At the Science Buzz Lunch held on September 9, 2013, topics discussed included:
1) Many green (immature) acorns attached to fallen oak twigs that we collected in Kyoto and Osaka in the past month or so had 1 pin-sized hole piercing through the cap of each acorn, and thus we thought that these acorns have been parasitized by chestnut weevils, with a weevil laying one egg inside each acorn. The weevils then seem to bite off a twig containing 2-3 acorns and a few leaves. One post-doc told us that in a month or so, the weevils will have eaten all the content of the acorn, and will emerge and burrow underground, where they will spend the winter and then emerge next summer to mate and repeat this whole cycle. (We're keeping a few parasitized acorns in a sealed box, and hoping to see the larvae emerge soon).
However, during a visit to Lincoln, Nebraska last month, no immature acorns there were found to have such holes, so we guess they were not parasitized by weevils. Why not? These acorns were also still attached to the fallen twigs of oak trees, which I guess had been bitten off by squirrels for later collection on the ground.
2) One student described her travels in western Europe during summer vacation. Art and history museums, food, and communicating across language barriers were the major topics of discussion.
1) Many green (immature) acorns attached to fallen oak twigs that we collected in Kyoto and Osaka in the past month or so had 1 pin-sized hole piercing through the cap of each acorn, and thus we thought that these acorns have been parasitized by chestnut weevils, with a weevil laying one egg inside each acorn. The weevils then seem to bite off a twig containing 2-3 acorns and a few leaves. One post-doc told us that in a month or so, the weevils will have eaten all the content of the acorn, and will emerge and burrow underground, where they will spend the winter and then emerge next summer to mate and repeat this whole cycle. (We're keeping a few parasitized acorns in a sealed box, and hoping to see the larvae emerge soon).
However, during a visit to Lincoln, Nebraska last month, no immature acorns there were found to have such holes, so we guess they were not parasitized by weevils. Why not? These acorns were also still attached to the fallen twigs of oak trees, which I guess had been bitten off by squirrels for later collection on the ground.
2) One student described her travels in western Europe during summer vacation. Art and history museums, food, and communicating across language barriers were the major topics of discussion.
No comments:
Post a Comment