Jim Costa

H. F. and Katherine P. Robinson Professor of Biology costa@wcu.edu Education: Ph.D. 1992 - Population Genetics/Entomology                      University of Georgia                     M.S. 1988 - Entomology/Community Ecology                     University of Georgia B.S. 1985 - Biology/Philosophy                    State University of New York College at Cortland

Other Appointments:

• Jeanne Rosselet Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University (2004-2005)

• Associate in Entomology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (Ongoing)

Research interests:

I am primarily interested in the ecology and evolution of social insects, in particular the social Lepidoptera and Symphyta, with a parallel interest in the history and philosophy of social insect biology.

Recent research includes:

• Trail-marking and foraging behavior of social caterpillars and sawflies, in particular Arsenura armida, a Neotropical saturniid moth we study in Costa Rica, and the North American diprionid sawfly Neodiprion lecontei.  My students and I employ videography, classical experimental techniques, and genetic markers in studies of communication, group foraging dynamics and colony genetic structure.

• Colony performance experiments using eastern tent caterpillars as a model system to dissect the ecological factors underlying group size effects.  Many caterpillar and sawfly colonies enjoy enhanced survivorship and growth as a function of group size, one result of which is that group-merging is favored regardless of genetic relationship between caterpillars of component groups.  My students and I are conducting experiments to document the mechanisms, costs and benefits of supercolony formation.

• Molecular phylogenetic analyses of social-behavioral trait evolution in the Lasiocampidae.  We are using sequence data from nuclear and mitochondrial genes to reconstuct phylogenetic relationships among selected lasiocampid taxa, with the aim of shedding light on gain and loss of social traits in this behaviorally diverse group.

Selected Publications:

• Costa, J.T., T.D. Fitzgerald, A. Pescador-Rubio, J. Mays, and D. Janzen.  2004.  Social behavior of larvae of the Neotropical processionary weevil Phelypera distigma (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Hyperinae).  Ethology  110: 515-530.

• Costa, J.T.  2003.  Teaching Darwin with Darwin.  BioScience  53: 1030-1031.

• Costa, J.T. and K.G. Ross.  2003.  Fitness effects of group merging in a social insect.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B  270: 1697-1702.

• Costa, J.T., D.A. Gotzek, and D.H. Janzen.  2003.  Late-instar shift in foraging strategy and trail-pheromone use by caterpillars of the Neotropical moth Arsenura armida (Cramer) (Saturniidae: Arsenurinae).  Journal of the Lepidopterist's Society  57: 220-229.

• Costa, J. T., T. D. Fitzgerald, and D. H. Janzen.  2003.  Trail-following behavior and natural history of the social caterpillar of Arsenura armida in Costa Rica (Lepdioptera: Saturniidae: Arsenurinae).  Tropical Lepidoptera  12: 17-23.

• Flowers, R.W. and J.T. Costa.  2003.  Larval communication and group foraging dynamics in the red-headed pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei (Fitch) (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Diprionidae).  Annals of the Entomological Society of America  96: 336-343.

• Costa, J.T.  2002.  Scale models?  What insect societies teach us about ourselves.  Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society  146: 170-180.

• Costa, J.T. and R.W. Louque.  2001.  Group foraging and trail following behavior of the red-headed pine sawfly Neodiprion lecontei (Fitch) (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Diprionidae).  Annals of the Entomological Society of America  94: 480-489.

• Ruf, C., J.T. Costa, and K. Fiedler.  2001.  Trail-based communication in social caterpillars of Eriogaster lanestris (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae).  Journal of Insect Behavior  14: 231-245.
  
 
• Fitzgerald, T. D. and J. T. Costa.  1999.  Collective behavior in social caterpillars.  pp. 379-400 In: Information Processing in Social Insects.C. Detrain, J. L. Denoubourg, and J. M. Pasteels, eds.  Basel: Birkhauser-Verlag.

• Costa, J.T. 1998. Social behavior and its effects on colony and microgeographic genetic structure in phytophagous insect populations. pp. 205-238 In: Genetic Structure and Local Adaptation in Natural Insect Populations.  S. Mopper and S. Strauss, eds.  New York: Chapman & Hall.

• Costa, J.T. 1997. Caterpillars as social insects. American Scientist  85: 150-159.

• Costa, J.T. and N.E. Pierce. 1997. Social evolution in the Lepidoptera: Ecological context and communication in larval societies. pp. 407-442 In: The Evolution of Social Behavior in Insects and Arachnids.J.C. Choe and B.J. Crespi, eds.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Costa, J.T. and T.D. Fitzgerald. 1996. Developments in social terminology: semantic battles in a conceptual war. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 11: 285-289.

• Costa, J.T., J.H. McDonald, and N.E. Pierce. 1996. The effect of ant association on the population genetics of the Australian lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society  58: 287-306.

• Costa, J.T. and K.G. Ross.  1994.  Hierarchical genetic structure and gene flow patterns in macrogeographic populations of the eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum). Evolution  48: 1158-1167.

• Costa, J.T.  1993.  Larval ontogeny and survivorship of eastern tent caterpillar colonies.  Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera  32: 89-98.

• Costa, J.T. and K.G. Ross.  1993.  Seasonal decline in the intracolony genetic relatedness of eastern tent caterpillars: Implications for social evolution.  Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology  32: 47-54.

                                                                                    Colony of eastern tent caterpillars, Malacosoma americanum
 

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