Developmental synchronization of the purple pitcher plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, as a result of increasing environmental temperatures

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dc.contributor.authorSpies, Kevin Michael
dc.date.accessioned2018-12-15T17:20:32Z
dc.date.available2018-12-15T17:20:32Z
dc.date.issued2018-06
dc.description37 pages. Presented to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Robert D. Clark Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science June 2018
dc.description.abstractDevelopmental synchronization is the evolutionary phenomenon wherein individuals of a given population are able to achieve life cycle milestones in synchrony, independent of when development was initiated. Synchronization is important for population survival and reproduction. For ectothermic insect species, environmental temperature plays an important role in growth and development; increasing temperatures are positively correlated with developmental rates between the thermal threshold of development and the thermal optimum. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not developmental synchronization occurs in the pitcher plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, during the termination of larval diapause and subsequent development in response to increasing environmental temperatures. I sought to answer this question by gradually introducing four geographically distinct W. smithii populations into an increasing thermal environment (4-30 °C) and observing the time of pupation for individual larvae. I determined that W. smithii undergoes developmental synchronization from diapause termination to pupation between temperatures of 4 °C and 20 °C; however higher temperatures result in the decline of synchronization and delay of development. These results have important implications for mosquito control programs; programs may use this information to determine the optimal time and duration to deploy chemical or biological agents for control of mosquito vectors of serious human pathogens.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/24103
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-US
dc.subjectBiochemistryen_US
dc.subjectInsect Developmenten_US
dc.subjectDevelopmenten_US
dc.subjectMosquitoen_US
dc.subjectSynchronizationen_US
dc.subjectPitcher Planten_US
dc.subjectTemperatureen_US
dc.subjectDiapauseen_US
dc.titleDevelopmental synchronization of the purple pitcher plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, as a result of increasing environmental temperatures
dc.typeThesis/Dissertation

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