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Student 10-Minute Presentation

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Student

Student Competition

Grad 10-min Competition: SysEB, Biodiversity and Conservation

Investigating leafhopper abundance and diversity in Eastern Canada: Impact of climate and landscape composition

Monday, November 11, 2024
11:18 AM – 11:30 AM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 225 A, PCC
Oral Presentation Student Competition
Climate change has a significant impact on agriculture and pest insects. Elevated temperatures alter the distribution ranges of insects, promote their winter survival, and accelerate their development. In Quebec, an increase in leafhoppers in strawberry fields has led to greater use of pesticides to control their populations. This situation is particularly concerning for the Quebec strawberry industry and the environment, given the economic importance of this crop and the potential hazards pesticides pose to the environment, human health, and the risk of pest resistance development. This project aims to study the abundance and diversity of leafhoppers and their parasitoids in Quebec's strawberry fields. The effects of meteorological parameters and landscape composition on the abundance and diversity of this pest have also been examined. To achieve this, yellow sticky traps were deployed in 16 strawberry fields across five regions of Quebec in 2023 and 2024. Leafhoppers were removed from the traps and identified by genus. Parasitoid larvae found on leafhoppers were also identified through genomic sequencing. The results provide a representative overview of leafhoppers and their parasitoids in Quebec strawberry fields and offer insights for more sustainable management of pest populations in the context of climate change.