Diane V. Roeder

Despite extensive research on passerine reproduction, it remains difficult to predict which traits of individuals, nesting populations and landscapes drive extrapair paternity (EPP). Two broad categories of drivers, habitat structure and population level factors, have been considered separately or at a single spatial or temporal scale. We used a 6-...

• Theory suggests that performance increases with temperature up to an optimization point before rapidly decreasing as an animal approaches its upper thermal limit. Here, we use the red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, to test predictions about how daily temperature fluctuations and thermal tolerance combine to influence one metric of performa...

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are a conspicuous group of ectotherms whose behavior, distribution, physiology, and fitness are regulated by temperature. Consequently, interest in traits like thermal tolerance that enable ants to survive and thrive in variable climates has increased exponentially over the past few decades. Here, we synthesize the pu...

For social organisms, foraging is often a complicated behavior where tasks are divided among numerous individuals. Here, we ask how one species, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), collectively manages this behavior. We tested the Diminishing Returns Hypothesis, which posits that for social insects 1) for...

Morphology in sexually dimorphic species is related to increased opportunity for sexual selection when traits reflect individual quality. In socially monogamous species, it may function to increase variance in reproductive success if exaggerated traits are related to the opportunity to engage in extra-pair paternity (EPP). Nonetheless, it is poorly...

1. To achieve numerical dominance, an ectotherm consumer requires a sizeable abiotic window in which it can forage. Here we explore how one abiotic factor, temperature, provides opportunity and regulates the impact of the invasive red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, on an urban ant assemblage. 2. We first quantified S. invicta's ability to o...

An organism's life history strategy is made up of a suite of physiological, behavioral, and ecological traits, which vary at both the interspecific and intraspecific levels in accordance with selective pressures operating on individuals. For birds, 2 primary ecological factors have been proposed to explain intraspecific and interspecific variation...

Natural disturbances can occur stochastically with profound impacts on fauna and flora. Here we quantified the impact of a one in 100-yr flood on terrestrial invertebrate communities in south central Oklahoma. Before the flood, we observed 4,082 individuals from 92 species weighing a total of 18.61 g that belonged to compositionally different above...

Knowledge of survival rates is critical for advancing our understanding of the dynamics of populations and here we report apparent annual survival and breeding dispersal of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus forficatus) breeding at two sites in southwest Oklahoma (Ft. Sill and Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge [WMWR]). Our Cormack-Jolly-Seber esti...

Songbirds must annually undergo two energetically demanding but important activities: breeding and feather molt. Due to the high energetic investment that each demands, these two events are generally not carried out simultaneously. However, substantial variation in the level of annual reproductive investment among populations may result in variatio...

Big-headed ants from the genus Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are diverse and ecologically important worldwide. Here we report the first record in Oklahoma for two species, Pheidole pelor and Pheidole tysoni, increasing the number of known Pheidole species in Oklahoma to twelve. We highlight two areas, northwestern and southeastern Oklahoma, th...

Extra-pair paternity (EPP) appears to be widespread in passerine birds, but few studies have focused on suboscine species, and therefore it is unclear if this generalization can be extended to this group. In this study, we document high rates of EPP in a socially monogamous, suboscine passerine, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) i...

We present a checklist of 47 ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, USA. Surveys conducted in 2015 recaptured 67% of all historically collected species and add 12 new county records including the new state records of Pheidole tetra and Solenopsis aurea. We demonstrate the importance of sampling...

We report the first record of the Pseudomyrmecinae subfamily of ants in Oklahoma. Eleven species have been recorded from the Nearctic region, primarily in southern or coastal areas. This collection increases the known distribution northward into the central United States for one of those species, Pseudomyrmex pallidus.

We report the first record of the ant genus Leptogenys in Oklahoma. Two species have been recorded from the United States, but northern range boundaries for both have been primarily limited to Gulf Coast states. This collection increases the known distribution northward into the central United States for one of those species, Leptogenys elongata (B...

Descriptions of intra- and interspecific variation in migratory patterns of closely related species are rare yet valuable because they can help assess how differences in ecology and life-history strategies drive the evolution of migration. We report data on timing and location of migration routes and wintering areas, and on migratory speed and phen...

In 2010 and 2012, we documented two cases of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers successfully nesting in a Quonset hut-style tension fabric building on Fort Sill Military Reservation in Comanche County, Oklahoma. Though historically known to nest on a variety of natural and man-made structures in open habitats, this represents the first documentation of Sci...

In 2010, we documented the death of two nesting Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in Comanche County, Oklahoma due to entanglement with high density polyethylene plastic mesh used in nest construction. In both cases the mesh was comparable to the netting used to wrap hay bales, landscaping grass bundles, and erosion barriers. Our observations highlight th...

—We report the first observation of depredation on a nest of the eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) by a speckled kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki). Depredation events probably are opportunistic, but they may have an impact on local populations of eastern meadowlarks. —Reportamos la primera observación de la depredación de un nido del pra...