DESCRIPTION, MECHANISM AND ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS OF SUBSTRATE AND AIRBORNE VIBRATIONS PRODUCED BY JADERA HAEMATOLOMA (HEMIPTERA: RHOPALIDAE)
By
ARIEL F. ZIMMERMAN
A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
2010
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© 2010 Ariel F. Zimmerman
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To my parents
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Noah, my close friends at the University of Florida, as well my friends and family for their support while I was completing this research. I would also like to thank my committee and collaborators, which include my advisor Dr. Jamie
Gillooly, Dr. Richard Mankin, Dr. H.J. Brockmann, Dr. Christine Miller, and Everett
Foremann. Thanks are due also to Dr. S. Tonia Hsieh for the use and assistance with high-speed filming equipment, Dr. Susan Halpert at the Florida State Arthropod
Collections, and Ann Heatherington of the UF Department of Geology for assistance with SEM image collection. Funding for this research was provided by an NSF graduate research fellowship and University of Florida Alumni Fellowship.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...... 4
LIST OF TABLES...... 6
LIST OF FIGURES...... 7
ABSTRACT ...... 8
1 INTRODUCTION ...... 9
2 METHODS...... 12
Jadera haematoloma Natural History and Collection...... 12 Description of Sounds Produced by J. haematoloma...... 13 Identification of the Mechanism of Sound Production...... 14 Identification of Plectrum Using High-Speed Video Analyses...... 14 Visualization of Stridulitrum and Plectrum ...... 15 Experimental Manipulation of The Stridulatory Apparatus...... 16 Behaviors Associated with Sound Production...... 17 Statistical Analysis...... 18 Acoustic Response to Threat Stimuli...... 19
3 RESULTS ...... 21
Description of Sounds Produced by J. haematoloma...... 21 Identification of the Mechanism of Sound Production...... 22 Behaviors Associated with Signal Production ...... 23
4 DISCUSSION ...... 26
LIST OF REFERENCES ...... 35
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH...... 39
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LIST OF TABLES
Table page
3-1 Influence of participant sex and behavior on whether or not sounds were produced during an encounter...... 29
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure page
3-1 Spectrogram comparison of airborne (a) and substrate (b) vibrations of a male Jadera haematoloma...... 30
3-2 Oscillogram of a microphone recording of a single burst showing impulse structure ...... 31
3-3 Pulse interval, the time between the first and second pulse of a burst, is positively correlated with body length. (N = 19, R-sq = 0.5078, p=0.0006*). Triangles are females, circles are males...... 32
3-4 SEM image of the stridulitrum located on the ventral side of the left metathoracic wing of an adult male Jadera haematoloma...... 32
3-5 SEM image of right abdominal tergites I and II with illustration of plectrum motion...... 33
3-6 Spectrograms of bursts from a male with wings (a, b), and a male with wings removed (c, d)...... 34
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Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science
DESCRIPTION, MECHANISM AND ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS OF SUBSTRATE AND AIRBORNE VIBRATIONS PRODUCED BY JADERA HAEMATOLOMA (HEMIPTERA: RHOPALIDAE)
By
Ariel F. Zimmerman
December 2010
Chair: James F. Gillooly Major: Zoology
To understand patterns in the evolution of communication in a diverse group such
as insects, a better understanding of the diversity of communication systems is necessary