Wednesday, June 26, 2024

What happened to all the American Chestnuts?

 The American Chestnut

Insect Ecology Series

What happened to the Insects that feed on them?


Every species is connected in an ecosystem. They each directly or indirectly impact the success or decline of other species in that system, creating a self-correcting balance of organisms.

However, an outside influence can create an imbalance that can tip the scales and create a cascading effect throughout the system.

That’s the story many researchers are still trying to untangle about the decline of the American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata).

Before the start of the 20th century, the American chestnut was the dominant overstory tree in forests of the eastern United States. Then, with the accidental introduction of a fungus that causes chestnut blight, the forest composition changed completely in just 50 years.

American chestnut trees were either killed by the blight or harvested by those trying to salvage what lumber they could before the blight took over. This impacted wildlife that depended on the chestnuts for food at certain times of the year.

But what about insects? What species were abundant on chestnut trees that might forever remain unrecorded, unobserved, or undescribed?

That’s the question researchers at Hofstra University sought to answer in a new study published this month in Environmental Entomology.

Karissa Hough, an undergraduate student in biology at Hofstra University, worked with the Greentree Foundation on Long Island, New York, to search for leafminers and stem miners on American chestnut trees.

“I was fortunate enough to get an internship with Greentree Foundation as an undergraduate,” Hough says. “There was an opportunity to survey for leafminers that feed on American chestnut. At that time, I didn’t even know what leafminers were!”

Leaf and stem miners are a broad group of insects that feed as larvae just under the surface of plant leaves and stems, often leaving a visible scar along their tunnel path in the plant tissue. Among them are species of moths, flies, beetles, and sawflies.

Hough worked with additional researchers at Hofstra University, the Greentree Foundation, the State University of New York at Old Westbury, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to survey for leaf and stem miners on American chestnuts and other non-native chestnut species. The Greentree Foundation owns a property on Long Island, New York, with a remnant patch of American chestnuts and several species of non-native chestnut trees.

Thursday, November 30, 2023

We’re experiencing the hottest year in human history. World leaders must act now to fight the climate crisis.

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Published November 29, 2023 at 06:00PM
View on Worldwildlife.org

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

COP28: A crucial moment for climate action

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Published November 27, 2023 at 06:00PM
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Monday, November 20, 2023

The climate crisis will lead to conflict at sea. A new platform helps predict where—and how to prevent it.

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Published November 19, 2023 at 06:00PM
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023

A brief history of carbon in our atmosphere

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Published November 15, 2023 at 06:00PM
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Monday, November 13, 2023

New guide helps ensure infrastructure works for people—and the planet

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Published November 12, 2023 at 06:00PM
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Thursday, November 9, 2023

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Q&A: Activist Betty Osei Bonsu on plastic waste, finding solutions, and galvanizing youth

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Published November 06, 2023 at 06:00PM
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Saturday, November 4, 2023

Oysters: an unsung hero in a changing climate

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Published October 29, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Wednesday, June 28, 2023

WWFs Daniel Vernick on pride nature and the climate crisis

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Published June 27, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Tuesday, June 6, 2023

How the climate crisis could impact our future

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Published June 05, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Can the outdoors help our health? WWF’s Elisabeth George reflects on nature and well-being

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Published May 23, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Wednesday, May 24, 2023

World leaders aim to take major step toward tackling plastic pollution

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Published May 23, 2023 at 07:00PM
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Monday, May 22, 2023

Announcing the Thomas Lovejoy Science for Nature Symposium

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Published May 21, 2023 at 07:00PM
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What happened to all the American Chestnuts?

 The American Chestnut Insect Ecology Series What happened to the Insects that feed on them? Every species is connected in an ecosystem. The...