Ecology of Mite Phoresy on Mountain Pine Beetles

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dc.contributor.advisorReid, Mary L.
dc.contributor.authorPeralta Vázquez, Guadalupe Haydeé
dc.contributor.committeememberCartar, Ralph V.
dc.contributor.committeememberKutz, Susan J.
dc.contributor.committeememberFox, Jeremy W.
dc.contributor.committeememberProctor, Heather C.
dc.date2018-06
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-08T20:36:32Z
dc.date.available2018-05-08T20:36:32Z
dc.date.issued2018-05-04
dc.description.abstractPhoresy, a commensal interaction where smaller organisms utilize dispersive hosts for transmission to new habitats, is expected to produce positive effects for symbionts and no effects for hosts, yet negative and positive effects have been documented. This poses the question of whether phoresy is indeed a commensal interaction and demands clarification. In bark beetles (Scolytinae), both effects are documented during reproduction and effects on hosts during the actual dispersal are largely unknown. In the present research, I investigated the ecological mechanisms that determine the net effects of the phoresy observed in mites and mountain pine beetles (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins. Using flight mills, I found that MPB flight increased with beetle size and body condition but was not modified by mite abundance. Mites were initially more abundant on larger beetles in better condition, but their dispersal success was similar among all hosts. Host dispersal was costly for both host and mites. Beetles lost mass whereas mites exhibited mortality. In the second study, I determined the number and survivorship of all juvenile stages of MPB development and found neutral effects of mites. Although I found a negative effect of mite abundance despite a positive effect of mite presence during host larval stage, there were no further effects during subsequent stages of beetle development. Moreover, I did not find effects of mites on the number or quality of adult beetle offspring. When observing the distribution of phoretic mites and beetle hosts in the field, I found that the range-expanding behavior of MPB might determine symbiont loss at the leading front of beetle expansion. Three mites were common: Tarsonemus ips, Proctolaelaps subcorticalis, and Trichouropoda australis. Of these species, only T. ips was prevalent among all sites. However, both total mite abundance, considering all three species together, and T. ips abundance alone were comparatively lower in the new area of MPB expansion. In addition, beetle body condition was similar in both historical and new areas of MPB distribution. Given the results, MPB and its phoretic mites sustain a commensalism and the lower distribution of mites may be a consequence of MPB outbreak dynamics.en_US
dc.identifier.citationGuadalupe Haydeé Peralta Vázquez, A. A. (2018). Ecology of Mite Phoresy on Mountain Pine Beetles (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31904en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/31904
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/106622
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.facultyScience
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectMountain pine beetle
dc.subjectPhoretic mites
dc.subjectFlight mill
dc.subjectCommensalism
dc.subjectWestern Canada
dc.subjectForest pest
dc.subjectTarsonemus ips
dc.subjectDendroctonus ponderosae
dc.subjectPhoresy
dc.subjectBark beetles
dc.subjectPhoretic symbionts
dc.subjectOutbreak dynamics
dc.subject.classificationForestry and Wildlifeen_US
dc.subject.classificationBiologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEcologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEntomologyen_US
dc.titleEcology of Mite Phoresy on Mountain Pine Beetles
dc.typedoctoral thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineBiological Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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