- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The cold-adapted Parnassian butterflies don't get nearly as much attention as the iconic monarchs that migrate to overwintering spots, but a UC Davis entomology student's research may help change all that.
Gary Ge, a member of the UC Davis Research Scholars Program in Insect Biology (RSPIB) who studies with Professor Louie Yang of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and UC Davis Distinguished Professor Art Shapiro of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, is using the American Apollo butterfly (Parnassius clodius) as a model to study how microclimatic conditions affect cold-adapted insects.
P. clodius, a white butterfly, is found at high elevations in western United States (Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Canada) and in British Columbia, Canada.
“Parnassians are a group of cold-adapted Northern Hemisphere butterflies that are becoming increasingly important as objects of physiological, ecological and evolutionary study,” said Shapiro, who has monitored butterfly populations across central California for the last 50 years. “They are only likely to grow more important in the context of climate change. Thus, Gary's study is very timely and should attract plenty of attention! It is demanding given the rigorous conditions in which they breed and develop, and he is likely to learn a lot that will facilitate future lab and field studies.”
Yang, who researches monarch butterflies and milkweed phenology, said: “Gary is a remarkable student with an excellent understanding of the butterflies he is studying. Over the years, he has applied his longstanding enthusiasm for these butterflies to ask insightful questions about the thermal ecology of cold-adapted organisms under global warming. Gary has also demonstrated the determination and resilience required to overcome unexpected barriers and to see his research through to completion. He is a skilled and thoughtful scientist with the ability to make valuable contributions to ecology, and I've been happy to have had a chance to work with him.”
Ge said he is testing this hypothesis “partly by looking at the supercooling points (SCPs) of diapausing eggs in different populations. The SCP indicates the freezing temperature of the egg, so it should be close to the lower lethal temperature. So, the population with the lowest average SCP would be the most cold-tolerant. I got some preliminary results recently indicating the SCP of the mid-elevation eggs is around -30 °C, which is pretty cold! On the side I am also testing the egg SCP of a Parnassius behrii population. This is a California endemic. It would be cool to see how their thermal tolerance differ from that of P. clodius as P. behrii is only found in high-elevation habitats (mostly around and above 9,000 feet).”
“The genus Parnassius is prone to global warming due to its affinity for alpine and arctic habitats, and several species are considered to be threatened,” Ge wrote in his proposal.
In his proposal, Ge points out that “The American Apollo has habitats ranging from coastal forests to above the tree line. Thus, they experience very different combinations of microclimatic variations depending on time and location. Unlike most other butterflies, their larvae develop under cold macroclimatic temperatures and demonstrate active behavioral thermoregulation. This makes them highly dependent and consequently sensitive to microclimatic temperatures. In addition, the adults are poor dispersers, limiting gene flow between spatially close populations. Their larvae are also likely the sole insect herbivore of the hostplant species, thus microhabitat identification is easy in the field.”
“Higher-altitude specimens are consistently smaller than at Washington and Lang,” Shapiro writes. “The male of this species generates a large waxy vaginal plug (the sphragis) that prevents the female from mating again (though other males do try). It does not, of course, interfere with egg-laying! Both sexes visit Yerba Santa, Coyotemint, and a wide variety of other flowers. At lower elevations this is a typical species of cool, mesic mixed forest, often along streamsides and at the bases of cliffs. At higher elevations it occurs in moist conifer forest and along streams and the edges of meadows. It does not hilltop. One brood, May-June (low) and June-August (rarely later) (high). Larval host plant Bleeding Heart, genus Dicentra (Fumariaceae, now put in Papaveraceae). Larvae are crepuscular-nocturnal except on cloudy, cool days and mimic poisonous millipedes.”
Ge traces his interest in insects to “a pretty young age. I can't say certainly what sparked my passion for them, but if I have to say one it was when I first brought some Xuthus swallowtail (Papilio xuthus) caterpillars to adults. At some point during elementary school, I found several Xuthus larvae on my backyard Zanthozylum tree, brought them back indoors, fed them and got to see them pupate and turn into butterflies. It is cliché but nonetheless true for me! From then on, I just kept noticing more and more of these amazing creatures around me. I have always loved to rear and breed insects instead of just collecting them, which set the foundation for my passion in insect ecology.”
Ge, born in Beijing, China, attended elementary school in New York City, middle school in Singapore, and high school in Hawaii, and now California for college. “This allowed me to have experience with a range of lepidopterans and ants and termites as well—social insects are my other favorite group.”
He developed his passion for Parnassius during middle school. “When I was visiting my extended family in Tibet, I saw this small white butterfly flying through the seemingly lifeless alpine scree habitat at an elevation of around 1,5000 feet. I later found out that it was a Parnassius species and got immediately intrigued by the fact that they are mostly specialist of alpine and arctic habitats, living in some of the world's coldest and most hostile environments. Since many of the genus members have habitats restricted to mountain tops above the tree line, our P. behrii is an example, climate change--rising tree lines-would leave them nowhere to go. This makes better understanding the ecology of this genus utterly important.”
At UC Davis, Ge serves as a research assistant with Shapiro's Central California Butterfly Population and Diversity Trends Study. He works with Yang as a project manager and a research assistant on his Milkweed Phenology Study.
As a prospective graduate student at UC Davis, Ge hopes to engage in outreach opportunities. One would be to set up an entomology exhibit at Briggs Hall during the UC Davis Picnic Day, which draws some 75,000 visitors to the campus. He also plans to join the STEM Squad, an after-school science program that introduces middle schoolers to different STEM fields. “I plan to spark students' interest in entomology and ecology by organizing a butterfly thermal ecology workshop, which will not only give students hands-on experience with insectarium management,” he commented, “but also raise their awareness of the impacts and complexity of climate change.”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Now she has another day to celebrate: she recently published the first chapter of her dissertation on a new species of robber flies (also called assassin flies), in ZooKeys.
Alberts' paper, “A New Species of Saropogon Loew, 1847 (Diptera, Asilidae) from Arizona, with a Review of the Nearctic Species North of Mexico,” is her first journal publication.
“This new species of Saropogon (family Asilidae) was a known new species when it was collected for the first time in 1964,” Alberts said. “It wasn't until a community scientist posted pictures of this beautiful ‘fire-like' species to iNaturalist and BugGuide and requested identification that the description of this new species as well as a review of the entire Nearctic Saropogon, north of Mexico, became a priority. Publications like this are a great example of why community scientist and scientist engagement are so important. Websites like iNaturalist and BugGuide are an incredible resource for both and facilitate the finding and describing of new species.”
“This publication," Alberts said, "stands as the first chapter in my dissertation 'Assassin Fly (Diptera: Asilidae) Systematics and Predator Ecology.' After I receive my degree, my other two chapters will be published—hopefully shortly: ‘Chapter 2: Over 3400 Predator-Prey Records for Assassin Flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae), Compiled from United States Entomological Collections' and ‘Chapter 3: A Molecular Phylogeny of Assassin Flies (Diptera: Asilidae) with Ancestral State Reconstruction of Arthropod Prey Preference.' ”
Alberts praised the work of macro photographer Jeff Gruber of Madison, Wisc., a regular contributor to BugGuide and iNaturalist who provided the Saropogon pyrodes image in ZooKeys, and UC Davis alumna Keely Davies, the illustration. Davies (biognome.art on Instagram) holds a bachelor's degree in animal biology (2019) and a degree in scientific illustration (2021) from California State University, Monterey Bay.
She moved cross-country during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to finish her dissertation, all the while tackling multiple obstacles and health issues.
It's been a 5-year whirlwind: marriage in 2018 to artist George Albert, birth of their son Griffin in April 2020, and birth of their daughter Marceline “Marcy” in October 2022.
“I truly commend Charlotte for her recent publication of the first chapter of her dissertation," said Diane Ullman, UC Davis distinguished professor and a former chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology. “She has overcome many obstacles, and I deeply respect her capacity to balance the science and research she loves, with being a mother of two, a wife and a devoted daughter.”
A resident of Silver Spring, Md., Charlotte enrolled in the UC Davis entomology graduate program in 2015, and anticipates receiving her doctorate in "no later than June 2023—hopefully before."
While at UC Davis, her accomplishments included serving as a teaching assistant for Professor Ullman in Entomology 001, “Art, Science and the World of Insects,” an art-science fusion course.
“Charlotte is a fantastic artist, as well as an excellent scientist,” Ullman said. I look forward to watching her as she finishes her Ph.D. and develops her career. My own daughter was born the year after I finished my Ph.D., and I certainly remember the challenge of being a mother, a wife, and taking care of aging parents while working to establish an academic career."
“Without a doubt," Ullman said, "I would not change a thing—I feel enormously grateful for the joy of my family, and for having the opportunity to simultaneously enjoy a full career in the sciences, as well as connecting art and science.”
A native of Plainfield, N.H, Charlotte is a 2015 graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y., where she majored in conservation biology and developed an interest in assassin flies--and in celebrating World Robber Fly Day every April 30.
Why assassin flies? “I chose assassin flies because I fell in love researching them as an undergraduate at St. Lawrence University,” she said. "They are fascinating flies and I like that they can immediately change someone's perspective of flies. They are venomous, predatory flies that eat other insects! And they sometimes even look exactly like the creatures they eat. Example: bumble bees!”
At UC Davis, she worked on the identification and database of the Asilidae collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology from August 2015 until June 2021, while also engaged in numerous art projects and serving a year as secretary of the Entomology Graduate Student Association.
Charlotte has collected insects in 16 states and four countries, including Belize, Namibia, and Sweden. She presented a virtual seminar on “Asilidae of Belize” at the 2021 Entomological Society of America meeting.
How difficult is it to juggle so many roles? “I would be lying if I said it was easy,” Alberts said. “Being a mom, a wife, and a graduate student is a significant challenge. Balancing work and life is a skill that no one can teach you and takes a lot of trial and error. Thankfully, with the support and patience from my principal investigator (Diane Ullman), my advisor (UC Davis distinguished professor Rick Karban), my thesis committee (Ullman, research advisor Torsten Dikow of NNMH, and Jason Bond, Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), my husband, and family, I have been able to continue to work on my PhD through a pandemic, multiple health issues, moving across the country, and having two children. Though being a mom and a graduate student is a lot of work, and exhausting, I wouldn't change it for the world. My family brings so much joy to my life and fuels me to push forward, one step at a time!”
Alberts noted that being a graduate student “has allowed me more flexibility as a working mom to also care for my children than a typical 9 to 5 job. Instead of putting the kids in daycare, I have chosen to work during nap times, after and before bedtime, for chunks during the day when my husband can take over, weekends, and during my son's preschool, twice a week. Sometimes it's challenging to not have the same routine every day. and there are never enough hours in a day, but I do get to be a part of my children's childhoods, and I am forever grateful for that!”
“Being a mom and a graduate student means that I am learning every day how to be more creative and flexible with my time,” she said. “I've learned how to modify my workspace to be available to my children. One of the many ways that having children has changed me is that I have less anxiety about my work. I used to sit on an email sometimes for days because of the fear of not being good enough or doing something wrong. Or sometimes, I wouldn't ask for help with something or ask how something was done because of the fear of being judged for not being able to do it myself. Since having my children, I've had to push my anxieties and fears aside because I simply don't have the time I used to have to worry about such things. I've learned to accept help from others and that I am not expected to know everything, especially in graduate school.”
Alberts remembers how much she liked interning at NMNH in the summer of 2014 and working with Dikow on identifying specimens of Asilidae to genus. She then won a graduate student fellowship (July-September 2016) at NMNH; Dikow served as her advisor. "I hope to do my postdoctoral fellowship there," she said.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Alberts is geared toward finishing her dissertation while balancing her work-home life. “My family brings so much joy to my life,” she reiterated, “and fuels me to push forward, one step at a time!”
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, billed as "A Day to Celebrate Science," is set for Saturday, Feb. 18. Traditionally held during Presidents' Day Weekend, the event is free and family friendly. Parking is also free.
Biodiversity Museum Day chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology, today announced that 11 museums or collections on campus will showcase their work:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Shields Oak Grove, alongside the Vet School, Garrod Drive on campus, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and Main Hall of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the Greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (tentative)
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 9 am. to 3 p.m.
- Marine Invertebrate Collection (Sciences Laboratory Building), noon to 3 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, to be determined
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery, Winery and Food Processing facility, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (See news story)
Biodiversity Museum Day is considered a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity and variety of species on planet Earth and learn about the research being done at UC Davis. The event is also considered a great opportunity for scientists-to-be to consider their career options. Some of the museums and collections are open to the public only on Biodiversity Museum Day, Yang said.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
During these winter rainstorms, keep your eye out for the rain beetle, genus Pleocoma, family Pleocomidae. You may see them before sunrise or just after sunset. The males can fly only a couple of hours before they die. The females are flightless.
We saw our first--and last--rain beetles back in October of 2012 when a graduate student in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology showed us several that a friend had collected in the Shenandoah Valley of Plymouth, Amador County.
As we mentioned in an earlier blog, they spend most of their lives in immature stages beneath the ground, and that can total a decade or more, scientists estimate. The adults surface when the ground is soaked. Adult beetles do not eat. They have no mouthparts or digestive tracts. They rely on the fat stored from their larval stage.
The females emit a pheromone so the males can locate them. It's a hurry-hurry-hurry scenario. Arthur Evans and James Hogue, authors of Introduction to California Beetles (University of California Press, Berkeley) say that “on average, males of some rain beetles have only enough energy stored as fat to give them about two hours of air time and live only a few days. The more sedentary females require less energy and may live for months after fall and winter storms.”
In California, "Pleocoma is found only in foothill and mountain habitats, never on the valley floor that I know of,” Lynn Kimsey director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, told us. “A lot of the populations have been extirpated by housing developments. When I was a kid living in the Berkeley Hills in El Cerrito we had lots of males flying after every rain but once the neighborhood was built up they vanished.”
“California's rain beetles occur throughout the mountainous regions of the state, except in the deserts,” according to Evans and Hogue. Their excerpt on rain beetles is published on the website of the Hastings Natural History Reservation in Carmel, Monterey County. “Small, isolated populations also occur in the Sacramento Valley and the coastal plain of San Diego County. The known modern distribution of these apparently ancient beetles is restricted by the flightless females and is more or less correlated to areas of land that have never been subjected to glaciation or inundation by inland seas during the last two or three million years.”
As underground larvae, these insects feed on shrub and tree roots, fungi and other organic matter. Larvae can be pests when they attack the roots of apple, pear and other orchard trees.
Evans and Hogue describe the rain beetles as “large, robust, and shiny.”
And hairy. Indeed, Pleocoma is Greek for abundant hair.
“The thick layer of hair covering the undersides," they write, "is remarkably ineffective as insulation, especially for flying or rapidly crawling males who must maintain high body temperatures in cold, damp weather….the thick pile probably functions to protect both sexes from abrasion as they burrow through the soil. Males and females dig with powerful, rake-like legs and a V-shaped scoop mounted on the front of the head.”
“In most species of rain beetles, male activity is triggered by weather conditions that accompany sufficient amounts of fall or winter rainfall or snowmelt in late winter or early spring. Depending upon circumstances, males may take to the air at dawn or at dusk, or they may fly during evening showers. Others are encountered flying late in the morning on sunny days following a night of pouring rains, or during heavy snowmelt.”
Evans and Hogue say the males fly low to the ground searching for females. They are often attracted to lights (including porch lights) and pools of water. “Females crawl back down their burrows and may wait up to several months for their eggs to mature. The female eventually lays 40 to 50 eggs in a spiral pattern at the end of the burrow as much as 3 m (10 ft) below the surface. The eggs hatch in about two months.”
Learn more about them on the Washington State University site, or watch them on YouTube:
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you're planning to visit the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the University of Davis, campus, the hours are limited during the holiday season.
Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator, announced today:
- The last day in December that we are open to the public is Thursday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon, and 1-5 pm.
- On Friday, Dec. 16 we are here working, but are closed to the public. Researchers and staff are welcome at the Bohart to do research or to shop. You may need to knock on the door, though.
- Next week Monday, Dec. 19 through Thursday, Dec. 22 we will be here for research and will be answering phones, emails and can coordinate in-store pick-ups for anyone who shops on-line https://www.
bohartmuseumstore.com/. (Email us if you are planning to stop by. Our hours are typically 9-moon and 1-5 pm. Researchers and staff can shop in store at this time.) - From Friday, Dec. 23- Monday, Jan. 2 the museum will be closed. We will all be on holiday and/or working from home, so no one will be answering the Bohart phones or be available for in-store pick-ups.
- We will re-open as usual on Tuesday, January 3.
The Bohart Museum, home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens, a live "petting zoo" and a gift shop, is located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane. Admission is free.
Founded in 1946, the Bohart is directed by Lynn Kimsey, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology. It is named for UC Davis professor and noted entomologist Richard Bohart, who was Kimsey's major professor. Weekend open houses are held periodically throughout the year. The Bohart is one of the co-founders and co-leaders of the campuswide Biodiversity Museum Day, traditionally held on President's Weekend (details to be announced soon) and UC Davis Picnic Day. The 109th annual Picnic Day, which draws some 75,000 visitors to the campus, will be Saturday, April 15.
