Emergence of Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada cassini) From a Kansas Riparian Forest: Densities, Biomass and Nitrogen Flux

Whiles, Matt R.; Callaham, Mac A.; Meyer, Clinton K.; Brock, Brent L.; Charlton, Ralph E.

doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2001)145[0176:eopcmc]2.0.co;2

Cited by 49 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…I estimated the density of adult cicadas at eight sites during emergences of brood II in 1979II in , 1996II in , and 2013. Because distributions of cicadas are extremely patchy both within the canopy of individual trees and across the landscape (Dybas and Davis 1962, Simon et al 1981, Whiles et al 2001, Yang and Karban 2009), sites were selected that consisted of relatively small islands of trees surrounded by, or adjacent to, matrix grassland (Karban 1982). I estimated the density of emerging adults at each site by counting the total number of cast nymphal skins and dividing by the total area of each site that was directly covered by canopy vegetation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas

Karban

2014

Ecology

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Abstract. Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) mature in 13 or 17 years, the longest development times for any non-diapausing insects. Selection may favor prolonged development since nymphs experience little mortality and individuals taking 17 years have been shown to have greater fecundity than those taking 13 years. Why don't periodical cicadas take even longer to develop? Nymphs feed on root xylem fluid and move little. Ovipositing females prefer fast-growing trees at forest edges. I hypothesized that (1) adults emerging at edges would be heavier than those from forest interiors and (2) habitat changes could limit development time. I collected newly eclosed females that had neither fed as adults nor moved from their site of development. For M. septendecim, females from edges were 4.9% heavier than those from the interior. I assumed that emergence density indicated habitat quality and measured density at eight sites in 1979, 1996, and 2013. Over three generations, variation in densities was great; densities at two sites crashed, and at one site they exploded to 579/m 2 . Habitat transience may limit development time because only adults can reassess habitats and reposition offspring. In conclusion, cicadas are affected by habitat characteristics, habitats change over 17 years, and cicadas may emerge, mate, and redistribute their offspring to track habitat dynamics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas

Karban

2014

Ecology

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“…The behaviors and ecology of periodical cicadas such as Magicicada spp. have been studied extensively because of their unique 13-and 17-year life cycles and their synchronized, high-density emergence over large geographical areas (e.g., Simon et al, 1981;Cox and Carlton, 1988;Williams and Simon, 1995;Whiles et al, 2001). Most cicadas, however, have annually maturing generations that spend 2-6 years underground as nymphal instars, depending on the species (Lloyd and Dybas, 1966;Dietrich, 2003).…”

Section: Cicada Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cicada nymphs are found in a wide range of soil types, though they appear to be limited primarily to well-drained soils and by the vegetation supported by the soil (e.g., Beamer, 1928;Strandine, 1940;Hugie and Passey, 1963;Humphreys, 1989;Whiles et al, 2001;O'Geen et al, 2002). Nymphs have been reported Ͻ1200 mm below the surface (Hugie and Passey, 1963), though nymphs are most abundant within well-rooted soil A and B horizons, typically between 100 and 300 mm from the surface (Luken and Kalisz, 1989;O'Geen and Busacca, 2001).…”

Section: Cicada Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Traces and burrowing behaviors of the cicada nymph Cicadetta calliope: Neoichnology and paleoecological significance of extant soil-dwelling insects

Smith

Hasiotis

2008

PALAIOS

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This study documents the traces and burrowing behaviors of nymphs of the prairie cicada Cicadetta calliope (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), as observed in neoichnological experiments. Cicada nymphs were collected from the C horizons of sandy Fluvents along the Kansas River east of Lawrence, Kansas. The nymphs appeared to be fifth instars, 13-17 mm long and 6-7 mm wide. Nymphs were placed in plastic enclosures containing layers of colored, moist, very fine-grained sand. They burrowed immediately, excavating air-filled, sediment-enclosed cells between 20 mm and 40 mm long and averaging 9 mm wide. Burrowing was completed in three stages: (1) sediment in the forward portion of the cell was excavated and rolled into a ball with the forelimbs; (2) the nymph turned 180؇ using a forward roll, and moved to the back of the cell; and (3) the sediment ball was pushed up against the back wall of the cell and kneaded with the forelimbs into a thin layer. Resulting burrow traces are sinuous and distinctly meniscate and demonstrate that insect larvae construct meniscate, backfilled burrows in well-drained terrestrial settings. Cicadetta calliope nymphs and their traces are excellent analogs for meniscate trace fossils commonly found in late Paleozoic-Cenozoic alluvial deposits and paleosols. Such meniscate trace fossils are useful for interpreting the paleoenvironment and paleohydrogeology of the units in which they are found. In addition, such backfilled burrows can be used to supplement the fossil record of cicada-like hemipterans, currently known only from the latest Permian to the Early Triassic.

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“…Up to four sympatric, synchronous Magicicada species may be present in an emergence (Marshall & Cooley, 2000;Cooley et al, 2001), often singing together in the same trees or shrubs. Magicicada adult populations are extraordinarily dense for such large insects, with estimates ranging from 8,355/ha (Maier, 1982b), to 272,000/ha (Whiles et al, 2001) and 3,700,000/ha (Dybas & Davis, 1962). Individual trees routinely harbor hundreds or thousands of adult cicadas.…”

Section: Magicicada Natural Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thresholds or Comparisons: Mate Choice Criteria And Sexual Selection in a Periodical Cicada, Magicicada Septendecim (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Cooley

Marshall²

2004

Behav

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SummaryMany insects possess life history characteristics that make them unlikely to use the kinds of relative mate choice criteria implicit in theoretical discussions of leks; thus, many insect mating aggregations are treated differently, as 'swarms' or 'choruses.' Yet periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) seem strong candidates for participating in lek mating systems. We present a series of observations and experiments designed to reveal whether there are mating biases in periodical cicadas and whether any biases are most consistent with flexible ('best-of-N'-choice) or fixed (threshold choice) mating criteria. We rule out postcopulatory choice by demonstrating that most females mate once, after which they become sexually unreceptive. In our study, patterns of mating success among actively chorusing males are indistinguishable from random mating, and we uncover no consistent differences between unmated and mated males on the basis of size and song pitch, two criteria that have been associated with Magicicada mating biases in other contexts. Because our results are most consistent with a fixed-threshold choice mechanism, we suggest that Magicicada mating aggregations do not function in a manner similar to vertebrate leks even though they fulfill Bradbury's (1981) lek criteria. Instead, features of Magicicada behavior suggesting female selectivity may arise incidentally from males' and females' unequal tendencies to mate multiply, the resulting superabundance of sexually receptive males, and the high frequency at which females are courted at the onset of mating readiness.

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Emergence of Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada cassini) From a Kansas Riparian Forest: Densities, Biomass and Nitrogen Flux

Cited by 49 publications

References 34 publications

Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas

Transient habitats limit development time for periodical cicadas

Traces and burrowing behaviors of the cicada nymph Cicadetta calliope: Neoichnology and paleoecological significance of extant soil-dwelling insects

Thresholds or Comparisons: Mate Choice Criteria And Sexual Selection in a Periodical Cicada, Magicicada Septendecim (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

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