Plant Diversity and Its Effects on Populations of Cucumber Beetles and Their Natural Enemies in a Cucurbit Agroecosystem

To assess the value of uncultivated vegetation for control of cucumber beetles, populations of striped (Acalymma vittatum Fabr.), spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber), and western cucumber beetles (Acalymma trivittatum Mann.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and natural enemy Diptera flies (as an indicator of Celatoria spp. parasitoids), Pennsylvania leatherwings (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus DeGeer) (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Hymenoptera wasps, and spiders were monitored with sticky traps on 50-m transects running through a field of Cucumis sativa L. `Arkansas Littleleaf' into bordering uncultivated vegetation. Plant species composition was determined in square plots around each sticky trap by estimating total plant cover and height distribution of plants from 0 to 1.0 m. In both years, numbers of cucumber beetles increased and numbers of Diptera decreased towards the crop. These trends increased monthly to peaks in Aug. 1995 (0.3 to 6.0 striped cucumber beetles; 40.0 to 15.3 Diptera) and July in 1996 (0.1 to 7.1 striped cucumber beetles; 46.7 to 15.5 Diptera). Abundance of individual plant species contributed more to maximum R2 regression of insect populations than did measures of plant diversity in sampling squares. Diptera were negatively correlated with sweet-vernal grass (r = –0.65 at 0 m) and wild rose (r = –0.62 at 0.5 m) in 1995, and goldenrod (r = –0.31, –0.59, and –0.53 at 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 m, respectively) in 1996, but positively correlated with wild violets (Viola spp.) (r = +0.38 at 0 m) in 1996. Cucumber beetles were negatively correlated with wild violets (r = –0.30 at 0 m) and white clover (Trifolium repens) (r = –0.37 at 0 m) in 1996. These results suggest that increasing or decreasing specific plants in uncultivated vegetation might be useful for influencing pest and beneficial insect populations in cucurbit production.

Download Full-text

Plant Diversity, Ethnobotany and Conservation Issues at Swoyambhu World Heritage, Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology ◽

10.3126/njst.v7i0.583 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 123 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Keshab Shrestha

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Exotic Species ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Tree Species ◽

Human Population ◽

Northern Slope ◽

Pinus Roxburghii ◽

Total Plant ◽

Pristine Forest

Lying at western corner of the Kathmandu city, the Swoyambhu hillock (1403.76m) represents a surviving pristine forest in the metropolitan capital of Nepal. Once an extension of Jamaca (2096m) with luxuriant sub-tropical forest is now invaded by dense human population and other developmental activities. This hillock is still rich with a total plant species of 319. Of them, 65 are trees, 43 shrubs, 194 herbs and 17 climbers. Northern slope of the hillock is rich in tree species with scattered patches of under-growing bushes and ferns, whereas southern, western and eastern slopes are much disturbed with exotic species of plants, creating challenges to the norms of the heritage standard. Domination by Pinus roxburghii (chire pine) and Eucalyptus, Jacaranda and Callistemon, etc are altering the indigenous nature of the hillock. And also the forested hillock has been randomly utilized for refreshment, yoga, ayurbedic remedy and food. Due to growing constructions and exploitations, the forested hillock is now facing a threat to maintain its pristine ecosystem. <i>Nepal Journal of Science and Technology</i> Vol. 7, 2006

Download Full-text

Impacts of erosion control treatments on native vegetation recovery after severe wildfire in the Eastern Cascades, USA

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf08194 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 490 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Erich K. Dodson ◽

David W. Peterson ◽

Richy J. Harrod

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Plant Species Richness ◽

Tree Regeneration ◽

Vegetation Recovery ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Individual Plant ◽

Native Plant

Slope stabilisation treatments like mulching and seeding are used to increase soil cover and reduce runoff and erosion following severe wildfires, but may also retard native vegetation recovery. We evaluated the effects of seeding and fertilisation on the cover and richness of native and exotic plants and on individual plant species following the 2004 Pot Peak wildfire in Washington State, USA. We applied four seeding and three fertilisation treatments to experimental plots at eight burned sites in spring 2005 and surveyed vegetation during the first two growing seasons after fire. Seeding significantly reduced native non-seeded species richness and cover by the second year. Fertilisation increased native plant cover in both years, but did not affect plant species richness. Seeding and fertilisation significantly increased exotic cover, especially when applied in combination. However, exotic cover and richness were low and treatment effects were greatest in the first year. Seeding suppressed several native plant species, especially disturbance-adapted forbs. Fertilisation, in contrast, favoured several native understorey plant species but reduced tree regeneration. Seeding, even with native species, appears to interfere with the natural recovery of native vegetation whereas fertilisation increases total plant cover, primarily by facilitating native vegetation recovery.

Download Full-text

Effect of Buckwheat as a Flowering Border on Populations of Cucumber Beetles and Their Natural Enemies in Cucumber and Squash

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.3.511c ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 511C-511

Author(s):

Jason Platt ◽

John S. Caldwell ◽

L.T. Kok

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemies ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Linear Increase ◽

Diabrotica Undecimpunctata Howardi ◽

Lady Beetles ◽

Cucumber Beetles ◽

June July ◽

Biological Methods ◽

Cucumis Sativa ◽

Linear Decline

Cucumber beetles Acalymma vittatum (Fab.) and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi (Barber) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are major pests of cucurbits, and biological methods are needed for their control. A floral border of buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum (Moench) was planted perpendicular to Cucumis sativa L. `Arkansas Littleleaf' and Cucurbita pepo L. `Seneca' rows to assess effects on populations of cucumber beetles and the presence of natural enemies. Numbers of Diptera were used as an indicator of potential border attractiveness to natural enemies Celatoria diabroticae (Shimer) and Celatoria setosa (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tachinidae). Sticky traps and modified Malaise traps at increments from the border were used to monitor insect numbers. There was a quadratic decline from 19.5 Diptera in the border to 2.8 Diptera at 20 m from the border in June 1995 and linear declines from 14.8 and 14.2 Diptera in the border to 9.8 and 6.8 Diptera at 36 m in June and Aug. 1996, respectively. Numbers of striped cucumber beetles were variable, with a non-significant (P = 0.08) linear increase from 13.0 insects in the border to 17.5 insects at 36 m in June 1995, but quadratic decreases to 27 m in June, July, and Sept. 1996. Similar declines as distance from the border increased were found in numbers of tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Hymenoptera wasps and Pennsylvania leatherwings, Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus (Deg.) (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) and lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in 1996. No meaningful effects on cucumber (1995) or squash (1995 and 1996) yield were found. Although the natural populations of Celatoria spp. were not high enough to achieve control, these results suggest that flowering borders may be useful as habitats for releasing natural enemies of cucumber beetles. Numbers of Pennsylvania leatherwings, Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus (Deg.) (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) showed a significant linear decline from 2.1 insects in the border to 0.2 insects at 36 m in June 1996, but no significant relationship was found in 1995 or in Aug. 1996.

Download Full-text

The effects of plant diversity and insect herbivory on performance of individual plant species in experimental grassland

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01144.x ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 94 (5) ◽

pp. 922-931 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

CHRISTOPH SCHERBER ◽

ALEXANDRU MILCU ◽

STEPHAN PARTSCH ◽

STEFAN SCHEU ◽

WOLFGANG W. WEISSER

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Insect Herbivory ◽

Individual Plant

Download Full-text

Natural Carbon Sinks Linked to Pastoral Activity in S Spain: A Territorial Evaluation Methodology for Mediterranean Goat Grazing Systems

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116085 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6085

Author(s):

Sara Muñoz Vallés ◽

Juan Manuel Mancilla-Leytón ◽

Eduardo Morales-Jerrett ◽

Yolanda Mena

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Evaluation Methodology ◽

Identification System ◽

Individual Plant ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Sink Capacity ◽

Methodological Advance

Exploring and developing new tools for the accounting and management of natural C sinks will provide a closer, more accurate option to remark the importance of such sinks in relation to livestock production, helping to support the persistence of some seriously endangered traditional, environmentally sustainable livestock farming. Following both precision and usability criteria, two main C sink databases covering the Andalusian region (S Spain) were developed from the Spanish Land Parcel Identification System (SIGPAC, coarse resolution) and the Spanish Information System on Land Cover (SIOSE, finer resolution) land use classes. Particular C sink factors based on growth rates for individual plant species were associated with detailed vegetation maps and, further, were linked to Land Use and Covers cartography across the region. In addition, eight ruminant farms were exhaustively studied in situ and used as a control. Results were compared with the obtained through the application of the developed C sink databases, and with the commonly used Petersen methodology. The sink capacity of vegetation associated with farms varied from 0.25 to 1.37 t CO2 ha−1 year−1, depending on the plant species composition and abundance. All the approaches showed significant differences from the control. C sink values were significantly higher when applying SIGPAC-based C sink database to farms, while values from the SIOSE and Petersen methodology approaches provided more moderate values, closer to the control. SIGPAC and Petersen approaches showed higher usability but presented lower precision due to a poor definition of plant cover. SIOSE-based C sink database provided suitable values able to be adapted to reality and used by farmers. In this regard, further research efforts to improve the adjustment of results and ease of use are required. The present approach means a methodological advance in the estimation of the C sink capacity associated with pastoral livestock farms, able to be incorporated into the CF calculation in contrasted areas worldwide, in the frame of the ‘eco-schemes’ being recently under development through the EU CAP.

Download Full-text

MOSAICITY OF THE VEGETATION COVER OF THE KOCHUBEY BIOSPHERE STATION PASTURES

Vestnik of the Russian agricultural science ◽

10.30850/vrsn/2020/3/40-42 ◽

1970 ◽

pp. 40-42

Author(s):

М. А. Babaeva ◽

S. V. Osipova

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Vegetation Cover ◽

Cynodon Dactylon ◽

Plant Cover ◽

Avena Fatua ◽

Living Environment ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Fodder Plants ◽

Falcaria Vulgaris

The regularities of changes in the resistance of different groups of fodder plants to adverse conditions were studied. This is due to the physiological properties that allow them to overcome the harmful effects of the environment. As a result of research species - plant groups with great adaptive potential to the harsh continental semi-desert conditions were identified. Monitoring observation and experimental studies showed too thin vegetation cover as a mosaic, consisting of perennial xerophytic herbs and semishrubs, sod grasses, saltwort and wormwood, as well as ephemera and ephemeroids under the same environmental conditions, depending on various climatic and anthropogenic factors. This is due to the inability or instability of plant species to aggressive living environment. It results in horizontal heterogeneity of the grass stand, division into smaller structures, and mosaic in the vegetation cover of the Kochubey biosphere station. The relative resistance to moderate stress was identified in the following species from fodder plants Agropyron cristatum, A. desertorum, Festuca valesiaca, Cynodon dactylon, Avena fatua; as for strong increasing their abundance these are poorly eaten plant species Artemisia taurica, Atriplex tatarica, Falcaria vulgaris, Veronica arvensis, Arabidopsis thaliana and other. On the site with an increasing pressure in the herbage of phytocenoses the number of xerophytes of ruderal species increases and the spatial structure of the vegetation cover is simplified. In plant communities indigenous species are replaced by adventive plant species. The mosaic of the plant cover of phytocenoses arises due to the uneven distribution in the space of environmental formation, i.e. an edificatory: Salsola orientalis, S. dendroides, Avena fatua, Cynodon dactylon, Artemisia taurica, A. lercheanum, Xanthium spinosum, Carex pachystyli, under which the remaining components of the community adapt. Based on the phytocenotic indicators of pasture phytocenoses it can be concluded that the vegetation cover is in the stage of ecological stress and a decrease in the share of fodder crops and an increase in the number of herbs indicates this fact.

Download Full-text

Medicinal plants and sustainable livelihood in Pauri district of Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India.

International Journal of Bioassays ◽

10.21746/ijbio.2016.06.001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (06) ◽

pp. 4589 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Vardan Singh Rawat

Keyword(s):

Environmental Management ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Plant Species ◽

Skin Diseases ◽

Sustainable Livelihoods ◽

Vital Role ◽

Local Communities ◽

Sustainable Livelihood ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Total Plant

The present study was conducted in the Thalisain block of Pauri Garhwal to document the medicinal plants used by the local communities. 53 plant species distributed in 38 families were documented. Of the total plant species 49% were herbs, 26% trees, 23% shrubs and 2% climbers. 16 different plant parts were used by local communities for different ailments. Medicinal plants were widely used by major sections of the community against common colds, cough, skin diseases, snake bite, fever, joint pains, bronchitis etc. Women and local healers called vaids have a vital role in environmental management due to traditional knowledge and use of plants as medicine with undocumented knowledge. It has been observed as one of the best option of sustainable livelihoods for the residents of the area.

Download Full-text

Effect of Soil Diversity on Forest Plant Species Abundance: A Case Study from Central-European Highlands

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12050534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 534

Author(s):

Pavel Samec ◽

Jiří Volánek ◽

Miloš Kučera ◽

Pavel Cudlín

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Plant Distribution ◽

Soil Diversity ◽

Abiotic Environment ◽

Soil Group ◽

Biogeographical Regions ◽

Forest Distribution

Plant distribution is most closely associated with the abiotic environment. The abiotic environment affects plant species’ abundancy unevenly. The asymmetry is further deviated by human interventions. Contrarily, soil properties preserve environmental influences from the anthropogenic perturbations. The study examined the supra-regional similarities of soil effects on plant species’ abundance in temperate forests to determine: (i) spatial relationships between soil property and forest-plant diversity among geographical regions; (ii) whether the spatial dependencies among compared forest-diversity components are influenced by natural forest representation. The spatial dependence was assessed using geographically weighted regression (GWR) of soil properties and plant species abundance from forest stands among 91 biogeographical regions in the Czech Republic (Central Europe). Regional soil properties and plant species abundance were acquired from 7550 national forest inventory plots positioned in a 4 × 4 km grid. The effect of natural forests was assessed using linear regression between the sums of squared GWR residues and protected forest distribution in the regions. Total diversity of forest plants is significantly dependent on soil-group representation. The soil-group effect is more significant than that of bedrock bodies, most of all in biogeographical regions with protected forest representation >50%. Effects of soil chemical properties were not affected by protected forest distribution. Spatial dependency analysis separated biogeographical regions of optimal forest plant diversity from those where inadequate forest-ecosystem diversity should be increased alongside soil diversity.

Download Full-text