Publication Date
8-2025
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Scott Grubbs, Jarrett Johnson, Keith Philips
Degree Program
Department of Biology
Degree Type
Master of Science
Abstract
Insects are in decline globally in abundance and diversity across aquatic and terrestrial orders. Stoneflies (order Plecoptera), the most environmentally sensitive order of aquatic insects, have experienced declines in regions of North America, Europe, and Australia. Focused documentation efforts are important for better understanding biodiversity patterns both spatially and temporally to shape appropriate conservation efforts. State-level stonefly richness and diversity patterns have been studied in detail for only five U.S. states (Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, New York, and Ohio). The Pennsylvania fauna has not yet been holistically studied, but there have been several published treatments at subregional scales and there are several holdings available for study within institutional collections. This study assessed stonefly diversity patterns across U.S. EPA Level III Ecoregions and HUC-6 watersheds to assess richness patterns for a state-level analysis of the Pennsylvania fauna. Investigations into institutional collections, personal collections, and peer-reviewed literature resulted in the accumulation of 4,957 records from 1,053 unique site locations. In total, 150 species were documented in Pennsylvania, with a final Chao2 estimate predicting 152.7. Five species have not been recorded since 1975 and are now considered historic. The highest species richness was observed within natural that reside within the greater extent of the Appalachian Mountains. Species richness among HUC-8 watersheds was shown to be most associated with variables of sampling effort, number of sites, canopy cover, drainage area, and mean temperature of the wettest quarter from the best negative binomial GLM subjected to an AICc analysis. Investigations into the 21 Species of Greatest Conservation Need revealed that 12 species should be prioritized in conservation efforts due to regional responsibility. This research provides a current evaluation of the Pennsylvania stonefly fauna and outlines directions for future investigations.
Disciplines
Biodiversity | Biology | Entomology | Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Merola-Lapson, Jack, "A spatial and temporal analysis of stonefly (Insecta: Plecoptera) biodiversity of Pennsylvania" (2025). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 3860.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3860
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