@article{copeman_frank_2024, title={Differential feeding on ornamental plants by Duponchelia fovealis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvae020}, abstractNote={Abstract Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a polyphagous pest that feeds on a variety of ornamental and crop plants. At least 47 plant families have been identified as hosts for D. fovealis in literature based on empirical data and observations. This list is surely incomplete based on the broad feeding habits of D. fovealis. We sought to expand the list of known D. fovealis host plants and to identify species that may be less preferred or not fed upon by D. fovealis. We used laboratory feeding assays to measure D. fovealis consumption rate of leaf disks from 32 herbaceous plant species and 32 woody species grown outdoors throughout the Southeastern United States, and 24 tropical species typically grown as house plants. These plants were from 65 genera and 36 families. Between the 3 ornamental plant groups, we tested (herbaceous, woody, and tropical) that, after 24 h, plants in the tropical group were the least consumed by D. fovealis. After 24 h, the average proportion of leaf disks eaten by D. fovealis was 0.80 or higher for 5 herbaceous and 12 woody species. Proportions of leaf disks eaten varied at the family and genus level in many cases. Our research can improve integrated pest management of D. fovealis by informing growers that plants may be at more or less risk of infestation and damage by larvae.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Copeman, Sophia M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} } @article{copeman_frank_2024, title={Profile of Duponchelia fovealis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) as a greenhouse and nursery pest in the United States}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2155-7470"]}, DOI={10.1093/jipm/pmae011}, abstractNote={Abstract Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a pest native to Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean that has become invasive in many other parts of the world including the United States. This polyphagous pest infests many ornamental plants, fruit and vegetable crops, cut flowers, and some aquatic plants. In the United States, it is mainly a pest in greenhouses and outdoor nurseries. Data on D. fovealis are limited, and there is no solid information on effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. A review of pest distribution and pest status, host plants, nature of pest injury, description of life stages, biology and ecology, and management options for D. fovealis is presented. We also highlight areas of research that will improve IPM.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT}, author={Copeman, Sophia M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} } @article{mitchell_d'amico iii_trammell_frank_2023, title={Carabid specialists respond differently to nonnative plant invasion in urban forests}, volume={2}, ISSN={["1573-1642"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11252-022-01323-7}, journal={URBAN ECOSYSTEMS}, author={Mitchell, J. Christina and D'Amico III, Vincent and Trammell, Tara L. E. and Frank, Steven. D. D.}, year={2023}, month={Feb} } @article{mitchell_d'amico iii_trammell_frank_2023, title={Nonnative plant invasion increases urban vegetation structure and influences arthropod communities}, volume={8}, ISSN={["1472-4642"]}, DOI={10.1111/ddi.13755}, abstractNote={AbstractAimEcological theory and empirical evidence indicate that greater structural complexity and diversity in plant communities increases arthropod abundance and diversity. Nonnative plants are typically associated with low arthropod abundance and diversity due to lack of evolutionary history. However, nonnative plants increase the structural complexity of forests, as is common in urban forests. Therefore, urban forests are ideal ecosystems to determine whether structural complexity associated with nonnative plants will increase abundance and diversity of arthropods, as predicted by complexity literature, or whether structural complexity associated with nonnative plants will be depauperate of arthropods, as predicted by nonnative plant literature.LocationWe sampled 24 urban temperate deciduous and mixed forests in two cites, Raleigh, North Carolina and Newark, Delaware, in the eastern United States.MethodsWe quantified ground cover vegetation and shrub layer vegetation in each forest and created structural complexity metrics to represent total, nonnative and native understory vegetation structural complexity. We vacuum sampled arthropods from vegetation and quantified the abundance, biomass, richness and diversity of spiders and non‐spider arthropods.ResultsNonnative plants increase understory vegetation complexity in urban forests. In Raleigh and Newark, we found support for the hypotheses that dense vegetation will increase arthropod abundance and biomass, and against the hypothesis that nonnative vegetation will decrease arthropods. Urban forest arthropod abundance and biomass, but not diversity, increased with greater nonnative and native structural complexity.Main ConclusionsInvaded urban forests may provide adequate food in the form of arthropod biomass to transfer energy to the next trophic level, but likely fail to provide ecological services and functions offered by diverse species, like forest specialists. Urban land managers should survey urban forests for nonnative and native plant communities and prioritize replacing dense nonnative plants with native species when allocating vegetation maintenance resources.}, journal={DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS}, author={Mitchell, J. Christina and D'Amico III, Vincent and Trammell, Tara L. E. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2023}, month={Aug} } @article{wilson_frank_2023, title={Scale insects contribute to spider conservation in urban trees and shrubs}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1572-9753"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10841-023-00471-1}, journal={JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION}, author={Wilson, Caleb J. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2023}, month={Mar} } @article{wilson_backe_just_lahr_nagle_long_dale_frank_2023, title={Tree species richness around urban red maples reduces pest density but does not enhance biological control}, volume={88}, ISSN={["1610-8167"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ufug.2023.128093}, abstractNote={Urban trees often host greater insect pest abundance than trees in rural forests. This may be due, in part, to differences in tree diversity and canopy cover between these settings. Urban trees are often planted in isolation or monoculture, which favors pest accumulation. Gloomy scale, Melanaspis tenebricosa Comstock, is a pest of urban red maples (Acer rubrum L.) that is abundant where impervious surfaces dominate the local landscape. Increasing tree diversity and canopy cover around urban red maples may reduce gloomy scale abundance by supporting natural enemy communities. We investigated the effect that surrounding tree species richness and tree canopy cover had on gloomy scale abundance, natural enemy abundance, and biological control in red maple trees in Raleigh, NC, USA. We collected scales and natural enemies from red maples that spanned a gradient of tree species richness, canopy cover, and impervious surface values. We also measured gloomy scale parasitism and predation of sentinel prey in red maple canopies. Greater tree species richness and canopy cover were associated with lower gloomy scale density. Red maples in diverse settings also hosted fewer scales per natural enemy. Parasitoids were less common in maples in diverse settings, but generalist predator abundance was unaffected by tree diversity. Finally, tree species richness and canopy cover did not increase biological control of scales or sentinel prey. Our findings suggest that higher tree diversity and greater canopy cover may reduce gloomy scale density, but this is not entirely explained by the effects of natural enemies and biological control.}, journal={URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING}, author={Wilson, Caleb J. and Backe, Kristi M. and Just, Michael G. and Lahr, Eleanor C. and Nagle, Annemarie M. and Long, Lawrence C. and Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2023}, month={Oct} } @article{wilson_frank_2023, title={Urban tree pests can support biological control services in landscape shrubs}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1573-8248"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10526-023-10192-8}, journal={BIOCONTROL}, author={Wilson, Caleb J. J. and Frank, Steven D. D.}, year={2023}, month={Mar} } @article{frank_backe_2022, title={Effects of Urban Heat Islands on Temperate Forest Trees and Arthropods}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2198-6436"]}, DOI={10.1007/s40725-022-00178-7}, journal={CURRENT FORESTRY REPORTS}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Backe, Kristi M.}, year={2022}, month={Dec} } @article{wilson_frank_2022, title={Scale Insects Support Natural Enemies in Both Landscape Trees and Shrubs Below Them}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvac081}, abstractNote={Abstract Scale insects are frequently abundant on urban trees. Although scales can worsen tree condition, some tree species tolerate moderate scale densities. Scales are prey for many natural enemies. Therefore, scale-infested trees may conserve natural enemies in their canopies and in nearby plants. We examined if scale-infested oaks—Quercus phellos L.—hosted more natural enemies than scale-uninfested oaks—Q. acutissima Carruth. and Q. lyrata Walter in Raleigh, NC. USA. We also tested if natural enemies were more abundant in holly shrubs (Ilex spp.) planted below scale-infested compared to scale-uninfested oaks. We collected natural enemies from the canopies of both tree types and from holly shrubs planted below these trees. To determine if tree type affected the abundance of natural enemies that passively dispersed to shrubs, we created hanging cup traps to collect arthropods as they fell from trees. To determine if natural enemies became more abundant on shrubs below scale-infested compared to scale-uninfested trees over short time scales, we collected natural enemies from holly shrubs below each tree type at three to six-day intervals. Scale-infested trees hosted more natural enemies than scale-uninfested trees and shrubs below scale-infested trees hosted more natural enemies than shrubs under scale-uninfested trees. Natural enemy abundance in hanging cup traps did not differ by tree type; however, shrubs underneath scale-infested trees accumulated more natural enemies than shrubs under scale-uninfested trees in six to nine days. Tolerating moderate pest densities in urban trees may support natural enemy communities, and thus biological control services, in shrubs below them.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Wilson, Caleb J. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} } @article{dale_frank_2022, title={Water Availability Determines Tree Growth and Physiological Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stress in a Temperate North American Urban Forest}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1999-4907"]}, url={https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/1012}, DOI={10.3390/f13071012}, abstractNote={Warmer temperatures and frequent drought directly affect urban tree health. Both abiotic conditions also affect tree health via increased density of some insect pests. Warming is predicted to benefit urban trees by increasing carbon sequestration and allocation to biomass. However, increased drought and pests are rarely considered despite often co-occurring with heat. To determine the combined effects of these abiotic and biotic factors, we manipulated water availability for established urban red maple trees across a gradient of warming and pest density and measured leaf-level processes and tree growth over two years. We find that water availability is a major determinant of tree growth, physiological processes, and resilience to urban stress factors. Maples performed better with more water, which also made them resistant to effects of temperature and pest density. However, when drought became too severe, leaf-level processes declined with warming. Tree basal area growth was unaffected after two years, but stem elongation increased with increasing water, temperature, and pest density. We discuss potential mechanisms driving these responses and the implications in the context of urban forest management. Urban forest designs that reduce drought and align species adaptations to local conditions are critical for designing more resilient and productive urban forests.}, number={7}, journal={FORESTS}, author={Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2022}, month={Jul} } @article{backe_rousselet_bernard_frank_roques_2021, title={Human health risks of invasive caterpillars increase with urban warming}, volume={36}, ISSN={["1572-9761"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10980-021-01214-w}, abstractNote={Development and survival vary across a species’ geographic range and are also affected by local conditions like urban warming, which may drive changes in biology that magnify or reduce the risks of hazardous organisms to people. Larvae of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa Schiff; PPM) are covered with setae (hair-like structures) that cause allergic reactions in warm-blooded vertebrates upon contact with the skin, eyes, or respiratory tract. Our objective was to determine whether PPM larva development, phenology, and survival change with urban warming in ways that affect the risks of this organism to people. In Orléans, France, we conducted a field study of PPM larvae across a gradient of urbanization from forests to city center to measure winter survival and the timing and duration of the life stage that poses the greatest risk to people. Larvae in the city spent more time in the fifth, most dangerous, instar than larvae in the forest. Urban warming indirectly increased larva survival by advancing phenology of urban larvae to a more cold-tolerant life stage prior to the winter cold period. Our results indicate that local urban warming drives changes in larva biology that increase the risks the organisms pose to people. In recent decades, the PPM has expanded its geographic range to higher latitudes with rising temperatures. Our study highlights that local landscape variation, such as a mosaic of warmer and cooler temperatures in cities, can alter the effects of this type of range expansion for people.}, number={5}, journal={LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY}, author={Backe, Kristi and Rousselet, Jerome and Bernard, Alexis and Frank, Steven and Roques, Alain}, year={2021}, month={May}, pages={1475–1487} } @article{frank_just_2020, title={Can Cities Activate Sleeper Species and Predict Future Forest Pests? A Case Study of Scale Insects}, volume={11}, ISBN={2075-4450}, DOI={10.3390/insects11030142}, abstractNote={Sleeper species are innocuous native or naturalized species that exhibit invasive characteristics and become pests in response to environmental change. Climate warming is expected to increase arthropod damage in forests, in part, by transforming innocuous herbivores into severe pests: awakening sleeper species. Urban areas are warmer than natural areas due to the urban heat island effect and so the trees and pests in cities already experience temperatures predicted to occur in 50–100 years. We posit that arthropod species that become pests of urban trees are those that benefit from warming and thus should be monitored as potential sleeper species in forests. We illustrate this with two case studies of scale insects that are important pests of urban trees in parts of the US. Melanaspis tenebricosa and Parthenolecanium quercifex are geographically native to the US but take on invasive characteristics such as higher survival and reproduction and become disconnected from natural enemies on urban trees due to the urban heat island effect. This allows them to reach high densities and damage their host trees. Parthenolecanium quercifex density increases up to 12 times on urban willow oaks with just 2 °C of warming due to higher survival and adaptation to warmer temperatures. The urban heat island effect also creates a phenological mismatch between P. quercifex and its parasitoid complex, and so egg production is higher. Melanaspis tenebricosa density can increase 300 times on urban red maples with 2.5 °C of warming. This too is due to direct effects of warmer temperatures on survival and fecundity but M. tenebricosa also benefits from the drought stress incurred by warmer urban trees. These effects combine to increase M. tenebricosa density in forests as well as on urban trees at latitudes higher than its native range. We illustrate how cities provide a unique opportunity to study the complex effects of warming on insect herbivores. Studying pestilent urban species could be a pragmatic approach for identifying and preparing for sleeper species.}, number={3}, journal={INSECTS}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Just, Michael G.}, year={2020}, month={Mar} } @article{parsons_kerner_frank_2020, title={Effects of native and exotic congeners on diversity of invertebrate natural enemies, available spider biomass, and pest control services in residential landscapes}, volume={29}, ISSN={["1572-9710"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10531-020-01932-8}, number={4}, journal={BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION}, author={Parsons, Sarah E. and Kerner, Leo M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Mar}, pages={1241–1262} } @article{just_dale_frank_2020, title={Gloomy Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Ecology and Management on Landscape Trees}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2155-7470"]}, DOI={10.1093/jipm/pmaa028}, abstractNote={AbstractGloomy scale, Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock), is native to the eastern United States and feeds on deciduous trees. In natural areas, it is a background herbivore that typically remains at low densities. Gloomy scale generally responds positively to warming with greater egg production, size, survival, and abundance. In urban areas, which are warmer than surrounding natural areas, gloomy scale is pestiferous on planted trees, particularly red maple (Acer rubrum L.; Sapindales: Sapindaceae) but other native maples as well. They live on the bark and damage host trees by feeding from plant cells and tissues, which deprives the trees of energy and nutrients, reducing the trees’ growth and overall health. Gloomy scales are likely to expand their range beyond the Southeast and become pestilent in new areas with continued climatic warming and urbanization. Here we present a review of the biology, ecology, response to environmental conditions, host range and damage, and management of gloomy scale.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT}, author={Just, Michael G. and Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Dec} } @article{lahr_backe_frank_2020, title={Intraspecific variation in morphology, physiology, and ecology of wildtype relative to horticultural varieties of red maple (Acer rubrum)}, volume={34}, ISSN={["1432-2285"]}, DOI={10.1007/s00468-019-01942-2}, number={2}, journal={TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION}, author={Lahr, Eleanor C. and Backe, Kristi M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Apr}, pages={603–614} } @article{frank_tooker_2020, title={Neonicotinoids pose undocumented threats to food webs}, volume={117}, ISSN={["1091-6490"]}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.2017221117}, abstractNote={One of the main lessons that emerged from Silent Spring (1) is that we overuse pesticides at our own peril because human and natural environments are unquestionably linked. It is time to revisit these lessons given current use patterns of neonicotinoid insecticides. Neonicotinoids pose broader risks to biodiversity and food webs than previously recognized. Serious efforts must be made to decrease the scale of their use. Image credit: Shutterstock/lantapix. Since their introduction in the early 1990s, neonicotinoids have become the most widely used insecticides in the world. Their toxicity allows less active ingredients to be used and, compared with older classes of insecticides, they appear to have relatively low toxicity to vertebrates, particularly mammals (2). Neonicotinoids have been repeatedly called “perfect” for use in crop protection (2). Yet recent research calls this perfection into doubt as neonicotinoids have become widespread environmental contaminants causing unexpected nontarget effects. In particular, researchers have found that neonicotinoids can move from treated plants to pollinators and from plants to pests to natural enemies. Worse, transmission through simple food chains portends widespread, undocumented transmission into entire food webs. We believe that neonicotinoids pose broader risks to biodiversity and food webs than previously recognized. Although further research is needed to document the ecosystem-wide transmission and consequences of neonicotinoids to establish their true costs and benefits, serious efforts must be made to decrease the scale of their use. In 2014, the neonicotinoid market exceeded $3 billion and accounted for about 25% of the global pesticide market (3). Neonicotinoids are popular in part because they are very good at what they do. In fact, they are among the most toxic insecticides ever developed. The active ingredient imidacloprid, for example, is 10,000 times more potent to insects than nicotine, the biological inspiration for neonicotinoids and a very toxic compound … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: sdfrank{at}ncsu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1}, number={37}, journal={PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA}, author={Frank, S. D. and Tooker, J. F.}, year={2020}, month={Sep}, pages={22609–22613} } @misc{frank_2021, title={Review of the direct and indirect effects of warming and drought on scale insect pests of forest systems}, volume={94}, ISSN={["1464-3626"]}, DOI={10.1093/forestry/cpaa033}, abstractNote={Abstract Higher temperatures and drought are key aspects of global change with the potential to alter the distribution and severity of many arthropod pests in forest systems. Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) infest many tree species and are among the most important pests of trees in urban and rural forests, plantations and other forest systems. Infestations of native or exotic scale insects can kill or sicken trees with economic and ecosystem-wide consequences. Warming can have direct effects on the life history, fitness and population dynamics of many scale insect species by increasing development rate, survival or fecundity. These direct benefits can increase the geographic distribution of scale insects and their consequences for tree health. Warming and drought can affect scale insects indirectly by altering the quality of their host trees. Additive or interactive effects of warming and drought can change tree quality in such a way that it increases scale insect fitness and population growth. However, the effects are species- and context-dependent with some scale insect species negatively affected by drought-induced changes in tree quality. Warming and drought are often coincident in urban forests and predicted to co-occur in many parts of the world under climate change scenarios. The individual and interactive effects of these factors require further research to inform predictions and management of scale insect pests. Warming also indirectly affects scale insects by altering interactions with natural enemies. This includes changes in natural enemy phenology, community composition and abundance. In addition, warming can alter scale insect phenology or voltinism causing asynchrony with natural enemies or population growth too rapid for natural enemies to suppress. Direct and indirect effects of warming and drought on scale insects can increase the potential for some exotic species to become established and for some native species to become invasive. Unfortunately, much research on scale insects is confined to a few particularly important native or exotic pests which limits our ability to predict the effects of warming on many current or potential pests. More research is required to understand how warming and drought affect scale insects, scale insect management and the forest systems they inhabit.}, number={2}, journal={FORESTRY}, author={Frank, Steven D.}, year={2021}, month={Apr}, pages={167–180} } @article{long_frank_2020, title={Risk of bird predation and defoliating insect abundance are greater in urban forest fragments than street trees}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1573-1642"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11252-020-00939-x}, number={3}, journal={URBAN ECOSYSTEMS}, author={Long, Lawrence C. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={519–531} } @article{backe_frank_2019, title={Chronology of Gloomy Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Infestations on Urban Trees}, volume={48}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvz094}, abstractNote={AbstractPest abundance on urban trees often increases with surrounding impervious surface. Gloomy scale (Melanaspis tenebricosa Comstock; Hemiptera: Diaspididae), a pest of red maples (Acer rubrum L.; Sapindales: Sapindaceae) in the southeast United States, reaches injurious levels in cities and reduces tree condition. Here, we use a chronosequence field study in Raleigh, NC, to investigate patterns in gloomy scale densities over time from the nursery to 13 yr after tree planting, with a goal of informing more efficient management of gloomy scale on urban trees. We examine how impervious surfaces affect the progression of infestations and how infestations affect tree condition. We find that gloomy scale densities remain low on trees until at least seven seasons after tree planting, providing a key timepoint for starting scouting efforts. Scouting should focus on tree branches, not tree trunks. Scale density on tree branches increases with impervious surface across the entire studied tree age range and increases faster on individual trees that are planted in areas with high impervious surface cover. There is a lag between the onset of pest infestations and a decline in tree condition, indicating that gloomy scale management should begin prior to a visible decline in tree condition. Our results inform management of gloomy scale in cities.}, number={5}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Backe, Kristi M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={1113–1120} } @article{parsons_sozanski_wilson_frank_2020, title={Effects of temperature and habitat complexity on an urban tree pest (Tinocallis kahawaluokalani), natural enemies, and predation services in the city}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1573-1642"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11252-019-00900-7}, number={1}, journal={URBAN ECOSYSTEMS}, author={Parsons, Sarah E. and Sozanski, Kyle S. and Wilson, Alyanna A. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Feb}, pages={13–26} } @article{just_frank_2019, title={Evaluation of an Easy-to-Install, Low-Cost Dendrometer Band for Citizen-Science Tree Research}, volume={117}, ISSN={["1938-3746"]}, DOI={10.1093/jofore/fvz026}, abstractNote={AbstractTree-stem growth is an important metric for evaluating many ecological and silvicultural research questions. However, answering these questions may require monitoring growth on many individual trees that span changing environments and geographies, which can incur significant costs. Recently, citizen science has been successfully employed as a cost-effective approach to collect data for large-scale projects that also increases scientific awareness. Still, citizen-science-led tree-growth monitoring requires the use of tools that are affordable, understandable, and accurate. Here, we compare an inexpensive, easy-to-install dendrometer band to two other bands that are more expensive with more complex installations. We installed a series of three dendrometers on 31 red maples (Acer rubrum) in two urban areas in the eastern United States. We found that the stem-growth measurements reported by these dendrometers were highly correlated and, thus, validate the utility of the inexpensive band.}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF FORESTRY}, author={Just, Michael G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={317–322} } @article{frank_backe_mcdaniel_green_widney_dunn_2019, title={Exotic urban trees conserve similar natural enemy communities to native congeners but have fewer pests}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2167-8359"]}, DOI={10.7717/peerj.6531}, abstractNote={Urban trees serve a critical conservation function by supporting arthropod and vertebrate communities but are often subject to arthropod pest infestations. Native trees are thought to support richer arthropod communities than exotic trees but may also be more susceptible to herbivorous pests. Exotic trees may be less susceptible to herbivores but provide less conservation value as a consequence. We tested the hypotheses that native species inAcerandQuercuswould have more herbivorous pests than exotic congeners and different communities of arthropod natural enemies. The density of scale insects, common urban tree pests, was greatest on a nativeAcerand a nativeQuercusthan exotic congeners in both years of our research (2012 and 2016) and sometimes reached damaging levels. However, differences in predator and parasitoid abundance, diversity, and communities were not consistent between native and exotic species in either genus and were generally similar. For example, in 2012 neither predator nor parasitoid abundance differed among native and exoticAcercongeners but in 2016 a native species,A. saccharum, had the least of both groups. A native,Q. phellos, had significantly more predators and parasitoids in 2012 than its native and exotic congeners but no differences in 2016. Parasitoid communities were significantly different amongAcerspecies andQuercusspecies due in each case to greater abundance of a single family on one native tree species. These native and exotic tree species could help conserve arthropod natural enemies and achieve pest management goals.}, journal={PEERJ}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Backe, Kristi M. and McDaniel, Casey and Green, Matthew and Widney, Sarah and Dunn, Robert R.}, year={2019}, month={Mar} } @article{just_frank_2020, title={Thermal Tolerance of Gloomy Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in the Eastern United States}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvz154}, abstractNote={AbstractAn insect species’ geographic distribution is probably delimited in part by physiological tolerances of environmental temperatures. Gloomy scale (Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock)) is a native insect herbivore in eastern U.S. forests. In eastern U.S. cities, where temperatures are warmer than nearby natural areas, M. tenebricosa is a primary pest of red maple (Acer rubrum L.; Sapindales: Sapindaceae) With warming, M. tenebricosa may spread to new cities or become pestilent in forests. To better understand current and future M. tenebricosa distribution boundaries, we examined M. tenebricosa thermal tolerance under laboratory conditions. We selected five hot and five cold experimental temperatures representative of locations in the known M. tenebricosa distribution. We built models to predict scale mortality based on duration of exposure to warm or cold experimental temperatures. We then used these models to estimate upper and lower lethal durations, i.e., temperature exposure durations that result in 50% mortality. We tested the thermal tolerance for M. tenebricosa populations from northern, mid, and southern locations of the species’ known distribution. Scales were more heat and cold tolerant of temperatures representative of the midlatitudes of their distribution where their densities are the greatest. Moreover, the scale population from the northern distribution boundary could tolerate cold temperatures from the northern boundary for twice as long as the population collected near the southern boundary. Our results suggest that as the climate warms the M. tenebricosa distribution may expand poleward, but experience a contraction at its southern boundary.}, number={1}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Just, Michael G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2020}, month={Feb}, pages={104–114} } @article{just_dale_long_frank_2019, title={Urbanization drives unique latitudinal patterns of insect herbivory and tree condition}, volume={128}, ISSN={["1600-0706"]}, DOI={10.1111/oik.05874}, abstractNote={Urban landscapes are characterized by high proportions of impervious surface resulting in higher temperatures than adjacent natural landscapes. In some cities, like those at cooler latitudes, trees may benefit from warmer urban temperatures, but trees in many cities are beset with problems like drought stress and increased herbivory. What drives patterns of urban tree health across urbanization and latitudinal temperature gradients? In natural systems, latitude–herbivory relationships are well‐studied, and recent temperate studies have shown that herbivory generally increases with decreasing latitudes (warmer temperatures). However, the applicability of this latitude–herbivory theory in already‐warmed urban systems is unknown. In this study, we investigated how the interaction of urbanization, latitudinal warming and scale insect abundance affected urban tree health. We predicted that trees in warmer, lower latitude cities would be in poorer health at lower levels of urbanization than trees at cooler, higher latitudes due to the interaction of urbanization, latitudinal temperature and herbivory. To evaluate our predictions, we surveyed the abundance of scale insect herbivores on a single, common tree species Acer rubrum in eight US cities spanning 10° of latitude. We estimated urbanization at two extents, a local one that accounted for the direct effects on an individual tree, and a larger one that captured the surrounding urban landscape. We found that urban tree health did not vary with latitudinal temperature but was best predicted by local urbanization and herbivore abundance. We did not observe increased herbivore abundance in warmer, lower latitudes cities, but instead herbivore abundance peaked in the mid latitudes of our study. This study demonstrates that urban landscapes may deviate from classical theory developed in natural systems and reinforces the need for research reconciling ecological patterns in urban landscapes.}, number={7}, journal={OIKOS}, author={Just, Michael G. and Dale, Adam G. and Long, Lawrence C. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={984–993} } @article{ranger_schultz_frank_reding_2019, title={Freeze stress of deciduous trees induces attacks by opportunistic ambrosia beetles}, volume={21}, ISSN={["1461-9563"]}, DOI={10.1111/afe.12317}, abstractNote={Abstract A broad host range and the utilization of living but weakened trees contribute, in part, to the invasion success of ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). The present study assessed the capability of freeze stress to induce attacks by ambrosia beetles. Freeze stress predisposed Cercis canadensis L., Cornus florida L., Malus pumila Mill. and Styrax japonicus Sieb. to attack under field conditions, although no attacks occurred on untreated trees. More attacks occurred on freeze‐stressed versus flood‐stressed M. pumila in Virginia but not for S. japonicus in Ohio. Attacks on flooded trees were skewed towards the base of the trunk, whereas attacks on freeze‐stressed trees mainly occurred around the upper regions of the trunk and into the branches. The predominant species recovered were Anisandrus maiche Stark and Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford) in Ohio, and Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) in Virginia. Ethanol emissions from trunks of S. japonicus were detected by solid phase microextraction‐gas chromatography–mass spectrometry at 1 day after imposing freeze stress, peaking 4 days after injury. Trees with an intolerance of freeze stress are predicted to be vulnerable to attack, especially when subjected to mild winter temperatures followed by late‐spring freezes. Freeze stress could thereby facilitate the destructiveness of exotic ambrosia beetles. }, number={2}, journal={AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Ranger, Christopher M. and Schultz, Peter B. and Frank, Steven D. and Reding, Michael E.}, year={2019}, month={May}, pages={168–179} } @misc{lahr_dunn_frank_2018, title={Getting ahead of the curve: cities as surrogates for global change}, volume={285}, ISSN={["1471-2954"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85050037726&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1098/rspb.2018.0643}, abstractNote={Urbanization represents an unintentional global experiment that can provide insights into how species will respond and interact under future global change scenarios. Cities produce many conditions that are predicted to occur widely in the future, such as warmer temperatures, higher carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and exacerbated droughts. In using cities as surrogates for global change, it is challenging to disentangle climate variables—such as temperature—from co-occurring or confounding urban variables—such as impervious surface—and then to understand the interactive effects of multiple climate variables on both individual species and species interactions. However, such interactions are also difficult to replicate experimentally, and thus the challenges of cities are also their unique advantage. Here, we review insights gained from cities, with a focus on plants and arthropods, and how urban findings agree or disagree with experimental predictions and historical data. We discuss the types of hypotheses that can be best tested in cities, caveats to urban research and how to further validate cities as surrogates for global change. Lastly, we summarize how to achieve the goal of using urban species responses to predict broader regional- and ecosystem-level patterns in the future.}, number={1882}, journal={PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES}, author={Lahr, Eleanor C. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2018}, month={Jul} } @article{just_frank_dale_2018, title={Impervious surface thresholds for urban tree site selection}, volume={34}, ISSN={["1610-8167"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ufug.2018.06.008}, abstractNote={Impervious surfaces are a ubiquitous urban feature that increase temperature and tree drought stress and are a demonstrated indicator of Acer rubrum L. tree condition and insect pest abundance. We examined the relationship between A. rubrum condition, impervious surface cover, and Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock) abundance, a primary herbivore of urban A. rubrum, in eight cities across the southern distribution of A. rubrum. We predicted that the effects of warming, due to impervious surface, would be greater in warmer southern cities than in cooler northern cities. We found that impervious surface was a robust predictor of tree condition, but this effect was not significantly affected by background temperature. Melanaspis tenebricosa abundance was a function of impervious surface and background temperature, with greatest abundances occurring at mid latitudes. Based on these relationships, we developed impervious surface thresholds to inform site selection for A. rubrum throughout the southeastern USA. Planting criteria based on habitat characteristics should maximize urban tree longevity and services provided.}, journal={URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING}, author={Just, Michael G. and Frank, Steven D. and Dale, Adam G.}, year={2018}, month={Aug}, pages={141–146} } @article{long_d'amico_frank_2019, title={Urban forest fragments buffer trees from warming and pests}, volume={658}, ISSN={["1879-1026"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.293}, abstractNote={Trees are important components of urban landscapes because of the ecosystem services they provide. However, the effects of urbanization, particularly high temperatures, can benefit chronic insect pests and threaten ecosystem services offered by urban trees. Urban forest fragments are an often-overlooked component of the greater urban forest which may help to mitigate the damaging effects of urbanization. Melanaspis tenebricosa (gloomy scale) is a common pest of Acer rubrum (red maple) that becomes more abundant because of the urban heat island effect. We conducted observational and manipulative field experiments to test the hypothesis that trees in urban forest fragments would be cooler than those in surrounding ornamental landscapes and would thus have fewer M. tenebricosa, particularly in a hot mid-latitude city. Trees in forest fragments were 1.3° cooler and had three orders of magnitude fewer M. tenebricosa than trees in ornamental landscapes in Raleigh, NC USA. However, there was no difference in M. tenebricosa density between forest and landscape trees in Newark, DE and Philadelphia, PA USA which are 3.95 degrees of latitude higher, and nearer to the northern range extent. Trees in landscapes and forest fragments did not differ in predawn water potential, a measure of water stress, but likely differed in soil composition and moisture. We used potted trees to control for these differences and found that M. tenebricosa density still increased three times more in landscapes than forests suggesting temperature and not tree stress is the dominant factor. Taken together our results indicate two things. First, that trees growing in urban forest fragments are buffered from a chronic urban tree pest due to lower temperatures. Second, that temperature-driven differences in M. tenebricosa density which we saw in Raleigh could predict future density of the pest in higher latitude cities as the climate warms.}, journal={SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT}, author={Long, Lawrence C. and D'Amico, Vincent and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2019}, month={Mar}, pages={1523–1530} } @misc{dale_frank_2018, title={Urban plants and climate drive unique arthropod interactions with unpredictable consequences}, volume={29}, ISSN={["2214-5753"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.cois.2018.06.001}, abstractNote={Urban areas, a rapidly expanding land cover type, are composed of a mix of impervious surfaces, ornamental plants, and remnant habitat, which alters abiotic conditions and affects arthropod community assemblages and trophic interactions. Importantly, these effects often reduce arthropod diversity and may increase, reduce, or not change individual species or trophic interactions, which affects human and environmental health. Despite the pace of urbanization, drivers and consequences of change in urban arthropod communities remains poorly understood. Here, we review recent findings that shed light on the effects of urbanization on plants and abiotic conditions that drive arthropod community composition and trophic interactions, with discussion of how these effects conflict with human values and can be mitigated for future urbanization.}, journal={CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE}, author={Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2018}, month={Oct}, pages={27–33} } @article{lahr_dunn_frank_2018, title={Variation in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance among red maple (Acer rubrum) urban planted cultivars and wildtype trees in the southeastern United States}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85047493933&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0197866}, abstractNote={Photosynthesis is a fundamental process that trees perform over fluctuating environmental conditions. This study of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) characterizes photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency in planted cultivars relative to wildtype trees. Red maple is common in cities, yet there is little understanding of how physiological processes affect the long-term growth, condition, and ecosystem services provided by urban trees. In the first year of our study, we measured leaf-level gas exchange and performed short-term temperature curves on urban planted cultivars and on suburban and rural wildtype trees. In the second year, we compared urban planted cultivars and urban wildtype trees. In the first year, urban planted trees had higher maximum rates of photosynthesis and higher overall rates of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance throughout the summer, relative to suburban or rural wildtype trees. Urban planted trees again had higher maximum rates of photosynthesis in the second year. However, urban wildtype trees had higher water use efficiency as air temperatures increased and similar overall rates of photosynthesis, relative to cultivars, in mid and late summer. Our results show that physiological differences between cultivars and wildtype trees may relate to differences in their genetic background and their responses to local environmental conditions, contingent on the identity of the horticultural variety. Overall, our results suggest that wildtype trees should be considered for some urban locations, and our study is valuable in demonstrating how site type and tree type can inform tree planting strategies and improve long-term urban forest sustainability.}, number={5}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Lahr, Eleanor C. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2018}, month={May} } @article{meineke_frank_2018, title={Water availability drives urban tree growth responses to herbivory and warming}, volume={55}, ISSN={["1365-2664"]}, DOI={10.1111/1365-2664.13130}, abstractNote={Abstract Urban forests provide important ecosystem services to city residents, including pollution removal and carbon storage. Climate change and urbanization pose multiple threats to these services. However, how these threats combine to affect urban trees, and thus how to mitigate their effects, remains largely untested because multi‐factorial experiments on mature trees are impractical. We used a unique urban warming experiment paired with a laboratory chamber experiment to determine how three of the most potentially damaging factors associated with global change for urban and rural trees—warming, drought, and insect herbivory—affect growth of Quercus phellos (willow oak), the most commonly planted large shade tree in the southeastern US, which is known for its resilience to these potential stressors. In a previous study, we found that the urban heat island effect was associated with reduced growth of Q. phellos and higher abundance of Parthenolecanium scale insects, key pests of oaks in cities. Here, we tested the hypothesis that tree water stress is the mechanism for these effects of warming. We found evidence that water stress is a major, interactive factor reducing urban tree growth, but found no evidence that water stress is associated with Parthenolecanium survival or abundance. Warming and Parthenolecanium only reduced growth in Q. phellos saplings that were simultaneously water stressed. Synthesis and applications. Across many temperate cities worldwide, urban trees grow less than rural trees. Our results point to water stress as the most likely driver for this pattern. Importantly, we found that water stress both reduces tree growth on its own and exacerbates effects of warming and insect pests on tree growth. Therefore, management strategies targeted at increasing tree hydration in cities may reduce effects of these three key stressors that are expected to intensify with further urbanization and climate change. }, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY}, author={Meineke, Emily K. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2018}, month={Jul}, pages={1701–1713} } @article{hamblin_youngsteadt_frank_2018, title={Wild bee abundance declines with urban warming, regardless of floral density}, volume={21}, DOI={10.1007/s11252-018-0731-4}, number={3}, journal={Urban Ecosystems}, author={Hamblin, A. L. and Youngsteadt, E. and Frank, Steven}, year={2018}, pages={419–428} } @article{lopez-uribe_appler_youngsteadt_dunn_frank_tarpy_2017, title={Higher immunocompetence is associated with higher genetic diversity in feral honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera)}, volume={18}, ISSN={["1572-9737"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85013371895&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1007/s10592-017-0942-x}, number={3}, journal={CONSERVATION GENETICS}, author={Lopez-Uribe, Margarita M. and Appler, R. Holden and Youngsteadt, Elsa and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2017}, month={Jun}, pages={659–666} } @article{savage_youngsteadt_ernst_powers_dunn_frank_2018, title={Homogenizing an urban habitat mosaic: arthropod diversity declines in New York City parks after Super Storm Sandy}, volume={28}, ISSN={["1939-5582"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85040223231&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1002/eap.1643}, abstractNote={AbstractThe frequency and intensity of hurricanes are increasing globally, and anthropogenic modifications in cities have created systems that may be particularly vulnerable to their negative effects. Organisms living in cities are exposed to variable levels of chronic environmental stress. However, whether chronic stress ameliorates or exacerbates the negative effects of hurricanes remains an open question. Here, we consider two hypotheses about the simultaneous consequences of acute disturbances from hurricanes and chronic stress from urbanization for the structure of urban arthropod communities. The tipping point hypothesis posits that organisms living in high stress habitats are less resilient than those in low stress habitats because they are living near the limits of their environmental tolerances; while the disturbance tolerance hypothesis posits that high stress habitats host organisms pre‐adapted for coping with disturbance, making them more resilient to the effects of storms. We used a before‐after‐control‐impact design in the street medians and city parks of Manhattan (New York City, New York, USA) to compare arthropod communities before and after Super Storm Sandy in sites that were flooded and unflooded during the storm. Our evidence supported the disturbance tolerance hypothesis. Significant compositional differences between street medians and city parks before the storm disappeared after the storm; similarly, unflooded city parks had significantly different arthropod composition while flooded sites were indistinguishable. These differences were driven by reduced occurrences and abundances of arthropods in city parks. Finally, those arthropod groups that were most tolerant to urban stress were also the most tolerant to flooding. Our results suggest that the species that survive in high stress environments are likely to be the ones that thrive in response to acute disturbance. As storms become increasingly common and extreme, this juxtaposition in responses to storm‐associated disturbance may lead to diversity loss in cities, potentially leading entire urban landscapes to mirror the reduced diversity of street medians.}, number={1}, journal={ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS}, author={Savage, Amy M. and Youngsteadt, Elsa and Ernst, Andrew F. and Powers, Shelby A. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2018}, month={Jan}, pages={225–236} } @article{camacho_chong_braman_frank_schultz_2017, title={Life History of Parthenolecanium spp. (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Urban Landscapes of the Southeastern United States}, volume={110}, ISSN={["1938-291X"]}, DOI={10.1093/jee/tox170}, abstractNote={This study was conducted to better understand the life history of Parthenolecanium corni (Bouché) and Parthenolecanium quercifex (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Coccidae), and to develop degree-day models for crawler emergence of the two soft scale species in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Both species were univoltine in the southeastern United States. In South Carolina, eggs hatched from mid-April to early June; second instars began to appear in September and migrated to twigs to overwinter in October; and third instars and adults appeared in mid-March to early April. Each parthenogenetic female produced on average 1,026 ± 52 eggs. Fecundity was positively correlated to the fresh weight, length, width, and height of gravid females. Gross reproductive rate (GRR) was 695.98 ± 79.34 ♀/♀, net reproductive rate (Rº) was 126.36 ± 19.03 ♀/♀, mean generation time (TG) was 52.61 ± 0.05 wk, intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was 0.04 ♀/♀/wk, and finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.04 times per week. Crawlers first occurred across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia in 2011-2013 when 524-596 Celsius-degree-days (DDC) had been accumulated with the single sine estimation method, or 411-479 DDC with the simple average method, at the base temperature of 12.8 °C and the start date of 1 January. These regional models accurately predicted the date of crawler emergence within 1 wk of the actual emergence in 2014.}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Camacho, Ernesto Robayo and Chong, Juang-Horng and Braman, S. Kris and Frank, Steven D. and Schultz, Peter B.}, year={2017}, month={Aug}, pages={1668–1675} } @article{hamblin_youngsteadt_lopez-uribe_frank_2017, title={Physiological thermal limits predict differential responses of bees to urban heat-island effects}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1744-957X"]}, DOI={10.1098/rsbl.2017.0125}, abstractNote={ Changes in community composition are an important, but hard to predict, effect of climate change. Here, we use a wild-bee study system to test the ability of critical thermal maxima (CT max , a measure of heat tolerance) to predict community responses to urban heat-island effects in Raleigh, NC, USA. Among 15 focal species, CT max ranged from 44.6 to 51.3°C, and was strongly predictive of population responses to urban warming across 18 study sites ( r 2 = 0.44). Species with low CT max declined the most. After phylogenetic correction, solitary species and cavity-nesting species (bumblebees) had the lowest CT max , suggesting that these groups may be most sensitive to climate change. Community responses to urban and global warming will likely retain strong physiological signal, even after decades of warming during which time lags and interspecific interactions could modulate direct effects of temperature. }, number={6}, journal={BIOLOGY LETTERS}, author={Hamblin, April L. and Youngsteadt, Elsa and Lopez-Uribe, Margarita M. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2017}, month={Jun} } @article{dale_frank_2017, title={Warming and drought combine to increase pest insect fitness on urban trees}, volume={12}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0173844}, abstractNote={Urban habitats are characterized by impervious surfaces, which increase temperatures and reduce water availability to plants. The effects of these conditions on herbivorous insects are not well understood, but may provide insight into future conditions. Three primary hypotheses have been proposed to explain why multiple herbivorous arthropods are more abundant and damaging in cities, and support has been found for each. First, less complex vegetation may reduce biological control of pests. Second, plant stress can increase plant quality for pests. And third, urban warming can directly increase pest fitness and abundance. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and the effects of temperature and plant stress are particularly related. Thus, we test the hypothesis that urban warming and drought stress combine to increase the fitness and abundance of the scale insect, Melanaspis tenebricosa, an urban tree pest that is more abundant in urban than rural areas of the southeastern U.S. We did this by manipulating drought stress across an existing mosaic of urban warming. We found support for the additive effect of temperature and drought stress such that female embryo production and body size increased with temperature and was greater on drought-stressed than watered trees. This study provides further evidence that drivers of pest insect outbreaks act in concert, rather than independently, and calls for more research that manipulates multiple abiotic factors related to urbanization and climate change to predict their effects on ecological interactions. As cities expand and the climate changes, warmer temperatures and drought conditions may become more widespread in the native range of this pest. These changes have direct physiological benefits for M. tenebricosa, and potentially other pests, that may increase their fitness and abundance in urban and natural forests.}, number={3}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2017}, month={Mar} } @article{ranger_reding_schultz_oliver_frank_addesso_chong_sampson_werle_gill_et al._2016, title={Biology, Ecology, and Management of Nonnative Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Ornamental Plant Nurseries}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2155-7470"]}, DOI={10.1093/jipm/pmw005}, abstractNote={Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative (USDA-FNRI); Horticultural Research Institute (HRI); USDA-ARS National Program 304-Crop Protection and Quarantine [3607-22000-012-00D]; American Nursery and Landscape Association; USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT}, author={Ranger, Christopher M. and Reding, Michael E. and Schultz, Peter B. and Oliver, Jason B. and Frank, Steve D. and Addesso, Karla M. and Chong, Juang Hong and Sampson, Blair and Werle, Christopher and Gill, Stanton and et al.}, year={2016}, month={Jan} } @article{frank_ranger_2016, title={Developing a Media Moisture Threshold for Nurseries to Reduce Tree Stress and Ambrosia Beetle Attacks}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1093/ee/nvw076}, abstractNote={Abstract Exotic ambrosia beetles are among the most damaging pests of trees grown in nurseries. The primary pests Xylosandrus crassiusculus Motschulsky and Xylosandrus germanus Blandford use ethanol to locate vulnerable trees. Research, primarily with X. germanus, has shown that flood-stressed trees emit ethanol and are preferentially attacked by ambrosia beetles. Our goal was to develop a media (also called potting soil) moisture threshold as an integrated pest management (IPM) tactic and assess grower practices that lead to ambrosia beetle attacks. Flooded Cornus florida L., Cornus kousa Burg., and Magnolia grandiflora L. trees incurred more attacks than unflooded trees that were not attacked. To determine optimal media moisture levels, we grew flood-tolerant Acer rubrum L. and flood-intolerant C. florida in containers with 10, 30, 50, 70, or 90% media moisture. No flooded or unflooded A. rubrum were attacked. However, C. florida grown in 70 or 90% moisture were attacked and died, whereas trees at 30 and 50% moisture were not attacked. Thus, we suggest an upper moisture threshold of 50% when growing C. florida and other flood-intolerant trees. However, during peak ambrosia beetle flight activity in spring 2013 and 2014, we found that media moisture levels in commercial nurseries were often between 50 and 90%. Implementing a media moisture threshold, as a new IPM tool, could reduce ambrosia beetle attacks and the need for insecticide applications, which is currently the only available management tactic. Future research should focus on how changes in substrates, irrigation, and other practices could help growers meet this threshold.}, number={4}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Ranger, Christopher M.}, year={2016}, month={Aug}, pages={1040–1048} } @article{lopez-uribe_sconiers_frank_dunn_tarpy_2016, title={Reduced cellular immune response in social insect lineages}, volume={12}, ISSN={["1744-957X"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84962545223&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1098/rsbl.2015.0984}, abstractNote={ Social living poses challenges for individual fitness because of the increased risk of disease transmission among conspecifics. Despite this challenge, sociality is an evolutionarily successful lifestyle, occurring in the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth—the social insects. Two contrasting hypotheses predict the evolutionary consequences of sociality on immune systems. The social group hypothesis posits that sociality leads to stronger individual immune systems because of the higher risk of disease transmission in social species. By contrast, the relaxed selection hypothesis proposes that social species have evolved behavioural immune defences that lower disease risk within the group, resulting in lower immunity at the individual level. We tested these hypotheses by measuring the encapsulation response in 11 eusocial and non-eusocial insect lineages. We built phylogenetic mixed linear models to investigate the effect of behaviour, colony size and body size on cellular immune response. We found a significantly negative effect of colony size on encapsulation response (Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed model (mcmcGLMM) p < 0.05; phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that insects living in large societies may rely more on behavioural mechanisms, such as hygienic behaviours, than on immune function to reduce the risk of disease transmission among nest-mates. }, number={3}, journal={BIOLOGY LETTERS}, author={Lopez-Uribe, Margarita M. and Sconiers, Warren B. and Frank, Steven D. and Dunn, Robert R. and Tarpy, David R.}, year={2016}, month={Mar} } @article{youngsteadt_ernst_dunn_frank_2017, title={Responses of arthropod populations to warming depend on latitude: evidence from urban heat islands}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1365-2486"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85006106453&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/gcb.13550}, abstractNote={AbstractBiological effects of climate change are expected to vary geographically, with a strong signature of latitude. For ectothermic animals, there is systematic latitudinal variation in the relationship between climate and thermal performance curves, which describe the relationship between temperature and an organism's fitness. Here, we ask whether these documented latitudinal patterns can be generalized to predict arthropod responses to warming across mid‐ and high temperate latitudes, for taxa whose thermal physiology has not been measured. To address this question, we used a novel natural experiment consisting of a series of urban warming gradients at different latitudes. Specifically, we sampled arthropods from a single common street tree species across temperature gradients in four US cities, located from 35.8 to 42.4° latitude. We captured 6746 arthropods in 34 families from 111 sites that varied in summer average temperature by 1.7–3.4 °C within each city. Arthropod responses to warming within each city were characterized as Poisson regression coefficients describing change in abundance per °C for each family. Family responses in the two midlatitude cities were heterogeneous, including significantly negative and positive effects, while those in high‐latitude cities varied no more than expected by chance within each city. We expected high‐latitude taxa to increase in abundance with warming, and they did so in one of the two high‐latitude cities; in the other, Queens (New York City), most taxa declined with warming, perhaps due to habitat loss that was correlated with warming in this city. With the exception of Queens, patterns of family responses to warming were consistent with predictions based on known latitudinal patterns in arthropod physiology relative to regional climate. Heterogeneous responses in midlatitudes may be ecologically disruptive if interacting taxa respond oppositely to warming.}, number={4}, journal={GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY}, author={Youngsteadt, Elsa and Ernst, Andrew F. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2017}, month={Apr}, pages={1436–1447} } @article{meineke_youngsteadt_dunn_frank_2016, title={Urban warming reduces aboveground carbon storage}, volume={283}, ISSN={0962-8452 1471-2954}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1574}, DOI={10.1098/rspb.2016.1574}, abstractNote={A substantial amount of global carbon is stored in mature trees. However, no experiments to date test how warming affects mature tree carbon storage. Using a unique, citywide, factorial experiment, we investigated how warming and insect herbivory affected physiological function and carbon sequestration (carbon stored per year) of mature trees. Urban warming increased herbivorous arthropod abundance on trees, but these herbivores had negligible effects on tree carbon sequestration. Instead, urban warming was associated with an estimated 12% loss of carbon sequestration, in part because photosynthesis was reduced at hotter sites. Ecosystem service assessments that do not consider urban conditions may overestimate urban tree carbon storage. Because urban and global warming are becoming more intense, our results suggest that urban trees will sequester even less carbon in the future.}, number={1840}, journal={Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}, publisher={The Royal Society}, author={Meineke, Emily and Youngsteadt, Elsa and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2016}, month={Oct}, pages={20161574} } @article{prado_witte_frank_sadof_2015, title={Do leaf domatia mediate intraguild predation and host plant resistance to Oligonychus aceris (Shimer) on Red Sunset Maple (Acer rubrum)?}, volume={90}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2015.06.012}, abstractNote={The predatory mites Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman) (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) and Zetzellia mali (Ewing) (Acarina: Stigmaeidae) have the potential to suppress populations of Oligonychus aceris (Shimer) (Acarina: Tetranychidae) on maple cultivars under field conditions. Red Sunset red maples (Acer rubrum) are more resistant to O. aceris than 'Autumn Blaze' Freeman maple (Acer × fremanii). Examination of leaves indicated that the mite resistant Red Sunset trees had more leaf domatia than those from Autumn Blaze. Laboratory assays found that maple cultivars did not affect rates of O. aceris consumption by N. fallacis or Z. mali in a 24 h period. Each predator exhibited distinct preferences for O. aceris life stages. N. fallacis consumed significantly more protonymphs and adults of O. aceris, whereas Z. mali consumed more eggs. In contrast, maple cultivars significantly influenced rates of intraguild predation between phytoseiids and stigmaeids. Adult N. fallacis consumed more immature stages of Z. mali on Autumn Blaze than on Red Sunset maple, but adult Z. mali consumed the same numbers of N. fallacis nymphs on both cultivars. These findings provide a potential mechanism to explain the resistance of Red Sunset maples to O. aceris. On Red Sunset maples, where domatia provide Z. mali with refugia from predation by N. fallacis, both predators can contribute to the mortality of O. aceris. In contrast on Autumn Blaze maples Z. mali have no place to hide from N. fallacis, so the contribution of this stigmaeid to O. aceris mortality is greatly diminished. Thus, differential susceptibility of these cultivars to spider mites may be mediated by the capacity of leaf domatia to influence rates of intraguild predation among phytoseiid and stigmaeid predators.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Prado, Julia and Witte, Adam R. and Frank, Steven and Sadof, Clifford S.}, year={2015}, month={Nov}, pages={187–192} } @article{ranger_schultz_frank_chong_reding_2015, title={Non-Native Ambrosia Beetles as Opportunistic Exploiters of Living but Weakened Trees}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0131496}, abstractNote={Exotic Xylosandrus spp. ambrosia beetles established in non-native habitats have been associated with sudden and extensive attacks on a diverse range of living trees, but factors driving their shift from dying/dead hosts to living and healthy ones are not well understood. We sought to characterize the role of host physiological condition on preference and colonization by two invaders, Xylosandrus germanus and Xylosandrus crassiusculus. When given free-choice under field conditions among flooded and non-flooded deciduous tree species of varying intolerance to flooding, beetles attacked flood-intolerant tree species over more tolerant species within 3 days of initiating flood stress. In particular, flood-intolerant flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) sustained more attacks than flood-tolerant species, including silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). Ethanol, a key host-derived attractant, was detected at higher concentrations 3 days after initiating flooding within stems of flood intolerant species compared to tolerant and non-flooded species. A positive correlation was also detected between ethanol concentrations in stem tissue and cumulative ambrosia beetle attacks. When adult X. germanus and X. crassiusculus were confined with no-choice to stems of flood-stressed and non-flooded C. florida, more ejected sawdust resulting from tunneling activity was associated with the flood-stressed trees. Furthermore, living foundresses, eggs, larvae, and pupae were only detected within galleries created in stems of flood-stressed trees. Despite a capability to attack diverse tree genera, X. germanus and X. crassiusculus efficiently distinguished among varying host qualities and preferentially targeted trees based on their intolerance of flood stress. Non-flooded trees were not preferred or successfully colonized. This study demonstrates the host-selection strategy exhibited by X. germanus and X. crassiusculus in non-native habitats involves detection of stress-induced ethanol emission and early colonization of living but weakened trees.}, number={7}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Ranger, Christopher M. and Schultz, Peter B. and Frank, Steven D. and Chong, Juang H. and Reding, Michael E.}, year={2015}, month={Jul} } @article{jandricic_schmidt_bryant_frank_2016, title={Non-consumptive predator effects on a primary greenhouse pest: Predatory mite harassment reduces western flower thrips abundance and plant damage}, volume={95}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2015.12.012}, abstractNote={Prey react to the presence of predators in suite of ways that reduce predation risk, but may also negatively affect fitness. Non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of predators on prey are likely important components of biological control and moderators of plant damage in agricultural systems. Yet, few studies have investigated their effects in crops relying on augmentative release of natural enemies for protection. Here, we investigated NCEs of the predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris on a non-prey life stage of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), one of the most damaging pest of greenhouse crops in the world. Second instar thrips were exposed to 2 adult female mites on a leaf disk for 24 h. Over a 20 min observation period, we saw a 22% reduction in thrips feeding behavior in the presence of predatory mites compared to thrips alone. Thrips feeding was often interrupted by attempted mite attacks, which averaged 4 attacks per thrips over 20 min. After 24 h, this reduced leaf damage by 51% in the predator treatment compared to the control. This result held true in experiments on whole plants, with damage reduced by 38% in the presence of mites. No significant reduction in feeding activity or damage was observed when larval thrips were exposed to non-predatory mites, conspecifics, or leaves which had previously held large numbers of predatory mites. The presence of mites did not alter thrips development time or final adult size. However, survival to adulthood was decreased by 54–78% in the presence of mites, suggesting a lack of nutritional reserves necessary to complete development. This study demonstrates that NCEs of predatory mites can induce a trophic cascade by reducing pest feeding and fitness. Such beneficial effects of natural enemies are often overlooked in simple predation and efficacy studies.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Jandricic, S. E. and Schmidt, Danielle and Bryant, G. and Frank, S. D.}, year={2016}, month={Apr}, pages={5–12} } @article{diamond_dunn_frank_haddad_martin_2015, title={Shared and unique responses of insects to the interaction of urbanization and background climate}, volume={11}, ISSN={2214-5745}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.COIS.2015.10.001}, DOI={10.1016/J.COIS.2015.10.001}, abstractNote={Urbanization profoundly alters biological systems; yet the predictability of responses to urbanization based on key biological traits, the repeatability of these patterns among cities, and how the impact of urbanization on biological systems varies as a function of background climatic conditions remain unknown. We use insects as a focal system to review the major patterns of responses to urbanization, and develop a framework for exploring the shared and unique features that characterize insect responses to urbanization and how responses to urbanization might systematically vary along background environmental gradients in climate. We then illustrate this framework using established patterns in insect macrophysiology.}, journal={Current Opinion in Insect Science}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Diamond, Sarah E and Dunn, Robert R and Frank, Steven D and Haddad, Nick M and Martin, Ryan A}, year={2015}, month={Oct}, pages={71–77} } @article{reese_savage_youngsteadt_mcguire_koling_watkins_frank_dunn_2016, title={Urban stress is associated with variation in microbial species composition-but not richness-in Manhattan}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1751-7370"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84942133913&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1038/ismej.2015.152}, abstractNote={Abstract The biological diversity and composition of microorganisms influences both human health outcomes and ecological processes; therefore, understanding the factors that influence microbial biodiversity is key to creating healthy, functional landscapes in which to live. In general, biological diversity is predicted to be limited by habitat size, which for green areas is often reduced in cities, and by chronic disturbance (stress). These hypotheses have not previously been tested in microbial systems in direct comparison to macroorganisms. Here we analyzed bacterial, fungal and ant communities in small road medians (average area 0.0008 km2) and larger parks (average area 0.64 km2) across Manhattan (NYC). Bacterial species richness was not significantly different between medians and parks, but community composition was significantly distinct. In contrast, ant communities differed both in composition and richness with fewer ant species in medians than parks. Fungi showed no significant variation in composition or richness but had few shared taxa between habitats or sites. The diversity and composition of microbes appears less sensitive to habitat patchiness or urban stress than those of macroorganisms. Microbes and their associated ecosystem services and functions may be more resilient to the negative effects of urbanization than has been previously appreciated.}, number={3}, journal={ISME JOURNAL}, author={Reese, Aspen T. and Savage, Amy and Youngsteadt, Elsa and McGuire, Krista L. and Koling, Adam and Watkins, Olivia and Frank, Steven D. and Dunn, Robert R.}, year={2016}, month={Mar}, pages={751–760} } @article{youngsteadt_appler_lopez-uribe_tarpy_frank_2015, title={Urbanization Increases Pathogen Pressure on Feral and Managed Honey Bees}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0142031}, abstractNote={Given the role of infectious disease in global pollinator decline, there is a need to understand factors that shape pathogen susceptibility and transmission in bees. Here we ask how urbanization affects the immune response and pathogen load of feral and managed colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus), the predominant economically important pollinator worldwide. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we measured expression of 4 immune genes and relative abundance of 10 honey bee pathogens. We also measured worker survival in a laboratory bioassay. We found that pathogen pressure on honey bees increased with urbanization and management, and the probability of worker survival declined 3-fold along our urbanization gradient. The effect of management on pathogens appears to be mediated by immunity, with feral bees expressing immune genes at nearly twice the levels of managed bees following an immune challenge. The effect of urbanization, however, was not linked with immunity; instead, urbanization may favor viability and transmission of some disease agents. Feral colonies, with lower disease burdens and stronger immune responses, may illuminate ways to improve honey bee management. The previously unexamined effects of urbanization on honey-bee disease are concerning, suggesting that urban areas may favor problematic diseases of pollinators.}, number={11}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Youngsteadt, Elsa and Appler, R. Holden and Lopez-Uribe, Margarita M. and Tarpy, David R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2015}, month={Nov} } @article{frank_2014, title={Bad neighbors: urban habitats increase cankerworm damage to non-host understory plants}, volume={17}, ISSN={["1573-1642"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11252-014-0368-x}, number={4}, journal={URBAN ECOSYSTEMS}, author={Frank, Steven D.}, year={2014}, month={Dec}, pages={1135–1145} } @article{youngsteadt_dale_terando_dunn_frank_2015, title={Do cities simulate climate change? A comparison of herbivore response to urban and global warming}, volume={21}, ISSN={["1365-2486"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84916930773&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/gcb.12692}, abstractNote={AbstractCities experience elevated temperature, CO2, and nitrogen deposition decades ahead of the global average, such that biological response to urbanization may predict response to future climate change. This hypothesis remains untested due to a lack of complementary urban and long‐term observations. Here, we examine the response of an herbivore, the scale insect Melanaspis tenebricosa, to temperature in the context of an urban heat island, a series of historical temperature fluctuations, and recent climate warming. We survey M. tenebricosa on 55 urban street trees in Raleigh, NC, 342 herbarium specimens collected in the rural southeastern United States from 1895 to 2011, and at 20 rural forest sites represented by both modern (2013) and historical samples. We relate scale insect abundance to August temperatures and find that M. tenebricosa is most common in the hottest parts of the city, on historical specimens collected during warm time periods, and in present‐day rural forests compared to the same sites when they were cooler. Scale insects reached their highest densities in the city, but abundance peaked at similar temperatures in urban and historical datasets and tracked temperature on a decadal scale. Although urban habitats are highly modified, species response to a key abiotic factor, temperature, was consistent across urban and rural‐forest ecosystems. Cities may be an appropriate but underused system for developing and testing hypotheses about biological effects of climate change. Future work should test the applicability of this model to other groups of organisms.}, number={1}, journal={GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY}, author={Youngsteadt, Elsa and Dale, Adam G. and Terando, Adam J. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2015}, month={Jan}, pages={97–105} } @article{meineke_dunn_frank_2014, title={Early pest development and loss of biological control are associated with urban warming}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1744-957X"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84961991682&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1098/rsbl.2014.0586}, abstractNote={Climate warming is predicted to cause many changes in ectotherm communities, one of which is phenological mismatch, wherein one species' development advances relative to an associated species or community. Phenological mismatches already lead to loss of pollination services, and we predict that they also cause loss of biological control. Here, we provide evidence that a pest develops earlier due to urban warming but that phenology of its parasitoid community does not similarly advance. This mismatch is associated with greater egg production that likely leads to more pests on trees.}, number={11}, journal={BIOLOGY LETTERS}, author={Meineke, Emily K. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2014}, month={Nov} } @article{youngsteadt_henderson_savage_ernst_dunn_frank_2015, title={Habitat and species identity, not diversity, predict the extent of refuse consumption by urban arthropods}, volume={21}, ISSN={["1365-2486"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84923107777&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/gcb.12791}, abstractNote={AbstractUrban green spaces provide ecosystem services to city residents, but their management is hindered by a poor understanding of their ecology. We examined a novel ecosystem service relevant to urban public health and esthetics: the consumption of littered food waste by arthropods. Theory and data from natural systems suggest that the magnitude and resilience of this service should increase with biological diversity. We measured food removal by presenting known quantities of cookies, potato chips, and hot dogs in street medians (24 sites) and parks (21 sites) in New York City, USA. At the same sites, we assessed ground‐arthropod diversity and abiotic conditions, including history of flooding during Hurricane Sandy 7 months prior to the study. Arthropod diversity was greater in parks (on average 11 hexapod families and 4.7 ant species per site), than in medians (nine hexapod families and 2.7 ant species per site). However, counter to our diversity‐based prediction, arthropods in medians removed 2–3 times more food per day than did those in parks. We detected no effect of flooding (at 19 sites) on this service. Instead, greater food removal was associated with the presence of the introduced pavement ant (Tetramorium sp. E) and with hotter, drier conditions that may have increased arthropod metabolism. When vertebrates also had access to food, more was removed, indicating that arthropods and vertebrates compete for littered food. We estimate that arthropods alone could remove 4–6.5 kg of food per year in a single street median, reducing its availability to less desirable fauna such as rats. Our results suggest that species identity and habitat may be more relevant than diversity for predicting urban ecosystem services. Even small green spaces such as street medians provide ecosystem services that may complement those of larger habitat patches across the urban landscape.}, number={3}, journal={GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY}, author={Youngsteadt, Elsa and Henderson, Ryanna C. and Savage, Amy M. and Ernst, Andrew F. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2015}, month={Mar}, pages={1103–1115} } @article{prado_frank_2014, title={Optimal foraging by an aphid parasitoid affects the outcome of apparent competition}, volume={39}, DOI={10.1111/een.12093}, abstractNote={ Apparent competition is an indirect, negative interaction occurring between two or more host species, mediated by a shared parasitoid. Host species' population growth rates, parasitoid attack rates, and parasitoid population size can mediate the outcomes of apparent competition. It has also been suggested that optimal foraging by a natural enemy can influence the outcome of apparent competition, resulting in increased suppression of the optimal host. While this has been shown in theory, to date no studies have empirically tested the link between parasitoid optimal foraging behaviour and the outcome of apparent competition. The present study examined how optimal foraging behaviour influences the outcome of apparent competition in an aphid banker plant system. First, Aphidius colemani Viereck's preference for Myzus persicae Sulzer or Rhopalosiphum padi L., the non‐pest host on the banker plant, was examined, and then the difference in M. persicae suppression in the presence and absence of R. padi was assessed. It was found that optimal foraging behaviour led female A. colemani to prefer M. persicae over R. padi, due to increased offspring survival and female size. Consequently, optimally foraging A. colemani parasitised significantly more M. persicae in the presence of both aphid hosts than in the presence of M. persicae alone. Understanding the interaction between optimal foraging and apparent competition has important implications for biological control of arthropod pests and could help to predict the outcome of biological control programmes. }, number={2}, journal={Ecological Entomology}, author={Prado, S. G. and Frank, Steven}, year={2014} } @article{dale_frank_2014, title={The Effects of Urban Warming on Herbivore Abundance and Street Tree Condition}, volume={9}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0102996}, abstractNote={Trees are essential to urban habitats because they provide services that benefit the environment and improve human health. Unfortunately, urban trees often have more herbivorous insect pests than rural trees but the mechanisms and consequences of these infestations are not well documented. Here, we examine how temperature affects the abundance of a scale insect, Melanaspis tenebricosa (Comstock) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), on one of the most commonly planted street trees in the eastern U.S. Next, we examine how both pest abundance and temperature are associated with water stress, growth, and condition of 26 urban street trees. Although trees in the warmest urban sites grew the most, they were more water stressed and in worse condition than trees in cooler sites. Our analyses indicate that visible declines in tree condition were best explained by scale-insect infestation rather than temperature. To test the broader relevance of these results, we extend our analysis to a database of more than 2700 Raleigh, US street trees. Plotting these trees on a Landsat thermal image of Raleigh, we found that warmer sites had over 70% more trees in poor condition than those in cooler sites. Our results support previous studies linking warmer urban habitats to greater pest abundance and extend this association to show its effect on street tree condition. Our results suggest that street tree condition and ecosystem services may decline as urban expansion and global warming exacerbate the urban heat island effect. Although our non-probability sampling method limits our scope of inference, our results present a gloomy outlook for urban forests and emphasize the need for management tools. Existing urban tree inventories and thermal maps could be used to identify species that would be most suitable for urban conditions.}, number={7}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Dale, Adam G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2014}, month={Jul} } @article{jandricic_dale_bader_frank_2014, title={The effect of banker plant species on the fitness of Aphidius colemani Viereck and its aphid host (Rhopalosiphum padi L.)}, volume={76}, ISSN={1049-9644}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCONTROL.2014.04.007}, DOI={10.1016/J.BIOCONTROL.2014.04.007}, abstractNote={Banker plants, a type of open-rearing unit, are increasingly used in greenhouse crops to sustain natural enemy populations at times of low pest abundance. The most common banker plant system is a non-crop, cereal plant which supports Rhopalosiphum padi L. as an alternative host for Aphidius colemani Viereck. Although bottom-up effects of plants are known to affect natural enemies, this aspect has generally been ignored in previous investigations of banker plant efficacy. Here, we tested four cereal plant species with three varieties each to investigate host plant effects on R. padi and A. colemani. Though limited differences were observed in laboratory experiments spanning one aphid or parasitoid generation, longer greenhouse experiments spanning several generations revealed significant plant effects on both insects. R. padi performed poorly on oats (Avena sativa L.), resulting in wasps with the longest female development time, lowest emergence rates, and the lowest number of wasps produced per unit. Rye (Secale cereal L.) – intermediate in terms of aphid performance – produced a significantly male-biased wasp population with the smallest males. Conversely, R. padi placed onto either wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) or barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) performed consistently well in terms of aphid and parasitoid fitness and abundance, though neither species was obviously superior over the other. Overall, cultivars within each plant species did not significantly affect outcomes. As each plant species tested had different positive effects on aphid and parasitoid phenotypes, the potential benefits of mixing of cereal species is an area for future investigation.}, journal={Biological Control}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Jandricic, S.E. and Dale, A.G. and Bader, A. and Frank, S.D.}, year={2014}, month={Sep}, pages={28–35} } @article{prado_frank_2013, title={Compact plants reduce biological control of Myzus persicae by Aphidius colemani}, volume={65}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2013.03.004}, abstractNote={Common horticultural practices, such as the use of plant growth regulators, may negatively influence the outcome of biological control programs. Plant growth regulators are applied to many ornamental and agricultural crops and can result in compact plants that have more branches and are bushier than untreated plants. Since plant architectural complexity can have strong effects on natural enemy foraging efficiency and pest suppression, our hypothesis was that the use of plant growth regulators would reduce aphid suppression by the parasitoid Aphidius colemani. In this study we investigated how the plant growth regulator paclobutrazol and the parasitic wasp A. colemani interact to affect the abundance and behavior of Myzus persicae. We found that paclobutrazol alone reduced aphid abundance compared to untreated plants. However, when parasitoids were present, paclobutrazol and associated changes in plant architecture reduced parasitism and increased aphid abundance compared to untreated plants. A likely mechanism for this result is that significantly more M. persicae fed in concealed locations on paclobutrazol-treated plants than on untreated plants. This study demonstrates that paclobutrazol reduced the efficacy of biological control by A. colemani and suggests that plant growth regulators could also affect biological control of other organisms.}, number={2}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Prado, Sara Guiti and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2013}, month={May}, pages={184–189} } @article{fox_reberg-horton_orr_moorman_frank_2013, title={Crop and field border effects on weed seed predation in the southeastern U.S. coastal plain}, volume={177}, ISSN={0167-8809}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.AGEE.2013.06.006}, DOI={10.1016/J.AGEE.2013.06.006}, abstractNote={Weed seed predation was studied in nine organic crop fields (three each of maize, soybeans and hay; 2.5–4.0 ha each) surrounded by four experimental field border types (planted native grass and prairie flowers, planted prairie flowers only, fallow vegetation, or mowed vegetation) during the fall of 2009 and 2010 in eastern North Carolina. We used predator exclusion cages to determine the amount of weed seed removal caused by invertebrates and vertebrates. Three common agricultural weed species, redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), broadleaf signalgrass (Urochloa platyphylla), and sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia), were adhered to individual cards and placed inside the exclosure cages once a month for two weeks. Activity-density of invertebrate weed seed predators was measured with pitfall traps. Results show that field border type had no effect on seed removal rates, but that crop type heavily influenced both weed seed predation and invertebrate seed predator activity-density. Weed seed predation was highest in the dense, perennial hay fields and lowest in the more open harvested maize fields. Activity-densities for field crickets (Gryllus sp.) and the ground beetle Harpalus pennsylvanicus were also high in the hay fields and low in the maize fields, while the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) seemed to prefer the open maize fields. These results show that increasing vegetative diversity in field borders is not always an effective method for conserving weed seed predators, but that higher quality habitat inside the crop field can be achieved by increasing ground cover.}, journal={Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Fox, Aaron F. and Reberg-Horton, S. Chris and Orr, David B. and Moorman, Christopher E. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2013}, month={Sep}, pages={58–62} } @article{ranger_tobin_reding_bray_oliver_schultz_frank_persad_2013, title={Interruption of the Semiochemical-Based Attraction of Ambrosia Beetles to Ethanol-Baited Traps and Ethanol-Injected Trap Trees by Verbenone}, volume={42}, ISSN={["0046-225X"]}, DOI={10.1603/en13016}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT We examined the extent to which verbenone, a bark beetle antiaggregation pheromone, interrupted the semiochemical-based attraction of ambrosia beetles. Field trapping studies conducted in Ohio showed that a verbenone dispenser with a release rate of 50 mg/d at 25°C reduced the attraction of Anisandrus sayi Hopkins, Euwallacea validus (Eichhoff), Hypothenemus dissimilis (Zimmermann), Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg) to ethanol-baited traps. A verbenone dispenser attached to ethanol-injected Magnolia virginiana L. trap trees deployed in Ohio also reduced ambrosia beetle attacks compared to trap trees without a verbenone dispenser. Subsequent field trials demonstrated a direct relationship between distance from a verbenone dispenser and ambrosia beetle attacks on trap trees in Ohio in 2011 and 2012 and Tennessee in 2012, but not in Tennessee and Virginia in 2011. Assessment of the influence of verbenone on the probability of attacks above a density threshold found that although attacks occurred on trap trees regardless of their proximity to a verbenone dispenser, the higher density of attacks per tree occurred on trap trees farthest away from the verbenone source in Ohio and Tennessee. Verbenone alone could be somewhat useful for discouraging ambrosia beetle attacks on individual trees or on a small spatial scale, but deployment of verbenone might be most effective when integrated as part of a “push-pull” strategy.}, number={3}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Ranger, Christopher M. and Tobin, Patrick C. and Reding, Michael E. and Bray, Alicia M. and Oliver, Jason B. and Schultz, Peter B. and Frank, Steven D. and Persad, Anand B.}, year={2013}, month={Jun}, pages={539–547} } @article{prado_frank_2013, title={Tritrophic effects of plant growth regulators in an aphid-parasitoid system}, volume={66}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2013.03.019}, abstractNote={Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have the potential to negatively affect the outcome of biological control via plant architectural changes and plant chemical changes. Despite studies demonstrating the negative effects of PGRs on herbivore survival and development, to date, no studies have investigated the tritrophic effects of PGRs on parasitoid life history traits. In this study we investigated the effect of four commonly used PGRs on Myzus persicae abundance and suppression, and Aphidius colemani fitness in a greenhouse experiment. None of the PGRs reduced aphid abundance alone or affected aphid suppression by A. colemani. However, paclobutrazol reduced the number of mummies that developed on plants. PGRs had a range of negative effects on parasitoid fitness. No adult parasitoids eclosed from mummies on ancymidol treated plants. Paclobutrazol reduced parasitoid size, and paclobutrazol and uniconazole reduced female:total ratio. This study shows that PGRs can negatively affect parasitoid fitness, and reduce parasitism, suggesting the potential for negative long-term effects on the efficacy of biological control.}, number={1}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Prado, Sara G. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2013}, month={Jul}, pages={72–76} } @article{meineke_dunn_sexton_frank_2013, title={Urban Warming Drives Insect Pest Abundance on Street Trees}, volume={8}, ISSN={["1932-6203"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84875434170&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1371/journal.pone.0059687}, abstractNote={Cities profoundly alter biological communities, favoring some species over others, though the mechanisms that govern these changes are largely unknown. Herbivorous arthropod pests are often more abundant in urban than in rural areas, and urban outbreaks have been attributed to reduced control by predators and parasitoids and to increased susceptibility of stressed urban plants. These hypotheses, however, leave many outbreaks unexplained and fail to predict variation in pest abundance within cities. Here we show that the abundance of a common insect pest is positively related to temperature even when controlling for other habitat characteristics. The scale insect Parthenolecanium quercifex was 13 times more abundant on willow oak trees in the hottest parts of Raleigh, NC, in the southeastern United States, than in cooler areas, though parasitism rates were similar. We further separated the effects of heat from those of natural enemies and plant quality in a greenhouse reciprocal transplant experiment. P. quercifex collected from hot urban trees became more abundant in hot greenhouses than in cool greenhouses, whereas the abundance of P. quercifex collected from cooler urban trees remained low in hot and cool greenhouses. Parthenolecanium quercifex living in urban hot spots succeed with warming, and they do so because some demes have either acclimatized or adapted to high temperatures. Our results provide the first evidence that heat can be a key driver of insect pest outbreaks on urban trees. Since urban warming is similar in magnitude to global warming predicted in the next 50 years, pest abundance on city trees may foreshadow widespread outbreaks as natural forests also grow warmer.}, number={3}, journal={PLOS ONE}, author={Meineke, Emily K. and Dunn, Robert R. and Sexton, Joseph O. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2013}, month={Mar} } @article{lebude_white_fulcher_frank_klingeman iii_chong_chappell_windham_braman_hale_et al._2012, title={Assessing the integrated pest management practices of southeastern US ornamental nursery operations}, volume={68}, ISSN={1526-498X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ps.3295}, DOI={10.1002/ps.3295}, abstractNote={AbstractBACKGROUND: The Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management (SNIPM) working group surveyed ornamental nursery crop growers in the southeastern United States to determine their pest management practices. Respondents answered questions about monitoring practices for insects, diseases and weeds, prevention techniques, intervention decisions, concerns about IPM and educational opportunities. Survey respondents were categorized into three groups based on IPM knowledge and pest management practices adopted.RESULTS: The three groups differed in the use of standardized sampling plans for scouting pests, in monitoring techniques, e.g. sticky cards, phenology and growing degree days, in record‐keeping, in the use of spot‐spraying and in the number of samples sent to a diagnostic clinic for identification and management recommendation.CONCLUSIONS: Stronger emphasis is needed on deliberate scouting techniques and tools to monitor pest populations to provide earlier pest detection and greater flexibility of management options. Most respondents thought that IPM was effective and beneficial for both the environment and employees, but had concerns about the ability of natural enemies to control insect pests, and about the availability and effectiveness of alternatives to chemical controls. Research and field demonstration is needed for selecting appropriate natural enemies for augmentative biological control. Two groups utilized cooperative extension almost exclusively, which would be an avenue for educating those respondents. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry}, number={9}, journal={Pest Management Science}, publisher={Wiley}, author={LeBude, Anthony V and White, Sarah A and Fulcher, Amy F and Frank, Steve and Klingeman III, William E and Chong, Juang-Horng and Chappell, Matthew R and Windham, Alan and Braman, Kris and Hale, Frank and et al.}, year={2012}, month={Apr}, pages={1278–1288} } @misc{tooker_frank_2012, title={Genotypically diverse cultivar mixtures for insect pest management and increased crop yields}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1365-2664"]}, DOI={10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02173.x}, abstractNote={Summary In modern crop production, each plant is often nearly genetically identical to its neighbours, allowing insect pests and pathogens to move easily from plant to plant and decimate crop fields. The associational resistance and enemies hypotheses predict that increasing plant diversity in agricultural fields will reduce pest abundance and damage. Ample research has supported these hypotheses by demonstrating that increased plant species diversity can improve insect pest management via bottom–up and top–down mechanisms. In spite of this support, diversification strategies that might contribute to improved pest control and yield have not been widely adopted owing to logistical and financial constraints. Basic and applied research is increasingly demonstrating the value of intraspecific genetic diversity for improving ecosystem stability and function. Thus, a more practical way of diversifying crop fields may be to increase plant genotypic diversity by planting cultivar mixtures. Our objective is to review the literature documenting the benefits of genotypic diversity for natural and agricultural ecosystems and synthesize the evidence in support of intraspecific diversity as a viable pest management strategy for insect pests of field crops. We found strong support for wide‐ranging benefits of genotypic diversity that improved plant fitness and productivity in natural and applied settings. Multiple lines of evidence converge to support the potential of intraspecific variation to contribute to improve insect pest control. However, very little work has sought to develop empirical support or viable implementation practices in agricultural systems. Thus, implementation of this practice is limited. Synthesis and applications. Intraspecific plant diversity can improve plant fitness via bottom–up and top–down effects on pest populations and niche partitioning. Further research is required to refine implementation practices and demonstrate value in terms of reduced pesticide use and increased yield. Growers can implement intraspecific crop diversity with minimal financial investment or changes in production practices. As the benefits of biodiversity for yield stability are increasingly recognized, intraspecific diversity is poised to become a prominent and sustainable management tactic. }, number={5}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY}, author={Tooker, John F. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2012}, month={Oct}, pages={974–985} } @article{wong_frank_2012, title={Influence of banker plants and spiders on biological control by Orius insidiosus (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae)}, volume={63}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2012.07.001}, abstractNote={Banker plant systems are a form of conservation biological control intended to enhance natural enemy efficacy by providing an alternative source of food when prey items are scarce or absent. The Black Pearl pepper, Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’, banker plant system provides pollen to sustain populations of the omnivorous predator Orius insidiosus say (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae). Black Pearl pepper pollen has been shown in previous studies to increase O. insidiosus longevity, survival to adult, female size, and abundance, and decrease nymphal development time. However, there is no research demonstrating the efficacy of this banker plant system in commercial crop production. We investigated the efficacy of the Black Pearl pepper banker plant system compared to augmentative releases of O. insidiosus for thrips management at a commercial nursery that produces native and ornamental grasses. We found that augmentative releases of O. insidiosus effectively reduced thrips abundance in hoop houses compared to houses where no predators were released. However, the presence of banker plants did not further reduce thrips abundance. Interestingly, we found spiders in 82% of banker plant samples during this experiment and hypothesized that spiders could reduce access to floral resources provided by banker plants, thus reducing their benefits for biological control. We found that spiders reduced O. insidiosus abundance on banker plants by increasing the rate at which O. insidiosus emigrate and reducing their survival. We conclude that this banker plant system may be more successful in enclosed growing systems where higher-order predators and emigration of O. insidiosus is restricted.}, number={2}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Wong, Sarah K. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2012}, month={Nov}, pages={181–187} } @article{wong_frank_2013, title={Pollen increases fitness and abundance of Orius insidiosus Say (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) on banker plants}, volume={64}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2012.09.015}, abstractNote={Banker plants are intended to enhance biological control by sustaining populations of natural enemies. Banker plants do this by providing alternative sources of food for natural enemies, such as pollen for omnivorous predators, thus decreasing the likelihood of their starvation and emigration from a cropping system when pest populations are low or absent. A banker plant system consisting of the Black Pearl pepper, Capsicum annuum ‘Black Pearl’, and the omnivorous minute pirate bug, Orius insidiosus Say (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) has recently been proposed to improve biological control of thrips. Therefore, we studied how pollen from the Black Pearl pepper plant affects O. insidiosus fitness and abundance through a series of laboratory and greenhouse experiments. We found that a mixed diet of pollen and thrips increased O. insidiosus female longevity, decreased nymphal development time, and yielded larger females compared to a diet of thrips alone. Furthermore, O. insidiosus abundance was greater on flowering pepper plants than non-flowering pepper plants. From these results, we suggest that pollen from Black Pearl pepper banker plants could increase adult O. insidiosus abundance for the purpose of biological control in two ways: (1) reduce starvation and increase longevity of O. insidiosus when prey is absent; (2) enhance O. insidiosus fitness and fecundity when prey is present by mixing plant and prey diets. These results encourage future studies with the Black Pearl pepper as a banker plant for improving biological control of thrips in commercial greenhouses.}, number={1}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Wong, Sarah K. and Frank, Steven D.}, year={2013}, month={Jan}, pages={45–50} } @article{frank_2012, title={Reduced Risk Insecticides to Control Scale Insects and Protect Natural Enemies in the Production and Maintenance of Urban Landscape Plants}, volume={41}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1603/en11230}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Armored scale insects are among the most difficult to manage and economically important arthropod pests in the production and maintenance of urban landscape plants. This is because of morphological traits that protect them from contact insecticides. I compared initial and season-long control of euonymus scale, Unaspis euonymi Comstock (Hemiptera: Diaspidae), by reduced-risk insecticides (insect growth regulators [IGRs], neonicotinoids, spirotetramat) to determine if they controlled scale as well as more toxic insecticides such as the organophosphate, acephate, and pyrethroid, bifenthrin. I also evaluated how these insecticides affected natural enemy abundance on experimental plants and survival when exposed to insecticide residue. All insecticides tested reduced first generation euonymus scale abundance. In 2009, reinfestation by second generation euonymus scale was highest on plants treated with acetamiprid and granular dinotefuran. In 2010, systemic neonicotinoids and spirotetramat prevented cottony cushion scale infestation 133 d after treatment whereas scale readily infested plants treated with bifenthrin and horticultural oil. Encarsia spp. and Cybocephalus spp. abundance was related to scale abundance. These natural enemies were generally less abundant than predicted by scale abundance on granular dinotefuran treated plants and more abundant on granular thiamethoxam treated plants. Bifenthrin residue killed 90–100% of O. insidiosus and E. citrina within 24 h. My results indicate that reduced risk insecticides can provide season-long scale control with less impact on natural enemies than conventional insecticides. This could have economic and environmental benefits by reducing the number of applications necessary to protect nursery and landscape plants from scale.}, number={2}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Frank, Steven D.}, year={2012}, month={Apr}, pages={377–386} } @article{frank_shrewsbury_denno_2011, title={Plant versus prey resources: Influence on omnivore behavior and herbivore suppression}, volume={57}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2011.03.004}, abstractNote={Conservation biological control tactics, such as beetle banks, that increase habitat complexity generally increase epigeal predator abundance. Habitat complexity also increases alternative food which can attract and sustain predators but may reduce predation of target pests. Our goal was to determine how alternative food from different trophic levels (fly pupae and seeds) affects behavior and biological control efficacy of omnivorous carabid beetles. Seed subsidies increased omnivorous carabid abundance more than pupae by increasing aggregation and reducing emigration. Laboratory experiment demonstrated that both omnivorous carabid species preferred seeds and pupae over cutworms. However, in field cages seeds but not pupae resulted in greater cutworm damage to corn seedlings. Our results indicate that omnivorous carabids have a stronger behavioral response to seeds than prey such that only seeds influence aggregation, emigration, and crop damage. Interestingly, whereas seeds increased omnivorous carabid abundance, pupae had no affect on carnivore abundance. Thus, carabid guild composition is skewed in favor of omnivores when seed density increases. An important finding was that the effect of seeds on behavior, predation, and crop damage was consistent among replicate carabid species suggesting our results pertain to other omnivorous species in resource diverse habitats. Our results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the unpredictable benefit of conservation biological control tactics that alter habitat complexity.}, number={3}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Shrewsbury, Paula M. and Denno, Robert F.}, year={2011}, month={Jun}, pages={229–235} } @article{frank_sadof_2011, title={Reducing Insecticide Volume and Nontarget Effects of Ambrosia Beetle Management in Nurseries}, volume={104}, ISSN={["0022-0493"]}, DOI={10.1603/ec11124}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are increasingly important pests of nursery-grown trees because of the arrival of several invasive species. Ambrosia beetles bore into young trees and inoculate them with ambrosia fungus, which interferes with vascular transport resulting in limb or tree death. In spring, when beetles are active, growers make frequent applications of pyrethroid insecticides to susceptible tree species to deter beetles from boring into trees. Applications often are made with airblast sprayers that forcefully release insecticide mist that billows through nursery beds. Our objective was to compare the environmental, nontarget, and economic effects of airblast sprayer applications to applications made with a new dual-nozzle spray wand that makes targeted applications only to tree trunks where beetles attack. Through replicated experiments at commercial nurseries, we found that 5 times more insecticide was released by airblast sprayers than the manual spray wand. The extra insecticide from airblast applications landed on tree canopies, between rows, and left the nursery beds as drift. As a consequence of not spraying tree canopies, 50% more natural enemies and 50% fewer spider mites were captured in nursery beds treated with the manual spray wand than beds treated with the airblast sprayer. Manual applications require 12 times more labor than airblast applications. However, increased need for expensive miticide applications may make manual applications an economically feasible strategy for integrated pest management (IPM) of ambrosia beetles in nurseries.}, number={6}, journal={JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Sadof, Clifford S.}, year={2011}, month={Dec}, pages={1960–1968} } @article{frank_lebude_2011, title={SEASON-LONG INSECTICIDE EFFICACY FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID, ADELGES TSUGAE (HEMIPTERA: ADELGIDAE), MANAGEMENT IN NURSERIES}, volume={94}, ISSN={["0015-4040"]}, DOI={10.1653/024.094.0223}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Nursery growers and extension personnel have to rely on efficacy data from forest and landscape systems to manage hemlock woolly adelgid in nurseries. Considerable differences in tree size and culture and application logistics could make such data unsuitable. We evaluated 12 different insecticide formulations for short and long-term control of hemlock woolly adelgid in container grown Eastern hemlocks, Tsuga canadensis. All products provided control of first generation hemlock woolly adelgids, though efficacy of foliar applications of neonicotinoids dinotefuran, imidacloprid (Marathon® II), and acetamiprid and foliar or drench applications of spirotetramat acted the most quickly. Foliar and soil applications of neonicotinoids and spirotetramat also prevented reinfestation of second generation crawlers. In contrast, second generation hemlock woolly adelgids successfully colonized trees treated with the contact insecticides, horticultural oil and bifenthrin. Systemic insecticides provided season-long control of hemlock woolly adelgid when applied to foliage, which is the preferred method of application of nursery growers.}, number={2}, journal={FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Lebude, Anthony}, year={2011}, month={Jun}, pages={290–295} } @article{frank_shrewsbury_denno_2010, title={Effects of alternative food on cannibalism and herbivore suppression by carabid larvae}, volume={35}, ISSN={["0307-6946"]}, DOI={10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01156.x}, abstractNote={1. Predator and alternative food density are important factors influencing herbivore suppression by generalist predators. Herbivore suppression can be reduced if predators forage preferentially on alternative foods. Cannibalism can increase at high predator densities, further reducing herbivore suppression. However, complex interactions are possible, as alternative food can increase predator abundance and survival restoring top‐down effects on herbivores.2. In two species of carabid larvae (Poecilus chalcites and Anisodactylus ovularis), we studied how alternative foods (fly pupae and grass seeds) and predator density affect predation of black cutworm larvae and how alternative foods affect cannibalism among carabid larvae.3. Adding alternative food to microcosms generally reduced total predation of cutworms. However, the strength of this effect was dependent on carabid species, larval density, and food type.4. Increasing larval density from one to three per microcosm reduced per‐capita predation by both species irrespective of alternative food treatment.5. Alternative food reduced cannibalism in both carabid species and increased survival of carabid larvae in field plots, such that twice as many were captured in plots subsidised with pupae than plots with no alternative food.6. These results provide new insight into the complex interactions that influence predator survival and herbivore suppression in resource diverse habitats by demonstrating the primacy of intraguild interactions among carabid larvae.}, number={1}, journal={ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Shrewsbury, Paula M. and Denno, Robert F.}, year={2010}, month={Feb}, pages={61–68} } @misc{frank_2010, title={Biological control of arthropod pests using banker plant systems: Past progress and future directions}, volume={52}, ISSN={["1090-2112"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2009.09.011}, abstractNote={The goal of banker plant systems is to sustain a reproducing population of natural enemies within a crop that will provide long-term pest suppression. The most common banker plant system consists of cereal plants infested with Rhopalosiphum padi L. as a host for the parasitoid Aphidius colemani L. Aphidius colemani continually reproduce and emerge from the banker plants to suppress aphid pests such as Aphis gossypii Glover and Myzus persicae Sulzer. Banker plant systems have been investigated to support 19 natural enemy species targeting 11 pest species. Research has been conducted in the greenhouse and field on ornamental and food crops. Despite this there is little consensus of an optimal banker plant system for even the most frequently targeted pests. Optimizing banker plant systems requires future research on how banker plants, crop species, and alternative hosts interact to affect natural enemy preference, dispersal, and abundance. In addition, research on the logistics of creating, maintaining, and implementing banker plant systems is essential. An advantage of banker plant systems over augmentative biological control is preventative control without repeated, expensive releases of natural enemies. Further, banker plants conserve a particular natural enemy or potentially the ‘right diversity’ of natural enemies with specific alternative resources. This may be an advantage compared to conserving natural enemy diversity per se with other conservation biological control tactics. Demonstrated grower interest in banker plant systems provides an opportunity for researchers to improve biological control efficacy, economics, and implementation to reduce pesticide use and its associated risks.}, number={1}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONTROL}, author={Frank, Steven D.}, year={2010}, month={Jan}, pages={8–16} } @article{frank_wratten_sandhu_shrewsbury_2007, title={Video analysis to determine how habitat strata affects predator diversity and predation of Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in a vineyard}, volume={41}, ISSN={1049-9644}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2007.01.012}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocontrol.2007.01.012}, abstractNote={Preserving arthropod predator abundance and diversity in agricultural ecosystems may reduce pest populations and subsequent loss in yield. However, since natural enemy species vary in their impact on pest populations, it is crucial to identify which predators are effective at reducing pest abundance. Leafrollers spend part of their life on the ground and part in the canopy of vineyards. In this experiment, predation of tethered leafrollers on the ground and in the vine canopy was compared in a New Zealand vineyard. Leafrollers in each stratum were recorded using video equipment to identify predators that were consuming leafrollers. A separate experiment investigated the behavior of Epiphyas postvittana larvae when encountered by earwigs on vines or concealed within leaf shelters. Predation rates of leafrollers did not differ between the ground and canopy strata. However, predator activity, attack rate, and species richness were higher on the ground. Six predator taxa consumed leafrollers on the ground whereas only earwigs consumed leafrollers in the canopy. Earwigs were more active, and killed significantly more leafrollers in the canopy than on the ground, compensating for the relatively low activity and diversity of other predators in that stratum. This research demonstrates the value of video recording in biological control research, as it permits identification of the predators contributing to pest reduction. In addition, it highlights the need to understand the contributions of individual predator taxa to biological control to better conserve the ‘right diversity’ in agricultural systems and benefit from this ecosystem service.}, number={2}, journal={Biological Control}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Frank, Steven D. and Wratten, Stephen D. and Sandhu, Harpinder S. and Shrewsbury, Paula M.}, year={2007}, month={May}, pages={230–236} }