Linyi Zhang at GWU and her collaborators Art Weis and Glen Hood are seeking dedicated naturalists to add sites to their continent-wide gall evolution project. Compared to some previous collection opportunities I've promoted, this one requires a bit more commitment and planning, but it's a really ambitious long term study that should produce some pretty cool evolutionary insight. It might be a cool project to undertake with a biology class or a naturalist group, rather than alone.
Where:
The range of Eurosta solidaginis
What you'd need to do:
- Identify a conveniently accessible site (e.g. wildlife management area; old fields) that contains a large population of Eurosta (look for places Solidago altissima is commonly reported). Write down the coordinates of the site.
Before the first frost:
- Clear the site of last year's galls (dry, gray/silver, emergence holes)
- Identify the Solidago species present at the site. If there are multiple species, mark hosts that are Solidago altissima (hairy stems).
- We have a leaf kit you can request to send leaf samples if desired, or you can make iNat observations and seek confirmation from experts.
- Determine collection timing. Needs to be after winter (when woodpeckers stop feeding on galls) but before Eurosta emerge (sometime between early March and late April). We'll have a tool ready by new year to help calculate this for your latitude.
When time comes:
- Collect galls. Cut with pruning shears, place in paper bags, label each bag with site name and coordinates, ship together in a cardboard box.
- Ideally 200+, 400 if population is really large, 50 is not enough for the main project but useful for sequencing.
Posted on
25 September, 2024 18:57
by
megachile
Comments
@bobbie79 I thought of you when I saw this, as I know you've got a good eye for finding galls - not sure if there is a large population where you typically document species, but it looks like one you all have found previously:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/222549751
@scarletskylight Sounds like an ambitious project. Are you a part of that project?
@bobbie79 I'm not! I was trying to think if there are large enough patches of goldenrod in my area where this might be feasible and I don't think there are, for the numbers needed. Plus I'm not sure I've seen this gall here.
How is everything going?
@scarletskylight @megachile I have seen more this year that normal but not sure we have enough here or not. Previously I don't recall seeing these.
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