Herbivoría de los insectos específicos Cornops aquaticum (Acrididae) y Neochetina (Erirhinidae): Comparación entre plantas hospedadoras y periodos de crecimiento

FUENTES RODRÍGUEZ, D.; FRANCESCHINI, M. C.; FEDRA SOLANGE MARTÍNEZ; SOSA, A.J.

REVISTA MEXICANA DE BIODIVERSIDAD

INST BIOLOGIA

Año: 2017

1870-3453

Eichhornia crassipes and Eichhornia azurea are aquatic plants with high biomass and wide distribution in Neotropical wetlands. These plants share species of interest for biological control such as the weevils Neochetina and the grasshopper Cornops aquaticum. The aims of this study were (1) to analyze herbivory of specific insects in the leaves of E. azurea and E. crassipes, in the growth and decay period of plant populations; (2) compare herbivory produced by C. aquaticum in two different host plants. The samples were taken in two wetlands of northeastern Argentina, in two sampling dates, between January and February 2006 (growth period) and August 2006 (decay period). In each sampling date, a sample of 10 leaves of different individuals were collected per triplicate in E. azurea and E. crassipes (N=120 leaves). Herbivory was measured as lamina area damaged and percentage of leaf lamina damaged by herbivorous insects. The percentage of leaf lamina damaged by herbivorous insects was higher in the growth period than in decay period. Mean herbivory by C. aquaticum in decay period reached up to 0.44% in E. crassipes and 0.34% in E. azurea, with significant differences between host plants; in growth period, damage of this Acrididae was significantly different between host plants, with an average of 16.19% in E. azurea and 6.92% in E. crassipes. Damage of C. aquaticum was significantly lower than the damage produced by Neochetina only in E. crassipes and during the decay period. The results show that the effectiveness of herbivory varied according to the different growth period of plant populations, regardless of the food resources offered. This indicates that the combined action of these herbivores could be an efficient alternative to design programs for biological control of E. crassipes.