|
Investigator(s): Edward G. Riley and Shawn M. Clark
The leaf beetles represent one of the great blocks of beetle diversity in North America, thus when one inventories a local leaf beetle fauna they are also documenting a significant portion of overall beetle diversity for that area. As their common name implies, the members of this family are closely associated with plants, feeding both as larvae and adults on living plants. Because of this association, the group provides excellent opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary research efforts with various floristic programs. Leaf beetles also appear to be an ideal group for investigating large scale ecological questions, especially the impacts of plant community management practices on arthropod diversity and abundance.
During 2001, a species list of leaf beetles known or suspected to occur within GSMNP and surrounding areas will be prepared. It will be based on our present knowledge of the distribution and food plants of each North American species. Each species on the list will then be ranked as to its probability of occurrence in the park (high, medium or low). During the 2001 Beetle Blitz, the first directed field sampling of leaf beetles in the park will take place, and the park's existing collections will be sorted and identified. Visits to several important leaf beetle collections in the United States will help complete the gathering of baseline information needed to finalize the list and to aid in identifying some of the newly collected specimens. By the end of the year, a substantial number of leaf beetle species will be confirmed for the park.
Edward G. Riley, Associate Curator (Collections Manager)
Department of Entomology
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
e-mail: egrchryso@tamu.edu
phone: (979) 845-9711
FAX: (979) 845-6305
visit TIARA: http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/tiara/
|