Plants, Herbivores, and ParasitoidsA Model System for the study of Tri-Trophic Associations

Katja Seltmann, NSF ADBC Digitization TCN, iDigBio Paleocollections Workshop, April 2012.

(tcn.amnh.org)

TCN Partnerstcn.amnh.org

ENTOMOLOGY ▫ Randall Schuh, American Museum of Natural History▫ Christine Johnson, American Museum of Natural History▫ Christiane Weirauch, University of California, Riverside▫ John Heraty, University of California, Riverside▫ Charles Bartlett, University of Delaware▫ Benjamin Normark, University of Massachusetts, Amherst ▫ Katja Seltmann, American Museum of Natural History▫ Neal Evenhuis, BP Bishop Museum, Honolulu▫ David Kavanaugh ,California Academy of Sciences ▫ Stephen D. Gaimari ,California Dept. Food and Agriculture ▫ Chen Young, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburg ▫ Boris C. Kondratieff, Colorado State University ▫ James K. Liebherr, Cornell University ▫ Dmitry Dmitriev, Illinois Natural History Survey ▫ Richard Brown, Mississippi State University ▫ Andy Deans, North Carolina State University ▫ David Maddison, Oregon State University▫ Christopher Marshall, Oregon State University ▫ John Oswald, Texas A&M University ▫ Kipling Will, University of California, Berkeley ▫ Caroline Chaboo , University of Kansas ▫ Michael Sharkey , University of Kentucky▫ John Pickering, University of Georgia

Data Contributors▫ Canadian National Collection, Ottawa▫ University of California, Davis▫ Kansas State University

BOTANY▫ Robert Naczi, New York Botanical Garden ▫ Robert Magill, Missouri Botanical Garden▫ Richard Rabeler, University of Michigan ▫ Melissa Tulig, New York Botanical Garden▫ Barbara Thiers, New York Botanical Garden▫ Kim Watson, New York Botanical Garden▫ Margaret Koopman, Eastern Michigan University ▫ Loy Phillippe, Illinois Natural History Survey▫ Deborah Lewis, Iowa State University ▫ Michael Vincent, Miami University ▫ Timothy Hogan, University of Colorado ▫ Mary Ann Feist, University of Illinois ▫ Craig Freeman, University of Kansas ▫ Christopher Cambell, University of Maine ▫ Anita Cholewa, University of Minnesota ▫ Beryl Simpson, University of Texas ▫ Kenneth Cameron, University of Wisconsin

Data Contributors▫ Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria▫ Consortium of California Herbaria▫ Southwest Biodiversity Consortium

A Tri-Trophic Approach•About 85% of Hemiptera are herbivorous with high

host specificity for many plant families (e.g., Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, and Poaceae)

•Hempitera are serious agricultural pests (armored scales, mealy bugs, potato leafhoppers, Lygus bugs)

•Vectors of viral and bacterial diseases (Green peach aphid is a vector of over 100 plant viruses)

•Parasitic Hymenoptera are very beneficial as biological control agents

•The relationship among these groups is of significant ecological and economic importance

A Tri-Trophic Example

Crop Plants(Solanaceae)

Aphids (Hemiptera)

ParasitoidsPlants Insect Herbivores

Parasitic wasps(Hymenoptera)

Produce fruits and tubers a significant economic value.

Pierce stems and leaves to feed on the plants – specialize on one species or numerous species, reduce plant vigor or transmit disease, cause reduction in yield or make fruits or tubers inedible.

Lay eggs directly inside the aphids and consume them from the inside out.

Is_parasitized_by

feeds_on

Is_fed_on_by

parasitizes

Species Diversity in the North American BiotaInsects Plants

Hemiptera Number of species

Coccoidea (scale insects) 986

Aphidoidea (plant lice) 1,532

Psylloidea (jumping plant lice) 176

Auchenorrhyncha (cicadas, hoppers) 4,629

Heteroptera 3,827

Total Hemiptera 11,150

Family Number of species

Apiaceae 250Asteraceae 2,400Chenopodiaceae 250Cupressaceae 30Cyperaceae 850Fabaceae 850Fagaceae 97Grossulariaceae 53Juglandaceae 17Lamiaceae 240Oleaceae 35Pinaceae 66Poaceae 1,400Polygonaceae 440Rhamnaceae 75Rosaceae 360Salicaceae 123Scrophulariaceae 430Solanaceae 85Zygophyllaceae 15

Total Plants 8,066

Parasitoid Hymenoptera Number of species

Aphelinidae 212

Encyrtidae 490

Mymaridae 187

Signiphoridae 19

Trichogrammatidae 131

Total Parasitoids 1,039

Insect Specimen DigitizationInstitutions (18) Specimens

databased% geo-

referencedPrior funding Specimens to

be databased

American Museum of Natural History 30,000 100 NSF-PBI 333,000

B. P. Bishop Museum 0 0 70,000

California Academy Sciences 4,000 100 NSF-PBI 40,000

California Dept. Food & Agriculture 1,000 100 NSF-PBI 75,000

Carnegie Museum 0 1 15,000

Colorado State University 0 1 15,000

Cornell University 0 1 30,000

Illinois Natural History Survey 36,000 100 NSF-REVSYS 73,000

Mississippi St. University 0 0 50,000

N. Carolina St. University 1,000 100 NSF-BRC 75,000

Oregon State University 1,000 100 40,000

Texas A&M University 15,000 100 NSF-PBI 150,000

University of California, Berkeley, Essig Mus. 12,000 92 NSF-PBI, NSF-BRC 45,000

University of California, Riverside 14,000 100 NSF-PBI, NSF-DBI 75,000

University of Delaware 2,000 0 20,000

University of Kansas 0 0 50,000

University of Kentucky 0 0 35,000

University Massachussetts 10,000 0 15,000

Total 126,000 1,206,000

Grand Total 1,332,000

Plant Specimen DigitizationInstitutions (14) Specimens

databased% geo-referenced

Prior funding Specimens to be databased

University of Colorado 51,000 0 67,000

Eastern Michigan Univ. 0 0 10,000

University of Illinois 0 0 30,000

Illinois Nat. Hist. Survey 308,000 17 94,000

Iowa State University 46,000 0 102,000

University of Kansas 129,000 65 97,000

University of Maine 100,000 0 34,000

University of Michigan 26,000 0 115,000

University of Minnesota 93,000 10 NSF- BRC 70,000

Missouri Botanical Garden 247,000 25 NSF-BRC 101,000

Miami University 14,000 5 35,000

New York Bot. Garden 102,000 30 NSF-BRC, NSF-PBI 274,000

University of Texas 105,000 10 105,000

University of Wisconsin 120,000 50 90,000

Total 1,341,000 1,224,000GRAND TOTAL 2,565,000

1,332,000 + 2,565,000

3,897,000

Data from usData from others

Data that fitsData that does not

----------cool stuff is in the specifics

What can be done with these 4,000,000 combined data records?•Systematics: assembly of specimen data•Biogeography: large data pool for studies of

endemism•Ecology: host-herbivore-parasitoid relationships and

origins•Conservation biology: management decision making•Agricultural sciences: invasive/pest species data and

management, identifications at ports•Climate change studies: ecological niche modeling;

phenological changes; distributional changesworkshop

TTD-TCN Critical Data Challenges

TTD-TCN Critical Challenges•Differences in workflow depending on trophic level▫Adequately train personnel▫transform data▫streamline process

• Insure accuracy of specimen identifications• Integrate data across databases ▫host data▫standardization

• Implement authority files for all groups• Long term sustainability

Train Personnel

30+ Institutions across the US

Botanical Collections

Streamlined Workflow for Rapid Data Entry

Streamlined Workflow for Rapid Data Entry

Entomological Collections

Accuracy of Identifications•Curation and collection staging• Imaging

Fitness for Use

Data Merging and Exposure

•Exposed through many portals▫Discover Life▫GBIF▫ iDigBio▫tcn.amnh.org (project website)

Host Darwin Core extension

Authority files working group

neo/paleo

Similarities (most things)•Many, many specimens in a collection

•No room for barcodes on some objects

•Much database work already done

•Lot vs Specimen (many specimens on one object)

•Community concerns (long term sustainability and funding)

•Protected data

•Slides

Slide Collections

Differences

Organization

Types

Time & locality

Thanks to:co-PIs and collaboratorsNational Foundation grant ADBC#1115144

nationalgeographic.com