Browsing by Subject "Department of Entomology"
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Item Effects of DEET on Proteins in Mosquito Cells(2009-04-08) Hellestad, VanessaDEET, N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents. It is a chemical applied to the skin or clothing that is used to protect against arthropods such as ticks and mosquitoes. We did preliminary experiments that showed the surprising result that DEET kills mosquito cells in tissue culture. This was unexpected because cultured cells do not have sensory organs to detect a repellent. While running SDS gels we discovered a protein that was expressed in cells that were treated with DEET and absent in those that were not.Item Hippoboscid Flies on Raptors in the Upper Midwest(2008-12-01) Latchman, ShaliniLouse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) are known as “flat flies” to wildlife rehabilitators. The University of Minnesota operates a Raptor Center in St. Paul, where staff rehabilitate large numbers of injured raptors submitted by citizens throughout the region. Staff at the center have noticed louse flies on many of their patients in previous years. The louse fly fauna of birds and mammals in the Upper Midwest was summarized in the 1940s, where museum records contained 9 species of louse flies from diurnal and nocturnal raptors. Arrival of West Nile virus in North America has increased interest in louse flies as potential vectors. The present descriptive study was undertaken to characterize the louse fly fauna on raptors admitted to the St. Paul Raptor Center.Item The Influence of Ants on Native and Exotic Parasitoid Success(2010-04-21) Gunderson, SarahSoybean aphids are an invasive species inducing a loss of up to 50% of soybean yields - or millions of dollars - each year. Parasitoids are small wasps that attack aphids and may reduce their population levels significantly. However, ants benefit from aphid exudates and will ‘tend’ aphids, or protect them from predators such as parasitoids. While there are native parasitoids that attack soybean aphids, they are not doing a sufficient job in controlling soybean aphid populations. A parasitoid called Binodoxis communis from the soybean aphid’s native range (China) has been determined to be a biological control agent for the soybean aphid. This experiment was designed to determine the influence of ants on B. communis compared to a native parasitoid, Lysiphlebus testaceipes.Item Non-lethal DNA extraction methods for genetic analyses of endangered bumble bee species(2021-08-27) Kuhlmey, Eiley E; Boone, Michelle; Lindsey, Amelia; Rao, SujayaSeveral North American bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Bombus) are faced with decline as factors such as climate change, pollution, and urbanization threaten their existence, thus raising concern regarding genetic diversity as populations diminish. Consequently, genetic analysis of these susceptible species is essential when considering appropriate conservation efforts. One species, Bombus affinis, has experienced such sharp population declines that it was listed as federally endangered within the United States and Canada. This necessitates methods for collecting genetic samples from bumble bees that do not require euthanizing specimens or removing legs. A previous pilot study used 50 mL conical tubes fitted with sugar water soaked swabs to passively collect genetic material from Bombus affinis. Approximately 50% of the 63 samples obtained contained usable amounts of DNA. To further improve this technique, samples were collected from Bombus impatiens using two non-lethal, minimally-invasive DNA extraction methods that can be applied to declining and endangered species. In one method, bumble bee thoraxes were swabbed directly to collect hairs from the immobilized bumble bees, whereas the second technique involved the passive DNA collection method utilized in the pilot study. The results of these two techniques were compared using PCR and gel electrophoresis to determine which of these methods, direct swabbing or passive DNA collection, works best for gathering genetic samples without causing unnecessary harm to susceptible and endangered species. It was concluded that the passive technique resulted in distinguishable DNA approximately 1.8 times more consistently than the active technique and is the better option among these methods.Item Randomization tests on multi-factorial insect data with mixed effects(2014-04-16) Hou, Suqin