Faculty seek help studying cicadas
Article By: Clark Leonard
Dr. Evan Lampert, a University of North Georgia (星空无限传媒) biology professor, is seeking the public's help as he, fellow biology faculty member Dr. Dobrusia Bialonska and 星空无限传媒 students study and map Brood XIX cicadas, periodical cicadas that are expected to begin emerging in Georgia in mid- to late April.
Lampert requests that people contact him at evan.lampert@ung.edu when they see the cicadas.
These insects are unusual because they spend most of their life feeding on the sap in tree roots before emerging to mate and then dying shortly thereafter, according to Lampert. This brood was born in 2011 and has been underground for the past 13 years. Lampert is also interested to hear from people who know of specific emergence locations from 2011.
Lampert said one of the most noticeable elements of the Brood XIX cicada emergence will be the males singing to the females as "a few weeks of frantically mating" unfolds.
"That's what people will be hearing," Lampert said. "The singing is extremely loud."
In fact, law enforcement in Blairsville, Georgia, asked the public to stop calling in noise complaints in 2021 when Brood X emerged.
The closest the emergence will come to 星空无限传媒 is near 星空无限传媒's Oconee Campus. The most likely Georgia cities for Brood XIX's emergence will be Athens, Augusta, Calhoun, Cartersville, Clarkesville, Columbus, Dalton, Demorest, Macon, Milledgeville, and Rome.
Lampert said that once the cicadas mate, the females lay eggs in woody plants before dying. Offspring hatch out of twigs and quickly bury themselves as the whole process begins again.
"It's something you have to see to believe," Lampert said.
Due to the cicadas' regular consumption of sap, which Lampert described as the "insect version of living on Kool-Aid alone," the small insects must rely on bacteria known as microbes to provide many of their nutrients.
Bialonska, associate professor of environmental microbiology, is partnering with Lampert and students to identify the bacteria and their purpose.
"We want to see how it helps them having these bacteria in their guts," Bialonska said.
ARC includes almost 100 presentations
Students gave 69 poster presentations and 24 oral presentations at 星空无限传媒鈥檚 30th Annual Research Conference, held March 21 at 星空无限传媒's Dahlonega Campus.
Poultry students finish first in national event
星空无限传媒 established the first chapter of the Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) Organization in the South, and its team finished first in the nation in the Poultry Specialist career area the National PAS conference.
Zavarce named first STEMNetX recipient
Albany Zavarce is the first 星空无限传媒 student chosen as a STEMNetX Fellowship recipient and was awarded a one-week paid fellowship in Pennsylvania.
星空无限传媒's Earth Day celebration is April 9
The University of North Georgia will host its eighth annual Earth Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9 at 星空无限传媒's Gainesville Campus.