Seasonal Dynamics of the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) in Eastern Oklahoma. Thomas Ferrari Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078 Interspecific competition effects on survival of the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) in Eastern Oklahoma. Tom Ferrari OSU Graduate student Abstract American Burying Beetle (ABB) (Nicrophorus americanus) populations have been in decline since the early 1900’s, and much effort has been put into studying the survival of this now endangered species. Burying beetles (Silphidae), which rely solely on carrion as both a reproductive and food resource, exclude most other competitors by burying small mammal and other vertebrate carcasses underground. Fertilized females may reproduce alone or in groups, but a carcass is usually buried by a male and female pair. Small carrion is a short-lived, high-quality resource to many specialized insects. The competition for this valuable resource is strong and has probably shaped many ecological, behavioral, and physiological traits of the associated insects. Not only do the burying beetles compete with insects, they must also compete with vertebrate scavengers. In southeastern Oklahoma, the ABB compete directly or indirectly with many other insect species. After two years of sampling in this region, the four most abundant other insect species trapped in conjunction with the ABB were the red-lined carrion beetle Necrodes surinamensis, the congener Nicrophorus orbicollis, the ridged carrion beetle Oiceoptoma inaequale, and the beetle Euspilotus assimilis from the Family Histeridae. We completed 2400 trap-nights using 170 above-ground pitfall traps that were placed in seven separate areas within Pittsburg and Hughes counties in southeastern Oklahoma. Preliminary results based on flight times and capture data indicate that the strongest competitor for reproductive resources is the congener N. orbicollis Objective 3 Compare vegetation diversity and structure, condition class of habitat, soil characteristics, proximity to water, inter-specific competition, and small mammal and bird communities among designated release sites and ABB population monitoring sites in Eastern Oklahoma in relation to ABB activity levels. Sampling James Collins WMA o 18 sites (relocation site) McAAP o 19 sites Private Land o 18 sites Results James Collins WMA 2013 (294 trap-nights) 18 traps • 53 ABBs (0.18 capture rate) • 110 N. orbicollis • 7 N. pustulatus 2014 (111 trap-nights) 3 traps • 57 ABBs (0.51 capture rate) • 42 N. orbicollis • 53 N. pustulatus Mean capture rate per trap-night -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 1-May 10-May 19-May 28-May 6-Jun James Collins WMA2013 Collins James First Day ofThree Day First 15-Jun 24-Jun 3-Jul 12-Jul - day Trapping Event Trapping day 21-Jul 30-Jul 8-Aug 17-Aug 26-Aug 4-Sep 13-Sep 22-Sep 1-Oct N. tom N. pus N. orb ABB 10-Oct Mean capture rate per trap-night -0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 0.00 0.50 1-May 10-May 19-May 28-May 6-Jun James Collins WMA Collins 2014 James First day ofthree day First 15-Jun 24-Jun 3-Jul 12-Jul - day trapping event trapping day 21-Jul 30-Jul 8-Aug 17-Aug 26-Aug 4-Sep 13-Sep 22-Sep 1-Oct N. tom N. pus N. orb ABB 10-Oct Results Lamar Site 2013 (270 trap-nights) 18 traps • 233 ABBs (0.86 capture rate) • 700 N. orbicollis • 90 N. pustulatus 2014 (24 trap-nights) 2 traps • 15 ABBs (0.63 capture rate) • 33 N. orbicollis • 19 N. pustulatus 30.50 Lamar Site 2013 ABB N. orb 28.00 N. pus 25.50 N. tom 23.00 20.50 night - 18.00 15.50 13.00 10.50 8.00 5.50 Mean capture rate per trap per rate capture Mean 3.00 0.50 -2.00 3-Jul 6-Jun 1-Oct 4-Sep 8-Aug 12-Jul 21-Jul 30-Jul 1-May 15-Jun 24-Jun 10-Oct 13-Sep 22-Sep 17-Aug 26-Aug 19-May 10-May 28-May First day of three-day trapping event Results McAAP 2013 (84 trap-nights) 12 traps • 78 ABBs (2.79 capture rate) • 39 N. orbicollis (1.39 capture rate) • 9 N. pustulatus (0.32 capture rate) 2014 (267 trap-nights) 18 traps • 159 ABBs (1.79 capture rate) • 202 N. orbicollis (2.27 capture rate) • 173 N. pustulatus (1.94 capture rate) Mean capture rate per trap per trap-night -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1-May 10-May 19-May 28-May 6-Jun 15-Jun First day of three day First 24-Jun McAAP 3-Jul 12-Jul 21-Jul 2014 - day event day 30-Jul 8-Aug 17-Aug 26-Aug 4-Sep 13-Sep 22-Sep 1-Oct N. tom N. pus N. orb ABB 10-Oct.