Phenology of a Relict Population of the Pitcher Plant Mosquito, Wyeomyia Smithii (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tattnall Co., Ga

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Phenology of a Relict Population of the Pitcher Plant Mosquito, Wyeomyia Smithii (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tattnall Co., Ga Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Spring 2014 Phenology of a Relict Population Of The Pitcher Plant Mosquito, Wyeomyia Smithii (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tattnall Co., Ga Rachel L. Morreale Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Morreale, Rachel L., "Phenology of a Relict Population Of The Pitcher Plant Mosquito, Wyeomyia Smithii (Diptera: Culicidae), in Tattnall Co., Ga" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1073. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1073 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PHENOLOGY OF A RELICT POPULATION OF THE PITCHER PLANT MOSQUITO, WYEOMYIA SMITHII (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE), IN TATTNALL CO., GA by RACHEL MORREALE (Under the Direction of William Irby) ABSTRACT Wyeomyia smithii Coq. lives only within the pitchers of the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea L. An isolated population of Wy. smithii occurs in Tattnall Co., GA isolated from other populations by over 300 km in all directions. In order to monitor the stability, phenology, and behavior of this population, fluctuations of the larval and pupal abundances (number/pitcher) were monitored over time. The density (number/mL) of Wy. smithii larvae present within pitchers was recorded from June 2012 until April 2014. Fluid volume contained in pitchers had a strong positive effect on larval abundance within the pitcher (r 2 = 0.624). The density of larvae had strong seasonal patterns and has an overall positive trend over time. Temperature was shown to effect the abundance of larvae (P = 0.093). Blood feeding occurred during both 2012 and 2013 but became more prevalent later in the summer each year, with an increase in frequency of blood meals in 2013 compared to 2012. Stasis (diapause) began in November and terminated in March. Mortality was most common in fourth instar larvae. Differences in weather may account for the difference in larval density over the course of this study. INDEX WORDS: Wyeomyia smithii , Phenology, Time-series analysis, Linear mixed effect model 1 PHENOLOGY OF A RELICT POPULATION OF THE PITCHER PLANT MOSQUITO, WYEOMYIA SMITHII (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE), IN TATTNALL CO., GA by RACHEL MORREALE Biology B.S., University of North Florida, 2010 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF BIOLOGY STATESBORO, GEORGIA 2014 2 © 2014 RACHEL MORREALE All Rights Reserved 3 PHENOLOGY OF A RELICT POPULATION OF THE PITCHER PLANT MOSQUITO, WYEOMYIA SMITHII (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE), IN TATTNALL CO., GA by RACHEL MORREALE Major Professor: William Irby Committee: William Irby Lance Durden Lorenza Beati Electronic Version Approved: May 2014 4 DEDICATION My thesis is dedicated primarily to my biggest supporters, my family: My parents, who have always believed in me and pushed me to challenge myself; my sister, who has been the best friend possible by keeping me going through baked goods and grounding my craziness. It is also dedicated to Miles Eckert for listening to my statistics induced rants, for understanding when I ignored him to do work, and for dealing with the distance. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. William Irby for his help, guidance, and support over the years. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Lorenza Beati and Dr. Lance Durden, who have instructed me, challenged me, and inspired me. Additionally, thank you Dr. Tavis Anderson, for helping me with statistics when I was completely lost. Last but not least, thank you to those who trekked out to the field and assisted with my data collection: Phillip Bloodworth, Kelly Dabney, Alexandra Dorfzaun, and Casey Wesselman. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract............................................................................................................................. 1 Doctoral Committee.......................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures.................................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 11 A. Introduction ................................................................................................ 11 B. Statement of Problems................................................................................ 13 C. Research Questions..................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 2. METHODS............................................................................................... 15 A. Site Selection.............................................................................................. 15 B. Blood Feeding............................................................................................. 15 C. Population Surveys ..................................................................................... 15 D. Statistical Analysis ..................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 4. Results....................................................................................................... 18 A. Blood Feeding................................................................................................. 18 B. Seasonal Response .......................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION........................................................................................... 20 A. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 20 B. Future Studies.................................................................................................. 22 7 References......................................................................................................................... 24 Appendixes A. Background Information....................................................................................... 29 B. Results................................................................................................................... 32 C. Original Data......................................................................................................... 41 8 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Comparison of attributes of Northern and Southern populations of the pitcher- plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii .....................................................................................31 2. Deviance for the effects of average monthly temperature and average monthly precipitation on the abundance of Wyeomyia smithii within the pitcher plant ..................33 3. Peak values of average larval abundance per month calculated from the time series analysis.....................................................................................................................40 3. Original data collected from surveys of the laval and pupal stages of Wy. smithii in Tattnall Co., GA.............................................................................................................41 9 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Nutrient processing chain commensalism for the inquiline community found in Sarracenia purpurea . Some arthropods fall into the pitchers and are digested by the organisms that reside in the pitcher ...................................................................................29 2. Distribution of Sarracenia purpurea and Wyeomyia smithii ..................................30 3. Numbers of blood meals taken by female Wyeomyia smithii per week .................32 4. Total amount of Wyeomyia smithii found dead in pitchers per week...................34 5. Total amount of each life cycle stage of Wyeomyia smithii found dead in pitchers throughout the study ..........................................................................................................35 6. Linear regression of larval abundance of Wyeomyia smithii and the volume of the fluid in Sarracenia purpurea pitchers................................................................................36 7. Time series analysis of (A) the average abundance of larval and pupal stages (B) broken down into seasonality, and (C) overall trends of abundance .................................37 8. Average monthly abundance of mosquito pupae and larvae within each rosette of S. purpurea in Tattnall Co., GA .........................................................................................38 9. A. Average volume of fluid and average mosquito larvae abundance in S. purpurea pitchers per week, 2012-2014, Tattnall Co., GA. B. Maximum and minimum temperatures recorded during the study period. C. Precipitation recorded during the study period……………………………………………………………………………………..39 10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction The purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea L.,
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