Association of Culicoides mississippiensis Hoffman with Ilex vomitoria Aiton, the yaupon holly

189 Pages·1996·6.6 MB·English

by  Stewart, Robert Gordon

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ASSOCIATION OF CULICOIDES MISSISSIPPIENSIS HOFFMAN
WITH ILEX VOMITORIA AITON, THE YAUPON HOLLY
By
ROBERT GORDON STEWART
A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
1996
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDALIBRARIES
This work is dedicated to the memory of my mother,
Margaret K. Stewart, whose warmth, encouragement, simplicity
and unwavering love are the cornerstones of my life.
.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Appreciation is extended to my major professor, Dr.
Daniel L. Kline, for providing an exceptional opportunity to
learn and apply diverse methods used in vector control, for
his guidance and financial support. Many thanks also to my
committee members. Dr. E. Greiner, Dr. D. Hall, Dr. H.
McAuslane, and Dr. W. Wirth (posthumously) for direction and
helpful advice. Thanks to the United States Department of
Agriculture-ARS CMAVE and especially Dr. D. Barnard for the
use of facilities and for providing funds for the duration of
my program. Heartfelt thanks to H. T. McKeithen for his "main
man" technical advice on mud, pesticides and computers, and to
E. Rountree for administrative assistance, humorous barbs and
weather reports
To J. Harrison thanks for many hours of statistical
consultation. Thanks also to the many who helped in my work,
including for gas chromatography D. Milne, Dr. M. Whitten, R.
Heath and B. Deuben; for scanning electron microscopy D.
Duzak; for arthropod identification D. Amalin, Dr. W. Grogan,
Dr. V. Gupta, Dr. S. Halbert, Dr. A. Hamon, C. Tipping, and
Dr. C. Welborn. For excellent technical advice and much
appreciated support thanks to Dr. S. Allan and Dr. G. Hu.
To all my friends in Gainesville, especially James and
Grace Okine, Dini Miller, Likui Yang, Mbulaheni Nthangeni,
Hilary George, Alicia Daniel, and Christine Masson, words
cannot express enough the appreciation for bringing normalcy
to my life in hectic and often stressful times.
My mother and father were a constant source of moral
support. To them and to my sisters, Diana and Carol, my warm
appreciation is extended for their encouragement throughout my
academic and professional career.
,
iv
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES X
ABSTRACT xii
CHAPTERS
< ,;.
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 IInLtErXodVuOcMtIiToOnRIA AITON . 77
Materials and Methods 16
Distribution Mapping 16
SSapmaptliealGraonudpTeSmeploercatlionPatatnedrnEsvalofuatFiloonwer.i.ng... 1199
Results 21
Distribution Mapping 21
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Flowering ... 21
Sample Group Selection and Evaluation 34
Discussion 39
Distribution Mapping 39
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Flowering ... 42
- Sample Group Selection and Evaluation 42
3 ILEX VOMITORIA FEEDING GUILD 44
Introduction 44
Materials and Methods 49
Pre-flowering Samples 49
Flowering Season Samples 50
Visitation Rhythms 52
Anthrone Tests 53
V
Biting Rates of C. mississippiensis .... 54
Results 55
Pre-flowering Samples 55
Flowering Season Samples 55
Uncommon visitors 58
Common visitors 62
Very common visitors 64
Visitation Rhythms 65
Culicoides mississippiensis 65
Dasvhelea mutabilis 73
Thysanoptera 78
Anthrone Tests 82
Biting Rates of C. mississippiensis 85
Discussion 88
Pre-flowering Samples 88
Flowering Season Samples 89
Uncommon visitors 89
Common visitors 91
Very common visitors 92
Visitation Rhythms 93
Culicoides mississippiensis 93
Dasvhelea mutabilis 94
Thysanoptera 96
Anthrone Tests 97
Biting Rates of C. mississippiensis .... 100
4 FILnOtRrAoLduVcOtiLoAnTILE PHENOLOGY OF ILEX VOMITORIA . . 110022
Materials and Methods 108
Volatile Collection 108
GC/MS Analysis 112
Data Analysis II3
Results 215
Sample Analysis II5
BPloalnleknkaintdtnosna-mpflleoswering samples . . . 111155
Flowering season samples 115
Data Analysis 12i
DiscussionCPahnennoonliocgaylofcovrorlealtaitlieoneamniaslsyisoinss .. .. .. 211322210
Sample Analysis 130
Blank and non-flowering samples ... 130
Pollenkitt samples 130
vi
Flowering season samples 131
Data Analysis 132
Phenology of volatile emissions . . . 132
Cannonical correlation analysis . . . 133
5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 135
Research Results 135
Yaupon Holly 135
Sex ratio 136
Size 136
Start of flowering 136
Percent bloom 137
Yaupon Feeding Guild 137
Profile of arthropod visitors .... 138
Visitation rhythms 138
Sugar and blood feeding behavior ... 139
Floral Volatiles 140
Identification 140
Phenology 141
Canonical correlation analysis .... 142
Conclusions 143
APPENDICES -
A FLORAL PHENOLOGY OF ILEX VOMITORIA 146
B PERCENT BLOOM DATA 152
C GC TRACES OF POLLEN AND FLORAL VOLATILES .... 158
D CALCULATION OF SAMPLE CHEMICAL MASSES 161
REFERENCES 162
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 173
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table page
2-1. Key to map of Ilex vomitoria positions on
Hammock A 23
2-2. Number of I., vomitoria plants on Hammock A
by size and sex 24
2-3. Ilex vomitoria plants included in study .... 35
2-4. Mean bud counts for I. vomitoria. March 1995 . . 35
2-5. Percent bloom groups 40
2-6. Mean peak bloom 40
3-1. Invertebrates collected from 1. vomitoria prior
to the start of flowering 56
3-2. Invertebrates collected from I. vomitoria during
the entire flowering season 57
3-3. Arthropods identified from AFS sweep samples
of I. vomitoria, spring 1995 59
3-4. Mean number of principal insects collected
by diel period, spring 1995 69
3-5. Mean number of principal insects collected
by plant, spring 1995 69
3-6. Mean number of principal insects collected
by bloom group, spring 1995 72
viii
Table Page
4-1. Essential pollen oils identified by GC/MS . . 116
4-2. Essential oils of flowering male 1. vomitoria
identified by GC/MS 117
4-3. Mean mass by diel period for each essential
oil identified by GC/MS from flowering male
1. vomitoria 120
4-4. Standardized cannonical coefficients of essential
oils identified by GC/MS for correlation with
capture of C. mississippiensis 123
4-5. Probability values of essential oils for
inclusion in a model predicting high capture
. . of C. mississippiensis 125
.'."4-^1 Probability values for the contributions of
essential oils to a regression model predicting
capture of C. mississippiensis 125
4-7. Standardized cannonical coefficients of essential
oils identified by GC/MS for correlation with
capture of D. mutabilis 128
4-8. Probability values of essential oils for
inclusion in a model predicting high capture
of D. mutabilis 129
4-9. Probability values for the contributions of
essential oils to a regression model predicting
capture of D. mutabilis 129
ii
ix
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure page
2-1. Distribution of Ilex vomitoria 8
2-2. Leaves and flowers of 1. vomitoria 10
2-3. Aerial view of salt marsh, Allen Park Road,
Yankeetown, Florida 17
2-4. Enlargement of Hammock A, Allen Park Road,
Yankeetown, Florida 18
2-5. Hammock A showing positions of I., vomitoria
plants 22
2-6. Phenology of flower start for I. vomitoria . . 26
2-7. Start of flowering by sex for I. vomitoria . . 33
2-8. Percent bloom as a function of time, throughout
the flowering season 36
3-1. Number of C. mississippiensis collected from I.
vomitoria by diel period 66
3-2. Daily totals for C. mississippiensis collected
from I.vomitoria by diel period, spring 1995 71
.
3-3. Number of D. mutabilis collected from I. vomitoria
by diel period 74
3-4. Daily totals for D. mutabilis collected
from I. vomitoria. spring 1995 77
X