuchaogu, C. E. 1, 2 and Siva-Jothy, M. T. 1 STUDENT PRESENTER 1 Department of Animal and Plant Science, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom. 2 Department of Crop Production and Protection, Federal University Wukari, PMB 1020, Katsina-Ala Road, Wukari, Nigeria. [email protected] @CHRIS_UCA For decades, cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus F. has played significant role in informing our knowledge on evolutionary behaviour of insects, and has served as a model species in life-history studies. However, these studies have focused mainly on examining the weevil in specific experimental contexts (with less focus on their behaviour as a pest). Cowpea is an important source of protein and income in developing nations, but storage of cowpea for later use (consumption, local sales, export) has been a major challenge due to the damage caused by the cowpea weevil to stored crops. This study compared host seed preferences of a laboratory adapted strain (model) with a wild type (pest), and examined some key life-history parameters of the adult progeny using seeds of five common legume cultivars. The results show strong variation in the choice of oviposition substrates as well as the life-history traits of the progeny emerging from these different cultivars.

4.2 New Technologies and Molecules for Crop Protection Angharad M. R. Gatehouse (Keynote speaker) Newcastle University, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Ridley Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK [email protected] A major challenge to both Science and Society is to increase agricultural productivity by an estimated 70% to feed an additional 2.3 billion people by 2050. Strategies to increase crop production must be both resilient and environmentally sustainable, requiring a paradigm shift in current practices. Developing insecticides that are efficacious, but at the same time pose negligible risks to beneficial organisms, such as pollinators and those involved in biological control, is therefore both desirable and timely. RNA interference (RNAi) provides an alternative approach to crop protection. It is a post-transcriptional process triggered by the introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which leads to gene silencing in a sequence-specific manner. The presentation will provide an over view of the potential of this technology to be an effective method for control of crop insect pests. It will also consider the biosafety of the technology, either when delivered via transgenic (Biotech) crops, or as a biopesticide-based spray.

4.3 Defining optimal methods for gene knockdown by RNA interference in the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis Catriona McIntosh1, Erich Zinser2, John Baird1, Debra Woods2, Alan Bowman1 STUDENT PRESENTER 1 University of Aberdeen, 2 Zoetis Inc. School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ [email protected] The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is among the most common pests of companion animals worldwide, causing widespread discomfort to pets and owners alike. Tackling C. felis infestations is therefore an important focus of the animal health industry. RNA interference (RNAi) offers a rapid route for screening potential new anti-flea drug targets. This study aimed to develop methods for performing RNAi in the cat flea, as a future drug target validation strategy. Efficacy of knockdown following delivery of dsRNA to C. felis adults via microinjection, soaking or feeding, was assessed by RT-qPCR. The level of knockdown observed varied depending on delivery method and target gene. Microinjection resulted in the highest level of knockdown of glutathione-s- transferase (GST), with expression 80 % reduced in dsGST injected fleas relative to dsGFP injected controls. However, microinjection significantly increased mortality, complicating assessment of any knockdown-related phenotype. Soaking C. felis in dsRNA did not increase mortality, but the level of knockdown was decreased to 60 %. Feeding trials are ongoing. This study is the first time demonstration of gene knockdown by RNAi in any flea species. Improvements in the less invasive delivery methods, soaking and feeding, could make RNAi a viable drug-target validation method in the cat flea.

4.4 Bright lights and heady aromas: interactions with DEET and light traps Archie K. Murchie, Stephen Jess, Ivan W.N. Forsythe, Ian Rea Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX [email protected] @AKMurchie Biting midges (Culicoides spp.) are vectors of bluetongue and Schmallenberg viruses. Treatment of mesh barriers is a common method to protect against biting insects insects and has been proposed as a means of limiting Culicoides ingression into buildings or livestock transporters. Assessments using animals are costly and logistically difficult. Therefore initial screening of test repellents / insecticides was made by applying treatments to mesh (2 mm) cages surrounding Onderstepoort light traps. Surprisingly, the traps surrounded by DEET treated mesh caught significantly more Culicoides midges than the other treatments or controls. This result was repeated with both commercial preparations of DEET and pure product. Many other studies have demonstrated that DEET is repellent to Culicoides. What seemed to have happened here is that DEET was attractive at low doses and in the absence of the host. However, repellency at higher doses, as found by others, was overwhelmed by the midges' strong attraction to the light trap.

4.5 Biotic potential of different densities of aphid parasitoids, Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) feeding on Brevicoryne brassicae M. A. Aqueel, M. J. Hussain & A. B. M. Raza Department of Entomology, University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan [email protected] Many aphid species are attacked by parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (M’Intosh). However it is specialized in feeding on crucifer aphid’s most likely Brevicoryne brassicae. Biological potential of parasitoid is its density dependent due to sharing of limited resources in few cases. Present study was carried out to check the biotic potential of D. rapae at its different densities (1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 pairs) on fixed number of B. brassicae (100 in number) as a host. The present study was performed under laboratory conditions (25 ± 2 ºC temperature and 65-70 % R.H.). Different biological parameters for parasitoid (e.g. percent parasitism, adult emergence, adult longevity and per pair parasitism) were evaluated to check its biotic potential. The present findings showed that maximum parasitism (43.09 % ± 0.63) was observed in highest density (10 pairs) and minimum parasitism (16.59 % ± 1.28) in lowest density (1 pair) of parasitoid. Maximum adult emergence (80.31 % ± 1.33) was observed in highest density (10 pairs) and minimum parasitism (45.99 % ± 1.27) in lowest density (1 pair) of parasitoid. In case of adult longevity, highest (8.2 days ± 0.38) and lowest (6 days ± 0.32) longevity was observed in lowest (1 pair) and highest (10 pairs) densities of parasitoids respectively. However, per pair parasitism rate decreased with the increase in parasitoid densities due to intra-specific competition, developed between the parasitoids for parasitism. Positive but close relationship was observed between percent parasitism and adult emergence. Increase in parasitoid densities increased the percent parasitism and adult emergence of parasitoid. So, we conclude that an inter-specific competition negatively affected the efficacy of parasitoids and may reduce the fitness of the emerging parasitoid.

Space for notes

Session 5 Sexual selection and parental care 5.1 Sex on the brain: male plastic reproductive strategies and cognition Amanda Bretman (Invited speaker) School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK [email protected] Social interactions are considered a key driver in the evolution of cognition, and social enrichment is important for the development of individual cognitive abilities. However, sexual selection has been thought to have little, or even a negative effect, on cognition. This is perhaps curious considering that males employ plastic reproductive strategies to cope with rapidly changing levels of mating competition. To do this, males must constantly assess both the immediate presence of rival males and the overall threat in the population, to estimate the prevailing level of competition. This is likely to be cognitively challenging, and hence males should be more sensitive to social enrichment than females. We tested this using a Drosophila melanogaster model in which males flexibly alter their reproductive investment depending on whether they have been exposed to rivals prior to mating. We distinguished between sperm competition and general social environmental enrichment by also exposing males to heterospecific males not considered a sperm competition threat. Males exposed to conspecific, but not heterospecific, males showed improved olfactory learning and increased expression of neuronal genes, whereas this is not the case for females. This suggests we need to alter our view of the role of sexual selection in cognition.

5.2 A sexual arms race in water striders: evaluating ecological, neutral and spatial hypotheses Jen Perry, Colin Garroway, Locke Rowe Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford [email protected] @jennyperry Key examples of sexually antagonistic coevolution include insects where male and female antagonistic traits are correlated among populations, consistent with a sexual arms race occurring over short time scales. However, other non-exclusive processes exclusive might drive correlated divergence among populations. These include ecologically-driven or neutral evolution in one sex with correlated evolution in the other sex through either sexually antagonistic selection or a positive genetic correlation for antagonistic traits. It is therefore unclear whether current case studies truly represent sexually antagonistic coevolution with each sex evolving in response to the other. To investigate these hypotheses, we evaluated the contributions of intersex genetic correlations, ecological context, neutral genetic divergence, and sexual coevolution in the correlated evolution of antagonistic traits among populations of Gerris incognitus water striders. We detected a shared genetic architecture between the sexes for body size, but a sex-specific genetic architecture for sexually antagonistic traits. Co-ancestry, ecological variation and spatial autocorrelation were all related to population variation in female spines, which help females resist males. Nevertheless, population covariation between sexually antagonistic traits remained strong and positive after accounting for these processes. This suggests ongoing sexually antagonistic coevolution in a contemporary sexual arms race.

5.3 Bugbase: exploring macroevolution of insect parental care and life history James Gilbert, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Rd, Hull HU6 7RX [email protected] @james_gilbert Insect parental care is hugely important, central to the success of vital groups such as bees and ants. Yet hypotheses about its evolutionary drivers remain hypotheses, even after decades of debate - why? Insects have long resisted broad-scale macroevolutionary analyses partly because of phylogenetic uncertainty, despite vastly improved insect phylogenies and new methods allowing integration across uncertainties. But this knowledge gap is partly also because a centralised data resource for insects is lacking. Using BugBase, a new database of insect reproductive and life history traits, we looked at evolutionary transitions, drivers and consequences of parental care evolution in insects. Insects evolved care by females most often, as expected for internal fertilisers. Yet male care, where it occurs, arose straight out of no care, unlike in many other male-caring groups. Insects with parental care have reduced fecundity, unsurprisingly, but also exhibit distinctive relationships between body size and fecundity that group them with endothermic vertebrates. Parental care has greater benefits in the tropics where predation is most intense, confirming EO Wilson’s 40-year-old prediction. The results are partly as expected based on theory, and partly unexpected, stimulating what we hope will be a diversity of future research questions.

5.4 Effect of parental care on the development of honest warning signals in in the burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) Lindstedt, Carita; Boncoraglio, Giuseppe; Cotter, Sheena; Gilbert, James and Kilner, Rebecca Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä , P.O. Box 35 , FIN-40014 [email protected] @LindstedtCarita Individual survival is a key trait in the evolution of both parental care and antipredator defence. Here we combine these separate fields. Burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) bear distinctive, genetically and phenotypically varying aposematic orange-black patterning on their elytra and produce fluid from their abdomen when threatened. During breeding, this exudate functions to control bacterial contamination of the breeding resource. By using bioassays with wood ants, we have found that the burying beetle is defended by the noxiousness of its anal exudates. Burying beetle anal exudates have therefore dual function in chemical defence and parental care and could be under multivariate selection. In addition, we have found that the orange elytral patterning accurately advertises the extent to which an individual is chemically defended, because individuals with larger orange markings on their elytra produce more anal exudates when threatened. However, this correlation exists only on individuals that receive high amount of parental care. Therefore, the early developmental environment may have long-term effects on antipredator defences and development of honest warning signals.

5.5 Host shift induces changes in the sexual behaviour of the dried bean beetle (Acanthoscelides obtectus) via altered chemical signalling József Vuts, Christine M. Woodcock, Lisa König, John A. Pickett, Michael A. Birkett Rothamsted Research [email protected] The dried bean beetle has become a model organism for studying phenotypic changes during experimentally-induced host shifts in insect herbivores. Beetles adapted to the ancestral host, common bean, show high plasticity in behaviour and ontogeny, whereas those adapted to the novel host, chickpea, do not. We observed that the same host shift also results in a significant change in male pheromone blend composition, probably a metabolic response to the differential availability of precursors in the two host seeds during development. Females from the ancestral host line showed no preference for either blend in behavioural assays, possibly as a consequence of their expected high behavioural plasticity. This could be explained by a novelty effect induced by a new and unusual signal. However, females from the novel host preferred the pheromone blend of their own line, resulting from their low behavioural plasticity. We predict this sensitisation to be temporary, based on female antennal electrophysiology, as both host lines gave the strongest responses to the odour of males from the ancestral host. Also, the ancestral host was the preferred oviposition substrate by both host lines. Further experiments will shed light on the longer-term effects of host shift on sexual selection in A. obtectus.

Space for notes

Wednesday 13 September: Morning

Ants as a Model of Social Interaction Ana B. Sendova-Franks (Keynote speaker) Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, UWE, Bristol

[email protected] Insects provide us with experimental models for understanding diverse biological processes such as aging, sexual selection or habitat loss. When it comes to social interactions, ants, bees, wasps and termites are even more social than we are. Their successful societies give us the opportunity to address questions about the link between two levels of biological organisation: the individual and the social. I will give two examples from ant colonies. The first focusses on the social network of liquid food distribution in the emergency of famine relief. This poses a dilemma: how to distribute vital resources as quickly as possible and yet restrict the spread of any harmful agents? Our analysis of all the interactions within complete societies reveals a possible solution. Certain individuals store the food they have received, test its safety through their own survival and release it into the social network during the influx of new food. This would dilute any harmful agents and minimise potential detrimental effects to the society. The second example concerns the effect of social interactions on individual behaviour. We discovered that individual average speed increases with increasing movement duration. This relationship, which now has been reported also for humans, is characterised by an exponent that is influenced by the amount of social interaction. Yet, it is universal in that on average individuals move at the average speed for the movement duration except for a short acceleration and deceleration at the beginning and end. These examples demonstrate the generality of insect models of social interaction in terms of both methodology and principles of organisation.

Recent Advances in the Integrative Nutrition of Ants Audrey Dussutour (Keynote speaker) Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université Toulouse III, FRANCE [email protected] @Docteur_Drey Nutritional homeostasis results from the fine-tuned interactions within a tightly integrated network of behavioural, physiological, morphological and developmental traits. Achieving this is a complicated challenge, given that animals need to ingest a large number of nutrients simultaneously, each at its own particular level. Considering the importance of nutrition for fitness, as well ecological interactions, understanding how animals solve these challenges is a high priority. In recent years an integrative framework, termed nutritional geometry, has been applied to investigate how individuals of a wide range of species solve the challenges of nutritional homeostasis. More complex yet are social animals, such as social insects, where individuals cooperate to provide nutrition for others. Only recently, however, have studies begun to investigate nutritional homeostasis in this more complex, group-level, context. In this talk we demonstrate how nutritional geometry has been applied to investigate nutrition in social insects. Being a social insect adds a first level of complexity to nutritional regulatory strategies. Contrary to other animals, the food entering a social insect colony is assessed and collected by only a small number of workers. These foragers need to adjust their harvesting strategy to the internal demands for nutrients within the nest, where larvae and workers have different needs. So how do foragers reactions to food encountered outside the nest relate to the nutritional demands of the nest as a whole and themselves as individuals? Here, I will show that foraging ants can solve nutritional challenges for the colony by making intricate adjustments to their feeding behaviour and nutrient processing, acting both as a collective mouth and gut.

Silk as Armor and a Web of Adaptation (the Order Embioptera) Janice S. Edgerly, (Keynote speaker) Santa Clara University

[email protected] @JaniceEdgerly Inspired by neotropical bird behaviour, David Snow sculpted an argument for interconnected characteristics in his book “The Web of Adaptation” based on research conducted in Trinidad’s montane rainforest. His concept sought to explain why certain species, such as fruit-eating lekking birds, display a suite of traits such as feeding habits, nesting, life history and social behavior. I also conducted much of my fieldwork in the forest that inspired Snow’s award-winning work. Of late, I realized that embiopteran behaviour could also be understood as a web of adaptation. “Web” is apropos because of their reliance on silk; their morphology, locomotion, adult neoteny and variation in social behaviour correlate with use of silk as armor. Embiopterans are soft-bodied and easily killed; yet they can live exposed on trees even with the threat of heavy downpours and ubiquitous predators. Tightly spun silken tubes dictate that they execute U-turns and run backwards when threatened. Some species have evolved complex maternal behaviours, including substrate vibration communication and elaborate coverings for clustered eggs. This presentation highlights research that seeks to understand the diversity of embiopteran spinning and maternal and social behaviours as related to a variety of habitats throughout their range.

Space for notes

Session 6 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning 6.1 Soil matters: management impacts on natural regulation of root pests of field vegetables. Delabre C.M.C1, Evans K.A1, Gaffney M2, Cooper J3, Griffiths B1 and Hopkins R4 STUDENT PRESENTER 1 Crop and Soil Systems, Scottish Rural College, United Kingdom 2 Horticulture Development Unit, Teagasc, Republic of Ireland 3Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, United Kingdom 4Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom [email protected] Agricultural intensification and over-reliance on pesticides has had serious detrimental effects on farmland biodiversity. Agroecology research is attempting to restore healthier agroecosystems, capable of delivering a wide range of ecosystem services, including natural regulation of crop pests by their natural enemies. This study explores the impacts of agronomic practices on the cabbage root fly Delia radicum, whose larvae cause serious damage to brassica crops. Two experimental long term rotations comparing organic and conventional practices were monitored over two seasons for fly eggs and pupae as well as their natural enemies. Organic practices had an overall positive impact, reducing fly eggs and pupae numbers compared to pesticides treated plots, as well as increasing activity density of their potential predators. Pitfall traps were also shown to be inadequate for root pest predators sampling. Further soil based experimentations did not reveal any differences in pathogens or bottom up control between contrasting soil managements. In line with current research, chemically based management was shown here to have a detrimental effect on pest antagonist communities. Under the right management, soil can help foster functional biodiversity to help deliver ecosystem services such as pest regulation. Rebuilding sustainable and resilient agroecosystems should also involve soil husbandry.

6.2 Pollinator forage in the Fens: A prickly problem Hilary Conlan & Thomas Ings STUDENT PRESENTER Anglia Ruskin University [email protected] In the East Anglian fenland, intensively farmed fenland requires a lattice work of drains to manage water levels. Although the banks and tops of drains are currently managed for cost effective bank stability, they represent a large untapped land area with potential for supporting pollinator communities.

This study examines the relationship between key pollinators (bumblebees and hoverflies), availability of forage from wild plants and the provision of a pollination service in the drain habitats. Network analysis from hand trapping data highlighted the importance of creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense: an agricultural notifiable weed) as a major forage source for pollinators. Whereas analysis of pollen grains from the insects bodies suggests a greater diversity in the potential pollination service.

With farmers actively eradicating Cirsium arvense, there is the need to enhance the availability of forage sources within the intensively farmed land, and in particular on “arable factory farms” with frequently mown drain banks. There is the potential to enhance forage availability for bees with “farmer friendly” plant species that can withstand the current land management and so provide connectivity between widely separated forage areas in agri-environmental schemes or conservation land.

6.3 Multiple insect-related ecosystems services derived from field margins in sub-Saharan Africa Sarah E J Arnold1, Philemon Elisante2, Prisila Mkenda2, Yolice Tembo3, Steven R Belmain1, Patrick Ndakidemi2, Geoff M Gurr4, Philip C Stevenson1,5 1Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich 2Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, Tanzania 3Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malawi 4Charles Sturt University, Australia 5Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew [email protected] @sejarnold Beneficial insects play a key role in improving crop yields in developing countries and addressing the challenges of ensuring global food security. However, evaluations of agri-environmental interventions to increase pollinator and natural enemy populations on crop lands generally focus on temperate systems in high-income countries. We evaluated ecosystems services provided by field margins in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cropping systems in Tanzania and Malawi. We surveyed beneficial insect populations and activity, built flower visitation networks and mapped natural enemy interactions with different field margin plant species. Field margins varied in size and plant species composition, but supported a diversity of pollinators (honeybees, carpenter bees, other bee and hoverfly species) and potential natural enemies (wasps, predatory flies, parasitoids) of benefit to the crop. Furthermore, several of the field margin species most strongly associated with beneficial insects have known or suspected pesticidal properties and so can be used by farmers for sustainable pest management. Ongoing experiments are investigating the yield benefits derived from wild pollinators and natural pest controllers. Consequently, field margin management can play a key role in supporting sustainable agricultural intensification in Africa via promotion of beneficial insect populations.

6.4 Predators, pests and protected species: Behavioural interactions between carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and the EU-protected Kerry slug Geomalacus maculosus (Gastropoda) Aidan O’Hanlon, Michael J. Gormally STUDENT PRESENTER Applied Ecology Unit, Centre for Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland [email protected] @MusingMollusc Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) are significant predators of terrestrial slugs and are commonly implemented in biocontrol of pestiferous and invasive species. The Kerry slug Geomalacus maculosus is an EU-protected gastropod, the global distribution of which is restricted to the West of Ireland and North-Western Iberia. Despite the conservation importance of Irish G. maculosus populations, very little is known about the fundamental ecology of this species, including its natural predators. We investigated predator-prey interactions between G. maculosus and two polyphagous carabid beetles (Pterostichus niger and Carabus granulatus). Choice and no-choice feeding trials were conducted with G. maculosus and two other slug species (Deroceras reticulatum and Lehmannia marginata) to examine carabid prey preferences, and to estimate the potential profitability of each slug species. Predation on slugs appears to be size- dependent, with the relatively small pestiferous D. reticulatum being killed most often in no-choice trials. Beetles gained significantly more weight from killing the relatively larger G. maculosus, however, suggesting that this protected species is more profitable to generalist carabids. Additionally, study plots were established in the field to examine the activity-density of carabid beetle and gastropod communities to better understand the dynamics of carabid predation in habitats managed for G. maculosus conservation.

6.5 The Impact of Cultivation on Soil Arthropods and Associated Functions Francisca Sconce, Tim Ashton, Simon Jeffery, Simon Leather STUDENT PRESENTER Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB, UK [email protected] @FranciscaSconce Arthropods account for over 75% of soil fauna and the diversity of such communities is linked to ecosystem function and resilience. In agro-ecosystems, where there are trade-offs between provisioning and regulating services, agricultural techniques such as cultivation (tillage) can affect the abundance and diversity of soil fauna, which may be beneficial for the growth of crop plants.

A tillage experiment was set up in September 2016 at Soulton Hall (North Shropshire, UK) of six plots in a completely randomised design. Three plots were tilled and three un-tilled, then all were direct drilled with ‘Crusoe’ winter wheat in October 2016. Soil mesofauna were sampled with soil cores and Berlese-Tullgren funnel extraction, before tillage, in November 2016 and in May 2017. Mesofauna were morphologically identified to taxonomic Order and Collembola identified to species.

Mesofauna total abundance, Order diversity, Collembola abundance and species diversity in November 2016 were significantly lower in tilled than un-tilled plots. Further analysis including May 2017 samples and environmental data will be used to propose mechanisms of the effect of tillage on soil arthropods.

6.6 Dragonflies, wetlands and people John P. Simaika (Invited speaker Marsh Early Career Entomologist Award) IHE Delft Institute for Water Education [email protected] East Africa’s lakes provide food and material for millions of people. These systems are also highly species diverse, being home to globally rare and threatened species. Yet, these wetlands are being used unsustainably, threatening the very existence of many species. An effort to raise the awareness of locals of the condition wetlands are in, through citizen science, needs to be made. Dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata), known collectively as ‘dragonflies’, are frequently identified as bioindicators, and are considered ideal candidates for medium to long-term monitoring. For example, dragonflies have been used as indicators of wetland quality, shallow lake restoration, and climate change in lakes and ponds. The use of adult dragonflies as indicators of wetland ecological integrity may also prove fruitful for lakes of East Africa, and simpler than using other taxa. Large, colorful and taxonomically well-known, dragonflies are easily detected and identified in the field. Given these characteristics, the taxon can not only be used for rapid biomonitoring by professionals, but also for citizen science to raise awareness of wetland condition. This makes dragonflies true ambassadors of wetland health.

Session 7 Social insects 7.1 A spatial blueprint for social insect nests Thomas Owen Richardson (Invited speaker), Nathalie Stroeymeyt, Alessandro Crespi, Laurent Keller Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne [email protected] The insect societies -- colonies of ants, bees, wasps and termites -- represent one of the peaks of social evolution. They form extended-family units numbering from a few tens to a few tens of millions, which are differentiated into functional modules termed `castes'. The efficiency gains derived from dividing labour between specialist castes, have led the insect societies to become the dominant form of life in most terrestrial ecosystems.

Consequently, the number of castes that exist within social insect colonies has long been of great interest. However, an enduring challenge remains in defining where one caste ends and another begins. We present a novel method for identifying behavioural castes. This method has several advantages over previous approaches. First, by using a `soft' classification scheme in which castes may overlap, our method avoids problems associated with borderline individuals that would lie one the boundaries of `hard' caste partitions. Second, rather than requiring the time-costly collection of individual work histories or social interaction records, the method requires only the collection of individual spatial trajectories, which is today relatively trivial.

7.2 Sex-linked cheating in costly cooperative antipredator defence in social pine sawfly Carita Lindstedt-Kareksela Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä [email protected] @LindstedtCarita The evolution of costly cooperative behaviour remains one of the great evolutionary puzzles. One of the key challenges is to determine the extent to which individuals vary in their contribution to a cooperative act, and whether this variation simply reflects their ability to sustain the associated costs, or is an act of cheating. Furthermore, for many organisms, the costs and benefits of cooperation are likely to vary with changes in ecological and social conditions. We investigated these aspects with haplodiploid social Diprion pini pine sawfly larvae that perform costly cooperative chemical defence. The benefit of this system is that there is natural variation in the benefits and costs of cooperation, and in the relatedness among cooperating individuals. We can also manipulate these parameters experimentally. We tested the investment to cooperative defense and its correlated fitness effects under various conditions by manipulating diet and social environment. In asexually produced all-male clutches male larvae allocated more to defensive behaviour. However, in sexually produced clutches, female larvae were always more likely to defend and produce higher quantities of defence fluid than male larvae, indicating potentially parasitic relationships between brothers and sisters in cooperative defence in kin-groups. Nevertheless, in non-kin groups also females contributed less on the cooperative defence. Altogether these results suggest that cost:benefit-ratio to cooperate varies depending on the ecological and social conditions and maintains variation in the frequency of defensive cheaters in the wild.

7.3 Investigating the genetic basis of worker reproduction in the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. David Prince, Timothy Huggins, Anders Wirén, Irina Mohorianu, Tamas Dalmay, Andrew Bourke School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ [email protected] @davidprince84 Workers within eusocial insect colonies rarely reproduce in the presence of the queen. While the ultimate reasons for the loss or retention of worker reproduction can be explained in terms of inclusive fitness theory, their molecular basis is less well understood. The bumble bee Bombus terrestris is an excellent system in which to investigate the genes involved in worker reproduction in eusocial insects. B. terrestris has an intermediate level of eusociality where workers retain a relatively high degree of reproductive ability while generally refraining from egg-laying until the end of the colony cycle. We profiled genes differentially expressed in brain, fat body and ovary tissue in ovary-active versus ovary-inactive B. terrestris workers using RNA-seq. We found few differences in genes expressed in the brain, many differentially expressed genes in the ovary, and an intermediate number of genes differential expressed in the fat body. Comparisons with studies conducted in the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera identified few similarities in genes and gene networks associated with worker reproduction. Our results will help elucidate the molecular basis of eusocial evolution and enhance our understanding of the reproductive biology of bees.

7.4 Deformed wing virus transmission in Apis mellifera and potential spill over to non-Apis species Emma L. Bradford, Ewan M. Campbell, Alan S. Bowman STUDENT PRESENTER School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ [email protected] In recent years the health status of the European Honeybee (Apis mellifera) has been under threat. These health threats can be linked to the spread of the invasive parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the increased damage associated with Deformed wing virus (DWV) infection. DWV has developed a transmission pathway via V. destructor mites. In the absence of mites, DWV infected bees are largely asymptomatic, but when vectored by mites DWV becomes a devastating overt infection with clinical symptoms. While the classical routes of DWV transmission in A. mellifera are well understood, this new Varroa-vectored pathway is still being understood. Non-Apis species, which are not affected by Varroa, have also been found to carry DWV. Using a newly developed qPCR assay for absolute viral quantification and an off-host culturing system for V. destructor we have investigated this DWV vector transmission route for A. mellifera infection. DWV infections in non-Apis insect species have also been investigated. Understanding Varroa vectored transmission is important to understanding the challenges that DWV infection poses to A. mellifera health, while investigating DWV infection in non-Apis species allows the potential spill over effects of this virus to be investigated.

7.5 Can solitary bee larvae regulate their macronutrient intake? Alex Austin, James Gilbert, STUDENT PRESENTER School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Rd, Hull HU6 7RX [email protected] Modern intensive farming means that bees face fractured landscapes where diverse floral resources often exist as oases within green deserts. Solitary bees face a particular problem: adults provide all larval nutrition before eggs are even laid - giving no opportunity for nutritional feedback. Therefore, understanding how parental and larval behaviour combine to ensure a balanced diet for solitary bee larvae is of paramount importance. Using Nutritional Geometry (a method for establishing an animal’s nutrient regulatory capacity), we investigated the effect of manipulating larval nutrition (i.e. protein:carbohydrate ratio) in the solitary bee Osmia bicornis. Surprisingly, and contrary to most studies, we found no evidence of nutritional regulation by O. bicornis larvae, suggesting an inability to adjust consumption to account for different macronutrient ratios in available food. This lack of regulatory capacity by O. bicornis larvae may reflect their confined nest environment, or their distant evolutionary ancestry as parasitoid grubs. Bee larvae therefore appear to rely on “mother knowing best”: that is, they achieve a balanced diet only insofar as parents can regulate nutrition in provisioned pollen. This is now a critically important question to address: if parents cannot regulate pollen nutrition, human-induced landscape change may represent a “nutritional trap” for bees. Space for notes

Session 8 General Entomology 8.1 Micro-•CT Scanning of Liadopsylla hesperia (Hemiptera:Psylloidea) and Phylogeny of Liadopsylla Reveals the Emergence of True Psylloidea Esme Ashe-•Jepsona,b, David Ouvrardb STUDENT PRESENTER aUniversity College London, Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. bDepartment of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7,5BD, UK [email protected] @ esme_ashe Fossils provide an insight into responses to ecological change and the evolution of traits through time, such as the radiation and character evolution of phytophagous insects during the angiosperm radiation. The description of fossil taxa is limited by the quality of the specimens. This study uses micro-•CT scanning to describe the morphology of a poorly preserved amber-•entombed specimen, Liadopsylla hesperia, the last known proto-•psyllid. This found morphology more similar to true Psylloidea than to members of the genus Liadopsylla;; particularly the derived metathoracic coxae. This description was used in the first cladistic analyses of Liadopsylla. The phylogeny placed L. hesperia within Liadopsylla, suggesting that Liadopsylla may be a stem group to all true Psylloidea. This study found morphological evidence that L. hesperia may be the earliest true Psylloidea;; however there is currently not enough information to revise its classification. This study found evidence of the emergence of true Psylloidea in the Turonian, 40 million years earlier than previously predicted. This study provides evidence of historic changes in flora having a faster impact on psyllid fauna than expected, and rapid character evolution during dramatic plant change.

8.2 Establishment of a novel in vitro feeding system for the honeybee mite, Varroa Destructor Craig R. Christie1, Emma L. Bradford1, Giles E. Budge2, Ewan M. Campbell1, Alan S. Bowman1 STUDENT PRESENTER 1 Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen 2 Fera Science Ltd. (fera). [email protected] Varroa destructor is an ectoparasite vector for viral pathogens of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera), most notably Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). A novel feeding assay was developed for Varroa using an artificial feeding packet and diet. To extend Varroa survival, honeybee haemolymph was incorporated into the artificial diet at 25% (v/v). Through several diet iterations, Varroa survival was significantly improved to >50% survival after 10 days. This protocol was employed to evaluate the efficacy of the pesticide, Ivermectin, demonstrating the assay’s use as a screening platform for potential varroacides. By substituting honeybee haemolymph in the diet with virus-free Schistocerca gregaria haemolymph, DWV transmission was examined. Diet packets fed upon by Varroa contained detectable DWV. This study developed an artificial feeding system capable of maintaining adult Varroa equally well as their natural hosts, developing honeybee brood. The system can be employed as a tightly controlled, standardised platform for varroacide testing and pathogen transmission studies.

8.3 Ammonia and water hardness tolerance in larval stages of Anopheles gambiae s.l.: Prospects for improved mass-rearing techniques for vector control. Nwamaka Akpodiete and Frederic Tripet STUDENT PRESENTER Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, School of Life Sciences, Keele University [email protected] @NAkpodiete In many malaria endemic countries, insecticide resistance poses a threat to mosquito control measures, underscoring the need for novel approaches. Strategies involving releases of genetically- modified or sterility-inducing males are being developed for Anophelines. These programmes rely on mass rearing of mosquitoes whose typical larval breeding site consist of clean, soft water. Currently, toxic ammonia build-up and food wastes limits larval density and adult emergence from rearing trays making improvement in water management imperative. First instar larvae of the African malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and gambiae were reared in three degrees of water hardness. Further bioassays were conducted exposing first instar larvae to 6 concentrations of ammonia. Two feeding regimes, solution and powder feeds, were employed for both assays. Mortality across the lifecycle stages increased with increasing ammonia concentrations. Larval survival was significantly higher in experimental groups treated with solution feed regime and hard water. Larval mortality being directly proportional to ammonia concentration in this study, corroborates existing literature on the effects of ammonia to aquatic life. A threshold of ammonia and water hardness tolerance of the sibling species An. gambiae and coluzzii was established. Future work should focus on ammonia reduction and establishing a genetic basis for the observed phenotypes.

8.4 A Tale of Sixty Trees - Defoliation of bird cherry trees in early life has long term effects Simon R Leather Crop & Environment Sciences, Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Newport TF10 8NB [email protected] @EntoProf There is evidence to suggest that early season defoliation of Bird cherry (Prunus padus) trees influences subsequent colonisation by its two specialist herbivore, the bird cherry aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi and the bird cherry ermine moth, Yponomeuta evonymellus (Leather, 1985, 1993). These original experiments were however done using potted trees and only ran for five years. Here I describe a large-scale field trial to test the long-term effects of early-life defoliation on subsequent insect colonisation and tree growth. Trees were either undefoliated, 50% defoliated or 100% defoliated one year after planting; the defoliation treatments were to mimic the effects of aphid damage and ermine moth damage respectively. Trees that were completely defoliated were still showing the effects in terms of aphid colonisation ten years later but no significant differences between treatment in terms of phenology. Trees that had been severely defoliated were however more susceptible to deer grazing.

I also tell a cautionary tale about the problems of inadequate deer fencing, lack of funding and over- ambitious plans.

Leather, S.R. (1993) Early season defoliation of bird cherry influences autumn colonization by the bird cherry aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi. Oikos, 66, 43-47.

Leather, S.R. (1995) Medium term effects of early season defoliation on the colonisation of bird cherry (Prunus padus L.). European Journal of Entomology, 92, 623-631.

8.5 Catching flies with honey(dew): Determination of sugar-rich dietary components of marsh flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), potential biocontrol agents of pestiferous molluscs Allison Bistline-East, John G. J. Carey, Andrew Colton, David Naughton, and Michael J. Gormally STUDENT PRESENTER Applied Ecology Unit, Centre for Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland [email protected] @ABEentomology Marsh flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) are a diverse family which provide valuable ecosystem services, including species which provide biological control of molluscs which are agricultural pests and vectors of animal and human parasitic diseases (fascioliasis, schistosomiasis). Despite extensive amounts of research done on this family, most has centred on larval diet and behaviour and little is known about the natural dietary components of adult marsh flies aside from anecdotal evidence.

In this study, adult flies were provided five food choices in cafeteria-style food choice trials: crushed snail, slug, glucose solution, honey-yeast mixture, and water. All species displayed significant differences in food selection and a preference for glucose or honey-yeast, suggesting marsh flies may naturally maintain a carbohydrate-rich diet. A further study exposed Ilione lineata and Tetanocera elata to a choice of aphid-produced honeydew (dry and in solution) or water. Both I. lineata and T. elata fed on honeydew (dry + in solution) significantly more frequently than water. This novel insight into adult utilisation of honeydew as a dietary resource suggests a potential community interaction between Sciomyzidae and Hemiptera, and could have implications for marsh fly research, including improving laboratory rearing and retention of released populations, which could increase pest control efficacy.

Space for notes

Thursday 14 September: Morning

How can molecular ecology help us improve monitoring insect pests of agricultural importance? Ramiro Morales-Hojas (Keynote speaker) Insect Survey, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, AL5 2JQ, UK [email protected] @RamiroHojas Ongoing environmental change is predicted to have a strong impact on biodiversity. Studies have already noted a range shift in many species as they track their favoured environments. A key challenge entomologists are facing is to understand how insect pest species are responding to this rapid environmental change, and molecular ecology has a central role to play in this task. In this talk I will examine how the combination of phylogeography and species distribution modelling can be a powerful approach to understanding species responses to climate change and to forecasting future distributions. I will also introduce the Rothamsted Insect Survey sample archive and how it it plays a central role in the studies of pest species of agricultural importance. Lastly, I assess how the advances in DNA sequencing technologies provide us with the opportunity of studying a variety of questions about the dynamics of pest insects that were previously impossible as well as unmanageable.

Decision-making and motor control in the praying mantis: To attack or not to attack. Yoshifumi Yamawaki (Keynote speaker) Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

[email protected] On encountering a potential prey, predatory insects must decide to catch it or not, depending on factors concerning the prey stimuli and their internal state. Predatory insects are not only predators of other insects, but are also prey to several vertebrate predators, such as birds and lizards. This requires specific decision-making by predatory insects: to attack or to defend. In this presentation, I shall introduce studies of the decision-making processes and the corresponding motor control in the praying mantis. In the mantis Tenodera aridifolia, young nymphs defend against and escape from the lizard, but older nymphs and adults occasionally strike the lizard without showing any defensive responses, suggesting reciprocal predation. Interestingly, a looming stimulus (simulating an approaching object) usually elicits defensive behaviours, but occasionally elicits strikes in T. aridifolia, suggesting that the internal state of the mantis affects the decision to attack or to defend. The mantis captures prey with rapid foreleg movements called a strike. The strike movement is adjusted according to the prey position and can be interrupted at an early phase. Motion analysis combined with electromyograms suggest that the fast type of motor neurons play an important role in controlling the strike trajectory.

How did the butterfly get its colours? The evolution and genetics of colour and pattern in Heliconius butterflies Nicola Nadeau (Keynote speaker) Dept. of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK [email protected] @NicolaNadeau The wing patterns of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are striking examples of evolutionary diversification by natural selection. Heliconius butterfly wing patterns act as warnings to predators and mediate interactions with other species within the ecological network; not only predators, but other Heliconius species, which converge on the same wing patterns and share a mutual benefit of increased protection from predators. The gene networks controlling these patterns also play an import role in their evolution. The same set of major effect genes control variation in colour pattern across the Heliconius butterflies, which may have contributed to the close mimetic similarities. Recently we identified one of these genes as the cell cycle regulator, cortex, which is also responsible for colouration differences in the peppered moth, suggesting that some of these genes act as evolutionary switches across the Lepidoptera. We are now investigating a different aspect of colour variation, iridescent structural colour. This segregates as continuous variation in crosses and across a natural hybrid zone and preliminary results suggest it is controlled by at least 4 major effect loci. We are interested in how the different genetic architecture of this trait influences the way selection acts on it and its convergence between species.

Space for notes

Session 9 Important Invertebrate Areas- a tool to conserve the UK’s invertebrates 9.1 An Introduction to Important Invertebrate Areas- a tool to conserve the UK’s invertebrates Jamie Robins Buglife, Peterborough, PE2 5UU

The ambitious Important Invertebrate Areas (IIA) project aims to identify the key sites around the UK for our most scarce and threatened invertebrates, aiming to inspire, inform and deliver real change on the ground for our most scarce and threatened invertebrates. IIAs are nationally and internationally significant places, for the conservation of invertebrates and the habitats upon which they rely. They will be a vital tool for the conservation of our most threatened species and the maintenance of sustainable populations of declining species, identifying a network of sites to direct and the future focus of invertebrate conservation and initiatives. The UK’s first IIA map will provide easily accessible online information on the locations of, and threats to, the best invertebrate populations and their habitats, to ensure that specialists, conservation practitioners, decision makers and other stakeholders have accurate, sound data on which to prioritise local, national and international conservation projects. A summary of how the map was produced, the current distribution of IIAs and its potential to further invertebrate conservation will be presented.

9.2 Developing the Important Invertebrate Areas: A Technical Overview Tom L. Thomson Buglife, Plymouth, PL1 2AN Development of the Important Invertebrates Areas (IIA) network has presented many technical challenges and opportunities. In many cases this has meant creating a set of logical, repeatable and scientifically justifiable methods specifically tailored to identifying the areas of greatest importance for the conservation of invertebrates across England, Scotland and Wales. We have used a range of open source statistical science platforms and data handling software to create a comprehensive database, linked GIS system and crucially a scientific template of how this type of project could be developed for any country with similar ambitions.

The selection of IIAs themselves has been a fully data led approach based on a synthesis of historic and contemporary records from over eighty data providers, these ranged from individual recorders to national governmental, statutory bodies and international NGO’s. From single record cards to large spatial datasets, this data has underpinned the decision making process of IIA selection, based on best knowledge and recent, representative data, supported by regional and national expertise to give context to the results.

9.3 Using Important Invertebrate Areas to conserve bumblebees Richard Comont, Kate Ashbrook Bumblebee Conservation Trust, University of Worcester Address for correspondence: BBCT, Beta Centre, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling, FK9 4NF

Most bumblebee populations in the UK have suffered from significant declines due to widespread loss of wildflower-rich habitats and changing agricultural practices, including the extinction of two species. Several species remain in trouble and with their modern range significantly reduced,, including the Great yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) and Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) which are now only found in low numbers on a few sites. A major part of the rationale behind Important Invertebrate Areas (IIAs) is to help areas remain important for invertebrates by aiding their conservation. Here, we examine how the network can be used to improve conservation efforts focused on bumblebees in Britain.

9.4 Looking closer at Important Invertebrate Areas- fine-scale mapping Jamie Robins Buglife, Peterborough, PE2 5UU

For Important Invertebrate Areas to effect real change on the ground, it is essential that they use local expertise and fine data to identify key sites for threatened species and valuable assemblages. Fine-scale mapping of IIAs will allow stakeholders to better direct conservation efforts to protect threatened species on the most important sites. Fine-scale mapping will also enable landscape scale conservation effort for invertebrates to better take into account the distribution of all key habitat areas and enable a strategic approach to their management and protection. The approach taken to fine-scale mapping will be detailed and their potential for use discussed.

9.5 How might we use Important Invertebrate Areas? Examples from the Cairngorms National Park Hayley Wiswell Cairngorms National Park Authority, Grantown on Spey, Highland, PH26 3HG

The Cairngorms support a nationally important variety of habitats of significant size, scale and quality, allowing it to support an exceptionally rich invertebrate fauna. The Cairngorms National Park is home to 25% of the UK’s rarest species and is the last stronghold for many species which are declining elsewhere in the UK, so it’s not surprising that it features highly in the Important Invertebrate Areas project. Understanding where these rare species are, and the areas that are crucial for their survival, is essential if we are to conserve them and allow them to thrive. A tool that highlights key sites for invertebrates, either individual species or whole assemblages, would be extremely valuable when developing strategies between project partners in order to guide conservation work on the ground. The Important Invertebrate Areas could also be used by consultants to indicate when specialist surveys are required and where invertebrates need to be given higher priority within Ecological Impact Assessment.

9.6 The value of identification and key resources of Important Invertebrate Areas David Heaver Specialist Services & Programmes, Natural England, Worcester, WR5 2NP

With Natural England’s conservation strategy for the 21st century, Conservation 21, looking towards landscape scale work, the identification of those landscapes important for invertebrates ensures that this group is not overlooked. However, beyond area identification there is a critical need to understand the finer scale ecological resources and habitats supporting the fauna so that local actions are appropriately informed. Pantheon, the analytical tool developed by Natural England and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, can play a crucial role in assisting invertebrate conservation in England. By running taxon group samples at the finer landscape scale through the Pantheon database, it will pull out the significant ecological resources upon which the taxa are dependent, giving detail upon which land managers and others can found decisions. Session 10 Molecular Ecology 10.1 Sex-biased genes and rapid adaptation Nathan W Bailey (Invited speaker), Sonia Pascoal, Ramon Fallon, Yongxiang Fang, Xuan Liu, Steve Paterson, Jack G Rayner, Michael G Ritchie, Nichola Rockliffe, Marlene Zuk School of Biology, Dyers Brae House, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, [email protected] Abstract: Sex differences are a dominant source of intraspecific variation in sexual species, and sex- biased genes represent a correspondingly large portion of the genome. They tend to show enhanced rates of evolution, but it can be challenging to distinguish what processes are responsible, such as sexual selection, sexual conflict, or natural selection. Much empirical work using insects has focused on the first two. In this talk, I explore the idea that sex-biased genes represent a large target for rapid adaptive evolution in response to ecological pressures. I will present work on the genomics of a rapidly evolving phenotype that feminises wings of male crickets in Hawaii, extinguishing their ability to produce acoustic sexual signals. This system allows a critical test of questions about the co- regulation of sexually dimorphic traits, tissue- and stage-specificity of sex-biased gene expression, and environmental flexibility of sex-biased pathways. I will draw upon parallels in other insect systems and discuss conditions under which sex-biased gene expression presents a broad target for ecological selection and rapid adaptation.

10.2 Molecular approaches in identification, diversity and management of important insect vectors, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera) and Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera) K. B. Rebijith1,2&3 (Invited speaker Wallace Award), R. Asokan1 and V. Krishna3 1ICAR- Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, India; 2Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; 3 Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Kuvempu University, Shimoga, India [email protected] One of the main constraints in the successful production of vegetables in the tropics and sub-tropics is the insect transmitted viral diseases. Sucking pests such as thrips and aphids are serious problems on a number of crops. Besides being direct pests, thrips and aphids transmit tospoviruses and potyviruses respectively, which cause significant crop loss globally. As the population explosion demands a substantial increase in food production, which can be attained only through the application of the modern biotechnology tools for the identification and management of insect pests of agricultural crops.

The first part of the investigation generated DNA barcodes for several species and the analyses revealed the prevalence of cryptic species in thrips and aphids. Additionally, the species-specific markers developed in this study could successfully identify T. palmi and A. gossypii independent of life stages and sex. The vector status of T. palmi for Watermelon Bud Necrosis Tospovirus (WBNV) was not proved till date through transmission studies. The current study unequivocally proved the vector status and only adults, which acquired the WBNV during early larval stages, could successfully transmit the virus. The maximum transmission rate was observed after six days of inoculation and also proved the relative rate of WBNV multiplication inside the host tissue. These results will in turn help in further elucidation of the epidemiology of viruses, their management and serve as a potentially valuable tool in quarantine.

RNA interference, a sequence-specific gene silencing mechanism, has been harnessed as a useful tool in devising novel insect pest management strategies for various pests. We cloned, sequenced and synthesized double stranded RNA (dsRNA) for Juvenile Hormone Binding Protein (JHBP), vacuolar ATPase-H (V-ATPase-H) and Odorant Binding proteins (OBPs) from A. gossypii. Bioassay results showed the effectiveness of diet mediated delivery of dsRNA for JHBP and V-ATPase-H, which silenced the above genes in turn, resulted in mortality. Interestingly, silencing of JHBP revealed the possibility of systemic spread of RNAi in A. gossypii. Whereas, partial knock down of the mRNA transcripts for AgOBP2 has clearly affected antennal response to physiologically relevant compounds. Thus, in aphids AgOBP2 play crucial roles in host seeking and detection of oviposition attractants. Based on our results we suggest that JHBP, V-ATPase-H and OBP2 could potentially serve as practicable targets for RNAi-mediated gene silencing in hemipteran insect pest control.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression either by mRNA cleavage or by translational repression thus play an important role in growth and development. It is difficult to experimentally identify miRNAs and characterize their spatiotemporal expression in insects. However, we identified, characterized and validated miRNAs from both T. palmi and A. gossypii. The expression profiling of microRNAs employing real-time PCR revealed life stage specific functions such as metamorphosis as well as functions associated with growth and development. The microRNAs identified from this study not only provide an in depth understanding of the biological and physiological mechanisms that govern gene expression but could also emerge as an invaluable tool (either synthetic or artificial miRNAs) in futuristic pest management.

10.3 Hybridisation in UK mosquitoes: A bridge for disease transmission? Strode, C.,¹ Provan, J.² Beatty, G.,² Fernández-Martínez, L.,¹ and Dallimore, T.¹ ¹ Department of Biology, Edge Hill University, England. ² IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Wales. [email protected] A effective system of screening for potential hybridisation events in mosquitoes is important as such events have been known to lead to changes in feeding behaviour and to act as transmission route for zoonotic diseases. Hybridisation events have been recorded for Culex mosquitoes but little is known as to whether it also occurs in other mosquitoes which have the potential to act as vectors of arboviruses. Initial screening methods highlighted British mosquitoes with the highest probability of hybridisation. This was then used to prioritise investigations into members of the Culiseta group (Culiseta morsitans, Cs. fumipennis and Cs. litorea). Cs. morsitans has been identified as a species with significant vector potential for pathogens of public health importance. The potential hybridisation of Cs. morsitans and Cs. litorea could also introduce arboviruses into new regions.

An inexpensive PCR based method has been developed using an ISSR cloning approach to screen for hybrids of Culiseta specimens collected extensively from around the UK. The latest findings of the study and their significance will be presented and discussed.

10.4 The post-reintroduction population genetics of the Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) Michelle Davis, Ian Powell, Keith Porter & Paul Ashton STUDENT PRESENTER Department of Biology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP [email protected] The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) has undergone declines throughout Britain, these were first noted in the 1960s and continue to the present day. In Cumbria a significant fall in numbers were recorded in the 1980s. By 2004, there was a single population remaining with only one female and six males recorded. One web of 155 larvae was found in the autumn web count and the decision was made to take those larvae into captivity. They were reared and out-crossed to wild-caught Scottish individuals to address concerns of inbreeding depression. In 2007, 42,000 captive bred larvae from this admixture population were released at four specifically prepared sites where they successfully established. In autumn 2016 larvae were sampled at the four reintroduction sites to assess the genetic diversity nine generations after reintroduction. We aimed to assess the genetic composition of the populations in relation to the parental populations and to determine whether additional genetic management might be required to safeguard against future risks of inbreeding depression.

10.5 The role of salivary factors in the Varroa mite–honey bee–deformed wing virus axis: determining their actions and identity. Ewan M. Campbell, Alan S. Bowman Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen [email protected] @thehotbeard Varroa destructor is an ectoparasite mite of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) that feeds on haemolymph of developing brood and transmits numerous pathogenic viruses. The adult female mite feeds on developing bee larvae after cell capping and creates a communal wound site from which all of her subsequent offspring feed. It is hypothesised that bioactive factors in adult Varroa saliva supress the developing bee larvae immune response and prevent melanisation of the wound. Salivary glands from feeding mites were collected by micro-dissection and discrete saliva droplets were collected from Varroa mouthparts by micro-injection of stimulants. Subsequent nano-MS/MS proteomic approaches identified a cohort of putative secreted bioactive factors present in both saliva and salivary gland samples - many of which are homologous to factors found in haematophagous and insectivorous arthropods. In addition, peptides in saliva mapped to honey bee pathogens, including Deformed Wing Virus and Bee Macula Virus. This approach has allowed an in depth analysis of the transmission of DWV and the role of salivary factors in the DWV–Varroa–Honey bee axis.

Space for notes

Thursday 14 September: Afternoon

Nutritional interactions in insect societies Mathieu Lihoreau (Keynote speaker) CNRS I Research Center on Animal Cognition, Center for Integrative Biology, University of Toulouse, France [email protected] What to eat, when and with whom? Insects, like virtually all animals, carefully regulate their intake of key nutrients to reach physiological states maximising growth and reproduction. While this may seem a relatively easy task, nutritional decisions are considerably complicated by social life. At the most basic level, individuals may face a trade-off between choosing foods addressing their own individual needs and following others to maintain group cohesion. In eusocial ants and bees, foragers must integrate their own nutritional needs as well as those of all other colony members, including the non-foraging workers (that primarily require carbohydrates for energy), the larvae and the queen (that require substantially more protein for growth and reproduction) to collect foods addressing a colony-level nutritional target. Whether and indeed how these complex collective regulatory dynamics are observed in socially simpler insect groups is virtually unexplored. Here I will present models and experiments showing how insects with different levels of social complexity solve these problems and how this affects their development, cognitive abilities, immune function, foraging behaviour, social interactions and division of labour. Based on these results I will discuss new hypotheses about the role of nutrition in social evolution.

Merging DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis to understand and build resilient terrestrial ecosystems Darren Evans (Keynote speaker / Convenor) School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University [email protected] @DarrenMarkEvans Significant advances in both mathematical and molecular approaches in ecology offer unprecedented opportunities to describe and understand ecosystem functioning. Ecological networks describe interactions between species, the underlying structure of communities and the function and stability of ecosystems. They provide the ability to assess the robustness of complex ecological communities to species loss. However, empirically quantifying the interactions between entire communities remains a significant challenge. Concomitantly, advances in DNA sequencing technologies are resolving previously intractable questions in ecology and provide enormous potential to determine hitherto difficult to observe species-interactions. Combining DNA metabarcoding approaches with ecological network analysis presents important new opportunities for understanding large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes, as well as providing powerful tools for building ecosystems that are resilient to environmental change. I demonstrate a novel ‘nested tagging’ metabarcoding approach for the rapid construction of large, phylogenetically structured species-interaction networks. Taking tree–insect–parasitoid networks as an illustration, I show how measures of network robustness, constructed using DNA metabarcoding, can be used to determine the consequences of tree species loss within forests, and forest habitat loss within wider landscapes. By determining which species and habitats are important to network integrity, I propose new directions for ecosystem management. Posters

1. Analysis of dynamic networks of ant nests Dominic DR Burns, Dr Catherine L Parr, Carl Hawke, Dr Daniel W Franks, Dr Elva JH Robinson STUDENT PRESENTER Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom [email protected] @DomBurnsBurns In most ant species a single colony inhabits a single nest. However, some species demonstrate a trait called polydomy, whereby a single colony inhabits multiple nests with resources being shared between those nests. Formica lugubris is a polydomous species of wood ant that farms aphids for sugary excretions derived from tree sap for their primary food source. By recording the locations of nests in a colony, trees the ants are feeding on, trails of exchange between nests and foraging trails researchers have previously used techniques from network analysis to investigate the way that polydomous wood ant nest networks function and the way that they are structured. However, previous work has focused mostly on the static structure of the networks, yet nest networks are dynamic. Consequently, little is understood about how nest networks change over time, the factors important in influencing change and how they adapt to change. In this project I am using a variety of network methods to investigate dynamicity in polydomous nest networks. Initially I am designing mathematical models and performing statistical analyses of nest networks to produce hypotheses about the way that polydomous nest networks function. I am then using these hypotheses to inform experimental work.

2. How does individual personality modulate colony level personality? A study in Myrmica rubra. Eleanor Drinkwater, Dr A Jamie Wood, Dr Elva JH Robinson STUDENT PRESENTER Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom [email protected] @E_Drinkwater In eusocial insects, a range of different personality phenotypes have been noted at both the individual and colony level. However, despite the hypothesised importance of colony level personality, the link between individual and group level personality is not yet fully understood. A major difficulty in the investigation of this link is that removing individuals to study the effects of different personality types changes not only the personality profile of the colony, but also the size and composition of the colony. In this study on Myrmica rubra, we take a novel approach to the problem of modulating the influence of different individual personalities without altering colony structure. Using a combination of unique RFID tags attached to ants assayed for individual personality, and a sliding colony entrance door controlled by a RFID reader we are able to alter which individuals can leave the colony to respond to different stimuli, without changing the colony size or composition. We hope that this approach will provide new insights into the link between individual and colony level personality.

3. Making sense of evolution: Flies differentially investment in vision and olfaction according to their lifestyle Thomas Carle & Candy Rowe Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK [email protected] Animals have evolved sensory systems adapted to their particular ecology and lifestyle. The degree to which animals rely on information from different senses is reflected by the neural investment in sensory systems, which reflects an animal’s ability within that sensory modality. However, since neural investment is costly, animals will be selected to invest in sensory systems according to the benefits of acquiring information in each of the different modalities. Although visual information may be particularly important for predatory species because of their need to catch fast-moving prey, the neural investment in the visual system is likely to be diminished in species living in dark or lacking flight. These factors make strong predictions about how animals should invest in visual systems, but how about the consequences for investment in other sensory systems. In this study, we tested how flies differentially invest in vision and olfaction according to their lifestyle. We measured the volumes of primary visual and olfactory systems in the brains of different lines of fruit flies: wild type flies, flies that cannot fly, predatory flies, as well as flies that have been reared in the dark. Our data provide novel insights into how selection acts on multiple sensory systems.

4. Scare to deter: predator psychology and the evolution of deimatic displays Grace Holmes1, Emeline Delferriere1, Jolyon Troscianko2, Candy Rowe1 & John Skehorn1 STUDENT PRESENTER 1 Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK 2 Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, UK [email protected] Many (often otherwise undefended) prey species perform deimatic displays when attacked by predators. These displays are thought to frighten or startle predators, and often include animals adopting characteristic postures, flashing brightly-coloured body parts and producing loud sounds and pungent odours. There is now good evidence that deimatic displays can cause predators to pause or abandon their attacks. However, despite the recent wealth of high-profile work using prey defences as an important test-bed for evolutionary theory, we know very little about why predators are deterred by these displays, and what factors influence their efficacy. Here we present the results of a series of experiments in which naïve domestic chicks forage for artificial deimatic prey projected onto the floor of an experimental arena. Using this approach, we tested a number of predictions grounded in experimental psychology, in order to establish how both signal design, and signalling environments, influence the efficacy of deimatic displays. We will discuss what the results of these studies tell us about the function of deimatic displays, and how, and under what conditions, deimatic displays evolve.

5. Impacts of simulated climate-warming on wildflowers and pollinating insects Ellen Dorothea Moss, Darren M. Evans STUDENT PRESENTER Newcastle University [email protected] Insect pollinators are economically and ecologically important, so there is great concern over recent declines in both pollinator species, and the wildflowers they feed upon. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these declines, however, very little is known about how whole communities of organisms will be affected, or the impacts on ecosystem services. This project uses a completely open, fully replicated field-experiment employing infra-red heaters to simulate climate-warming, in an arable setting. We simulated increases in temperature of 1.5°C and precipitation of 10% for two growing seasons to investigate the effects on several features of temperate arable agro-ecosystems: (1) floral resources; (2) insect visitation; (3) plant-pollinator interactions; and (4) wildflower seed set. Simulated warming reduced floral abundance by nearly 40% and nectar volumes for two species by over 60%. Simulated warming significantly increased the frequency of visits to flowers. Flower-visitor network complexity was significantly increased under warming, providing the first experimental evidence of plant-pollinator network structure being affected by climate change. Four of the five Wildflower species showed significant reductions in seed number and/or seed weight. These findings demonstrate the potentially adverse impacts that climate change could have on arable wildflowers and the pollinating insects that feed on them.

6. Larvicidal efficacy of essential seed oil of three multipurpose plants against Aedes aegypti Adeleke, M.A1., Awojide, S.H2., Alo, C1 1Public Health Entomology and Parasitology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria 2Department of Chemical Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria [email protected] The evaluation of the larvicidal potency of the plant seeds might lead to the development of safe and environmentally friendly insecticides. The oils of the seeds of Piper nigrum, Piper guineense and Monodora myristica were evaluated for their ability to kill mosquito larvae of Aedes aegypti under laboratory condition. The essential oils of the plants were extracted using steam distillation method. Bioassay of late third larval instar was tested using five concentrations of 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400mg/L of each seed oil extract. A batch of 20 mosquito larvae were tested in three replicates for each concentration along with the respective control of distill water devoid of extracts. The larvicidal effect of the seed oil extracts was dose-dependent for Piper nigrum, Piper guineense and Monodora myristica and killed 81.7 – 88.5% of larvae within 72 hours of exposure. There was no significant difference in the mortalities caused by the three essential oils against A. aegypti (P>0.05). These results suggest that the seed oils of Piper nigrum, Piper guineense and Monodora myristica can be harnessed for the development of bio-larvicide for the control of the mosquito specie studied and the diseases they transmit.

7. Fungi for control of stored products insect pests Sienaa Al- Zurfi1, 2, Dr. Gordon Port1, Dr. Roy Sanderson1 STUDENT PRESENTER 1School of Biology, Newcastle University 2Agriculture College, Karbala University, Karbala Governorate, Iraq [email protected] Pests of stored cereal products can be controlled with pesticides, but there is a risk of residues affecting human health and the pests frequently become resistant. The food industry urgently needs alternative approaches for control of stored product insects and entomopathogenic fungi are one possible control agent. This project aims to investigate the effect of fungi Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Verticillium lecanii, on the insects. The mechanisms of infection, the impact on insect behaviour and the prospects for effective control will be investigated.

8. Effects of temperatures on diapause induction in Eotetranychus smithi (Acari: Tetranychidae) Takano, Yujiro and Tetsuo Gotoh Laboratory of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ibaraki University [email protected] The spider mite, Eotetranychus smithi Pritchard & Baker, exhibits a facultative diapause that occurs at the egg stage. Diapause of E. smithi was induced by low temperatures alone (≤ 17.5°C) and averted by high temperatures (≥ 20°C). Photoperiod had no effect on diapause induction. The diapause eggs became larger and darker (orange) than non-diapause eggs (white to pale yellow). In the present study, we investigated which daily temperature cycles (thermoperiod) that comprise of a warm phase (thermophase, T) and a cool phase (cryophase, C) caused to affect the diapause induction of E. smithi. E. smithi was reared under different combinations of thermoperiod regimes (T/C = 25°C/15°C, 25°C/17.5°C, 22.5°C/15°C and 22.5°C/17.5°C), and lengths of thermoperiods (T:C = 0:24 - 24:0 h/day). All in all, diapause induction of E. smithi was found to be dependent on the length of the thermoperiod and the % diapause decreased with increasing the thermophase in all thermoperiod regimes. Critical thermoperiods (= 50% diapause) ranged from T:C = 6:18 h/day to T:C = 9:15 h/day in each thermoperiod regime. Therefore, we suggested that determination factors on thermoperiodic response in E. smithi are not only lengths of thermoperiod, but also temperature levels of thermoperiod regimes.

9. Development and reproduction of five Tetranychus species (Acari: Tetranychidae): Do they all have the potential to become major pests? Gotoh, Tetsuo1, Daisuke Moriya1 and Gösta Nachman2 1 Laboratory of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ibaraki University 2 Section of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen [email protected] The objective of this study was to investigate whether four spider mite species, Tetranychus ludeni, T. phaselus, T. piercei and T. truncatus, currently with insignificant economic impact, have the potential to achieve the same status as T. urticae, which has been considered as the most serious tetranychid pest in orchards and greenhouses. The effect of temperature on development, survival and oviposition were investigated at 11 constant temperatures ranging from 15 to 40ºC at intervals of 2.5ºC and estimated demographic parameters, such as the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm). The highest rm-values at each temperature were 0.114 day-1 at 15°C for T. ludeni, 0.199 day-1 at 20°C for T. urticae, 0.314 day-1 at 25°C for T. ludeni, 0.451 day-1 at 30°C for T. ludeni and 0.433 day-1 at 35°C for T. truncatus. The total fecundity, net reproductive rate (R0) and rm of T. ludeni were higher than those of T. urticae at all temperatures. Tetranychus piercei and T. truncatus showed higher rm- values at 30 and 35°C than T. urticae. The results indicate that the former three species are better adapted to hot weather than T. urticae and have a high potential to become serious pests.

10. Ammonia and water hardness tolerance in larval stages of Anopheles gambiae s.l.: Prospects for improved mass-rearing techniques for vector control. Nwamaka Akpodiete and Frederic Tripet STUDENT PRESENTER Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, School of Life Sciences, Keele University [email protected] In many malaria endemic countries, insecticide resistance poses a threat to mosquito control measures, underscoring the need for novel approaches. Strategies involving releases of genetically- modified or sterility-inducing males are being developed for Anophelines. These programmes rely on mass rearing of mosquitoes whose typical larval breeding site consist of clean, soft water. Currently, toxic ammonia build-up and food wastes limits larval density and adult emergence from rearing trays making improvement in water management imperative. First instar larvae of the African malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and gambiae were reared in three degrees of water hardness. Further bioassays were conducted exposing first instar larvae to 6 concentrations of ammonia. Two feeding regimes, solution and powder feeds, were employed for both assays. Mortality across the lifecycle stages increased with increasing ammonia concentrations. Larval survival was significantly higher in experimental groups treated with solution feed regime and hard water. Larval mortality being directly proportional to ammonia concentration in this study, corroborates existing literature on the effects of ammonia to aquatic life. A threshold of ammonia and water hardness tolerance of the sibling species An. gambiae and coluzzii was established. Future work should focus on ammonia reduction and establishing a genetic basis for the observed phenotypes.

11. Molecular evidence suggesting the re-examination of the taxonomy of Aproaerema simplexella (Walker) and Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Makhosi Buthelezi Mangosuthu University of Technology, South Africa [email protected] Mitochondrial DNA COI gene analyses linked South African groundnut leaf miner (GLM) to Australian Aproaerema simplexella (Walker) and Indian Aproaerema modicella (Deventer). Thus, the genetic relatedness of GLM, A. simplexela and A. modicella was examined by performing mitochondrial and nuclear (COI, COII, cytb, 28S and EF-1 ALPHA) DNA analyses on 44 specimens collected from South Africa, four from Mozambique, and three each from single locations in India and Australia. In the phylogenetic trees for COI, COII, cytb and EF-1 ALPHA , a similar pattern was observed in the way that the sequences assembled into different groups; i.e. some sequences of A. simplexella from Australia were grouped separately from the others, but some Australian sequences grouped with those of the GLM from South Africa, India and Mozambique. In the phylogenetic tree for 28S, all sequences grouped together. Genetic pairwise distances ranged from 0.97 to 3.60% (COI), 0.19% to 2.32% (COII), 0.25 to 9.77% (cytb) and 0.48 to 6.99% (EF-1 ALPHA). Results of the current study indicate that these populations are genetically related and presumably constitute a single species. Thus, further molecular and morphological studies need to be undertaken in order to resolve this apparent conundrum.

12. Injured conspecifics as a signal of predation risk in females of the eriophyoid mite Aculops allotrichus. Negative evidence Agnieszka Wardak1, Katarzyna Michalska1, Marcin Studnicki2 1Department of Applied Entomology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland 2Department of Experimental Design and Bioinformatics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland [email protected] In many animal taxa, including some herbivorous mites, the presence of injured conspecifics is a signal of predation risk. We examined the anti-predatory response of the herbivorous mite Aculops allotrichus inhabiting the leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia. The eriopyoid was tested (1) in cages with two leaf chambers connected by a tunnel and (2) on ‘trimmed’ compound leaves, on which only two opposite leaflets were left. In each test, six females were released onto a site with pierced individuals and allowed to migrate to a safe place. In the control combination, females were put into a clean chamber or a leaflet, without damaged conspecifics. Contrary to expectations, after 5 hours the proportion of females in ‘endangered’ chambers was significantly higher than in the control and after only 24 hours there was no difference between the two combinations. Also, after 24 hours the proportion of females and the number of eggs deposited on ‘endangered’ leaflets were similar to those in the control. Our tests show that A. allotrichus does not avoid sites with injured conspecifics and does not refrain from egg laying in such places. On the contrary, freshly injured conspecifics may attract eriophyoids and delay their migration from leaves.

13. The ChirpBase Project: A Genome Browser for Singing Insects Emma Langan, Sujai Kumar, Richard J Challis, Mark Blaxter, Nathan W Bailey Edinburgh Genomics, Ashworth Laboratories, Charlotte Auerbach Road, The King’s Buildings, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL [email protected]

Singing insects are a widely studied, heterogeneous group which have been widely used for over a century in a variety of research areas including neurobiology and developmental biology. However, there are currently no publicly available cricket genome assemblies or annotations, which limits functional and comparative genomics research. The Ensembl toolkit is widely used for presentation and analysis of genomic information. To facilitate genomic research on singing insects, we created ChirpBase using Ensembl GenomeHub tools to host and analyse singing insect genomes. ChirpBase allows for easy comparison and analysis of genome assemblies and RNA-Seq data from ensiferan insects. A BLAST search facility is also available to compare protein and nucleotide sequences against organisms in the database. Teleogryllus oceanicus, the Oceanic field cricket, is a longstanding research model, and a silent male morph which recently evolved in Hawaii is of interest. To initiate ChirpBase, we imported a new genome assembly, gene predictions and annotations for T. oceanicus. ChirpBase is a community-based project, and continued development will focus on building additional genomic resources to maximise potential for comparative research across this fascinating group of insects.