Douglas Tallamy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Douglas Tallamy

Conservation Biology, 2009

In light of the wide-scale replacement of native plants in North America with introduced, invasiv... more In light of the wide-scale replacement of native plants in North America with introduced, invasive species and noninvasive ornamental plants that evolved elsewhere, we compared the value of native and introduced plants in terms of their ability to serve as host plants for Lepidoptera. Insect herbivores such as Lepidoptera larvae are critically important components of terrestrial food webs and any reduction in their biomass or diversity due to the loss of acceptable host plants is predicted to reduce the production of the many insectivores in higher trophic levels. We conducted an exhaustive search of host records in the literature. We used the data we gathered to rank all 1385 plant genera that occur in the mid-Atlantic states of the United States by their ability to support Lepidoptera richness. Statistical comparisons were made with Welch's test for equality of means. Woody plants supported more species of moths and butterflies than herbaceous plants, native plants supported more species than introduced plants, and native woody plants with ornamental value supported more Lepidoptera species than introduced woody ornamentals. All these differences were highly significant. Our rankings provide a relative measure that will be useful for restoration ecologists, landscape architects and designers, land managers, and landowners who wish to raise the carrying capacity of particular areas by selecting plants with the greatest capacity for supporting biodiversity.

Environmental Entomology, 2006

The structure of the ground-dwelling beetle community at two forested sites in northern Delaware ... more The structure of the ground-dwelling beetle community at two forested sites in northern Delaware was compared by examining composition and abundance at the species or genus level for Þve target families and at the family level for all other Coleoptera. The beetle communities at an isolated 15-ha woodlot and a nearby plot of relatively continuous forest were sampled using pitfall traps during 2000 and 2001. The results showed an absence or reduced abundance of many beetle taxa in the isolated woodlot relative to the continuous forest site and elevated abundances of a few taxa. Most notably, the species richness of poorly dispersing species of carabid beetles was lower in the isolated woodlot, with 12 of 19 brachypterous species completely absent from pitfall samples. Although this study does not constitute a test of habitat fragmentation hypotheses, the data do suggest that the beetle community in the woodlot may be suffering from isolation effects. The estimated response to fragmentation was correlated with body size for the 19 most common carabid species caught, suggesting that body size may be a useful predictor of vulnerability to forest fragmentation. At least in Carabids, larger body size seems to be associated with greater susceptibility to fragmentation. A number of staphylinid beetle taxa were also signiÞcantly less abundant or absent in the isolated woodlot, as were some beetles in other trophic groups, including carrion beetles (Silphidae) and geotrupid beetles (Geotrupidae). Although it retains some faunal similarity with nearby continuous forest, the woodlot may be too isolated to sustain populations of some beetle taxa, especially large, poorly dispersing forest species.

Ornithological Applications, 2021

A flurry of recently published studies indicates that both insects and birds have experienced wid... more A flurry of recently published studies indicates that both insects and birds have experienced wide-scale population declines in the last several decades. Curiously, whether insect and bird declines are causally linked has received little empirical attention. Here, we hypothesize that insect declines are an important factor contributing to the decline of insectivorous birds. We further suggest that insect populations essential to insectivorous birds decline whenever non-native lumber, ornamental, or invasive plant species replace native plant communities. We support our hypothesis by reviewing studies that show (1) due to host plant specialization, insect herbivores typically do poorly on non-native plants; (2) birds are often food limited; (3) populations of insectivorous bird species fluctuate with the supply of essential insect prey; (4) not all arthropod prey support bird reproduction equally well; and (5) terrestrial birds for which insects are an essential source of food have d...

A paucity of information is available on the nesting ecology of the eastern box turtle (Terrapene... more A paucity of information is available on the nesting ecology of the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). Specifically, minimal research has been conducted on nest site selection and how it relates to nest success. I investigated all aspects of nesting ecology (nesting behavior, nest site selection, clutch size and frequency, nest success, and nest site fidelity) and compared them among 4 study sites: 3 with varying degrees of disturbance and 1 interior forest area. I used radiotelemetry to relocate female box turtles in order to determine their reproductive status throughout the nesting seasons in 2001 and 2002. Using x-ray photography of 38 radio transmittered females, I determined the presence and number of eggs. Thirtytwo females were gravid at least once during my study and egg retention varied from a minimum of 7 – 26 days. The earliest documented nesting date was 27 May and the latest was 11 July. Gravid females moved long distances to nest (up to 450 m), and fema...

New Developments in the Biology of Chrysomelidae, 2004

Nature Communications, 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21304-2

Nature Communications, 2020

Functional food webs are essential for the successful conservation of ecological communities, and... more Functional food webs are essential for the successful conservation of ecological communities, and in terrestrial systems, food webs are built on a foundation of coevolved interactions between plants and their consumers. Here, we collate published data on host plant ranges and associated host plant-Lepidoptera interactions from across the contiguous United States and demonstrate that among ecosystems, distributions of plant-herbivore interactions are consistently skewed, with a small percentage of plant genera supporting the majority of Lepidoptera. Plant identities critical for retaining interaction diversity are similar and independent of geography. Given the importance of Lepidoptera to food webs and ecosystem function, efficient and effective restoration of degraded landscapes depends on the inclusion of such ‘keystone’ plants.

Biological Control, 2020

Abstract Oobius agrili Zhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a solitary egg parasitoid nativ... more Abstract Oobius agrili Zhang and Huang (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a solitary egg parasitoid native to China, was introduced to the United States for biocontrol of the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in 2007. To help develop effective biocontrol-release strategies, we evaluated the effect of parental diapause and release time of the adult parasitoids on their longevity, realized fecundity, and progeny diapause rate under field conditions in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region in 2016 and 2017. Results from two years of the study showed that both non-diapaused and diapaused O. agrili adults released in rearing containers exposed to field conditions in late spring to early summer (from May 26 to July 20th) successfully survived and reproduced on emerald ash borer eggs provided throughout the study period. The parental parasitoid diapause status and release time did not significantly affect the longevity and life-time fecundity of the released adult parasitoids except that both diapaused and non-diapaused parasitoids released on May 26th of 2017 produced significantly fewer progeny than those from later releases (June 14th and July 20th) of the same year. In both 2016 and 2017, non-diapaused parasitoids consistently produced a higher proportion of diapaused progeny than diapaused parasitoids, regardless of release times. These findings indicate that releases of O. agrili with different diapause status from late spring to early summer may cause variations in establishing overwintering parasitoid populations for biological control of emerald ash borer in the field.

Journal of Insect Conservation, 2018

Paved roadways, spanning 6.6 million kilometres across the continental United States, are often b... more Paved roadways, spanning 6.6 million kilometres across the continental United States, are often bordered by natural or restored habitats and could provide opportunities for pollinator conservation. Because insects are frequently killed by auto traffic, roadside habitats may be ecological traps that kill more pollinators than they produce. Here we compare insect traffic mortality when roadsides are bordered by woodlots, meadows, or lawns. We also compare study sites with and without restored medians to examine the impact of creating habitat that can only be accessed by crossing traffic. We confined our study to high speed roads (70-90 km h −1) with heavy traffic volume. Both habitat type and the presence of a vegetated median affect vehicle strikes fatal to insects. Insect mortality in general, and its effect on bees and butterflies in particular, was consistently lower when roads were bordered by woodlots than when they were bordered by lawn or meadows. Which roadside habitats were associated with the highest insect mortality depended on the taxon in question and the presence or absence of a vegetated median. Butterfly and dragonfly mortality was highest on roads with meadow medians, while bee mortality was highest on roadsides with lawn medians. Across most site comparisons, vegetated medians significantly elevated fatal insect-vehicle strikes. Regardless of the habitat bordering roadsides, insect mortality was unacceptably high for areas being considered for conservation. We suggest four research directions that may lead to reduced insect mortality in roadside habitats.

HortTechnology, 2018

Native plants are becoming widely used in built landscapes to help mitigate the loss of biodivers... more Native plants are becoming widely used in built landscapes to help mitigate the loss of biodiversity caused by urbanization. The primary advantage of native plant species over introduced ornamentals is their ability to support the development of the insects that fuel vertebrate food webs as well as specialist pollinators. The horticultural industry has introduced many cultivars of native plants to improve their aesthetic value and disease resistance, but there has been little work that measures the impact of these genetic changes on insect herbivores and pollinators. Here we measure how six desirable traits in native woody plant cultivars (leaf color, variegation, fall color, habit, disease resistance, and fruit size) compare with their wild types in terms of their ability to support insect herbivore development, abundance, and species richness. Using a common garden experiment, we quantified the abundance and diversity of insect herbivores using each species and its cultivars for g...

BioScience, 2016

The Neotropical region harbors the world's most diverse terrestrial plant communities. A key comp... more The Neotropical region harbors the world's most diverse terrestrial plant communities. A key component of this diversity is a range of plantanimal interactions involving frugivory, nectarivory, and insectivory. Millions of Neotropical hectares subjected to human land-use systems contain trees that are either planted by land managers or retained from the pre-existing forests. Biodiversity-conservation approaches in these systems are often ineffective because of the unfounded assumption that all plants provide equal benefits for consumers. We propose criteria for tree-species selection based on plant-animal interaction research that could guide decisionmakers. We show that tree-species identity is key for enhancing biodiversity and recommend that selection be guided by the structure of plant-animal interaction networks. We also recommend that selection practices consider the timing of resource production, because the year-round availability of food resources in the Neotropics plays an important role in the adaptive radiation of nectar-and fruit-eating vertebrates.

Biological Conservation, 2017

Understanding how introduced plants reduce food web complexity is critical to effective conservat... more Understanding how introduced plants reduce food web complexity is critical to effective conservation management within human-dominated systems. In urban breeding birds, the paucity of dietary specialists suggests that a lack of food resources, such as arthropod prey essential for reproduction and survival, may contribute to bird declines. Local plant species composition and abundance is influenced by the landscaping decisions of private homeowners and may be contributing to differences in insect prey availability. In this study, we examined whether non-native plants are a limiting factor to a resident breeding insectivore, the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). We used caterpillar counts, chickadee foraging observations and detection-corrected hierarchical models, to determine the influence of local landscaping features on insect food availability, chickadee tree preference, site occupancy, site abundance and breeding territory selection. Native plants were more likely to host a higher biomass of caterpillars compared to non-native plants, and chickadees strongly preferred to forage in native plants that supported the most caterpillars. In addition, chickadees were less likely to breed in yards as the dominance of non-native plants increased. Chickadee occupancy increased with tree basal area and chickadee abundance declined as impermeable surface area increased and basal area decreased. Our results demonstrate that non-native plants reduce habitat suitability for chickadees by reducing insect food available for breeding. Improving human-dominated landscapes as wildlife habitat should include increasing native, and arthropod-producing, plant species to effectively support the life history needs of insectivorous birds.

Heliyon, 2016

This paper reports data from a residential landscape preference study conducted in Delaware, USA.... more This paper reports data from a residential landscape preference study conducted in Delaware, USA. The researchers constructed an ecologically designed exurban residential landscape, which delivered 20 new environmental and human-related impacts, including 7 that delivered ecosystem services. Ecosystem services included impacts such as improved flood control and enhanced plant diversity. Using pictures before and after the intervention, an intercept survey of 105 nonneighboring residents estimated whether the 20 impacts positively, negatively, or did not affect the respondents' household wellbeing. The public found that most landscape-intervention impacts had a positive effect on their quality of life, especially those impacts involving ecosystem services. All but one ecosystem service were found to be strong amenities and the other (moving indoor activities outside) was an amenity. However, the landscape intervention delivered one clear disamenity: increased undesirable wildlife. Respondents also identified what impacts were the most important in affecting their welfare: undesirable wildlife (negative); flood control (positive); and water quality (positive). Ecosystem services accounted for 41.6% of the public's importance rating, while undesirable wildlife was 12.9%. A planning process seeking more ecosystem services from

Insects, 2015

Insect resistance to population control methodologies is a widespread problem. The development of... more Insect resistance to population control methodologies is a widespread problem. The development of effective resistance management programs is often dependent on detailed knowledge regarding the biology of individual species and changes in that biology associated with resistance evolution. This study examined the reproductive behavior and biology of western corn rootworm beetles of known body size from lines resistant and susceptible to the Cry3Bb1 protein toxin expressed in transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis maize. In crosses between, and within, the resistant and susceptible genotypes, no differences occurred in mating frequency, copulation duration, courtship duration, or fertility; however, females mated with resistant males showed reduced longevity. Body size did not vary with genotype. Larger males and females were not more likely to mate than smaller males and females, but larger females laid more eggs. Moderately strong, positive correlation occurred between the body sizes of ...

Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, 2015

Maternal care in Gargaphia decoris is described for the first time. A video is presented as suppl... more Maternal care in Gargaphia decoris is described for the first time. A video is presented as supplementary material. The knowledge on such trait within Tingidae is summarized. The behavior within the family is discussed, and the potential as a source of phylogenetic characters for further analyses is stressed.

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 2003

In the spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), m... more In the spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), males court females during copulation by stroking them with their antennae. Stroking occurs exclusively during the rst stages of copulation, after a male has penetrated a female's vaginal duct but before he is allowed access to her bursa copulatrix. Females accept the spermatophore of fast-stroking males and reject those of slow-stroking males by relaxing or constricting muscles distorting the vaginal duct. Here, we measure the repeatability of stroking behaviour within males, examine the effect of losing one antenna on male attractiveness and test whether such female control results in direct phenotypic bene ts for the discriminating female or indirect genetic bene ts that appear in her offspring. We also use a half-sibling design to quantify the variance and heritability of stroking speed and endurance. Female beetles were paired with a male that was known to stroke either quickly or slowly. No difference was found in the resulting fecundity or egg-hatching rate of the females, or in the survivorship, development rate, size, age at rst reproduction or fecundity of their offspring indicating that no direct bene ts are gained by discriminating among males on the basis of stroking speed. There were, however, good-genes bene ts for the mates of fast-stroking males. Offspring of fast-stroking fathers were also fast strokers and were more likely to be accepted as mates than offspring of slow-stroking fathers. There was substantial variance among sires in stroking speed and endurance and the heritability of each trait was high. The antennal stroking rate was highly repeatable in successive mating attempts and males with only one antenna were not accepted as mates. The repeatability within males, variability between males and heritability between generations of copulatory stroking combine to provide females with a reliable and honest signal of the genetic quality of courting males.

Journal of Ethology, 2006

The article cited above should have appeared as a Short communication, not as an Article.

Ethology, 2006

... Jeremy F. Brodt 1 ,; Douglas W. Tallamy 2 ,; Jared Ali 2. ... by differences in local environ... more ... Jeremy F. Brodt 1 ,; Douglas W. Tallamy 2 ,; Jared Ali 2. ... by differences in local environmental conditions, by sexual selection initiated by genetic drift in female preference, or by variable rates of sexual conflict over the control of fertilization (Gavrilets & Waxman 2002; Rowe et al. ...

Environmental Entomology, 2013

Early successional ruderal plants in North America include numerous native and nonnative species,... more Early successional ruderal plants in North America include numerous native and nonnative species, and both are abundant in disturbed areas. The increasing presence of nonnative plants may negatively impact a critical component of food web function if these species support fewer or a less diverse arthropod fauna than the native plant species that they displace. We compared arthropod communities on six species of common early successional native plants and six species of nonnative plants, planted in replicated native and nonnative plots in a farm Þeld. Samples were taken twice each year for 2 yr. In most arthropod samples, total biomass and abundance were substantially higher on the native plants than on the nonnative plants. Native plants produced as much as Þve times more total arthropod biomass and up to seven times more species per 100 g of dry leaf biomass than nonnative plants. Both herbivores and natural enemies (predators and parasitoids) predominated on native plants when analyzed separately. In addition, species richness was about three times greater on native than on nonnative plants, with 83 species of insects collected exclusively from native plants, and only eight species present only on nonnatives. These results support a growing body of evidence suggesting that nonnative plants support fewer arthropods than native plants, and therefore contribute to reduced food resources for higher trophic levels.