Winter is coming: the ecological drivers of photinus corruscus (coleoptera: lampyridae) distribution in Western North Carolina
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Desi Jacquese Hoagland (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Luiz Silveira
Abstract: The winter firefly, Photinus corruscus (Linnaeus, 1767), is a diurnal species commonly found throughout Eastern North America. This species has unique ecology – adults diapause through the winter on the sunny side of trees, whereas most other fireflies overwinter as larvae. However, because P. corruscus is dark (i.e., has no lanterns), this species has been studied less than its flashy relatives. Even basic aspects of its biology, such as its Hutchinsonian niche, sex ratio, and degree of gregariousness, remain unknown. Photinus corruscus is commonly found in Southern Appalachia, a mountainous region with diverse ecozones and a temperate climate. However, the spatial and seasonal distribution of P. corruscus were never studied in this region. This information is crucial to clarify the environmental conditions needed for survival and maintenance of P. corruscus and inform strategies for the conservation of P. corruscus. My study investigated the ecology of P. corruscus across the heterogenous landscape of Southern Appalachia by (I) exploring the ecological drivers of occurrence and abundance, and (II) measuring population ecological parameters, including sex ratio and gregariousness, to better understand the spatial and seasonal distribution of this species. I explored the correlation between 10 environmental variables over 12 sites across different ecozones to see how they influenced the occurrence and abundance of P. corruscus populations, which were collected with malaise traps sampled every two weeks. Individuals were found in 9 of 12 sites, starting from February 2021 and ending in August 2021, with the highest abundance recorded at the end of April 2021. My results show that P. corruscus can survive across a wide range of environmental settings in Western North Carolina, as expected by its broad geographical range. A parametric model explained a major fraction (adjusted r2 = 67%) of the total spatial variation in the local abundance of P. corruscus across sites. Moreover, a parametric model explained a relatively smaller portion (adjusted r2 = 38%) of the total temporal variation across the sampling months. Winter fireflies were more abundant in warmer areas with moderate levels of humidity, larger trees spaced further apart, and exposed canopy cover during the winter. Adults were more active in late spring. Populations of P. corruscus were highly gregarious, with a male-biased sex ratio. Of 102 individuals collected, 68 were males and 34 were females. The biased ratio observed could result from females flying less often than the males (i.e., a sampling artifact), or less likely, from females having a lower survival rate than males. Furthermore, P. corruscus is locally gregarious, which is seen in nocturnal fireflies and could be a byproduct of potential mates gathering during the breeding season, and/or a strategy to maximize warning signals against visually oriented predators; both phenomena are widespread in closely-related firefly taxa.
Winter is coming: the ecological drivers of photinus corruscus (coleoptera: lampyridae) distribution in Western North Carolina
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Created on 7/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Subjects
- Photinus
- Entomology
- Fireflies
- Insect populations
- Ecological zones