Effects of undersowing maize with a diverse annual flower mixture on insect abundance and diversity

The objective of this research were to determine the abundance and diversity of insects on apple water tree and to measure the effectiveness of several colours and height placement of sticky trap on fruit flies and other insects on apple water tree during fruit season. Sampling of insects was conducting in an apple water field during fruit season in Demak Central Java Indonesia using sticky trap with methyl eugenol attractant. There were three different sticky trap colours i.e., yellow, white, and blue; and two height of trap placement i.e., one meter and three meter, were used. Parameters observed included the number of fruit flies in each colour, height placement of sticky trap, and the taxon of insects. The data was analysed into Shannon-Wiener diversity and abundances of insects on each colours and height placement of sticky traps. The results showed that the insects found consist of 5 orders (Diptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Odonata), and 21 families. Most families are found in the order Diptera (8 families), Hymenoptera (4 families), and Coleoptera (3 families). The Diptera family consists of Tephritidae, Culicidae, Agromyzidae, Muscidae, Asillidae, Mycetophyllide, Drosophyllidae, Bombyllidae. In short, the insects on apple water tree were more abundant in 3 meter height and they tend to be attracted on yellow sticky trap.

We present a field study aimed at better understanding how different types of human-assisted restoration of farmland may affect insect diversity and abundance in a dry tropical forest. We report on the first survey measuring insect diversity and abundance in restored forest plots in Gede National Monument, Kenya, conducted 20 years after plantings were done across a gradient of human-assistance (natural regeneration, seed scattering, and high-density tree planting). We found that insect diversity and abundance within restored areas with different initial planting strategies and differing local ground vegetation characteristics varied highly among different insect taxa. For instance, seed scattered plots had a significantly greater leaf litter depth than natural regeneration plots; and we found that leaf litter depth had a negative effect on hymenopteran diversity. We also found negative relationships between dead ground cover and overall insect abundance, and bare ground cover and coleopteran diversity. Overall, we found that farmland restored to forest harbored similar levels of insect diversity as that of a nearby reference forest. Our preliminary survey reveals that taxon-specific habitat requirements of different insect groups needs to be carefully considered in order to understand the effects of human-assisted restoration on insect biodiversity.

Abundance and diversity of aquatic insects was studied in two water bodies, (a pond and a lake) of Chittagong University campus during October 2009 to September 2010. A total of 4406 insects belonging to 32 genera, under 20 families and 6 orders were recorded. In both the water bodies, the representatives of the orders Hemiptera and Odonata were the most abundant groups. During the study period highest abundance of the total insects was recorded in November 2009 and the lowest in July 2010. Abundance of insects was comparatively higher in the pond habitat than in the lake. The Quotient of Similarity (QS) of the insects between the two water bodies was found to be the highest in October 2009 and lowest in July 2010. Species diversity, species richness and species evenness values of the lake were higher than that of the pond. Hydrophilus sp. and Sphaerodema sp. were the most dominant insects in the pond, while Chironomous sp. and Gerris sp. in the lake.Bangladesh J. Zool. 42(1): 19-33, 2014

Simple SummaryWhen weeds are left in mango farms, especially native wildflowers, there is a potential they may provide pollen and nectar to increase beneficial insect abundance and diversity. We examined how weed presence affects insects on mango trees as well as soil health. We found that weeds significantly increased pollinating and parasitoid (natural pest control agents) insect abundance and diversity. There was no difference in predatory insects between treatments, and slightly more herbivorous insects on weedy mango trees. Pollinators in mango flowers and spiders were also greater on weedy mango trees. Soil conditions were significantly improved in soil carbon and pH by the presence of weeds. These results show that a tolerable level of weed species may benefit insect, plant, and soil biodiversity in farms which oftentimes have very little life on them.This study examined if weeds could serve as insectary plants to increase beneficial insect abundance and diversity in mango cultivation in southern Florida. Additionally, we examined how weed presence affects mango tree soil health. We found that weeds significantly increased pollinating and parasitoid insect abundance and diversity. Eight insect orders and eighteen families were significantly more abundant on mango trees with weeds growing beneath them than those where weeds were removed. There was no difference in predatory insects between treatments, and slightly more herbivorous insects on weedy mango trees. Pollinating insects visiting mango flowers in the weed treatment were significantly greater, as well as spiders on weedy mango trees. However, there were more lacewings (Neuroptera) observed on the mango trees without weeds, and leaf chlorophyll in the old and new mango leaves was significantly greater, in the weed-free treatment. Soil conditions, however, significantly improved in soil carbon and a greater pH reduction in the presence of weeds, though weeds affected neither soil nitrogen, phosphorous, nor chlorophyll in productive green leaves. These results show that a tolerable level of selective weed species’ presence may benefit insect, plant, and soil biodiversity in farms. This is important in increasing production, sustainability, and biodiversity in agriculture, which otherwise may be deficient in non-crop life.

Overbrowsing has created depauperate plant communities throughout the eastern deciduous forest. We hypothesized these low-diversity plant communities are associated with lower insect diversity. We compared insects inside and outside a 60-year-old fenced deer exclosure where plant species richness is 5x higher inside versus outside. We sampled aboveground and litter insects using sweep nets and pitfall traps and identified specimens to family. Aboveground insect abundance, richness, and diversity were up to 50% higher inside the fenced exclosure versus outside. Conversely, litter insect abundance and diversity were consistently higher outside the exclosure. Community composition of aboveground insects differed throughout the summer (P < 0.05), but litter insects differed only in late summer. Our results demonstrate that the indirect effects of long-term overbrowsing can reduce aboveground insect diversity and abundance, and change composition even when plant communities are in close proximity.

Abstract. 1. Sown wildflower strips are increasingly being established in European countries within agri‐environmental schemes to enhance biodiversity, especially in intensively used agricultural areas. 2. The regulations vary between countries regarding the seed mixture, intensity of management and period of time over which subsidies are given. Insects in particular are intended to benefit from these schemes. 3. This review treats studies of insect diversity and abundance in sown wildflower strips. Schemes on wildflower strips in several countries in Central and Northern Europe are compared. 4. In a significant majority of studies, sown wildflower strips support higher insect abundances and diversity than cropped habitats. In general, numbers and diversity also tend to be higher than in other margin types such as sown grass margins and natural regeneration, but pollen‐ and nectar‐rich flower mixtures may outperform them. 5. Common species are the main beneficiaries of the establishment of wildflower strips, although some studies point out the presence of rare or declining insect species. 6. Insect groups respond differently to particular characteristics of the strips. Flower abundance, seed mixture, vegetation structure, management, age and landscape have been identified as factors influencing insect abundance and diversity. 7. Future work should address under‐represented comparisons, such as with pollen‐ and nectar‐rich seed mixes, and neglected groups, in particular parasitoids. Nevertheless, sown wildflower strips can already be seen as a beneficial measure to enhance insect diversity. This is especially the case, where schemes for sown strips vary within a region to favour different species groups.

Approximately 80% of flowering plants are highly dependent on insect pollination, including the chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens). Environmental conditions serve as parameters for insects in their activities. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the diversity and abundance of flower-visiting insects in C. frutescens and their environmental factors. Field observations of flower-visiting insects were conducted during the dry season utilizing aerial capture methods. The data was analyzed using diversity, abundance, evenness, and dominance indices equations. Multiple linear regression analysis was also conducted to determine the abiotic and biotic factors (environmental factors) that influence the abundance of flower-visiting insects. The analysis results showed that a moderate trend in the diversity of insect and as many as 33% of the total recorded insect individuals belong to the Vespidae family. The Allorhynchium argentatum showed the highest species abundance (27% individuals). Based on the multiple regression analysis results, environmental factors had a non-significant native influence on the abundance of flower-visiting insects. Environmental conditions during the dry season have a weak influence on insect interactions with plants.

Most cultivars of apple trees are highly dependent on insects for successful pollination and fruit production. In this study, we evaluated the insect diversity in apple orchards of southern Brazil and verified whether or not there is a relationship between the diversity of insect visitors and the characteristics (weight, seed number, and symmetry) of the fruits of 'Fuji' and 'Gala' apples produced by the orchards. We also evaluated the diversity of insects on flowering weeds within apple orchards and compared it with the apple flowers. Diversity of anthophilous insects was low, in general, and differed between the regions. Furthermore, regarding insect diversity, orchards were grouped by management system: organic orchards were more similar to each other than to conventional orchards. The insect diversity of weed flowers was higher than apple flowers, but insect abundance was greater on apple flowers, suggesting that weeds may increase insect diversity within apple orchards and may sustain pollinators. We found a positive effect of insect diversity on the number of seeds of 'Fuji' apples and of honeybee abundance on their weight, suggesting that honeybee management is important in the studied areas. In contrast, we found no significant effect of insect diversity and abundance on 'Gala' apple characteristics. Despite this, the analyses of the seeds of 'Gala' apples indicate that the orchards may suffer a pollination deficit, which could be overcome by improving insect pollination. These results reinforce previous findings that insect diversity is important for apple yield, but its influence varies with cultivar.

Insects play crucial roles in their specific niches and are vital contributors to various ecosystem processes. They dominate the food webs of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A study was conducted at Kerala University to evaluate the diversity and abundance of insect species in selected habitats (North and South campus). Sampling was conducted using pitfall traps, sweep nets, beating sheets, Berlese funnels, and hand collection. The collected insects were brought back to the laboratory for identification and counting. A total of 965 insects from 9 Orders and 35 Families were recorded. Indices such as the Shannon index, Simpson index, Margalef index, Evenness index, and Sorenson similarity index were utilized to analyze the diversity of insects. The results indicated that Hymenoptera (30.155%), Orthoptera (25.596%), Lepidoptera (11.192%), and Coleoptera (8.290%) were the most dominant Orders on the campus, comprising 75.233% of the total, whereas the least abundant was Mantodea (0.622%). The South Campus exhibited high species diversity (Margalef index = 8.422), abundance (n = 686), Evenness (E = 0.776), and Shannon diversity (H = 3.124) of insects. It also showed a higher Simpson index (λ = 0.109) compared to the North Campus, which indicated (λ = 0.0610). Moreover, the South Campus recorded a very high number of species, with 56 species (Margalef index = 8.422) compared to 45 species (Margalef index = 7.813) recorded from the North Campus. The higher the index value, the greater the species richness. The high diversity and richness of insects in the southern habitat may be attributed to the large and less disturbed area, the presence of well-distributed ecological niches, more microhabitats, and an abundance of food. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence insect species diversity and abundance at the University of Kerala is important for conservation. This study, thus, highlights the diversity and abundance of insects and the need for sustainable measures to be implemented to conserve these significant species.

Presence of insects in agricultural habitat is affected by the surrounding circumstances such as the complexity and structure of landscape. Landscape structure is often formed as a consequence of the fragmentation of semi-natural habitat, which can negatively affect species richness and abundance of insects. This study was aimed to study the effect of complexity and structure of landscape on the diversity, abundance and traits of flower-visiting insects in cucumber fields. This study was conducted in cucumber fields surrounded by other agricultural crops, shrubs, semi-natural habitat and housing area, in Bogor, Cianjur and Sukabumi regencies, West Java, Indonesia. In a total of 16 agricultural areas, complexity and parameter of landscape especially class area (CA), number of patches (NumP), mean patch size (MPS), total edge (TE), and mean shape index (MSI) of seminatural habitats were measured. Sampling of flower-visiting insects was conducted using scan sampling methods. The result showed that landscape complexity affected species richness (but not abundance and trait) of flower-visiting insects both for mobile and less-mobile insects. Flower-visiting insects also responded differently to landscape structure. Species richness, abundance and variation of body size of mobile insects were affected by structure of semi-natural habitat.

Bukit Keluang is one of the famous natural recreational sites in Besut, Terengganu due to their beautiful sandy beaches and beautiful landscapes. Bukit Keluang recreational forest consist coastal and lowland dipterocarp forest. The studies on the biodiversity are never been reported at this area and thus, we aimed to investigate the diversity and abundance of insects in the coastal and inland forest of Bukit Keluang recreational forest. We built two plots which are Plot A in the coastal area and Plot B in the inland forest at Bukit Keluang. For each plot, three types of insect traps were used; yellow pan traps, pitfall traps, and Malaise traps. The traps were left for seven days and all insect samples collected were brought to the laboratory for sorting, enumerating and identifying up to order level. A total of 455 individuals of insects consisted of 10 orders (i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Collembola, Homoptera, Orthoptera, Dermaptera, Blattodea and Isoptera) were successfully collected from the forest of Bukit Keluang. Among them, Hymenoptera order dominated the number of individuals collected at 67.25% followed by Diptera (11.21%) whilst Collembola and Dermaptera were the least abundance order collected at 0.22%, respectively. The coastal forest recorded a total of 271 individuals (nine orders) while inland forest recorded 184 individuals (eight orders). No significant difference (p&gt;0.05) of insect abundance was recorded between both plots. However, the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H’) showed that the diversity of insects in the inland forest was slightly higher (H’=1.52) than the coastal forest (H’=0.86). We conclude that the insects’ diversity in Bukit Keluang is relatively higher in inland forest but lower in coastal forest. As no other insect survey has been conducted in this study area in the past, this study delivers a basic evidence and dataset of diversity and abundance for insect which may beneficial for further conservation research at Bukit Keluang in the future.

Mustard plants distant from forest fragments receive a lower diversity of flower-visiting insects

This research aims to find out species of insects are found on the soil surface and how the diversity and abundance of insects on the surface of the ground in the Katung Hill of Baturaja Barat District. Research time starts in December 2022 - July 2023. This research employed a quantitative descriptive method. Data collection utilized an exploratory approach with the pitfall trap technique. The sampling locations were determined using stratified random sampling. The results of the study revealed a total of 1468 individuals of insects, consisting of 23 insect species. The calculation of the diversity and abundance indexes of insects in Katung hill yielded different values at each station. At station 1, the diversity index was found to be 1.744 with a species abundance value of 0.1336 individuals/m². At station 2, the diversity index was 1.026 with a species abundance value of 0.2476 individuals/m². At station 3, the diversity index was 1.223 with a species abundance value of 0.5872 individuals/m². In conclusion, this research identified 23 insect species with diversity indexes at each station falling within the moderate criteria. The species abundance at each station ranged from 0.1336 individuals/m² to 0.5872 individuals/m².

Any disturbance that occurs in agro-ecosystem especially in alteration of water quality has significant effects towards the diversity and distribution of insects. Improper agronomic practices in plantation areas such as the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides may cause the disturbance of water quality. Thus, affecting the diversity and distribution of the insect communities. Following to that, the intention of this study is to determine the effect of water parameter on abundance of beneficial insects in the paddy field of Sungai Burong at two seasons of sampling periods. Indeed, sampling was done in both paddy plots and drains. The measurement of water temperature, salinity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO in mg/L and %) was analyzed using YSI 550A Multi-parameter probe while the suspended solid, ammonia, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) were analyzed in the laboratory. The results showed that there were relationships between all beneficial insects with water parameters. Moreover, the water temperature, DO, BOD and COD were good predictors for abundances of beneficial insects which were Anisoptera, Zygoptera, Gerridae and Coccinellidae. Therefore, it was recommended that all farmers maintain the quality of water in inlet, paddy plots and drains at the acceptable level thus, the abundance of beneficial insects can be increased, reducing the dependency on application of insecticides.

We experimentally separated the effects of two components of plant diversity-plant species richness and plant functional group richness-on insect communities. Plant species richness and plant functional group richness had contrasting effects on insect abundances, a result we attributed to three factors. First, lower insect abundances at higher plant functional group richness were explained by a sampling effect, which was caused by the increasing likelihood that one low-quality group, C4 grasses, would be present and reduce average insect abundances by 25%. Second, plant biomass, which was positively related to plant functional group richness, had a strong, positive effect on insect abundances. Third, a positive effect of plant species richness on insect abundances may have been caused by greater availability of alternate plant resources or greater vegetational structure. In addition, a greater diversity of insect species, whose individual abundances were often unaffected by changes in plant species richness, may have generated higher total community abundances. After controlling for the strong, positive influence of insect abundance on insect diversity through rarefaction, insect species richness increased as plant species richness and plant functional group richness increased. Although these variables did not explain a high proportion of variation individually, plant species richness and plant functional group richness had similar effects on insect diversity and opposing effects on insect abundances, and both factors may explain how the loss of plant diversity influences higher trophic levels.