Planning the journey of a lifetime

Authors: Mankin, Richard

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2022
Publication Date: 5/4/2023
Citation: Mankin, R.W. 2023. Planning the journey of a lifetime. Book Chapter. 133-139.

Interpretive Summary: Tephritid fruit flies are some of the most economically important insect agricultural pests worldwide. If farmers were provided economically viable means to interfere with fruit fly courtship, the cycle of adult mating, egg laying, and larval damage to fruit would be disrupted and the currently heavy usage of pesticides with potentially harmful human and environmental impacts could be reduced. Researchers at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, USDA/ARS, Gainesville, FL, participated in a field study to record and compare the mating behaviors of a group of relatively unknown Blepharoneura fruit flies in the Teprhitid family that feed on relatives of cucumbers in Ecuadorian Andes cloud forests. The ultimate goal was to identify similarities and differences in the mating behaviors of these closely related species and place them in the context of mating behaviors of important Tephritid pests that have already been studied. This chapter focused on the research participants' preparations and considers challenges of studies in rugged territory that are faced by researchers who have disabilities.

Technical Abstract: Tephritid fruit flies are some of the most economically important insect agricultural pests worldwide. If farmers were provided economically viable means to interfere with fruit fly courtship, the cycle of adult mating, egg laying, and larval damage to fruit would be disrupted and the currently heavy usage of pesticides with potentially harmful human and environmental impacts could be reduced. Researchers at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, USDA/ARS, Gainesville, FL, participated in a field study to record and compare the mating behaviors of a group of relatively unknown Blepharoneura fruit flies in the Teprhitid family that feed on relatives of cucumbers in Ecuadorian Andes cloud forests. The ultimate goal was to identify similarities and differences in the mating behaviors of these closely related species and place them in the context of mating behaviors of important Tephritid pests that have already been studied. This chapter focused on the research participants' preparations and considers challenges of studies in rugged territory that are faced by researchers who have disabilities.