II 5 Meloe3powerpt

Fatal Attraction:: 

Fatal Attraction: Blister beetle larvae cooperate to practice mass deception in the Mojave Desert Leslie Saul-Gershenz Center For Ecosystem Survival J. Millar, U. C. Riverside

Mass Deception:: 

Mass Deception: A hitchhiker’s guide to the Mojave Desert Leslie Saul-Gershenz Center For Ecosystem Survival J. Millar University of California, Riverside

Meloid Larva Morphology: 

Meloid Larva Morphology Meloe Hornia Cysteodemus Meloe larva climb onto vegetation Larvae disperse & seek food Eggs laid in or near bee burrows

Meloe franciscanus & Habropoda pallida distribution: 

Habropoda pallida Meloe franciscanus Meloe franciscanus & Habropoda pallida distribution

Bee-witched and bee-lievable: 

Bee-witched and bee-lievable

Host finding behavior: 

Host finding behavior

Questions: 

Questions How do triungulin aggregations attract bees? Illicit signaling: 1. Visual mimicry: size, color, location, plant 2. Olfactory mimicry 3. Auditory mimicry

Visits to models, masses &dead bees: 

Visits to models, masses & dead bees

Slide29: 

Visits & Hits aggregations 98 5 obser. 2/<1 dead female 24 12 5/2=7 Live female 7 4 7/4=11 live female (caged) 125 0 19/1 hr Model of aggreg. 0 0 0 Dead male 0 0 0 visits hits mean(V/H)

Visual mimicry: 

Visual mimicry Bee Triungulins Size* 8.5 mm 8.38 mm P=.2448 Color gray-black red-brown Height 44.63 cm 28.13 cm 22-55 on plant 22-69 cm 10-55 cm overlap Plant perches overlap of species used *not sign.different (Mann-Whitney U test, U=157, Z=-1.163, P=.2448, n=20). Kolmogorov-Smirnov (goodness of fit) -distribution of aggregation lengths was significantly different than the distribution of female bee abdomen lengths. (n =20), DF=2, chi square =8.1, P<.05).

How to hitch a ride in the Mojave Desert: 

How to hitch a ride in the Mojave Desert Blister beetle larvae practice mass deception

Cooperative Aggressive Mimicry: 

Cooperative Aggressive Mimicry Mass stayed aggregated 27 events Mass moving up or down on plant stem 14 events Mass moved to different stem together 3 events Mass reformed after knocked down 4 events Behavior # observ.

Chemical profiles of female bees and triungulinsTo bee or not to bee: 

Chemical profiles of female bees and triungulins To bee or not to bee Female bee Triungulins

Host location system: 

Host location system Blister beetle larvae practice mass deception 1. Triungulins emerge and aggregate. 2. Triungulins cooperate to mimic female H. pallida. 3. Triungulins attract H. pallida male to pseudocopulate and then attach en masse during contact. 4. Triungulins travel by phoresy on male bee and transfer to female bee via “venereal transmission.” 5. Triungulins reach bee nest via phoresy on female H. pallida. 6. Triungulins mimic female bees both visually and chemically.

Factors affecting the evolution of host location behavior in parasitoids: 

Factors affecting the evolution of host location behavior in parasitoids Abundance and density of the host from the point of view of the parasitoid: Bees are a patchy, mobile resource. Annual abundance and distribution varies from year to year. Nectar source location is unpredictable because of dune habitat patchiness and heterogeneity. Human activities can disturb host plants (fire, grazing & soil compaction). Selection pressures on parasitoid and its searching behavior: Sand substrate temperatures reach 50˚ C. Larva have a greater risk of desiccation as an individual. Eggs at plant base are at risk of exposure from wind and shifting sand. Synchrony of intersection Host location window is affected by annual patterns of precipitation, temperature and wind. Bee nesting varies with Larrea bloom onset.

Slide41: 

Ecosystem Interactions Habropoda bee Kelso Dunes 30 species of bees Nectar/ pollen predator predator predator Nectar/ pollen Nectar/ pollen Perching Petalonyx Grasses predator Dasymutilla Metepiera spider Crab spider Phiddipus spider Wilson’s warbler Fringe-toed, leopard, brush Sidewinder Larrea shelter shelter Perching predator shelter Nectar/ pollen Herbivore Perching predator Eggs Eggs

Science: 

Science 1895 Harrington large # triungulins on bees 1928 Van Dyke describes adult Meloe franciscanus from S.F 1956 McSwain describes larvae as Meloe sp. A 1982 Pinto determines Meloe sp. A as M. franciscanus 1993-2000 Saul-Gershenz triungulins mimic bees 33 years 28 years 26 years 18 years 1841 Siebold recognizes phoretic relationship 54 years

Meloid History: 

Meloid History 1700, Goedart was the first to associate the triungulin larvae of Meloe with adults 1727 Frisch considered them to be lice and this error was perpetuated. 1767 Linnaeus in Systema Naturae gave the name Pediculus apis. 1828 Dufour described the genus Triungulinus for larvae of Meloe attached to an Andrena bee. Meloe triungulin claws in the form of a trident inspired Dufour to name his ‘bee louse’ Triungulinus 1841 Seibold recognized the phoretic relationship between triungulin of Meloe & bees. 1851 Newport definitely established that larvae of Meloe develop in the cells of bees 1857 and 1859 Fabre observed the feeding behavior of the triungulin larvae in bee nests and applied the term hypermetamorphosis. 1895 Harrington notes large numbers of triungulins on bees 1928 Van Dyke describes Meloe franciscanus adult from SF 1956 McSwain describes larvae,Meloe sp. A 1982 Pinto identifies Meloe sp. A larvae as Meloe franciscanus. Adapted from Pinto & Selander 1970

Slide45: 

Venereal transfer Bee bee contact Count Aggregation height vs. perching bee height

Slide46: 

Ecosystem Interactions Habropoda bee Kelso Dunes 30 species of bees Nectar/ pollen Nectar/ pollen Nectar/ pollen Perching Petalonyx Grasses Larrea Perching Nectar/ pollen Herbivore Perching predator Eggs Eggs

Science: 

Science 1895 Harrington large # triungulins on bees 1928 Van Dyke describes adult Meloe franciscanus from S.F 1956 McSwain describes larvae as Meloe sp. A 1982 Pinto determines Meloe sp. A as M. franciscanus 1993-2000 Saul-Gershenz triungulins mimic bees 33 years 28 years 26 years 18 years 1841 Siebold recognizes phoretic relationship 54 years

Adaptation for grasping: 

Adaptation for grasping

Why aggregate?: 

Why aggregate? 1 Defense against predation-Distastfulness precedes gregariousness 2. Reduction of water loss - small insects 3. Start out aggregated due to the oviposition behavior of female, the eggs laid in large groups 4. Patchy resources, patchy environment

Pheromones or Allomones: 

Pheromones or Allomones Intra-specific bee-bee sexual atttractant Intra-specific triung-triung aggregation Interspecific triungulin-bee aggressive mimicry proportion concentration context

Hypermetamorphosis: 

Hypermetamorphosis in Meloe

Slide57: 

How to get to your dream house -”patch leaving mechanisms” Hitchhiking is an iffy mode of transport if your time is limited However, if it’s a long way you might as well get a direct flight or at least one with just a few stops and bumps. And if your hitching a little cheesecake goes a long way