Invertebrate herbivores assemblages in two invasive aquatic plant Eichhornia crassipes and Salvinia biloba and its implications for the biological control.

VIDELA, MARTÍN ; FRANCESCHINI, MARÍA CELESTE; MARTINEZ, FEDRA S.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; MFIS Marine & Freshwater Invasive Species: Ecology, Impact and Management; 2016

Aquatic Ecosystems and Health Managenment y CONICET

Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes and water moss Salvinia sp. are native to South America and have become the most important pest species of natural and artificial water bodies around the world. Studies examining invertebrate herbivore assemblages associated with these plants in native areas have a direct application for the research on weed biological control. The objective of this work was to determine seasonally the abundance, richness, composition and guilds of invertebrate herbivores in E. crassipes and Salvinia biloba at the Northeast of Argentina. Seasonal samplings were carried out from autumn 2011 to summer 2012, in the Ramsar Chaco Wetlands. The results indicate that the herbivores represented from 63 to 41% of the total of invertebrates on E. crassipes and S. biloba, respectively. There was no seasonal variation in the total abundance and richness of morphospecies, whereas the composition of morphospecies varied only for S. biloba. Thrypticus sp. (Dolichopodidae) and Neochetina eichhorniae (Curculionidae) were the most abundant herbivores on E. crassipes; in S. biloba high abundance of Paulinia acuminata (Acridoidea) and Berulla sp. (Noctuidae) were registered. There was seasonal variation in the composition of the herbivore guilds only in S. biloba. The chewers in mines and galleries and external chewers were the most abundant guild in E. crassipes and S. biloba, respectively. Finally, the results of this work are a contribution for interpreting the dynamics of these herbivore assemblages associated to E. crassipes and S. biloba among seasons in native areas. Due to the high abundance of insect herbivores that have potential as biological control agents, our results would be a useful tool to understand the insect herbivores dynamic in areas where these species could be introduced.