| Popis: |
A modification of the sulfophosphovanillin photometric method for determining cholesterol levels in mammalian blood sera was adapted for determining the percentage of lipid in individual southern pine beetles, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann. This method is simple and provided consistent results. It is ideally suited to ecological and physiological studies involving bark beetle behavior such as flight, orientation, oogenesis, and spermatogenesis. Using this modified method and flight mills, it was confirmed that lipids were metabolized during southern pine beetle flight and that females, the sex that initiates tree colonization, are heavier than males, contain a greater percentage of lipid, and are capable of flying longer and farther than male beetles. Regardless of sex, the greater the weight of the beetle, the greater its flight potential. |
