Faculty

Faculty of Science

Supervisor Name

Dr. Keith Hobson

Keywords

stable hydrogen isotopes, isotopes, insects, entomology, stable isotopes, aquatic insects, terrestrial insects, aerial insectivore

Description

Aquatic-emergent insects are vectors of both contaminants and nutrients, linking the aquatic system to the terrestrial system. Aquatic-emergent insects are high in omega-3 fatty acids that benefit terrestrial aerial insectivores, such as bats and birds. With aerial insectivores on a decline, a contributing factor could be a decrease in the quality of insects. We collected insects from lakeshore and inland locations in Southern Ontario. Insects sampled included bees, wasps, ants, beetles, caddisflies, craneflies, dragonflies, marchflies, mayflies, midges, other flies, and true bugs. Insects’ wings and powdered bodies were then analyzed for stable hydrogen isotopes (d2H) in order to differentiate between aquatic-emergent and terrestrial insects. The d2H values of aquatic-emergent insect wings were found to be significantly lower than those of terrestrial insects. Furthermore, individual insect groups differed in d2H values with some variability among groups. Knowing how insect groups compare to each other isotopically aids in understanding and inferring diet quality of consumers.

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Department of Biology at Western University through the Undergraduate Summer Research Internship program. Special thanks to the land owners for allowing us to conduct research on their property.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Document Type

Poster

Share

COinS
 

Stable hydrogen isotopes of aquatic-emergent versus terrestrial insects in Southern Ontario

Aquatic-emergent insects are vectors of both contaminants and nutrients, linking the aquatic system to the terrestrial system. Aquatic-emergent insects are high in omega-3 fatty acids that benefit terrestrial aerial insectivores, such as bats and birds. With aerial insectivores on a decline, a contributing factor could be a decrease in the quality of insects. We collected insects from lakeshore and inland locations in Southern Ontario. Insects sampled included bees, wasps, ants, beetles, caddisflies, craneflies, dragonflies, marchflies, mayflies, midges, other flies, and true bugs. Insects’ wings and powdered bodies were then analyzed for stable hydrogen isotopes (d2H) in order to differentiate between aquatic-emergent and terrestrial insects. The d2H values of aquatic-emergent insect wings were found to be significantly lower than those of terrestrial insects. Furthermore, individual insect groups differed in d2H values with some variability among groups. Knowing how insect groups compare to each other isotopically aids in understanding and inferring diet quality of consumers.

 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.