Melissa Sanchez Herrera and I are organizing a Sys-EB Section symposium for the 2019 EntSoc meeting in St. Louis, MO.
The symposium is entitled:
Bugs in Technicolor: How Color Research Advocates for Entomology
The reflection and emission of light from insect surfaces has both fascinated and inspired entomologists and the general public for centuries. The goal for our symposium is to provide a setting in which to discuss color research and its use in public outreach initiatives that aim to inspire insect curiosity and advocate for entomology. We have talks that will be given by entomologists from different continents / countries working on diverse, ingenuitive projects that incorporate insect coloration components including production, structures, perception and selection.
In addition to these talks, we intend to have an electronic exhibit of images, illustrations, and videos that fulfill these criteria and we are thus seeking submissions for this endeavor.
If you are interested in including an image please fill out the form below and upload your image / video!
CURRENT RESEARCH
I am currently studying the mating-associated color change exhibited by Argia apicalis (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) males, and the adaptive advantage it may offer to them. In Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), the gradual development of adult coloration during their post-eclosion, teneral period is a well-known phenomenon, and these morphological color changes occur slowly and irreversibly.
Argia apicalis - male
© Amanda Whispell
Argia apicalis - Immature male
© Amanda Whispell
Argia apicalis - Mature male
© Amanda Whispell
Physiological color change, in contrast, is always rapid and reversible, and has only been studied in a few insect species. While the change exhibited by most species is primarily temperature sensitive – changing to dark-phase (DP) coloration when below a certain temperature threshold, and then returning to their bright-phase (BP) when the temperature rises above it – this is not always the case.
A. apicalis - Male after 20 minutes in a cooler
© Amanda Whispell
A. apicalis - Male kept at an ambient temperature of 27°C
© Amanda Whispell
Since many Odonata males are brightly colored, they may be trading reduced survival for increased mating success. Rather than make this compromise, the ability to change color allows A. apicalis males to retain their BP coloration for inter-/intraspecific interactions, and adopt DP coloration to protect themselves from predation while copulating and ovipositing.
A. apicalis males possess the unique ability to change color, from BP to DP, in response to copulation, and given the past research into the selective advantage of physiological color change, the ability to change color in direct response to copulation could provide them with a significant adaptive advantage.
A. apicalis - Pair captured in tandem
© Amanda Whispell
A. apicalis - Solitary in BP
© Amanda Whispell
A. apicalis - Mating pair in DP
© Amanda Whispell
Argia apicalis - Mating pair
© Amanda Whispell