Insect Behavior: A Sourcebook Of Laboratory And Field Exercises

343 Pages·1982·34.787 MB·\343

by  Janice R. Matthews (Author)

I nsect Behavior
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About the Book and Editors
Insect Behavior: A Sourcebook
of Laboratory and Field Exercises
edited by Janice R. Matthews and Robert W. Matthews
Interest in insect behavior is growing rapidly, as reflected both
in courses devoted fully to the topic and in its inclusion in general
biology, ecology, invertebrate zoology, and animal behavior--as well
as general entomology--curricula. Instructors and students find that
insects are in many ways uniquely suitable animals for behavioral
study: they are more approachable and predictable than vertebrates;
one can experiment with them without public criticism and normally
without special permits; they are available in large numbers; and
they are inexpensive and relatively easy to maintain. However, few
carefully planned exercises using insect examples have been published,
and those available often are extremely difficult to use.
This sourcebook is a comprehensive, concept-oriented collection
of 34 laboratory and field behavioral exercises using insects. The
exercises, developed by 25 specialists, are original, creative, and
illustrate fundamental principles of animal behavior. All have been
classroom tested. Written in a modular format, they may be easily
adapted to laboratory periods of various lengths. Most include sug-
gestions for further study suitable for extra credit or individual
research projects. All include selected references, summary questions,
and data sheets where pertinent. Appendixes cover statistical pro-
cedures and offer "Aids to the Instructor," in which additional pre-
paratory information is provided with hints, cautions, background, and
where helpful, sample results. Descriptions of capture, culture, and
handling methods are given, as well as suggestions for alternate ex-
perimental animals.
Janice R. Matthews, biomedical editor for the College of Veteri-
nary Medicine at the University of Georgia, and Robert W. Matthews,
professor in the University of Georgia Department of Entomology, have
collaborated for many years in research on parasitic, solitary, and
social wasps and have coauthored a widely used textbook, Insect
Behavior.

Insect Behavior
A Sourcebook of Laboratory
and Field Exercises
edited by janice R. Matthews
and Robert W. Matthews
First published 1982 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published 2018 by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 1982 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 82-50918
ISBN 13: 978-0-367-01940-2 (hbk)
Contents
List of Tables and Figures. xi
Preface xv
List of Contributors. xvii
PART A. OBSERVATION, DESCRIPTION, AND ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR . . 1
1. Conducting a Personal Project on Insect Behavior in
the Field (John Alcock) . ..... . . . 1
2. Observation, Description, and Quantification of Behavior:
A Study of Praying Mantids (Edward M. Barrows) ......... 8
3. Sampling Methods and Interobserver Reliability:
Cockroach Grooming (Robert W. Matthews) .21
PART B. SPATIAL ADJUSTMENT AND ORIENTATION .31
4. Orientation: I. Thermokinesis in Tribolium Beetles
(Roger D. Akre) ...3 1
5. Orientation: II. Optomotor Responses of Dragonfly Naiads
(Roger D. Akre) . . .. 35
6. Patterns of Spatial Distribution in Field Crickets
(William H. Cade) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
7. Object Orientation in Mealworm Beetles (Rudolf Jander). .47
8. The Locomotion of Grasshoppers (Robert Franklin). .52
PART C. FOOD LOCATION ..... . .63
9. Optimal Foraging Strategy: I. Flower Choice by
Bumble Bees (Bernd Heinrich). .63
vii
vi i i
10. Optimal Foraging Strategy: II. Foraging Movements of
Bumble Bees (Bernd Heinrich) .. . ... 69
11. Foraging Behavior of Subterranean Termites
(William L. Nutting) ........... . 74
12. Foraging Orientation of Honey Bees (Rudolf Jander). 82
PART D. FOOD RECOGNITION, ACCEPTANCE, AND REGULATION. 87
13. Host Acceptance by Aphids: Effect of Sinigrin
(Lowell R. Nault) . . . . 87
14. Blow Fly Feeding Behavior (John G. Stoffolano, Jr.) 93
PART E. COMMUNICATION .... .101
15. Communication in Mealworm Beetles (Ronald L. Rutowski). .101
16. Chemical Recruitment in the Fire Ant (Janice R. Matthews) .105
17. Exploratory and Recruitment Trail Marking by Eastern
Tent Caterpillars (T. D. Fitzgerald). . . . . .111
18. Dominance in a Cockroach (Nauphoeta) (George C. Eickwort) .120
19. Cricket Phonotaxis: Experimental Analysis of an Acoustic
Response (Glenn K. Morris and Paul D. Bell) .127
PART F. DEFENSE ..... .135
20. Defensive Behavior in Beetles (Janice R. Matthews). .135
PART G. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR . .145
21. Reproductive Behavior of Giant Water Bugs: I. Male
Brooding (Robert L. Smith) ......... . . .145
22. Reproductive Behavior of Giant Water Bugs: II. Courtship,
Role Reversal, and Paternity Assurance (Robert L. Smith) ... 150
23. Sexual Behavior of Damselflies (John Alcock and
Ronald L. Rutowski) . . .154
24. Courtship of Melittobia Wasps (Robert W. Matthews). .162
25. Food-based Territoriality and Sex Discrimination in the
Water Strider Gerris (R. Stimson Wilcox). .167
PART H. BROOD CARE, NESTING, AND SOCIAL LIFE. .177
26. Foundress Interactions in Paper Wasps (Polistes)
(Robert W. Matthews). .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
ix
27. Sound Production and Communication in Subsocial Beetles
(William H. Gotwald, Jr.) . . . . . .185
PART I. INTEGRATION AND ORGANIZATION OF BEHAVIOR. .191
28. Comparative Anatomy of the Insect Neuroendocrine
System (John G. Stoffolano, Jr., and Chih-Ming Yin) ..... 191
29. Grooming in the Fly Phormia (William G. Eberhard
and Janice R. Matthews) .. ..... .203
30. Laterality in Drosophila (Lee Ehrman and Ira B. Perelle). .210
31. Candles, Moths, and Ants: The Dielectric Waveguide Theory
of Insect Olfaction (Philip S. Callahan). .217
PART J. NON-TRADITIONAL BEHAVIORAL STUDY METHODS. .223
32. Modeling of Random Search Paths and Foraging Paths
(Rudolf Jander) . . . . . . . . .. . ....2 23
33. Sound Communication in Aedes Mosquitoes: A "Dry Lab" Exercise
in Data Interpretation (Janice R. Matthews) .........2 30
34. Developing Observational Abilities and Generating Hypotheses:
Non-traditional Training Exercises for Behavioral Scientists
(R. Stimson Wilcox) . . . . . .234
PART K. AIDS TO THE INSTRUCTOR • .241
APPENDIX 1. COMPARING BEHAVIORAL SAMPLES WITH COMMON NONPARAMETRIC
STATISTICAL TESTS . . .289
1.1. The Chi Square (2x2) Test. .293
1.2. The Chi Square One Sample Goodness of Fit Test .296
1.3. The Fisher Exact Probability Test. .298
1.4. The Mann-Whitney U Test. .300
1.5. The Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test .302
1.6. Kendall's Tau Test .305
APPENDIX 2. STATISTICAL TABLES. .309
2.1 - 2.2. Critical Values of X2. .309
2.3. Critical Values for Fisher Exact Probability Test. .309
2.4. Critical Values of the Mann-Whitney U Test Statistic .310