Abstract
Three different soils – sand, loam and clay – at each of three moisture
levels – saturated, intermediate, and dry – were offered to female
Melanoplus sanguinipes as oviposition sites.
When given a free choice the females preferred moist sand to all other
oviposition sites and avoided soil that was completely dry. When no moist
soil was available, coarse dry soil was preferred to fine dry soil, but the
oviposition rate was reduced. The females would probe and dig at random into
any of the soil offered but would withhold their eggs temporarily if the
subsurface soil was not moist. Soil water pH appeared to have very little
influence on the females' acceptance of an oviposition site as egg pods were
deposited in soils with a range of pH from 3.0 to 11.6. It is suggested that
although the absence of moisture in the soil may affect the distribution of
egg-pods in the microhabitat and may reduce the rate of egg-pod production
slightly, the temperature prevailing during the oviposition period is
perhaps a more important factor in determining the number of egg-pods
deposited.
Distribución geográfica y ecológica del Istafiate (Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt. ssp. mexicana (Willd. Ex Spreng,) Keck)