Faculty Mentor(s)
Derek Rosenberger
David Hoekman
For Communication to Presenters & Mentors
dwrosenberger@olivet.edu, dshoekman@olivet.edu, hglloyd@olivet.edu, gebeatty@olivet.edu
Project Type
Other
Scholarship Domain(s)
Scholarship of Discovery
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Abstract
The Water-Lily Leaf beetle, Galerucella nymphaeae, is a beetle commonly found on Western Pond Lily pads, Nuphar lutea, in Hourglass Lake. Hourglass Lake is located in Big Lake, Alaska. This area is surrounded by boreal forest and bogs and is situated roughly twenty miles North of Anchorage. Within this ecosystem, the Water-Lily Leaf Beetle and the Western Pond Lily are intrinsically linked, as the lily pads serve as a site of feeding and reproduction for the beetles. Dr. Derek Rosenberger of Olivet Nazarene University noticed an abundance of these beetles as he was kayaking through Hourglass Lake, and a project directed toward the behavior of the beetles was thus suggested. It was initially noted that beetles could be found in all three areas of the lake: the North end, the connecting straight, and the South end. From this observation, an experimental design was developed to research the water-lily leaf beetles and how they utilized the lily pads for their survival. The researchers aimed to survey the average amount of beetles on each lily pad, what proportion of the beetles on each lily pad were actively mating, and an approximate percentage of how much lily pad has been eaten by the beetles.
Permission Type
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Behavior and Ethology Commons, Entomology Commons, Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Water Lily Leaf Beetle Ecology on Hourglass Lake in Big Lake, Alaska
Fishbowl
The Water-Lily Leaf beetle, Galerucella nymphaeae, is a beetle commonly found on Western Pond Lily pads, Nuphar lutea, in Hourglass Lake. Hourglass Lake is located in Big Lake, Alaska. This area is surrounded by boreal forest and bogs and is situated roughly twenty miles North of Anchorage. Within this ecosystem, the Water-Lily Leaf Beetle and the Western Pond Lily are intrinsically linked, as the lily pads serve as a site of feeding and reproduction for the beetles. Dr. Derek Rosenberger of Olivet Nazarene University noticed an abundance of these beetles as he was kayaking through Hourglass Lake, and a project directed toward the behavior of the beetles was thus suggested. It was initially noted that beetles could be found in all three areas of the lake: the North end, the connecting straight, and the South end. From this observation, an experimental design was developed to research the water-lily leaf beetles and how they utilized the lily pads for their survival. The researchers aimed to survey the average amount of beetles on each lily pad, what proportion of the beetles on each lily pad were actively mating, and an approximate percentage of how much lily pad has been eaten by the beetles.