Bugs, Plants, and MicrobesCFH show HAD in 1 out of 3 Host Plants in Texas College station Weslaco...
Transcript of Bugs, Plants, and MicrobesCFH show HAD in 1 out of 3 Host Plants in Texas College station Weslaco...
Bugs, Plants, and Microbes
Josephine Antwi
Assistant Professor, Biology Dept.
University of Mary Washington
Ghana
http://www.danske-natur.dk/ghana
How I Got To Where I am Today
Louisiana, USA
All images (and any misidentifications) by J. L. Bossart
How I Got To Where I am Today
Insects Plants
Evolutionary implications
Pest management implications
My Research Interests
Microorganisms
Formation of genetically distinct insect populations are common
Peccoud et al. 2009: PNAS
Host Associated Differentiation (HAD)
Pea aphid
Cotton fleahopper (CFH) , Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Photo by Apurba Barman)
1/8 inch long
Cotton Fleahopper (CFH) Damages Early Stages of Cotton
Highly polyphagous
160 recorded hosts
Cotton fleahopper (CFH) , Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Photo by Apurba Barman)
CFH show HAD in 1 out of 3 Host Plants in Texas
College station
Weslaco
San Angelo
Lubbock
Barman et al. 2012,: Entomol. Exp. Appl.
CFH Collected from 12 Host Plants from 7 Families
CFH Displays HAD on 1 out of 12 Host Plants in Texas
Host plants
Scurvy mallow
Implications: Scurvy Mallow and Horsemint may be Poor
Sources of CFH to cotton fields
My Research Interests
Insects Plants
Microorganisms
Bacterial symbionts
CFH is a Pest Only in Certain States Along the Cotton Belt
= 2009
= 2010
= 2012
Kudzu bug Brown et al. 2013; Molecular Ecology
Bacterial Symbionts Confer Pest Status to Insects
Kudzu bug first discovered in Georgia
Plataspid bean bug Kudzu bug C
on
trol
R
epla
ced
Hosokawa et al. 2007; PNAS
Bacterial Symbionts Confer Pest Status to Insects
CFH is a Pest Only in Certain States Along the Cotton Belt
NC= North Carolina
GA = Georgia
SC = South Carolina
WS = Weslaco, Tx
CS = College Station, Tx
CC = Corpus Christi, Tx
LB = Lubbock, Tx
AZ = Arizona
Next Generation Sequencing
Kruskal's stress = 0.14
Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS)
NO Correlation Between Microbiome and Pest Status
= Occasional Pest
= Pest
AZ
Lb
*Ws
*Cc
*Cs
GA
SC
NC
-8000
-4000
0
4000
8000
-12000 -8000 -4000 0 4000 8000 12000 16000
Dim
2
Dim1
Insects Plants Microorganisms
My Research Interests
Fungal endophytes
Plants Get a Little Help From Their Fungal Friends
Diene et al. 2010; Kabaluk & Ericsson 2007
Insects
Sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Sugarcane Aphid has Spread on Sorghum Within 2 years
Pf
Height two weeks after planting
Bb, Pl, Pf Enhance Seedling Growth
Control plants Endophyte-treated plants
Bb and Pl Influences the Fecundity of Aphids on Sorghum
b b
a
Error bars: +/- 1 SE
Insects Plants Microorganisms
Bacterial symbionts Fungal endophytes
Symbiosis Symbiosis
Biological control agents
My Research Interests
Sweet potato weevil Cylas formicarius
Sweetpotato weevils are important pests worldwide
• Females lay eggs in roots
and base of stems
• Larvae feed in root for
weeks
• Feeding results in
• Physical damage
• Terpenoid production
(bad taste)
• Control: chemical
insecticides on weekly basis
• Internal feeding makes
control difficult
What Can You Do to Support Your Students?
Formulate a question
Gather information
Experimental design
Gather data
Share results Repeat
Invite scientists to your classrooms
1. Researchers
Urban pests
Forest pests
Agricultural pests
Medical and veterinary
2. Teachers
3. Consultants
Careers in Entomology
Universities/community colleges
Education and training of students in entomology/related
sciences
Private industries
1. Seed industries
2. Agrochemical industries
3. Crop consultants
4. Urban pest control
Government agencies 1. Regulatory agencies: APHIS
2. Extension services
3. Military: Army, Navy, and Air Force
4. Federal Research Labs: USDA, NIH, US Geological Survey
Careers in Entomology
1. Forensic Entomology
2. Public Health
Medical or graduate school
3. Conservation
4. Veterinary
Careers in Entomology
Acknowledgements
Collaborators:
Raul Medina
Gregory Sword
Silvia Rondon
Janice Bossart
Funding