DAVIS--While 49’er fans everywhere are gearing up for Sunday’s NFC championship game with the Seattle Seahawks, UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey and his UC Davis Entomology Club are heading for Alcatraz for “rat patrol.”

And “millipede patrol.” And “powderpost beetle patrol.”

Kimsey, whose fly research on the island led to his nickname, “The Fly Man of Alcatraz,” will be leading 16 club members Saturday on an overnight insect/arthropod collecting tour, deploying insect light traps. They also will be surveying the rat population that threatens the bird sanctuaries on the island.

The project encompasses all of Saturday and part of Sunday. “Some in our group want to get back early so as not to miss the game,” said Kimsey, a faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the club’s advisor.

Kimsey knows that the Seattle team’s bird moniker is “Seahawks,” but he’s more interested in other birds--the birds in the island’s rookeries and the “The Bird Man of Alcatraz” (Robert Stroud)-- than in who’s throwing the pigskin.

“I’m not a football fan,” Kimsey acknowledged.

A UC Davis “rat patrol” in February of 2012 led to the discovery of a fluorescent millipede, a common arthropod but previously unknown to exist on the island. After National Park Service employees fed rats a bait laced with fluorescent, non-toxic dye, Kimsey and the club members began searching for fluorescent rat feces.

Initially, they didn’t find the rat feces, but club member Alex Nguyen, now a third-year entomology major, found a fluorescent millipede and showed it to Kimsey.

Had it consumed some of the rat bait? No. An experiment at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus showed that these millipedes (Xystocheir dissecta (Wood) glow under ultraviolet or black lights, just like scorpions.

Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and UC Davis professor of entomology, suspects that the millipedes on Alcatraz Island originated from soil transported over from the nearby Angel Island when “The Rock” was just that—rock with little or no soil.

The species is relatively abundant in the Bay Area. “This particular species of millipedes glowed all along, but nobody was paying any attention to it,” she said.

Nguyen is now doing research in the Bruce Hammock lab on the florescent millipedes. He wants to know what compound makes the millipede fluoresce under a UV light.

This will be Nguyen’s fourth overnight trip to The Rock. “I’m very excited to return,” he said.

The former maximum-security federal penitentiary once housed some of the country's most  notorious inmates including not only “The Bird Man of Alcatraz” but Al “Scarface” Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Arthur “Doc” Barker.

Robert Kimsey does research on the nuisance flies that plague staff and tourists on Alcatraz. He became involved in the fly project in July 2007 when he received a call about the annoying flies from entomologist Bruce Badzik, integrated pest management coordinator with the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Since then, they have worked on a number of projects involving UC Davis Entomology Club members.

So while the 49’ers and Seahawks collect first downs, touchdowns and field goals, entomologists Robert Kimsey and Bruce Badzik and the UC Davis students will be collecting millipedes, beetles and other arthropods.

And doing “rat patrol.”

DAVIS--Professor David Holway of the Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, UC San Diego, will discuss the invasions of the red imported fire ant and the Argentine ant when he presents the Jan. 22nd seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

His topic is""Do Positive Species Interactions Promote Invasions? The Role of Ant-Hemipteran Mutualisms in Ant Invasions." The seminar takes place from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs.  Host is assistant professor Brian Johnson, who coordinates the winter quarter seminars. Plans call for video-recording the seminar for later posting on UCTV.

"Mutualistic and facilitative interactions encourage the establishment and spread of introduced species to a degree that is currently underappreciated," said Holway in his abstract. "Commonly formed mutualistic associations between introduced ants and honeydew-producing Hemiptera alter the abundance and behavior of these ants in ways that directly contribute to their ecological success. Our research centers on the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) and the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), the two most widespread, abundant and ecologically damaging introduced ants in North America"

"As with most interactions between ants and honeydew-producing Hemiptera, partnerships that involve either S. invicta or L. humile tend to be general, with the ants commonly and opportunistically forming associations with a wide variety of aphids, scales, and mealybugs (including both native and non-native species). Using a combination of experimental approaches and isotopic analyses, our research demonstrates that assimilation of carbohydrate-rich resources (e.g., honeydew, nectar) elevates levels of colony growth and affects worker behavioral traits in ways that likely contribute to competitive performance."

"Intense interspecific competition in their native Argentina constrains the ability of S. invicta and L. humile to control honeydew-producing Hemiptera (and other accessible sources of carbohydrates), whereas these invaders dominate these resources in their introduced US range. Consistent with this strong pattern, nitrogen isotopic data reveal that S. invicta and L. humile from populations in the US occupy a lower trophic position compared to that occupied by these species in Argentina. Given the high densities often achieved by introduced ants, their interactions with honeydew-producing insects may represent an important and largely underappreciated form of herbivory."

Holway received his bachelor's degree in zoology, with highest honors, from UC Berkeley in 1989. He earned his doctorate in biology in 1997 from the University of Utah, completing his dissertation on "The Causes and Consequences of Argentine Ant Invasions." He was a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego from 1997 to 2001 and then served as an assistant project scientist, assistant professor and associate professor.

Holway advanced to professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego in 2011. He has served as director of the UC San Diego Natural Reserve System since 2010.

He is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, including research in Ecological Entomology, Oecologia, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ecology, Insectes Sociaux, Molecular Ecology, and Journal of Experimental Biology.  Among the most recent:

LeVan, K.E., K-L.J.Hung, K.R. McCann, J. Ludka & D.A. Holway. Floral visitation by the Argentine ant reduces pollinator visitation and seed set in the coast barrel cactus, Ferocactus viridescens. Oecologia, In press.

Yoo, H.J., M.C. Kizner & D.A. Holway. Ecological effects of multi-species, ant-hemipteran mutualisms in citrus. Ecological Entomology 38:505-514.

Wilder, S.M., T.R. Barnum, D.A. Holway, A.V. Suarez & M.D. Eubanks. 2013. Introduced fire ants can exclude native ants from critical mutualist-provided resources. Oecologia 172:197-205.

Wilder, S.M., D.A. Holway, A.V. Suarez, E.G. LeBrun & M.D. Eubanks. 2011. Intercontinental differences in resource use reveal the importance of mutualisms in fire ant invasions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108:20639-20644.

Yoo, H.J. & D.A. Holway. 2011. Context-dependence in an ant-aphid mutualism: direct effects of tending intensity on aphid performance. Ecological Entomology 36:450-458.

Wilder, S.M., D.A. Holway, A.V. Suarez & M.D. Eubanks. 2011. Macronutrient content of plant-based food affects growth of a carnivorous arthropod. Ecology 92:325-332.

LeBrun, E.G., M. Moffett & D.A. Holway. 2011. Convergent evolution of levee building behavior among distantly related ant species in a flood-plain ant assemblage. Insectes Sociaux 58:263-269.

Wilson, E.E. & D.A. Holway. 2010. Multiple mechanisms underlie displacement of solitary Hawaiian Hymenoptera by an invasive social wasp. Ecology 91:3294-3302.

Wilson, E.E, C. Sidhu, K.E. LeVan & D.A. Holway. 2010. Pollen foraging behavior of solitary Hawaiian bees revealed through molecular pollen analysis. Molecular Ecology 19: 4823-4829.

Menke,S.B., A.V. Suarez, C.V. Tillberg, C.T. Chou & D.A. Holway. 2010. Trophic ecology of the invasive Argentine ant: spatio-temporal variation in resource assimilation. Oecologia 164:763-773.

Wilson, E.E., C.V. Young & D.A. Holway. 2010. Predation or scavenging? Thoracic muscle pH and rates of water loss reveal cause of death in arthropods. Journal of Experimental Biology 213:2640-2646.

Kay, A.D., T. Zumbusch, J.L. Heinen, T.C. Marsh, & D.A. Holway. 2010. Nutrition and interference competition have interactive effects on the behavior and performance of Argentine ants. Ecology 91:57-64.

 

DAVIS--Dave Gillespie, senior research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), British Columbia (Research Centre, Agassiz) will speak on "Biological Control in the Face of Climate Change" at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in 122 Briggs Hall.

His seminar is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall. Host is Michael Parrella, professor and chair of the department. 

Gillespie's abstract: "The phenomenon of global climate change (GCC) is likely to have a dominant impact on agriculture, food supply and food security in the coming decades. The two dominant GCC trends – increased carbon dioxide concentrations, and increased average annual temperatures, will cause changes in how and where crop plants grow. However, because arthropods are mostly cold-blooded, the underlying effect of GCC on average temperature and temperature ranges within growing seasons is likely to be of greater importance for IPM in agriculture. Biological control of pest insects by arthropod natural enemies is an integral part of IPM. The benefits derived from biological control (increased yields and reduced pest numbers) are governed by the principles of population and community ecology. Relationships between species in biological control, such as prey-predator dynamics, competition and trophic cascades are driven in part by rates of growth and movement of the component species, which are in turn governed in part by temperature."

"This seminar presentation will summarize some recent work on the effects of extreme temperatures on an experimental biological control community. I will conclude by presenting some preliminary results from work-in-progress which places the effects of extreme temperatures in the context of the two key GCC trends: carbon dioxide and average growing season temperature."

Gillespie says he's primarily an insect ecologist and biological control scientist. "For over 30 years the focus of my research has been the development and introduction of biological control agents and biological control systems for use in Canadian greenhouse crops. Many of the predators and parasitoids that I have developed as biological control agents are currently produced and sold in Canada, and are used extensively to replace insecticide use in greenhouse and other crops. The principles of population and community ecology are used to develop approaches to limit insect population growth in order to reduce or eliminate insecticide applications while maintaining productivity, crop quality and profitability. The results help to develop IPM systems in crops, and improve worker and environmental health."

His current research projects entail classical biological control programs for pests of canola and other cole crops; development of life table models for spotted wing drosophila; surveys of egg parasitoids of Pentatomidae; and development of an improved understanding of the effects of extreme temperature events and other climate change factors biological control communities. This last work led to participation in a report on the effects of climate change on invertebrate genetic resources in Agriculture for the FAO."

Gillespie also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University where he has co-supervised numerous master's degree and Ph.D. students. He served on supervisory committees for M.Sc. and Ph.D. students at Cornell University, University of British Columbia, and the University of  Windsor. His contributions have been recognized by an honorary membership in the International Organization for Biological Control (2012), an AAFC Gold Harvest Award (2011), by a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Pest Management Association of British Columbia (2011), and an Award of Excellence from Association of Natural Biological Control Producers (2003)

Assistant professor Brian Johnson is coordinating the winter quarter seminars. Plans call for recording the seminars for later posting on UCTV.

List of 2014 Winter Quarter Seminars

Would you snuggle with a bed bug?
Would you snuggle with a tick?
Would you snuggle with lice?

Shades of Dr. Seuss?

No, “Snuggle Bugs” is the theme of the Bohart Museum of Entomology’s open house on Sunday, Jan. 12.

The event, free and open to the public, will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge building on Crocker Lane (formerly California Drive), UC Davis campus.

Visitors can learn about ticks, bed bugs, lice, mites, fleas and mosquitoes--the kind of bugs people don’t want to snuggle with, said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.

A special attraction will be the bed bug colony being reared by Danielle Wishon, a UC Davis entomology graduate and an affiliate of the Bohart Museum. She began rearing the colony in October 2012.

 “Aside from the fact that I find them visually adorable, I am interested in the current public panic over their current increase in population around the United States," she said prior to a "bed bug feeding" at another Bohart open house. "The idea that several little animals will crawl up to you while you sleep and feed on your blood really disturbs most people, despite the fact that they do not transmit any disease."

Wishon, now an employee of the California Department of Food and Agriculture,  is a past president of the UC Davis Entomology Club and recipient of the department’s 2011 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award.

"I think the general public would be very interested to see them feeding," she said. "There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet about them, so it would also be a good opportunity for Q and A."

The Bohart Museum, directed by Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at UC Davis and housing nearly eight million specimens, is the seventh largest insect collection in North America. It is also the home of the California Insect Survey, a storehouse of insect biodiversity. Noted entomologist Richard M. Bohart (1913-2007) founded the museum in 1946.

Special attractions at the Bohart include a live "petting zoo," with critters such as Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks, millipedes, tarantulas and praying mantids. Visitors can also shop at the year-around gift shop (or online) for t-shirts, jewelry, insect nets, posters and books, including the newly published children’s book, “The Story of the Dogface Butterfly,” written by UC Davis doctoral candidate Fran Keller and illustrated (watercolor and ink) by Laine Bauer, a 2012 graduate of UC Davis. The 35-page book, geared toward kindergarteners through sixth graders, also includes photos by naturalist Greg Kareofelas of Davis, a volunteer at the Bohart.

Bohart officials schedule weekend open houses throughout the academic year. Regular hours are from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.  The insect museum is closed to the public on Fridays and on major holidays. Admission is free. More information is available from Tabatha Yang at tabyang@ucdavis.edu.