The effect of ground vegetation management on competition between the ants Oecophylla longinoda and Pheidole megacephala and implications for conservation biological control

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 713-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z.S.K. Seguni ◽  
M.J. Way ◽  
P. Van Mele
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Vegetation Management ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Pheidole Megacephala ◽  
Oecophylla Longinoda

The Relationship between certain Ant Species with particular Reference to Biological Control of the Coreid, Theraptus sp.

1953 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 669-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Way
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Oecophylla Longinoda ◽  
Nesting Habits ◽  
Anoplolepis Custodiens ◽  
The Relationship

In the coastal region of British East Africa three ant species, Anoplolepis custodiens, A. longipes and Pheidole punctulata may destroy the ant Oecophylla longinoda which is a valuable predator on the coconut pest Theraptus sp. (Coreidae). The three first-named species do not prey on Theraptus, which may severely damage palms occupied by them.Nesting habits of the three ant species and their behaviour towards O. longinoda and certain other insects are described.O. longinoda has been exterminated in the limited areas occupied by the two Anoplolepis species. P. punctulata is widespread and is usually common in areas occupied by O. longinoda and is also present, though relatively less common, in A. longipes areas.The distribution of the Anoplolepis species, particularly A. custodiens, is correlated with sandy soils bearing a sparse ground vegetation. Where there are heavy soils or a thick ground vegetation of grasses and creepers the Anoplolepis species are absent and O. longinoda is usually present. It is suggested that the Anoplolepis species are limited by the relatively low temperature of soils shaded from sunlight by thick vegetation.

Carabidae (Coleoptera) in Nova Scotia, Canada wild blueberry fields: prospects for biological control

2012 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.C. Cutler ◽  
J.M. Renkema ◽  
C.G. Majka ◽  
J.M. Sproule
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Wild Blueberries ◽  
Wild Blueberry

AbstractThe Carabidae (Coleoptera) are a diverse family of beetles with almost 300 species identified in Nova Scotia, Canada. Carabid beetle communities have been studied in several agricultural systems, but not wild blueberries, an important crop in eastern Canada. In the interest of potentially developing conservation biological control programs in wild blueberry, we collected Carabidae in crop (fruit-bearing) and sprout (vegetative) blueberry fields in Nova Scotia in order to assess species diversity and abundance over space and time. Over 3200 specimens were collected, representing 51 species. A large portion of collected specimens (39%) were nonnative, and the most abundant species were generally predacious and synanthropic. Species diversity tended to be higher near forest edges than further into fields, but not for all abundant species. Several of the most prominent predators showed significant differences in preference of crop versus sprout fields, distribution throughout fields, and seasonable abundance. These findings have implications for conservation biological control efforts with carabid beetles against several insect pests in wild blueberry.

History, current situation and challenges for conservation biological control

2019 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan W. Shields ◽  
Anne C. Johnson ◽  
Sunita Pandey ◽  
Ross Cullen ◽  
M. González- Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Current Situation

scholarly journals Multivariate ordination identifies vegetation types associated with spider conservation in brassica crops

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz Sohaib Ahmed Saqib ◽  
Minsheng You ◽  
Geoff M. Gurr
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Conservation Biological Control ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Brassica Crops ◽  
Multivariate Ordination ◽  
Southern Chinese ◽  
Brassica Crop

Conservation biological control emphasizes natural and other non-crop vegetation as a source of natural enemies to focal crops. There is an unmet need for better methods to identify the types of vegetation that are optimal to support specific natural enemies that may colonize the crops. Here we explore the commonality of the spider assemblage—considering abundance and diversity (H)—in brassica crops with that of adjacent non-crop and non-brassica crop vegetation. We employ spatial-based multivariate ordination approaches, hierarchical clustering and spatial eigenvector analysis. The small-scale mixed cropping and high disturbance frequency of southern Chinese vegetation farming offered a setting to test the role of alternate vegetation for spider conservation. Our findings indicate that spider families differ markedly in occurrence with respect to vegetation type. Grassy field margins, non-crop vegetation, taro and sweetpotato harbour spider morphospecies and functional groups that are also present in brassica crops. In contrast, pumpkin and litchi contain spiders not found in brassicas, and so may have little benefit for conservation biological control services for brassicas. Our findings also illustrate the utility of advanced statistical approaches for identifying spatial relationships between natural enemies and the land uses most likely to offer alternative habitats for conservation biological control efforts that generates testable hypotheses for future studies.

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