Megacopta cribraria (the bean plataspid or kudzu bug) is an invasive herbivorous plataspid that was introduced to the United States in 2009 and has subsequently spread across the southeastern USA. It was thought to feed primarily on Pueraria montana (kudzu), Glycine max (soybean), and a few other legumes. We extracted DNA from adult M. cribraria viscera, PCR-amplified, then sequenced an exon of the chloroplast trnL gene. Our results indicate that M. cribraria adults are not only feeding on P. montana and other legumes, but also on a variety of angiosperms and some conifers. It is proposed that this much broader diet and a possible non-kudzu preference in adults could be partially responsible for the bug’s rapid spread, and could also mean that M. cribraria is a more threatening pest than was previously thought.
1 Judson College, Marion, AL; 2 Samford University, Birmingham, AL
P2 • Stephen J. Zumdick, Richard S. Phillips, Alec VanDyke
Resource Partitioning Between Phenotypes of Peromyscus in Ohio
Peromyscus is a vast that genus whose species cover much of the United States. It is not uncommon to see two Peromyscus species coexisting in the same habitat. The question for this study was how do two Peromyscus species use resource partitioning to allow both species to coexist on a plot of land in Clark County, Ohio. We used data from mark recapture studies collected over three years from three states: 2010, 2011, and 2012 and Michigan, Ohio, and Mississippi. The purpose of the data collected in Michigan and Mississippi is to use tail to body length ratios to accurately distinguish between species. The Ohio data was used to determine the frequency of capture, used to infer resource partitioning, between species and its correlation to seasons: spring, summer, and fall. If one species is more active during one season its chance of being captured will increase compared a species that is less active during that same month. We predict phenotypes will separate by habitat or time.
Wittenberg University Dept of Biology
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P3 • E. Natasha Vanderhoff, Jennifer Brehm
Fruit is an important resource for migrating and wintering birds and many non-native fruits are becoming an important part of these birds’ diets. The camphor tree Cinnamomum camphora is native to Asia and was initially introduced to Florida in 1875. The camphor tree produces dark fleshy fruit with a single large seed from late-September until January, a peak time for migrating and wintering birds in Florida. We surveyed the Jacksonville University campus for camphor trees and selected five trees to measure fruit production from October until January. Additionally, we gathered data on birds foraging in camphor trees to estimate fruit removal and seed disperser potential. A single camphor tree can produce over a thousand fruit; however flocks of migrating birds, like the American Robin Turdus migratorius, can remove most of the fruit within several weeks. Our investigation is preliminary and in the future we hope to discern the role of migrating flocks in the spread of the invasive camphor tree.
Dept of Biology & Marine Science, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville FL
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P4 • Maxwell R. Cox, Emma V. Willcox
Bat Community and Habitat Response to Prescribed Fire and Canopy Reduction in Tennessee Hardwood Forests
The use of prescribed fire, in conjunction with canopy reduction treatments, has the potential to dramatically alter habitat conditions for bats in southeastern hardwood forests. In this region, many bat species imperiled by White Nose Syndrome (WNS, Pseudogymnoascus destructans) are forest-dwelling, utilizing hardwood forest systems for foraging, particularly during critical pre/post-hibernation and maternity periods. Therefore, managing hardwood forests to provide high quality foraging habitat may be critical for population persistence and species recovery. This is especially true in the forested regions of the southeast in close proximity to major cave hibernacula infected with WNS. Prescribed fire and canopy reduction in this region may benefit foraging habitat for many bat species by improving stand structure and increasing insect prey availability. We are evaluating the effects of 2 prescribed burn treatments (growing- and dormant-season) in conjunction with 2 canopy reduction treatments (low and high) on the foraging habitat and ecology of a suite of bat species. We are conducting our study on >20 replicated treatment stands on 2 study areas in Tennessee hardwood forest. Our objectives are to examine 1) the impact of prescribed fire and canopy reduction on a) hardwood forest structure and composition, b) abundance and biomass of nocturnal flying insects, and c) bat activity, species richness, and site occupancy; and 2) the relative contributions of nocturnal flying insect prey availability and forest structure in explaining bat activity, species richness, and site occupancy. We will present initial bat activity and species richness results from the first year of our study.
Dept of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
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P5 • Elizabeth C. Ray, Matthew J. Heard
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