Search results for: Micky D. Eubanks

Items from 1 to 20 out of 25 results

article

Distinct colony boundaries and larval discrimination in polygyne red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta)

MacKenzie K. Kjeldgaard, Pierre‐André Eyer, Collin C. McMichael, Alison A. Bockoven, more

Molecular Ecology > 31 > 3 > 1007 - 1020

Evaluating the factors that promote invasive ant abundance is critical to assess their ecological impact and inform their management. Many invasive ant species show reduced nestmate recognition and an absence of boundaries between unrelated nests, which allow populations to achieve greater densities due to reduced intraspecific competition. We examined nestmate discrimination and colony boundaries...

article

Risky roots and careful herbivores: Sustained herbivory by a root‐feeding herbivore attenuates indirect plant defences

John M. Grunseich, Morgan N. Thompson, Allison A. Hay, Zachary Gorman, more

Functional Ecology > 34 > 9 > 1779 - 1789

Above‐ground plant tissues produce characteristic blends of volatile compounds in response to insect herbivory. These herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) function in plant defence and mediate foraging decisions by herbivores and their natural enemies. The ecological roles of HIPVs as foraging cues for different trophic levels highlight an important conflict for herbivores that need to locate...

article

Generalising indirect defence and resistance of plants

Ian S. Pearse, Eric LoPresti, Robert N. Schaeffer, William C. Wetzel, more

Ecology Letters > 23 > 7 > 1137 - 1152

Indirect defence, the adaptive top‐down control of herbivores by plant traits that enhance predation, is a central component of plant–herbivore interactions. However, the scope of interactions that comprise indirect defence and associated ecological and evolutionary processes has not been clearly defined. We argue that the range of plant traits that mediate indirect defence is much greater than previously...

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Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) aggression influences the behavior of three hard tick species

MacKenzie K. Kjeldgaard, Oona M. Takano, Alison A. Bockoven, Pete D. Teel, more

Experimental and Applied Acarology > 2019 > 79 > 1 > 87-97

Few studies have documented the indirect effects of predators on tick behavior. We conducted behavioral assays in the laboratory to quantify the effects of a highly abundant predator, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), on three species of ticks endemic to the southern USA: the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf Coast tick (A. maculatum), and the Cayenne tick (A. mixtum)....

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Colony‐level behavioural variation correlates with differences in expression of the foraging gene in red imported fire ants

Alison A. Bockoven, Craig J. Coates, Micky D. Eubanks

Molecular Ecology > 26 > 21 > 5953 - 5960

Among social insects, colony‐level variation is likely to be widespread and has significant ecological consequences. Very few studies, however, have documented how genetic factors relate to behaviour at the colony level. Differences in expression of the foraging gene have been associated with differences in foraging and activity of a wide variety of organisms. We quantified expression of the red imported...

article

Not all droughts are created equal? The effects of stress severity on insect herbivore abundance

Warren B. Sconiers, Micky D. Eubanks

Arthropod-Plant Interactions > 2017 > 11 > 1 > 45-60

Predicting interactions between drought and plant–insect interactions has been a challenge. Currently, we are unable to accurately predict herbivore abundance on stressed plants despite over 500 publications and half a dozen formal hypotheses. With drought predicted to increase in severity with climate change, determining herbivore abundance on stressed plants is critical for continued agricultural...

article

Summer and fall ants have different physiological responses to food macronutrient content

Steven C. Cook, Micky D. Eubanks, Roger E. Gold, Spencer T. Behmer

Journal of Insect Physiology > 2016 > 87 > C > 35-44

Seasonally, long-lived animals exhibit changes in behavior and physiology in response to shifts in environmental conditions, including food abundance and nutritional quality. Ants are long-lived arthropods that, at the colony level, experience such seasonal shifts in their food resources. Previously we reported summer- and fall-collected ants practiced distinct food collection behavior and nutrient...

article

Water stress in grasslands: dynamic responses of plants and insect herbivores

Paul A. Lenhart, Micky D. Eubanks, Spencer T. Behmer

Oikos > 124 > 3 > 381 - 390

Global climate change is altering precipitation patterns. The effect of water stress on plant–herbivore interactions is poorly understood even though this is a primary ecological interaction that will be altered by climate change. This is especially true for grasslands where water is often limiting. In this study we manipulated water inputs in open grassland plots (1 m²) during a severe drought and...

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Interaction webs in agroecosystems: beyond who eats whom

Micky D Eubanks, Deborah L Finke

Current Opinion in Insect Science > 2014 > 2 > Complete > 1-6

Studies of insect communities in agroecosystems have historically focused on a food web approach: who eats whom. Recent research has highlighted the importance of indirect effects in determining the abundance and distribution of insects and their effects on other insects and plants. These indirect interactions include apparent competition where an herbivore indirectly suppresses another herbivore...

article

Introduced fire ants can exclude native ants from critical mutualist-provided resources

Shawn M. Wilder, Thomas R. Barnum, David A. Holway, Andrew V. Suarez, more

Oecologia > 2013 > 172 > 1 > 197-205

Animals frequently experience resource imbalances in nature. For ants, one resource that may be particularly valuable for both introduced and native species is high-carbohydrate honeydew from hemipteran mutualists. We conducted field and laboratory experiments: (1) to test if red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) competed with native ants for access to mutualisms with aphids, and (2) to quantify...

article

Higher expression of induced defenses in teosintes (Zea spp.) is correlated with greater resistance to fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

Adrianna Szczepaniec, Sarah E. Widney, Julio S. Bernal, Micky D. Eubanks

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata > 146 > 2 > 242 - 251

Selection for plant traits important for agriculture can come at a high cost to plant defenses. While selecting for increased growth rate and yield, domestication and subsequent breeding may lead to weakened defenses and greater susceptibility of plants to herbivores. We tested whether expression of defense genes differed among maize, Zea mays ssp. mays L. (Poaceae), and its wild relatives Zea mays...

article

The use of simulation modeling to evaluate the mechanisms responsible for the nutritional benefits of food-for-protection mutualisms

Shawn M. Wilder, Andrew V. Suarez, Micky D. Eubanks

Ecological Modelling > 2010 > 221 > 11 > 1505-1511

In some mutualisms, a plant or insect provides a food resource in exchange for protection from herbivores, competitors or predators. This food resource can benefit the consumer, but the relative importance of different mechanisms responsible for this benefit is unclear. We used a colony-level simulation model to test the relative importance of increased larval production, increased worker foraging...

article

A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

JOHN D. STYRSKY, MICKY D. EUBANKS

Ecological Entomology > 35 > 2 > 190 - 199

1. The consequences to plants of ant–aphid mutualisms, particularly those involving invasive ants, are poorly studied. Ant–aphid mutualisms may increase or decrease plant fitness depending on the relative cost of herbivory by ant‐tended aphids versus the relative benefit of increased ant suppression of other (non‐aphid) herbivores. 2. We conducted field and greenhouse experiments in which we manipulated...

article

Colony-level macronutrient regulation in ants: mechanisms, hoarding and associated costs

Steven C. Cook, Micky D. Eubanks, Roger E. Gold, Spencer T. Behmer

Animal Behaviour > 2010 > 79 > 2 > 429-437

Social and nonsocial organisms both require a suite of nutrients in correct amounts and ratios to promote growth and fitness, but the nutrient profiles of available foods are rarely optimal. Nutrient acquisition in insect societies is more complex compared to that of nonsocial organisms however, because foraging is restricted to only a proportion of the colony, and these members must satisfy their...

article

Plant trichomes indirectly enhance tritrophic interactions involving a generalist predator, the red imported fire ant

John D. Styrsky, Ian Kaplan, Micky D. Eubanks

Biological Control > 2006 > 36 > 3 > 375-384

Morphological defense traits of plants such as trichomes potentially compromise biological control in agroecosystems because they may hinder predation by natural enemies. To investigate whether plant trichomes hinder red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), as biological control agents in soybean, field and greenhouse experiments were conducted in which we manipulated...

article

Effectiveness of Metal–Metal and Metal–Organic Compound Combinations Against Plutella xylostella: Implications for Plant Elemental Defense

Edward M. Jhee, Robert S. Boyd, Micky D. Eubanks

Journal of Chemical Ecology > 2006 > 32 > 2 > 239-259

Plants that contain elevated foliar metal concentrations can be categorized as accumulators or, if the accumulation is extreme, hyperaccumulators. The defense hypothesis suggests that these plants may be defended against folivore attack, and recent research has indicated that metal concentrations at or below the accumulator range may be defensively effective. This experiment explored the toxicity...

article

Nickel hyperaccumulation by Streptanthus polygaloides protects against the folivore Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Edward M. Jhee, Robert S. Boyd, Micky D. Eubanks, Micheal A. Davis

Plant Ecology > 2006 > 183 > 1 > 91-104

We determined the effectiveness of Ni as an elemental defence of Streptanthus polygaloides (Brassicaceae) against a crucifer specialist folivore, diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella. An oviposition experiment used arrays of S. polygaloides grown on Ni-amended (high-Ni) soil interspersed with plants grown on unamended (low-Ni) soil and eggs were allowed to hatch and larvae fed freely among...

article

Discontinuous carbon dioxide release in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), and its effect on respiratory transpiration

Beatrice N. Dingha, Arthur G. Appel, Micky D. Eubanks

Journal of Insect Physiology > 2005 > 51 > 7 > 825-836

The discontinuous gas exchange cycle (DGC) was described in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) for the first time. Also, the effect of the DGC on water loss was investigated. The CO ₂ emission pattern in both insecticide resistant and susceptible B. germanica varied with temperature. At 10, 15, and 20°C the pattern was discontinuous. Cycle frequency...

article

Extending the Elemental Defense Hypothesis: Dietary Metal Concentrations Below Hyperaccumulator Levels Could Harm Herbivores

Christina M. Coleman, Robert S. Boyd, Micky D. Eubanks

Journal of Chemical Ecology > 2005 > 31 > 8 > 1669-1681

Previous work has shown that hyperaccumulator levels of some metals can defend plants against herbivores, but the possibility of defense by metal concentrations at accumulator or normal levels is unexplored. This study tested the hypothesis that metals can defend plants at low concentrations. We determined the relative toxicities of eight metals commonly acquired by plants: Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni,...

article

Variation in the response of Mimulus guttatus (Scrophulariaceae) to herbivore and virus attack

Micky D. Eubanks, David E. Carr, John F. Murphy

Evolutionary Ecology > 2005 > 19 > 1 > 15-27

Plants are often simultaneously attacked by insect herbivores and plant pathogens, yet relatively few studies have investigated the potential interactive effects of herbivores and pathogens on plant fitness. We studied the effects of simultaneous attack by meadow spittlebugs, Philaenus spumarius (Homoptera: Cercopidae), and a plant virus, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), on the fitness of Mimulus ...

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INFONA - science communication portal

Search results for: Micky D. Eubanks

Distinct colony boundaries and larval discrimination in polygyne red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta)

Risky roots and careful herbivores: Sustained herbivory by a root‐feeding herbivore attenuates indirect plant defences

Generalising indirect defence and resistance of plants

Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) aggression influences the behavior of three hard tick species

Colony‐level behavioural variation correlates with differences in expression of the foraging gene in red imported fire ants

Not all droughts are created equal? The effects of stress severity on insect herbivore abundance

Summer and fall ants have different physiological responses to food macronutrient content

Water stress in grasslands: dynamic responses of plants and insect herbivores

Interaction webs in agroecosystems: beyond who eats whom

Introduced fire ants can exclude native ants from critical mutualist-provided resources

Higher expression of induced defenses in teosintes (Zea spp.) is correlated with greater resistance to fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

The use of simulation modeling to evaluate the mechanisms responsible for the nutritional benefits of food-for-protection mutualisms

A facultative mutualism between aphids and an invasive ant increases plant reproduction

Colony-level macronutrient regulation in ants: mechanisms, hoarding and associated costs

Plant trichomes indirectly enhance tritrophic interactions involving a generalist predator, the red imported fire ant

Effectiveness of Metal–Metal and Metal–Organic Compound Combinations Against Plutella xylostella: Implications for Plant Elemental Defense

Nickel hyperaccumulation by Streptanthus polygaloides protects against the folivore Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

Discontinuous carbon dioxide release in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), and its effect on respiratory transpiration

Extending the Elemental Defense Hypothesis: Dietary Metal Concentrations Below Hyperaccumulator Levels Could Harm Herbivores

Variation in the response of Mimulus guttatus (Scrophulariaceae) to herbivore and virus attack

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