The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains
In the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the Light Show is a popular seasonal attraction created by thousands of courting male Photinus carolinus fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) that flash in synchrony to locate females. This study was undertaken to provide a temporal snapshot of whether i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/634027 |
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| author | Sara M. Lewis Lynn Faust Raphaël De Cock |
| author_facet | Sara M. Lewis Lynn Faust Raphaël De Cock |
| author_sort | Sara M. Lewis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the Light Show is a popular seasonal attraction created by thousands of courting male Photinus carolinus fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) that flash in synchrony to locate females. This study was undertaken to provide a temporal snapshot of whether invertebrate predators are active within these dense and conspicuous firefly breeding aggregations. In addition, we examined whether female Photuris fireflies, which are specialist predators on other fireflies, show any feeding preferences within the diverse local firefly fauna. A field survey revealed a surprisingly diverse suite of generalist insectivores feeding on fireflies within P. carolinus breeding aggregations. In addition, laboratory studies revealed major differences in prey consumption rates when Photuris predators were given access to several lampyrid taxa. This suite of generalist and specialist predators appears to create a complex selective landscape that is predicted to be a powerful force shaping the evolution of firefly defenses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a232e09268544d7fa2e4d9ff5264174e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-a232e09268544d7fa2e4d9ff5264174e2025-08-20T02:20:55ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382012-01-01201210.1155/2012/634027634027The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky MountainsSara M. Lewis0Lynn Faust1Raphaël De Cock2Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USAEmory River Land Company, 11828 Couch Mill Road, Knoxville, TN 37932, USAEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, BelgiumIn the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the Light Show is a popular seasonal attraction created by thousands of courting male Photinus carolinus fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) that flash in synchrony to locate females. This study was undertaken to provide a temporal snapshot of whether invertebrate predators are active within these dense and conspicuous firefly breeding aggregations. In addition, we examined whether female Photuris fireflies, which are specialist predators on other fireflies, show any feeding preferences within the diverse local firefly fauna. A field survey revealed a surprisingly diverse suite of generalist insectivores feeding on fireflies within P. carolinus breeding aggregations. In addition, laboratory studies revealed major differences in prey consumption rates when Photuris predators were given access to several lampyrid taxa. This suite of generalist and specialist predators appears to create a complex selective landscape that is predicted to be a powerful force shaping the evolution of firefly defenses.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/634027 |
| spellingShingle | Sara M. Lewis Lynn Faust Raphaël De Cock The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains |
| title_full | The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains |
| title_fullStr | The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains |
| title_short | The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains |
| title_sort | dark side of the light show predators of fireflies in the great smoky mountains |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/634027 |
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