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Oral Presentation
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Student Poster Display Competition

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Student Competition

Student

Undergrad Poster Competition: P-IE, IPM

D3176: Population structure and fitness consequences of phosphine resistance in stored product insects in Nebraska

Monday, November 10, 2025
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Location: Exhibit Hall A-A1, OCC
Poster Display Student Competition
Stored product insects pose significant economic threats to grain storage, and the fumigant phosphine is the most widely used remediation tactic for their control. However, increasing resistance to phosphine among species and populations raises concerns about long-term efficacy of this tactic. This study investigates the population structure and dynamics of key stored product pest species Tribolium castaneum, Tribolium confusum, Sitophilus spp., Ahasverus advena, Rhyzopertha dominica, Cryptolestes pusillus, and Trogoderma spp., in Nebraska grain storage facilities. In addition, we also focus on the economic and ecological consequences of phosphine resistance in Tribolium castaneum. We assessed resistance levels using phosphine bioassays and conducted preliminary flight mill experiments to evaluate potential behavioral trade-offs associated with resistance. Early findings suggest that phosphine-resistant populations exhibit reduced flight capacity, indicating a possible cost to dispersal ability. This trade-off may influence pest dispersal patterns, resistance spread and levels, and recolonization dynamics in environments after treatment. Understanding these relationships can inform the design of cost-effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that leverage resistance-associated fitness costs. By linking resistance phenotypes with ecological traits, this research contributes to more sustainable approaches to stored product pest control in Nebraska and across the Great Plains.