- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Theme of annual ESA meeting, taking place Nov. 5-8 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. is "Insects and Influence: Advancing Entomology's Impact on People and Policy."
Among those participating is UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Frank Zalom. A highly celebrated entomologist, Zalom is an ESA Fellow (2008), past ESA president (2014), and he holds ESA's highest honor, Honorary Member (2021), an honor achieved by only four other UC Davis entomologists: Harry Lange, 1990; Don MacLean, 1993; Bruce Eldridge, 1996; and John Edman, 2001. He continues his research as a recall professor.
Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and his wife, entomologist Jenella Loye, both research associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and owners of Carroll-Loye Biological Research (CLBR) are also among the participants.
Carroll is the co-author of the newly published “Spatial Sorting Promotes Rapid (mal) Adaptation in the Red-Shouldered Soapberry Bug after Hurricane-Driven Local Extinctions” in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution that is drawing worldwide attention.
Officers of ESA, all women scientists, are:
- President: Marianne Alleyne, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Vice President: Jennifer Henke, Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District
- Vice President-Elect: Lina Bernaola, Texas A&M University
- Past President: Jessica Ware, American Museum of Natural History
Founded in 1889, ESA is the largest entomological organization in the world. Its more than 7,000 members are affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.
"The premier event of the Society is its annual meeting. Each year approximately 3,500 entomologists and other scientists gather to exchange scientific information. A program of symposia, conferences, submitted papers, and continuing education seminars provides attendees the opportunity to hear and present research results. The meeting also provides a chance to interact informally with peers and prospective employers."--ESA website.
(Editor's Note: Access the ESA program and the list of UC Davis attendees (go to the online program at https://entomology2023.
![Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and entomologist Jenella Loye, associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, are participating in the Entomological Society of America meeting in Maryland. Evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll and entomologist Jenella Loye, associates of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, are participating in the Entomological Society of America meeting in Maryland.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103049.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumna Jill Oberski, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, is one of the ant specialists attending the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. Here she chats with evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll, research associate UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumna Jill Oberski, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, is one of the ant specialists attending the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. Here she chats with evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll, research associate UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103050.jpg)
![UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, weaves his way through the crowd at the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. (Photo courtesy of Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye) UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, weaves his way through the crowd at the Entomological Society of America meeting in National Harbor, Md. (Photo courtesy of Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103051.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumnus Marek Borowiec, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, shows his UC Davis affiliation. He is an assistant professor and insect systematics at Colorado State University. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumnus Marek Borowiec, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, shows his UC Davis affiliation. He is an assistant professor and insect systematics at Colorado State University. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103053.jpg)
![UC Davis graduate student and honey bee researcher Eliza Litsey (seated), staffing the Entomology Graduate Student Association's T-shirt table, chats with entomology student Tabby Vincentsen of the University of Florida. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis graduate student and honey bee researcher Eliza Litsey (seated), staffing the Entomology Graduate Student Association's T-shirt table, chats with entomology student Tabby Vincentsen of the University of Florida. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103060.jpg)
![UC Davis doctoral alumnus and ant specialist Brendon Boudinot, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, and now with the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., gives a thumbs up. He is a previous winner of the John Henry Comstock Award. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye) UC Davis doctoral alumnus and ant specialist Brendon Boudinot, formerly of the Phil Ward lab, and now with the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., gives a thumbs up. He is a previous winner of the John Henry Comstock Award. (Photo courtesy of Jenella Loye)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/103061.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
“These weather-related catastrophes can cause local extinctions and disrupt ecological interactions,” wrote Carroll and three Texas collaborators in a newly published article in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution, “Spatial Sorting Promotes Rapid (mal) Adaptation in the Red-Shouldered Soapberry Bug after Hurricane-Driven Local Extinctions.”
“Such disruptions,” they related, “are expected to become more impactful and frequent in the near future and, consequently, so will the associated regularity of localized extinction and post-disturbance recovery.”
The research team, including Carroll and Mattheau Comerford, Scott Egan and Tatum La of the Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, studied the changes the soapberry bugs went through after “catastrophic flooding in an extreme hurricane” in southeastern Texas.
They found that “long-winged dispersal forms of the soapberry bug, Jadera haematoloma, accumulated in recolonized habitats and due to genetic correlation, mouthparts also became longer and this shift persisted across generations.”
“Those longer mouthparts were probably adaptive on one host plant species but maladaptive on two others based on matching the optimum depth of seeds within their host fruits due to genetic correlation,” they wrote.
Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, is known as one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit the United States, resulting in more than 100 deaths and displacing more than 30,000 people. “In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches (1,000 mm) of rain as the system slowly meandered over eastern Texas and adjacent waters, causing unprecedented flooding,” according to Wikipedia.
Carroll, who holds a doctorate in biology from the University of Utah, explores contemporary evolution “to better understand adaptive processes and how those processes can be harnessed to develop solutions to evolutionary challenges in food production, medical care and environmental conservation.” He is a research associate in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the president of the Carroll-Loye Biological Research.“
"Recent work on the biology of invasive species has highlighted ‘spatial sorting' as an underappreciated evolutionary mechanism that relies on dispersal and, thus, promotes rapid evolution across space,” the team wrote.
The authors defined spatial sorting as “a process of dispersing organisms that generates non-random shifts in local phenotype frequencies, such that good dispersers are the first to arrive at the leading edge of invasions or in recolonized habitats. This leads to assortative mating, as only other strong dispersers are present during the time of colonization. For instance, in the current study, mate options at recolonized flooded sites were initially limited to macropterous individuals as wing form during colonization was 100% biased by the ability to fly. Spatial sorting could then be self-reinforcing, as offspring of colonizing individuals are expected to show similar or stronger dispersal phenotypes, along with a higher frequency of genetically correlated traits not associated with dispersal.”
“Soapberry bugs are well-known examples of rapid adaptive evolution in response to Anthropocene environments, where populations on native host species have shifted and adapted to feed on introduced, non-native plants in the same family over the past 60 years,” the authors wrote.
Soapberry Beaks. Soapberry bugs pierce seed pods with needle-like mouthparts, commonly referred to as “beaks.” “The range of mouthpart lengths in nature strongly reflects fruit size of the host plant on which each population feeds and these host-associated differences in beak length evolved through divergent natural selection between hosts,” the authors wrote. “When beak length matches the distance between outer fruit wall and the interior seeds, it increases seed access and decreases handling time, leading to higher fecundity in females. Beak length is a polygenic trait influenced by epistatic and dominance interactions and is highly heritable.”
The study involved three soapberry bug host plant species in the southeastern Texas study area: (1) native balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum), with large inflated seed pods hosting soapberry bugs with the longest beak lengths; (2) native western soapberry tree (Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii, with intermediate-sized seed pods hosting soapberry bugs with intermediate-sized beak lengths; and (3) non-native goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria elegans) with comparatively flat capsules that permit ready access to the seeds.
The authors wrote that Hurricane Harvey “was locally catastrophic for the flooded soapberry bug study populations, with populations at 11 of the 15 monitored sites going locally extinct and remaining so for at least 4.5 months and seven additional populations never returning over the 3 years post-hurricane.” All of the drowned bugs were balloon vine associates; the pods are water dispersed; and many of the sites were deeply inundated. Yet those vines are the most regular seed providers in safe times, and favor the quick developing flightless bugs in consequence. Those individuals had little chance of escape.
Adjoining Viewpoint. In an adjoining viewpoint, titled “Spatial Sorting Creates Winners and Losers,” evolutionary ecologists Swanne Gordon and Caleb Axelrod of Cornell University's Department of Ecology and Evolution, said the research provides “evidence of the role of spatial sorting in recolonization by soapberry bugs after a catastrophic event.”
“We are currently experiencing a concerning increase in catastrophic environmental disturbances on Earth, which presents a pressing challenge for both ecological systems and human societies,” Gordon-Axelrod wrote. “These disturbances--encompassing events such as hurricanes, wildfires and droughts--can have marked short-term and long-term impacts on ecosystems.”
Comerford, Carroll and Egan conceived the focus of the paper; Comerford and La performed the data collection; and Comerford and Egan shared writing responsibilities with feedback from Carroll and La.
The project drew financial support from grants from the American Museum of Natural History, American Philosophical Society, Society for the Study of Evolution for dissertation support to Comerford, and the National Science Foundation to Egan and Carroll.
All data collected for this project are freely available in the digital repository Dryad: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tht76hf4t.
![Soapberry bugs flying and flightless morphs together on balloon vine. (Photo by Scott Carroll) Soapberry bugs flying and flightless morphs together on balloon vine. (Photo by Scott Carroll)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/102550.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
What are witchetty grubs?
Briefly, they're large, white, wood-eating larvae of the cossid moth Endoxyla leucomochla, which feeds on the roots of the witchetty bush (after which the grubs are named). "The term may also apply to larvae of other cossid moths, ghost moths (Hepialidae), and longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae)," Wikipedia tells us. "The raw witchetty grub tastes similar to almonds, and when cooked, the skin becomes crisp like roast chicken, while the inside becomes light yellow, like a fried egg."
Like a Pacifier
Turpin's abstract: "Edible insect larvae constitute a large part of the traditional Australian Aboriginal diet. Perhaps the most widely known example is the ‘Witchetty grub' (Endoxyla spp.). These played a role similar to that of a pacifier for infants being weaned. The term ‘witchetty' is the common name of the tree whose roots this popular grub dwells in (Acacia kempeana). The naming of specific larvae based on their host tree is a common naming strategy in the Aboriginal language Kaytetye, for which there are some 25 ethnospecies. This paper draws on Kaytetye people's knowledge, uses and naming of ethnospecies within the 'edible insect larvae' food class, which is one of five Kaytetye food classes."
Cooperative Extension specialist Ian Grettenberg, an agricultural entomologist and assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, coordinates the department's weekly (virtual) seminars, held every Wednesday, except during holidays.
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"I've visited her pioneering entomophagy studies among the remnant, so-called 'remote' central Australian peoples," said Carroll. "Academic entomologists know almost nothing about the biology of these insects. I learned that Giant Moth witchetty grubs are the most delicious, energy-packed animals I have ever eaten. Myfany will tell us about these and many more that have been central to the diets of Australians. I am looking forward to this exciting interdisciplinary seminar."
Carroll describes Turpin as being "at the nexus of entomology, linguistics, and the indigenous human diet."
Important Source of Food
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![Witchetty grub (Image courtesy of Wikipedia) Witchetty grub (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74463.jpg)
![Myfany Turpin's work on insect larvae. Myfany Turpin's work on insect larvae.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74466.png)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Grub? Food? Yes, think specifically of insect larvae.
Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will speak on "Grub's Up! The Category of Edible Insect Larvae in Central Australian Aboriginal Languages" at the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7.
This is the first of a series of fall seminars hosted by the department and coordinated by Ian Grettenberger, Cooperative Extension specialist and assistant professor.
"Dr. Turpin is a linguist and musicologist that has worked on the use of insects as aboriginal food sources," Grettenberger said.
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker, contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![These are the larvae that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will discuss at a virtual seminar to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. These are the larvae that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will discuss at a virtual seminar to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74417.png)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney will speak on "Grub's Up! The Category of Edible Insect Larvae in Central Australian Aboriginal Languages" at the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's virtual seminar at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7.
This is the first of a series of fall seminars hosted by the department and coordinated by Ian Grettenberger, Cooperative Extension specialist and assistant professor.
"Dr. Turpin is a linguist and musicologist that has worked on the use of insects as aboriginal food sources," Grettenberger said.
Her abstract: "Edible insect larvae constitute a large part of the traditional Australian Aboriginal diet. Perhaps the most widely known example is the ‘Witchetty grub' (Endoxyla spp.). These played a role similar to that of a pacifier for infants being weaned. The term ‘witchetty' is the common name of the tree whose roots this popular grub dwells in (Acacia kempeana). The naming of specific larvae based on their host tree is a common naming strategy in the Aboriginal language Kaytetye, for which there are some 25 ethnospecies. This paper draws on Kaytetye people's knowledge, uses and naming of ethnospecies within the 'edible insect larvae' food class, which is one of five Kaytetye food classes."
In an article on "Edible Insect Larvae in Kaytetye: Their Nomenclature and Significance," published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ethnobiology, she wrote: "Insects have traditionally constituted an important source of food in many cultures, but changes in dietary practices and other lifestyle traits are threatening the transmission of insect-related knowledge and vocabulary to younger generations of Indigenous Australians. This paper describes the rich cultural and culinary traditions surrounding an important insect group, namely a class of edible insect larvae consumed by a desert community in central Australia. Twenty-nine different edible insect larvae are named in the Kaytetye language, with the names encoding the identity of the host plant on which the larvae are found. We describe the complexities involved in the naming system, paying special attention to cultural and linguistic factors. The difficulties in the scientific identification of these ethnotaxa are discussed, as are the significance of our data to (1) questions of universal patterns in ethnoclassification and nomenclature and (2) the purported lack of binomially-labeled folk species in the languages of hunter-gatherer societies."
Turpin, with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has been working on Australian Aboriginal songs and languages since 1996, according to her website. "Her research interests include the relationship between language and music, especially of lesser-known cultures; and identifying ways to support the continuation of endangered languages and performance arts. More specifically, her work examines Aboriginal song-poetry and its relationship to spoken languages. She is also involved in linguistic documentation of the Aboriginal language Kaytetye as well as Indigenous ecological knowledge and the lexicon in Arandic languages."
Turpin's hosts are evolutionary ecologists and biologists Scott Carroll and Jenella Loye of the Institute for Contemporary Evolution who engage in Carroll-Loye Biological Research. The scientists are affiliated with the Sharon Lawler lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
"I've visited her pioneering entomophagy studies among the remnant, so-called 'remote' central Australian peoples," said Carroll. "Academic entomologists know almost nothing about the biology of these insects. I learned that Giant Moth witchetty grubs are the most delicious, energy-packed animals I have ever eaten. Myf will tell us about these and many more that have been central to the diets of Australians. I am looking forward to this exciting interdisciplinary seminar."
Link to form for Zoom link and instructions: https://forms.
For technical issues, contact Grettenberger at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu. For more information on the seminar speaker, contact Scott Carroll or Jenella Loye at scott@carroll-loye.com.
![Some of the insects that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney researches. She will speak on Some of the insects that Myfany Turpin of the University of Sydney researches. She will speak on](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/74361.png)