Beetles, plants form life's backbone

By Douglas Farmer
Turley Publications Staff Writer

WALES - From well over 100 million years ago when beetles evolved together with plants they pollinated to the present day when they face global climate change, loss of habitat and other threats, they have shown a remarkable ability to adapt, said Leslie Duthie, a horticulturalist for the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales and Monson.
There are over 350,000 named species of beetles in the world, but there could be a lot more – taxonomy has always been an underappreciated and underutilized scientific practice, Duthie said. Generally, they have three identifiable sections of their bodies including head, thorax and abdomen; the thorax is where the “locomotion happens,” she said. Beetles also have compound eyes that allow them to see in a variety of environments.
Perhaps most importantly, some 52 species of plants in the United States are pollinated by beetles – a process where angiosperms (plants that produce enclosed seeds) create nectar and pollen that both attracts beetles and is spread by them. To survive, beetles need sites for nesting, larval feeding, hunting and over-wintering.
“When people think of insects they usually think of pests,” said Duthie in a presentation on beetles and flowering plants at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary held Saturday, Feb. 20. “But only about one percent of insects are considered pests that damage crops or structures.”
But while the vast majority of beetles (and other insects, for that matter) have served a vital function in both the evolution and sustainability of life as we know it, Duthie acknowledged the darker side of their existence.
She pointed to infestations of Asian Longhorn Beetles in recent years – large beetles up to 1 and a half inches long, a jet black body, white spots on the back and black and white antennae. These beetles lay their eggs in trees like maples, elms and ashes, and their larvae burrow through the tree, producing holes in the bark as the adults exit and potentially killing off large sections of forest. The U.S. Department of Agriculture believes they have traveled in shipments of wood-packing material from China, a country where they have also done significant damage.
These beetles were discovered in the Worcester area in 2008 and thousands of trees have been removed and destroyed. Another beetle, the Pine Sawyer, looks similar but is not shiny, does not have spotted antennae and does not pose the same threat – Duthie found one of these in her own backyard.
“There is some fear that after the trees are cut down and left by the side of the road for removal, people might stop and chop them up for firewood, increasing the risk of spreading the infestation,” said Duthie last weekend.
Nevertheless, she noted that beetles have successfully coexisted with flowering plants – including trees, shrubs or herbs with leaves of diverse texture -.from the Early Cretaceous Period (about 145 million years ago) to the present day. She shared the story of the researcher Terry Erwin, who estimated that he found 391 species of beetles in one tree in the tropics.
“Right now, we’re living in an age where there are more types of beetles and flowering plants that at any other point in history,” she said.
One of those in attendance for the program was Scott LaGreca, a botanist and natural science coordinator for the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. He said he was fascinated by Duthie’s talk.
“I’m doing a presentation on pollination and I learned some things I didn’t know,” he said. “They’re obviously really dedicated to what they do here.”
The next lecture at the visitor’s center at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary on Peck Road in Wales will be titled “Backyard Birding and Beyond” and will be held on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m.