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10-Minute Presentation

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

10-min: SysEB, Invasive Species, Diagnostics, and Biocontrol

Assessing patterns of fall armyworm movement across the continental United States

Tuesday, November 12, 2024
2:48 PM – 3:00 PM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 127 B, PCC
Oral Presentation
The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a major economic pest of corn and forage in the Western Hemisphere. This species is highly mobile, reportedly traveling up to 1,600 km in a single generation, but because they do not diapause, fall armyworm is only known to overwinter in two locations in the United States, South Texas and South Florida. In the spring, moths disperse north from these overwintering locations, making their way into Canada by the end of the season. Evidence of a return migration in this species is lacking and currently all individuals north of the overwintering location are thought to die at the end of the growing season. This unidirectional migration, or pied piper migration, presents an evolutionary conundrum because any genetic predisposition for dispersal should be removed from the population overtime. Recently, stable hydrogen isotopes have proven to be a useful tool for tracking the latitudinal movement of both aquatic and terrestrial insect species. Here, we utilize a stable isotope analysis to test for evidence of a north to south return migration in Spodoptera frugiperda. Understanding the migratory patterns of this species in the US could facilitate better predictions of population outbreaks, allowing us to stay one step ahead when managing this economic pest.