Academics

Oviposition refers to an organism's ability to lay larvae eggs in an environment that is best suitable for its survival (Yee et al., 2021). Careful selection of an oviposition site is required because organisms are exerting energy and shortening their lifespans with the hope of producing viable offspring. Oviposition site choice has been studied in beetles, specifically in bean beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus). Scientists examined the egg-laying mechanisms of bean beetles based on bean type and larval density (Paukku and Katiaho, 2008). They found that the females were more likely to lay eggs on larger bean species due to increased surface area and preference. We hypothesized that bean beetles are more likely to deposit their eggs in a moist habitat when presented with both wet and dry bean environment due to increased hydration benefits. The data didn’t support our hypothesis. Specifically, the results suggest that bean beetles prefer dry bean environments over wet environments, but this difference in preference is nonsignificant. This may stem from previous research that has shown C. maculatus beetles evolved to oviposit in dried, stored beans which makes these species a common agricultural pest (Tuda et al., 2006). Therefore, our study shows that there is no environmental effect on bean oviposition site choice among bean beetles. 

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