Trimerotropis huroniana Wlk. is a “Threatened” species in Michigan and Wisconsin with a distribution limited to open dune systems in the northern Great Lakes region of North America. Pitfall traps were utilized in the Grand Sable Dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI, along with an herbaceous plant survey, to identify the relationship of T. huroniana with native dune plant species, Ammophila breviligulata Fern. (American beachgrass, Poaceae), Artemisia campestris L. (field sagewort, Asteraceae), and the exotic invasive plant Centaurea biebersteinii DC. [=Centaurea maculosa, spotted knapweed, Lamarck] (Asteraceae). The absence of C. biebersteinii resulted in an increased likelihood of capturing T. huroniana. This was most likely due to the increased likelihood of encountering A. campestris in areas without C. biebersteinii. The occurrence of A. breviligulata was independent of C. biebersteinii presence. A significant positive linear relationship occurred between the percent cover of A. campestris and the traps that captured T. huroniana. There was no significant relationship between A. breviligulata percent cover and the traps that captured T. huroniana. The occurrence and distribution of T. huroniana is closely related to the presence and abundance of A. campestris. Habitat conservation and improvement for T. huroniana should include increases in A. campestris populations through the removal of C. biebersteinii

Marshall, Jordan M

Storer, Andrew J

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 40 
Numbers 1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 2007 Numbers 
1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 2007 
Article 2 
April 2007 
Presence of the “Threatened” Trimerotropis Huroniana 
(Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Relation to the Occurrence of Native 
Dune Plant Species and the Exotic Centaurea Biebersteinii 
Jordan M. Marshall 
Michigan Technological University 
Andrew J. Storer 
Michigan Technological University 
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 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Marshall, Jordan M. and Storer, Andrew J. 2007. "Presence of the “Threatened” Trimerotropis Huroniana 
(Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Relation to the Occurrence of Native Dune Plant Species and the Exotic 
Centaurea Biebersteinii," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 40 (1) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol40/iss1/2 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
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2007 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 17
presenCe of the “threatened” triMerotropis 
huroniana (orthoptera: aCrididae) in relation to 
the oCCurrenCe of native dune plant speCies and the 
eXotiC Centaurea BieBersteinii
Jordan M. Marshall1 and Andrew J. Storer2
AbstrAct
Trimerotropis huroniana Wlk. is a “Threatened” species in Michigan and 
Wisconsin with a distribution limited to open dune systems in the northern 
Great Lakes region of North America. Pitfall traps were utilized in the Grand 
Sable Dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI, along with an herba-
ceous plant survey, to identify the relationship of T. huroniana with native dune 
plant species, Ammophila breviligulata Fern. (American beachgrass, Poaceae), 
Artemisia campestris L. (field sagewort, Asteraceae), and the exotic invasive 
plant Centaurea biebersteinii DC. [=Centaurea maculosa, spotted knapweed, 
Lamarck] (Asteraceae). The absence of C. biebersteinii resulted in an increased 
likelihood of capturing T. huroniana. This was most likely due to the increased 
likelihood of encountering A. campestris in areas without C. biebersteinii. The 
occurrence of A. breviligulata was independent of C. biebersteinii presence. A 
significant positive linear relationship occurred between the percent cover of A. 
campestris and the traps that captured T. huroniana. There was no significant 
relationship between A. breviligulata percent cover and the traps that captured 
T. huroniana. The occurrence and distribution of T. huroniana is closely re-
lated to the presence and abundance of A. campestris. Habitat conservation 
and improvement for T. huroniana should include increases in A. campestris 
populations through the removal of C. biebersteinii. 
____________________
introduction
With its U.S. distribution limited to sensitive open dune systems of the 
northern Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, Trimerotropis huroniana 
Wlk. (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is considered critically imperiled and listed as 
“Threatened” by Michigan and “Endangered” by Wisconsin (Hubbell 1929, 
Otte 1984, Ballard, Jr. 1989, Sjogren 2001, Scholtens et al. 2005). This locust 
has historically occurred in similar dune systems in Ontario, Canada (Hubbell 
1929, Otte 1970). Now, however, T. huroniana may be extirpated from Ontario 
(Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 2005).
Ammophila breviligulata Fern., Artemisia campestris L., and Calamovilfa 
longifolia (Hook.) Scribn. (prairie sandreed, Poaceae) are three native dune 
plant species identified as the most likely food plants for T. huroniana (Rabe 
1999, Scholtens et al. 2005). Scholtens et al. (2005) suggested that the presence 
of T. huroniana was not related to the presence of native plant species. The 
landscape scale of their survey efforts in an attempt to delineate population 
distribution within the known range of this locust species may not have been 
adequate to determine finer scale correlations. Also, Scholtens et al. (2005) 
performed a qualitative assessment of the plant communities within dunes 
1Michigan Technological University, Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer Project, 5936 
Ford Ct. Suite 200, Brighton, MI 48116. (e-mail: jmmarsha@mtu.edu). 
2Michigan Technological University, School of Forest Resources and Environmental 
Science, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931.
1
Marshall and Storer: Presence of the “Threatened” Trimerotropis Huroniana (Orth
Published by ValpoScholar, 2007
18 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 40, Nos. 1 & 2
where T. huroniana occurs. Such a survey technique may not have provided 
the detail necessary to identify relationships between a rarely occurring organ-
ism and its food resources. A localized comparison of T. huroniana occurrences 
with the important dune food plants may provide a clearer understanding of 
mechanisms influencing the distribution of T. huroniana.
Centaurea biebersteinii DC is an exotic plant species introduced from 
Europe into North America in the late 1800s (Watson and Renney 1974). Since 
its introduction, C. biebersteinii has become established throughout North 
America and has locally decreased native plant diversity, altered arthropod 
distributions, reduced wild and domestic ungulate productivity, and indirectly 
increased runoff and sedimentation rates (Lacey et al. 1989, Thompson 1996, 
Kedzie-Webb et al. 2001, Olson and Wallander 2001, Marshall et al. 2008). The 
introduction of C. biebersteinii to sensitive dune plant communities may alter 
the occurrences of the “Threatened” T. huroniana, which already experiences 
limitations to population size and distribution.
The objective of this study was to test the hypotheses that T. huroniana 
occurrence was independent of the presence of C. biebersteinii, A. campestris, 
and A breviligulata.
Methods And MAteriAls
Areas with and without C. biebersteinii were utilized within the Grand 
Sable Dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of 
Michigan (46°39’38”N, 86°1’54”W). C. biebersteinii, along with other major 
vegetation cover types, was mapped within the Grand Sable Dunes during the 
summer of 2000 (B. Leutscher, personal communication). The majority of the 
Grand Sable Dunes are covered by herbaceous dune plant communities, with 
natural dune stabilization occurring as Pinus banksiana Lamb. (Jack pine, 
Pinaceae) and Northern Hardwood forests invade.
The three largest delineated areas of C. biebersteinii (10.7, 6.3, 4.8 ha), 
which had been established for at least five years (B. Leutscher, personal com-
munication), were selected for this study. A transect (500-600 m) was established 
along the long axis of each area of C. biebersteinii. In areas of native dune plant 
communities without C. biebersteinii adjacent to each C. biebersteinii area, 
transects of comparable length were established. Along each transect in the 
survey area, two arrays of five pitfall traps (8.5 cm diameter, 12.5 cm height) 
were installed on a linear 5-meter spacing following the transect approximately 
200-250 m apart (10 traps per transect). Approximately 75 ml of 50 percent 
propylene glycol (Preston LowTox® Antifreeze) was used in each trap as a killing 
agent and preservative. Pitfall traps were open for one week and then closed for 
approximately three weeks to reduce the likelihood of population depressions 
due to trapping. At the time of closing, traps were emptied and upon re-opening, 
new propylene glycol was added to each trap. A total of five trapping cycles were 
carried out from 2 May 2003 to 28 August 2003, however for analysis, only the 
final two trapping cycles from 23-30 July and 21-28 August (3 transects × 2 trap 
groups × 5 traps × 2 trapping cycles = 60 traps/treatment with and without C. 
biebersteinii) were used. These cycles were the only with T. huroniana captures 
due to the late season activity of adults (Rabe 1999).
A plant survey was conducted within five 1-m2 quadrats along each 
transect within 5 m of each trap (3 transects × 2 trap groups × 5 quadrats = 30 
quadrats/treatment with and without C. biebersteinii) identifying percent cover 
of C. biebersteinii, A. campestris, and A. breviligulata. Mean percent cover for 
each taxon was calculated for individual transects. A chi-squared analysis was 
used to test the hypothesis that traps capturing T. huroniana were independent 
of C. biebersteinii presence, as well as to test the hypothesis that the presence of 
A. campestris and A. breviligulata were independent of C. biebersteinii presence. 
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The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 40, No. 1 [2007], Art. 2
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2007 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 19
Simple linear regression was used to test for the relationship between the 
percent cover of A. campestris, as well as A. breviligulata, and the traps that 
captured T. huroniana.
results And discussion
Traps that captured T. huroniana were not independent of the presence 
of C. biebersteinii (Table 1). Traps installed in areas without C. biebersteinii 
were more likely to capture T. huroniana than traps in areas with C. bieber-
steinii. This relationship may be due to the increased likelihood of encounter-
ing A. campestris in quadrats without C. biebersteinii (Table 2). Along with A. 
campestris, two dune grasses occurred in the Grand Sable Dunes, however, C. 
longifolia was rare and A. breviligulata was the dominant grass species. Usu-
ally these two grass species singularly dominate, as in the Grand Sable Dunes, 
or co-dominate suitable T. huroniana habitat and are also known plants fed on 
by this locust (Scholtens et al. 2005), however, the presence of A. breviligulata 
was independent of the presence of C. biebersteinii (χ2 = 0.33, df = 1, P = 0.567). 
The number of traps that captured T. huroniana was not related to the percent 
cover of A. breviligulata (F = 0.25, df = 1,4, P = 0.644, R2 = 0.059).
As A. campestris percent cover increased, the number of traps along each 
transect that captured T. huroniana also increased (Fig. 1). This relationship 
corroborates the suggestions made by Rabe (1999) and Scholtens et al. (2005) 
that A. campestris is one of the important plant species in the distribution of T. 
huroniana. As a native dune plant species and an important component of T. 
huroniana habitat, changes in A. campestris distribution and occurrence would 
be expected to alter T. huroniana distribution and occurrence.
Trimerotropis huroniana habitat conservation may be enhanced by in-
creasing the dune coverage of A. campestris by reducing the coverage of C. bie-
bersteinii. The occurrence of A. breviligulata was independent of C. biebersteinii 
presence and suggests that this dune grass may not be the most influential 
Table 1. Traps capturing Trimerotropis huroniana in areas with and without C. bieber-
steinii in the Grand Sable Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI.
 Trimerotropis huroniana
 captured not captured
C. biebersteinii Present 3 57
C. biebersteinii Absent 10 50 
 χ2 = 4.23, df = 1, P = 0.039
Table 2. Number of quadrats sampled encountering Artemisia campestris and C. bie-
bersteinii in the Grand Sable Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI.
 Artemisia campestris
 Present Absent
C. biebersteinii Present 0 27
C. biebersteinii Absent 14 19
 χ2 = 13.01, df = 1, P < 0.001
3
Marshall and Storer: Presence of the “Threatened” Trimerotropis Huroniana (Orth
Published by ValpoScholar, 2007
20 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 40, Nos. 1 & 2
factor in determining the occurrence of T. huroniana in the Grand Sable Dunes, 
however, increasing the coverage and distribution of this dune grass would also 
be beneficial to T. huroniana.
Efforts within the Grand Sable Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 
to control C. biebersteinii by hand pulling have been carried out by the National 
Park Service but the availability of funding has limited the size and recurrence 
of such operations (B. Leutscher, personal communication). A more viable op-
tion may be classical biological control. While early biological control agents 
selected for C. biebersteinii control have been plagued with limited efficiency, 
parasitoid activity, and predation, more recent control agents have demonstrated 
effective reductions in C. biebersteinii density and biomass (Myers 2000, Long 
et al. 2003, Marshall et al. 2005, Corn et al. 2006, Story et al. 2006). Based 
on the results of this study, reducing the populations of C. biebersteinii in the 
dune habitat of T. huroniana would increase populations of A. campestris to the 
benefit of this “Threatened” locust.
AcknowledgMents
Collections were carried out under National Park Service Scientific Re-
search and Collection Permit Study # PIRO-2002-SCI-0014. The authors would 
like to thank Brian L. Beachy, Ryan D. DeSantis, Elizabeth E. Graham, Emily 
L. Marshall, and Justin N. Rosemier for field collection assistance and Bruce 
Leutscher for assistance in site selection.
Figure 1. Linear regression relationship between mean Artemisia campestris percent 
cover and number of traps capturing Trimerotropis huroniana in the Grand Sable 
Dunes, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI.
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The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 40, No. 1 [2007], Art. 2
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2007 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 21
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Presence of the “Threatened” \u3ci\u3eTrimerotropis Huroniana\u3c/i\u3e (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Relation to the Occurrence of Native Dune Plant Species and the Exotic \u3ci\u3eCentaurea Biebersteinii\u3c/i\u3e

https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2169&amp;context=tgle

Presence of the “Threatened” \u3ci\u3eTrimerotropis Huroniana\u3c/i\u3e (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in Relation to the Occurrence of Native Dune Plant Species and the Exotic \u3ci\u3eCentaurea Biebersteinii\u3c/i\u3e

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