Survey of the Aphids of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Favret C. 2016. Survey of the Aphids of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
"Several thousand aphids were collected in 179 collections and a series of adults mounted to microscope slides, resulting in 121 species identified. The DNA was extracted from a single specimen from each of 59 host-associated collections, and that specimen and a sampling of others were mounted to microscope slides in Canada balsam. 489 specimens were slide-mounted in all and 63 species were identified, 48 of which were new records for the park. Additional specimens collected in 2012 and by other researchers is being processed and identified. Predictions for total park biodiversity based on what is known of the aphid fauna on park plant species came up with a total of 206 species, which fits well with a statistical predictor of biological diversity: 201-214. They collected on red spruce what appears to be Cinara engelmanniensis, a species never before found east of the Rocky Mountains. The DNA studies, now underway, will hopefully indicate whether this odd find is indeed C. engelmanniensis or a new species. The data will be searchable on the Internet at http://ctap.inhs.uiuc.edu/insect/search_inhs.asp by the end of summer. Ants tending the aphids were also collected and identified."
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Favret, Colin
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10-11
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, aphids, APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, ATBI, Cinara engelmanniensis, DNA, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, Origin:External, SER, Southeast Region, StudyID:GRSM-00226
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Terrestrial Invertebrates