An Experimental Investigation of the Morphological Changes in Insect Damage on Leaves During Decay and Fossilization
Mentor 1
Victoria McCoy
Start Date
28-4-2023 12:00 AM
Description
Insect damage on leaves is a key piece of understanding the significant role insects play in an ecosystem. Analyzing the diversity of insect damage types appearing on fossil flora provides a clear view into plant-insect relationships through deep time. However, damage types on leaves are assessed based on morphology, and there is as of yet no assessment of whether these damage types change over time as a plant decomposes. This study is designed to tell whether or not the damage seen on flora in the fossil record due to insects can be taken at face value or whether it might change during fossilization. For these experiments, we simulated insect damage on leaves by artificially damaging fresh leaves with a hole punch in four different ways: a circular hole contained fully in the leaf, a circular hole on the margin of the leaf, an elongated hole fully contained in the leaf, and an elongated hole on the margin of the leaf. There were eight replicates in each of these four treatment groups and in an undamaged control group. Each leaf was left to decay in water from a pond, and at regular time intervals, the leaves were photographed and the damage types assessed. We found there was little to no change in the damage type category over the course of these experiments. The only exception is that the damage from the circular internal hole punches got larger, which changed them from one damage type category to another. Due to this lack of change in damage type, we conclude that the damages seen in the fossil record are not changed drastically if at all due to decomposition, and for the most part remain as an intact identification of the insect bites.
An Experimental Investigation of the Morphological Changes in Insect Damage on Leaves During Decay and Fossilization
Insect damage on leaves is a key piece of understanding the significant role insects play in an ecosystem. Analyzing the diversity of insect damage types appearing on fossil flora provides a clear view into plant-insect relationships through deep time. However, damage types on leaves are assessed based on morphology, and there is as of yet no assessment of whether these damage types change over time as a plant decomposes. This study is designed to tell whether or not the damage seen on flora in the fossil record due to insects can be taken at face value or whether it might change during fossilization. For these experiments, we simulated insect damage on leaves by artificially damaging fresh leaves with a hole punch in four different ways: a circular hole contained fully in the leaf, a circular hole on the margin of the leaf, an elongated hole fully contained in the leaf, and an elongated hole on the margin of the leaf. There were eight replicates in each of these four treatment groups and in an undamaged control group. Each leaf was left to decay in water from a pond, and at regular time intervals, the leaves were photographed and the damage types assessed. We found there was little to no change in the damage type category over the course of these experiments. The only exception is that the damage from the circular internal hole punches got larger, which changed them from one damage type category to another. Due to this lack of change in damage type, we conclude that the damages seen in the fossil record are not changed drastically if at all due to decomposition, and for the most part remain as an intact identification of the insect bites.
