Harper, Faculty Advisor, Given

Olson, \u2702, Jennifer

English

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Illinois Wesleyan UniversityDigital Commons @ IWUJohn Wesley Powell Student ResearchConference 2002, 13th Annual JWP ConferenceApr 21st, 1:15 PM - 2:15 PMAbiotic Factors Influencing Body Color inMurgantia HistrionicaJennifer Olson, '02Illinois Wesleyan UniversityGiven Harper, Faculty AdvisorIllinois Wesleyan UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprcThis Event is brought to you for free and open access by The Ames Library, the Andrew W. Mellon Center for Curricular and FacultyDevelopment, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President. It has been accepted for inclusion in Digital Commons @ IWU bythe faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@iwu.edu.©Copyright is owned by the author of this document.Olson, '02, Jennifer and Harper, Faculty Advisor, Given, "Abiotic Factors Influencing Body Color in MurgantiaHistrionica" (2002). John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference. 7.http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/jwprc/2002/posters3/7Poster Presentation P40 ABIOTIC FACTORS INFLUENCING BODY COLOR IN MURGANTIA HISTRIONICA Jennifer Olson and Given Harper* Department of Biology, Illinois Wesleyan University Many insects have developed the ability to thermoregulate by basking in the sun in order to maintain a higher body temperature. Because dark colors absorb more solar radiation, some insects will also alter their body color in colder weather in order to thermoregulate more efficiently. This experiment was designed to determine the effects of thermoperiod and photoperiod on the body color of the harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica. Two populations were raised from the nymph stage. One treatment was exposed to simulated summer conditions with a 15:9hr, light:dark (L:D) photoperiod, and 30:24°C (day:night) thermoperiod, while the other treatment was exposed to simulated fall conditions with a 9: 1 5hr L:D photoperiod and 22: 15°C thermoperiod. After one generation, adults were examined for differences in the ratios of black to yellow body color. As predicted, the harlequin bugs in the first treatment had significantly more yellow color on their dorsal side than those in the second treatment (t=4.67, df=9, p< .000). The increase of black color in the fall population is most likely facilitating their absorption of more solar radiation. This allows them to compensate for the lower temperature and the shorter duration of daily light. 

Abiotic Factors Influencing Body Color in \u3cem\u3eMurgantia Histrionica\u3c/em\u3e

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Abiotic Factors Influencing Body Color in \u3cem\u3eMurgantia Histrionica\u3c/em\u3e

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