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Conservation of invertebrates in US National Parks

Entomologists who enter national parks often are surprised by the diversity of life and geography found in these remarkable natural areas. There are ichneumon wasps, carabid beetles, leps…and, of course, there are trees and mountains. In contrast, an average person entering the same parks will see the magnificent mountains and rivers, the endless forests and meadows, and the abundant wildlife. The experience would be pure joy if it were not for pesky mosquitoes. This difference in perspective explains why insects, and invertebrates in general, have traditionally been a low priority in the National Park Service (NPS). Typically, invertebrates are ignored until they cause problems.

American Entomologist

Book review: Mosquito eradication: The story of killing Campto

In 1826, the paradise that was the Hawaiian Islands was changed forever when the first mosquito species was accidentally introduced to the island of Maui. Though it has not lived up to its potential as a vector of human disease in the islands, Culex quinquefasciatus and the avian pathogens it transmits laid waste to perhaps the world's most remarkable insular avifauna. Today the lowland native forests, once deafening with birdsong, are largely devoid of native birds and Cx. quinquefasciatus has become an inextricable part of our natural areas. In the Hawaiian Islands, the conservation community struggles to keep invasive species out and to control a number of species that have become naturalized. Despite the millions of dollars spent, these efforts never seem enough to slow the erosion of our native biota. The restoration and long-term preservation of Hawaiian forest birds depend on the nearly complete control of mosquito-borne avian disease, an obstacle that to many land managers appears insurmountable. To rally hope in Hawai`i, the conservation community needs to see a success. As a Pacific island, Hawai`i shares similar conservation problems with New Zealand and has often looked to that nation for innovation and inspiration. Mosquito Eradication: The Story of Killing Campto may be our latest inspiration. Review info: Mosquito Eradication: The Story of Killing Campto. By Brian H. Kay, and Richard C. Russell (eds.), 2013. ISBN: 978-1486300570, 280 pp.

American Entomologist

Rivers and streams: Physical setting and adapted biota

Streams and rivers are enormously important, with their ecological, and economic value, greatly outweighing their significance on the landscape. Lotic ecology began in Europe with a focus on the distribution, abundance, and taxonomic composition of aquatic organisms and in North American with a focus on fishery biology. Since 1980, stream/river research has been highly interdisciplinary, involving fishery biologists, aquatic entomologists, algologists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, microbiologists, and terrestrial plant ecologists. Stream and river biota evolved in response to, and in concert with, the physical and chemical setting. Streams/rivers transport water and move sediments to the sea as part of the hydrologic cycle that involves evaporation, plant evapotranspiration, and precipitation. Ephemeral streams flow only in the wettest year, intermittent streams flow predictably every year during capture of surface runoff, and perennial streams flow continuously during wet and dry periods, receiving both stormflow and groundwater baseflow. The lotic biota, for example, algae, macrophytes, benthic invertebrates, and fishes, have evolved adaptations to their running-water setting. Dominant physical features of this setting are current, substrate, and temperature. Key chemical constituents are dissolved gases, dissolved inorganic ions and compounds, particulate inorganic material, particulate organic material, and dissolved organic ions (nitrogen and phosphorus) and compounds.

Book chapter