Attraction of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) to native plants used as ground cover in woody Mediterranean agroecosystems
Using native seeds to establish semi-natural habitats is a novel strategy to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services such as biological control. As green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) are regarded as major biological control agents in different crops, the objective of this study was to tes...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2019 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/198303 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/198303 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Non-crop vegetation Native seeds Ecological infrastructure Ground cover Chrysopids |
| Sumario: | Using native seeds to establish semi-natural habitats is a novel strategy to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services such as biological control. As green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) are regarded as major biological control agents in different crops, the objective of this study was to test the attractiveness of selected native plant species to lacewings. During a two-year (2016–2017) field experiment near Villarrubia (Andalusia, Spain), 42 native plant species belonging to 13 families were planted. Plant development was monitored, and arthropods were vacuumed from each plot twice during the peak May flowering period. Green lacewings were observed to use 28 of the 36 well developed species to reproduce, feed and/or rest. Chrysoperla lucasina was the predominant species among the captured adults. No clear pattern of attraction common to all species was observed during the two-year sampling period. In 2017, eight plant species showed above-average chrysopid abundance. In addition, Acari abundance correlated positively with chrysopid abundance. Given the attraction of chrysopids, the effect of pests and disease on olive orchards and satisfactory plant development, we consider Biscutella auriculata, Borago officinalis, Silene colorata, Crepis capillaris, Nigella damascena and Papaver rhoeas to be the native plant species best suited to host chrysopids and to restore ground cover in perennial Mediterranean crops. |
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