Sarsina violascens spatial and temporal distributions affected by native vegetation strips in eucalyptus plantations

José Cola Zanuncio,Wagner De Souza Tavares,Germano Leão Demolin Leite,José Eduardo Serrão,Francisco De Sousa Ramalho

doi:10.1590/s0100-204x2016000600001

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate spatial and temporal distributions of Sarsina violascens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Lymantriinae) in two Eucalyptus cloeziana plantations, one with native vegetation strips (WNVS) and another without them (ONVS). Adults were collected with light traps, which were installed: inside an area of native vegetation (Cerrado), 100 m from the edge; at the contact zone between the native vegetation area and the E. cloeziana plantation; inside the E. cloeziana plantation, 250 m from the edge; at the central part of the native vegetation strip, around 500 m from the edge (WNVS) or in the contact zone between two E. cloeziana compartments (ONVS); and inside the E. cloeziana plantation, 500 m from the edge. The number of S. violascens adults collected was 240 in the system WNVS and 1,378 in the system ONVS. The lower number of individuals in the system WNVS was probably due to favored biological control provided by higher species richness with the use of native vegetation strips. These strips, intermingled with E. cloeziana plantations, allow a higher proportion of native forest in the landscape and can help to reduce S. violascens infestations.

Highlights

The spatial distribution of insect outbreaks in Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtales: Myrtaceae) plantations can be aggregated, random, or uniform (Silva et al, 2014), and rainfall and temperature are the main factors affecting the temporal distribution of lepidopteran pests (Zanuncio et al, 2000)
Paineiras belongs to the central mesoregion of the state of Minas Gerais and to the microregion of the municipality of Três Marias, whereas Paraopeba belongs to the metropolitan mesoregion of the municipality of Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of the municipality of Sete Lagoas, in the state of Minas Gerais
The population dynamics of S. violascens differed between Paineiras (WNVS) and Paraopeba (ONVS)

Summary

Introduction

The spatial distribution of insect outbreaks in Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtales: Myrtaceae) plantations can be aggregated, random, or uniform (Silva et al, 2014), and rainfall and temperature are the main factors affecting the temporal distribution of lepidopteran pests (Zanuncio et al, 2000). The spatial distribution of insect outbreaks in Eucalyptus spp. (Souza et al, 2011; Zanetti et al, 2014), but the importance of lepidopteran and coleopteran defoliators has increased (Euzebio et al, 2013; Zanuncio et al., 2013a, 2013b). This made it necessary to study the natural mechanisms that can regulate lepidopteran populations in Eucalyptus spp. plantations close to areas with native vegetation strips (Dall’Oglio et al., 2013; Macedo‐Reis et al, 2013; Ribeiro et al, 2013).

Objectives

Methods

Results