We have all learned so much together about this marvel of the world of animal biology. While that is all good and fun it’s important to know that these insects don’t just exist by themselves, but they also interact with the human animal world. (yes humans are animals too). When we think of bugs we think of them as pests, at least I do. But some of the insects in our world are like a miniature pest control service, pretty cool huh? When it comes to the C. carnea, they are very important in the upkeep of many crops; in this specific case the sunflower. Although the C. carnea is very helpful, farmers often need to employ the help of chemical insecticides to keep the invaders at bay.

Today we will deep dive into the world of scientific literature, specifically research composed by Pablo C. Gontijo, Valeria F. Moscardini, J. P. Michaud, and Geraldo A. Carvalho investigating “non-target effects of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam on Chrysoperla carnea when employed as sunflower seed treatments” seems like a mouth full but don’t worry, we are in this together.

The overall purpose of this research is to instigate the effects of adding chemical insecticide treatments to sunflower seeds on the C. carnea. The researchers want to assess whether either material would affect key life history parameters of C. carnea when both larvae and adults were exposed to sunflower seedlings grown from treated seed.

• Chlorantraniliprole: A human made pesticide. It controls moth and butterfly caterpillars or larvae, as well as some beetles and “true” bugs like aphids and spittlebugs.
• Thiamethoxam: Thiamethoxam is used as a systemic insecticide of the neonicotinoid class. It has a broad spectrum of activity against many types of insects and can be used as a seed dressing.
• Fecundity: the ability to produce an abundance of new offspring
• Sublethal effects: effects (either physiological or behavioral) on individuals that survive exposure to a pesticide.
• Bonferroni test: a type of multiple comparison test used in statistical analysis.
• One way ANOVA test: a statistical analysis tool used to study variability.

Given the potential for contamination of sunflower extrafloral nectar with chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam when applied as seed treatments, the researcher’s hypothesis that there will be some effect on the C. carnea from exposure to the chemical seed treatments.

In this experiment, there were four experimental groups and two control groups: Larvae control, adult control, and an adult and larvae group for each of the two chemicals being tested. All these groups were assessed in two parameters, survival rate and sex ratio. A one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni test were used to interpret the results. The results of this experiment show in larvae, a reduced female sex ratio with no significant survival rate impact. In adults, there was a significant decrease in survival compared to that of the control in the presence of both chemical pesticides.

This research demonstrates the negative impact that these chemical seed treatments have in the C. carnea. The most likely reason for the contamination of C. carnea from these chemicals is their tendency to consume the nectar of sunflowers. This is especially important when it comes to non-target organism during the summer obtaining the hydration they need from this nectar. Although this form of treatment is cost effective and convenient for farmers, this form of control does not align with the basic principles of Integrated Pest Management (IMP). This study and other like it all boils down to the same conclusion that systematic insecticides used for seed treatments are harmful and potentially will disrupt population dynamics even though their application limits direct exposure of non-target insects.

These findings are unique and unusual because they contradict what is “fiscally” correct from an economic standpoint. The struggle to maintain our ethics in the world of biology is harder and harder to do in a world that has become all about money. This is so important to discover because this cheaper and faster alternative is slowly chipping away at the populations well-being.

Further research on this topic is necessary to determine at what life stage of the sunflower does the insecticide presence become an issue, what impact does the presence of predators and prey have,as well as the ongoing compatibility of this with biological  standards.

Gontijo, P.C. et al. (2014) Non-target effects of chlorantraniliprole and thiamethoxam on CHRYSOPERLA carnea when employed as sunflower seed treatments – Journal of Pest Science, SpringerLink. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-014-0611-5 (Accessed: April 22, 2023).

AB FINAL PAPER

Sorry to disappoint but this isn’t the American sitcom “Family Matters” and we don’t have a lovable nerd names Steve for your entertainment, instead we have something more valuable; knowledge! Today i want to take you all into a deep dive of phylogeny that surrounds our favorite insect, the common green lace wing or Chrysloperla carnea. 

The C. carnea is a member of the order Neuroptera which can be further divided into two families within this order: Hemerobiidae and Chrysopidae. The main difference that divides these two families of the colors they present with. Hemerobiidae present with a brown color which is why they have been coined “brown lacewings” and the Chrysopidae presenting a green colored coined “green lace wings”.  The order Neuroptera consists of over 6000 species “There are about 1,300 currently recognized species [within the family Chrysopidae] included in about 87 genera and three subfamilies in the world.” (Stange). 

Both of these families are similar to each other in their anatomical characteristics as well as their physiological behavior with the largest division being their colors. One of the unique unifying features of the Genus is a pale line that runs down the dorsal side of the organism. The common green lacewing can be distinguished from other members of the genus by morphological features such as their size being about 6mm long and the color of their dorsal longitudinal stripe which presents as a paler hue than its sister taxa.

A close relative to the C. carnea is the Chrysopa oculate. These two species are very similar in their physiology and behavior however they have slight variations in their gross anatomy. The C. oculata is usually referred to as the golden eyed green lace wing. The name comes from, you guessed it, their eyes! Where the C. oculate has a golden eye, the C. carnea has copper eyes.  The relationship between these two are primarily based on some physiology and some anatomical similarities. Some of those anatomical similarities being the netted pattern on their wings and the color of their bodies being the same leaf green to camouflage from predators.

Phylogeny is a great way to learn about the similarities and differences of animals. Some of these are easy to spot but sometimes we have no idea how closely related organisms actually are to one another. Thanks to taxonomists over the years we continue to grow out knowledge of our relationships with whom we share our planet with everyday!

REFERENCES 

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN965

https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/predators/Chrysoperla.php

http://www.agri.huji.ac.il/mepests/pest/Chrysoperla_carnea/#:~:text=Taxonomic%20placing%3A%20Insecta%2C%20Holometabola%2C,by%20a%20pale%20longitudinal%20stripe.

PHOTO: https://zoologicalletters.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40851-017-0072-9 

The Chrysoperla carnea better known as the common green lace wing (just like its name) has beautiful delicate wings with an intricate lace pattern. These lines in the wings not only are beautiful to look at, but they actually serve a purpose. These lines are actually “an interconnecting network of fine veins” an important part of the circulatory system. These wings are a defining characteristic of the order Neuroptera, commonly referred to as “net winged insects” but the green color of their wings is unique to the Genus, hence the overarching name “common green lacewing”. This form is pivotal to the insect’s locomotion as it has four thin wings to carry its small frame. You can see in the image that the only mass of the wings is in the green lines allowing the organism to be light weight while remaining a fast and efficient flyer. Another interesting feature actually falls within a physiological behavior of this species’ larvae. The larval stage of a common green lacewing is predatory and actually uses the skin of it’s prey as a disguise for hunting. “Once they have sucked all the juices out of an aphid, the larvae of some lacewing species use the dried out bodies as camouflage, sticking the skins to their own backs and hunting down more aphid-prey.” The contents of the prey the larvae consume is then metabolized where nutrients are absorbed to further the growth and development of the organism. It is interesting to think about how these animals are able to adapt to these situations to further their own survival! Just another marvel of the world of animal biology!

REFERENCES 

Photo: http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2013/03/green-lacewing.html

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/other-insects/common-green-lacewing

https://www.cannagardening.com/very_effective_beneficial_insects_green_lacewing

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/green-lacewings/

Hello everyone and welcome to my first ever blog post! Im excited to share with all of you what I learn along the way about my species. The Chrysoperla carena commonly referred to as the common green lacewing is a beautiful marvel of the world of animal biology. Before i took an interest in this species i was unaware of how fascinating it truly was! I only really knew some of the surface level knowledge about it, that it is vary small and has an intricately designed “lace” pattern on their transparent wings. This specimen belongs to the order Neutoptera and the phylum Arthropoda. I found this very interesting because I originally believed all of Arthropoda to be crustaceans. Something interesting about this species is that according to Montana State University researchers, “each (green lacewing) egg is laid on the foliage at the end of a slender stalk of silk”. this is fascinating because its hard to believe that a single string of silk could support anything like an egg. Another interesting fact I discovered is that the common green lace wing has been used to help combat agriculture predation. Experimental results have shown that “C. carnea readily prey upon both N. ribisnigri and F. occidentalis” (Shrestha) Both of these species have been known to destroy crops and vegetation leaving many farms in ruins! “C. carnea occurs in a wide range of habitats in northeastern, midwestern, and western U.S.” according to Cornell University researchers. So next time you are talking a walk, keep an eye out for this gorgeous creature!

REFERENCES

https://www.montana.edu/yellowstoneinsects/neuroptera/chrysoperla_carnea.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835039/

https://biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/predators/Chrysoperla.php

photo: https://www.insektenmodelle.de/en/models/insects/014_Common_green_lacewing.php