The Effects of Big Dune and Lava Dune Sand Composition on the Eggs and Larvae of Pseudocotalpa giulianii

Category

Health & Natural Sciences, & Engineering > Natural Sciences > Life Sciences > Ecology > Entomology

Received

January 13, 2023

Accepted

February 7, 2023

Published

June 15, 2023

Authors

Cosset Hernandez Pena, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Mandy Mountain, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Daniel B. ThompsonFollow

Authors

Cosset Hernandez Pena (CHP)^1*, Mandy Mountain (MM)¹, and Daniel Thompson, Ph.D. (DT)¹

Author Affiliations

¹School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Corresponding Author

*Cosset Hernandez Pena, cosset.hernandez@unlv.edu

Corresponding Author ORCID iD

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4020-9613

DOI

https://doi.org/10.9741/2766-7227.1024

Author Contributions

CHP: Contributed to conceptualization and construction of research project, data collection, data interpretation, drafting, editing, and finalizing manuscript.

MM: Contributed to conceptualization and construction of research project, collection of materials, data interpretation, and providing references used in manuscript.

DT: Contributed to conceptualization of research project, data interpretation, providing statistical data, reviewing and editing manuscript.

Copyright

Articles in Spectra are freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly cited.

Data Availability Statement

The author of this article confirms that the information used in the literature is fully available without restrictions.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that no conflicts of interest exist.

Ethical Considerations

Given that this research project involved an invertebrate species, no IRB or IACUC approval was necessary.

Funding

This research was made possible by the funding provided by the LSAMP Summer Research Institute.

Abstract

Differences in the composition of aeolian sand at Big Dune and sand at Lava Dune that is mixed with basalt and various minerals may affect water retention and the development of insects that are specialized for living in sand environments. These two dunes, located in Nye County, Nevada, are home to the endemic dune scarab beetle, Pseudocotalpa giulianii (PSGU). The differences in sand type may influence the growth patterns of the eggs and larvae of this beetle species that hatches and develops to an adult within the sand. The purpose of this experiment is to test whether sand composition affects hatch success of PSGU eggs as well as the growth and survivability of PSGU larvae that have successfully hatched. The data analyzed indicate that there are altered conditions of growth for PSGU larvae between sand types, with Lava Dune sand causing increased larval growth rate and body mass, though it is yet unknown what causes the observed differences in growth and size patterns.

Keywords

Pseudocotalpa giulianii, Big Dune, Lava Dune, Giuliani Dune Scarab, PSGU

Submission Type

Primary research article

Recommended Citation

Hernandez Pena, C., Mountain, M., & Thompson, D. (2023). The effects of big dune and lava dune sand composition on the eggs and larvae of Pseudocotalpa giulianii. Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal, 3(1), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.9741/2766-7227.1024