Road Dust, <i>Ipomopsis aggregata</i> Seed Count, and attack by <i>Hylemya</i> Flies—Are they Linked?

Abstract

At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), road dust is easily dispersed by vehicle transportation and can travel 200 meters from the road. A previous study found that road dust had an ecological impact on several species of common wildflowers at the RMBL, including scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata. I studied the effects of road dust on the anthomyiid fly Hylemya sp., a pre-dispersal seed predator of I. aggregata. Experimental application of road dust affected the number of elongated flower buds produced by plants, but not the number of open flowers. Hylemya females laid eggs approximately twice as often on undusted flowers as on dusted flowers. The likelihood of finding Hylemya larvae or larval damage in fruits that came from flowers with eggs did not differ between treatments, nor did the estimated seed counts. The seed count remained relatively similar throughout the season regardless of the treatment. Results in this study suggest that Hylemya females are using cues from I. aggregata to select the best host, and additionally manipulating the hosts’ condition to benefit their offspring.

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