Monday, December 10, 2007
D0220

Acorn weevil, Curculio spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), dynamics and distribution in relation to masting of oaks in fragmented forest patches of west-central Indiana

Bryan D. Price, bdprice@purdue.edu, Byju N. Govindan, bngovind@purdue.edu, Nathanael I. Lichti, nlichti@purdue.edu, and Robert K. Swihart, rkswihart@purdue.edu. Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Pfendler Hall, West Lafayette, IN

Acorn weevils (Curculio spp.), an economically important pest species in North America, cause significant pre-dispersal loss of acorn crops resulting in high seed mortality and contributing to oak-regeneration failure. However, we know little about how forest fragmentation affects the dynamics of acorn weevils, or the spatial scales most relevant to these dynamics. Further, acorn weevil habitats (sound acorns) are temporally dynamic since acorns are plentiful only in mast years and occur spatially as isolated resource patches in a matrix of agriculture and residential development. We provide preliminary results of a multi-year investigation on aspects of Curculio population ecology. We use a hierarchical design to investigate spatio-temporal variation in the ecology and dynamics of Curculio and other weevil pests (Conotrachelus and the introduced Cyrtepistomus) in fragmented oak forests of west-central Indiana, including infestation rates in relation to acorn production. We also test whether habitat edges affect acorn weevil dynamics and evaluate host preference by different species of acorn weevils in relation to mast abundance. Finally, we pose questions for future work related to the genetic structure of weevil populations, diapause behavior in relation to oak masting, and the potential effects of climate change on oak-weevil interactions.


Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae Curculio pardalis
Species 2: Coleoptera Curculionidae Curculio proboscideus
Species 3: Coleoptera Curculionidae Curculio sulcatulus