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• W72963048 abstract "We placed grasshopper nymphs (Melanoplus femurrubrum) from a nitrogen-sufficient environment into nitrogen-limited mesocosms (and nitrogen-sufficient mesocosms as a control) in order to test for scavenging behavior when given insect detritus; the growth of nymphs were monitored over a seven-day period. Nymphs placed into nitrogen-limited mesocosms were predicted to supplement their nitrogen-lacking diets with ant detritus. However, the difference in ant detritus weights before and after placing detritus into the mesocosms was statistically insignificant. Differences in percent weight change, and percent length change over a seven-day period were also insignificant. According to the statistical data obtained, we reject our hypothesis; however, the data may have been skewed due to flaws in experimental design. Suggestions for future studies are discussed. Introduction Nitrogen is often the key nutrient required for growth in various herbivorous arthropods (Mattson, 1980; Lincoln et al., 1982; Joern and Behmer, 1997; Wheeler and Halpern 1999; CruzRivera and Hay, 2000). When nitrogen resources are low, growth rate and biomass can be reduced (Wheeler and Halpern, 1999); this has led to the nitrogen limitation concept which holds that limitation of nitrogen resources from plant foods will have a negative impact on the growth and performance of the consumer. The alternative to this concept has been presented in the past, focusing on a combination of nitrogen and carbohydrate resources rather than just nitrogen (Joern and Behmer, 1997); this study found that, though carbohydrate resources are essential for grasshopper growth, sufficient energy is only obtained if enough nitrogen is ingested. For this reason we limited our nutrient focus to nitrogen levels only. Sturgeon Bay (Lake Michigan) contains a number of sand dunes with vegetation and nitrogen levels that vary with distance from the shore. Beach grass, shrub-bunchgrass, conifers, and hardwoods inhabit mostly dunes of ~25yr, ~150-250yr, ~200-500yr, and ~400-500yr respectively (Lichter, 2008). Wind velocities and sand movement decrease with increasing distance from the lake as moisture holding-capacity and nitrogen levels also increase. The Lake Huron locust resides in the fore-dune front of the ~25yr dunes with soils having low nitrogen and moisture, normally feeding on beach grass (e.g. Ammophila breviligulata, the grass used in our study) at ~31 C (Scholtens, personal communication). These grasshoppers were observed ingesting insect detritus (composed mostly of mayfly carcasses) on the shore of Sturgeon Bay, suggesting a nitrogen flow from the lake to the dunes. We believe that these grasshoppers are supplementing their diet with insect detritus due to a lack of nitrogen in the Sturgeon Bay vegetation (Scholtens, personal communication). Studies have shown that nitrogen flow from aquatic environments can have a significant impact on the terrestrial shores. For example, studies involving nitrogen flow from aquatic to terrestrial habitats showed that salmon carcasses in riparian habitats dramatically increase nitrogen composition in terrestrial soils, which can enhance plant growth near the region of detritus (Gende et al., 2007; Hocking and Reimchen, 2002). Though the region in Sturgeon Bay containing insect detritus does not show growth in nearby vegetation, there may still be an influx of nitrogen into the dunes; we believe there are other effects, such as the unusual behavior of the Lake Huron locust in ingesting insect detritus. Given a nitrogen-limiting environment, we believe that grasshoppers will consume insect detritus to supplement their nitrogen-deficient diets. Since the Lake Huron locust is endangered, we tested a similar species, Melanoplus femurrubrum, predicting that it would resort to ingesting insect detritus when subjected to nitrogen-limited conditions. Materials and Methods The experiment was held at the University of Michigan’s Biological Station, located near Douglas Lake in Pellston, MI. Mesocosms were kept inside the Biological Station’s greenhouse for the entire seven-day period. In making mesocosms, twenty, two-gallon Ziploc bags were filled with soil (sandy soil) and vegetation (Ammophila breviligulata) from Sturgeon Bay and twenty bags were filled with soil (clay loam) and vegetation (Poa pratensis) from the UV Field of the Biological Station. We considered samples from Sturgeon Bay and the UV Field to be nitrogen-poor and nitrogen-rich respectively according to recent speculations (Scholtens, personal communication). Eighty grasshopper nymphs (Melanoplus femurrubrum) were obtained from the UV Field and kept in small glass vials. Before placing the nymphs into the bags, lengths of each nymph were measured with an electronic caliper from the head to the end of the abdomen; the nymphs were measured while inside the vials. Their weights were recorded afterwards on an analytical scale. After weighing, two nymphs were placed in each bag. Insect detritus was prepared manually by crushing various species of ants (primarily field ants) between two sturdy planes (e.g. between ground and a person’s thumb). Remains were then transferred into paper dishes (made from Dixie cups: diameter of ~5.08cm, height of ~2.54cm) each plate containing an average of two whole ants. Weights of ant detritus in each plate were recorded using the analytical scale (Note: ant detritus was used since ants were easily obtainable given our limited resources). We assumed ant detritus to be similar enough in nitrogen content to the mayfly detritus of Sturgeon Bay. Also, if condensed water filled the plates, they were placed under sunlight inside the greenhouse to dry before weighing). Half of the bags containing the soil and grass samples from the UV Field received ant detritus dishes, and the other half did not (to serve as a control). This process was repeated for the bags containing Sturgeon Bay samples. Bags were kept in the Biological Station’s greenhouse for a period of seven days. The bags were opened enough for ventilation, but not enough for nymphs to escape. Ant detritus dishes where changed every other day; the contents of every dish were weighed before and after placement inside the bags. Final lengths and final weights of the surviving nymphs were taken at the end of the seventh day. The length and weight measurements of dead nymphs were not used in our data set. SPSS 15.0 was used in statistical analysis of our data. An independent samples t-test was done with the initial and final ant detritus weights for Sturgeon Bay and UV Field; another independent t-test was done with ant detritus weight changes between the two environments after calculating the weight changes beforehand; one-way ANOVA tests were used in determining if there were significant differences in the four environments (two with ants, and the two controls) in terms of percent change in nymph lengths and percent change in nymph weights; means and standard deviations were also calculated for each environment. Results *Note: the following statistics use a 95% confidence level Initial and final ant detritus weights for both environments (Sturgeon Bay and UV Field) showed no significant difference (F=0.016, p=0.9). The two environments did not differ significantly in terms of detritus weights (F=0.007, p=0.993). **Habitat Key: 1=UV Field mesocosm, no ants 2=UV Field mesocosm, with ants 3=Sturgeon Bay mesocosm, no ants 4=Sturgeon Bay mesocosm, with ants Descriptive Statistics for Percent Increase in Nymph Length Habitat N Mean (%) Std. Deviation(%) 1 4 43.0750 49.77894 2 5 12.0818 13.50272 3 5 5.9356 8.68940 4 8 7.1268 14.64316 Total 22 14.5182 25.87802 Figure 1. Means and standard deviations for % length increase in nymphs of each mesocosm in a seven-day period. Habitat 1 had the highest mean percent increase in nymph length, but it also had the highest standard deviation (Figure 1). Standard deviations of all four habitats were greater than their respective means. One-way ANOVA showed no significant difference among the four different environments in terms of percent change in length of the (twenty-two) surviving grasshopper nymphs (F=2.467, p=0.095). 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 1 2 3 4 P e rc e n t In c re a se i n L e n g th Habitat Type Average % Increase in Length for Grasshoppers in Each Habitat Figure 2. Means and standard deviations (error bars) for % length increase in nymphs of each mesocosm in a seven-day period. Descriptive Statistics for Percent Increase in Nymph Weight Habitat N Mean (%) Std. Deviation(%) 1.00 4 178.8800 210.70910 2.00 5 37.7380 52.71301 3.00 5 20.8420 28.95077 4.00 8 23.7500 58.02529 Total 22 54.4736 108.61595 Figure 3. Means and standard deviations for % length increase in nymphs of each mesocosm in a seven-day period. Habitat 1 had the highest mean percent increase in nymph weight, but it also had the highest standard deviation (Figure 3). Standard deviations of all four habitats were greater than their respective means. One-way ANOVA showed no significant difference among the four different environments in terms of percent change in length of the (twenty-two) surviving grasshopper nymphs (F=2.681, p=0.078). 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 1 2 3 4 P e rc e n t C h a n g e in W e ig h t Habitat Type Average % Change in Weight for Grasshoppers in Each Habitat Figure 4. Means and standard deviations (error bars) for % weight increase in nymphs of each mesocosm in a seven-day period. Many of the grasshoppers died within the seven-day period (Figure 5). 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 1 2 3 4 # o f G ra s s h o p p e rs Habitat Habitats and Survivorship" @default.
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• W72963048 title "Compensatory feeding of grasshopper nymphs (Melanoplus femurrubrum) in nitrogen-limited habitats" @default.
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