Locating and Assessing Populations of Scudderia septentrionalis in Western North Carolina

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Locating and Assessing Populations of Scudderia
septentrionalis in Western North Carolina

• Tamara K. Goodman
• Department of Biology
• University of North Carolina, Asheville

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Why is conservation of biodiversity important?

• 6th Mass Extinction
• 20 or more species will disappear by 2020
• 10-100 million living organisms
• Only 1.4 million described

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Why should preservation of species be our
responsibility?

• Primary causes of species declines are
• Habitat destruction
• Pollution
• Introduction of exotic species

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Why study this species?

• S. septentrionalis listed as significantly rare
  in NC
• Estimated 21-100 extant populations

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Ecology

• Life-history is vague
• Only research conducted by IJ Cantrall, 1940s,
  in Michigan

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Historical range map
TJ Walker, www.buzz.ifas.ufl.edu
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What is Scudderia septentrionalis?

• Ensifera
• Katydids and Crickets
• Tettigoniidae
• Katydids
• Phaneropterinae
• False Katydids
• Scudderia septentrionalis
• Northern Bush Katydids

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What type of research was conducted?

• Populations located homing in on loud
  species-specific calls
• Transects driven or walked to count populations
• Males captured with black light

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Map of Western North Carolina
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What type of research was conducted?

• Insects are poikilothermic
• Temperature variation studies used sound analysis
  software to measure rate changes

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Sonograms of male mating song
16.4 C
20kHz
5kHz
2 sec
Ticks
Buzzes
23.3 C
20kHz
5kHz
2 sec
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Rate of Ticking as a Function of Temperature
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Rate of Buzzing as a Function of Temperature
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In Summary
Save the katydids!!

• Results
• 2 extant populations
• Historical sites unconfirmed
• Calling song studies
• Questions
• Is this species at edge of range or declining?
• Will our research aid in the preservation of this
  species?

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Acknowledgements

• Research funded by US Forest Service
• T.G. Forrest
• T.J. Walkers website, www.buzz.ifas.ufl.edu
• J.D. J.R. Goodman