Call number: LD2668 .T4 1961 G79

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisors: Jack B. Gingrich and Charles E. Mason, Dept. of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Tracy DeLiberty, Dept. of Geography. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Environmental Science and Management, 1999? / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-153).

The biology and ecology of an indigenous, non-pest insect on an indigenous host plant were investigated. The study includes a taxonomic description of this new species, an account of its general biology, monitoring of the seasonal fluctuations in numbers of the psyllid and its hymenopterous parasitoids, and a study of various aspects of the host plant, including nitrogen levels, water stress, leaf hardness, and the effect of cutting, in relation to spatial and temporal differences in insect population numbers. Natural enemies, inter- and intra-specific competition had very little determining influence on the population numbers of the psyllid. Temperature and humidity had little direct effect, but may have influenced the population dynamics via its effects on the host plant. Seasonal patterns in psyllid numbers followed fluctuations in nitrogen levels; statistically valid correlations were obtained between leaf nitrogen and psyllid numbers on individual trees at various times. These findings were supported by the results of preliminary laboratory experiments employing different fertilizer treatments. No effect of water stress or leaf hardness was clearly discerned. Cutting of trees altered the characteristics of the subsequent regenerative growth so as to allow massive psyllid infestations to develop, thus showing the tremendous importance of the host plant in determining population levels in this insect. Preliminary investigations of the nature and mechanism of this effect were conducted, and its significance is discussed. The relevance of these findings to modern concepts of regulation in insect populations and to principles of pest management is discussed.

Defoliating insect systems, defined for the purposes of this thesis as being composed of insects which defoliate forest trees and the species with which they interact, such as their host trees and their natural enemy complexes, exhibit a wide variety of population behaviors. Similarly, a number of theories and models have been proposed to explain these behaviors. These theories emphasize the importance of different ecological processes, often concentrate on the defoliator and overlook the importance of other components. Also, much of the current understanding of the dynamics of these systems has come from forest pest research and management programs, tailored towards specific pest problems and often very short term in nature. This thesis develops and begins to test a general approach for the local dynamics of defoliating insect systems. This framework outlines the system components that are necessary to predict the behavior of defoliating insect systems. It includes ways in which the equilibrium structure of defoliating insect systems, defined as the number of equilibria for each system component, the population levels at which the equilibria occur, and the processes creating the equilibria, might be found. The framework also includes methods of inducing the qualitative behavior of these sys- terns, defined as the periodicity of defoliator outbreaks, the length of outbreaks, and the dynamics of other important system components between, during, and in the decline of defoliator outbreaks. The study begins with a detailed literature review of historical theories of defoliating insect system behavior and of the documented behavior patterns of these systems. Major classes of behavior are identified, as well as the various ecological processes which have been invoked to explain these behaviors. An analysis and documentation of the equilibrium structure and behavior of three defoliating defoliating insect systems, the eastern blackheaded budworm, the eastern spruce budworm, and the jack pine sawfly, are then used to develop general rules about how equilibrium structure and behavior can be explained. This analysis, coupled with the literature review, is used to develop the framework. The framework is then tested against historical defoliator population data and general syntheses of defoliating insect system research to assess its utility and predictability. The major results of the thesis are as follows. First, it appears that the structure and behavior of a defoliating insect system can be explained with five dynamic variables: the abundances of the defoliator; the foliage; the forest; the parasitoid; and the disease; and the effects of weather acting on the defoliator. Second, there appear to be 4 classes of defoliating insect system behavior. Third, the behavior that a defoliating insect system will exhibit seems to be determined by the magnitude of weather effects on defoliator survival and recruitment, the parasitoid numerical response to changing defoliator densities, the disease numerical response to changing defoliator densities, and the vulnerability of the forest to defoliation. Fourth, there seem to be four equilibrium structures the defoliator can exhibit, and one each for the parasitoid, the foliage, the forest, and the disease. Finally, the framework suggests that defoliating insect system structure and behavior can be induced with a particular, well-defined set of information. The framework is successful when applied to particular defoliating insect systems for explaining their behavior, but less successful in explaining defoliator equilibrium structure for other systems. Opportunities for more thorough testing of the framework exist if the particular types of data outlined above are gathered for defoliating insect systems. This lack of data for testing the framework make it currently difficult to clearly define those systems in which the framework is useful and those systems in which it is not. Experiments to test the framework are described and suggestions for future types of applied research on defoliating insect systems are presented. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

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No description available.

Resumo: Dos vírus que infectam o maracujazeiro no Brasil, atualmente o Cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus (CABMV), é considerado fator limitante à cultura. Dependendo da velocidade de disseminação e idade com que as plantas são infectadas no campo, a cultura torna-se comercialmente improdutiva. O presente estudo teve como objetivo, avaliar a diversidade e a dinâmica populacional dos afídeos na região da Alta Paulista, SP e a possibilidade de transmissão do vírus pela semente. Assim, quatro locais (Leste e Oeste da cidade de Marília e Municípios de Ocauçú e Guaimbê) foram monitorados durante 24 meses com armadilhas amarelas de água do tipo Moericke. Constatou-se nas quatro regiões a predominância do gênero Aphis. Outras espécies coletadas foram Myzus persicae, Geopenphigus flocculosus, Brevicoryne brassicae, Rhopalosiphum spp, Dysaphis spp e Lipaphis erysimi. A flutuação populacional de formas aladas do gênero Aphis, caracterizou-se por apresentar maiores revoadas em maio, junho, agosto e setembro. As espécies de Aphis (A. fabae, A. gossypii, A. spiraecola) devem ser os principais vetores do CABMV na região. Plantios novos, ao lado de plantações infectadas, tornam-se infectadas em três meses. Nos testes de transmissão através de sementes, do total de 13056 semeadas oriundas de plantas doentes, germinaram 10592, e em avaliações visuais dois meses após a germinação, não foram observadas plantas sintomáticas, indicando a não transmissão pela semente. / Abstract: From the viruses were described infecting passionfruit plants in Brasil, and the Cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus (CABMV), is considered the most hazardous. Depending on the spread velocity of aphids and the age that the plants are infected, the crops doesn’t produce commercial fruits. The present study was designed to evaluate the diversity and dynamic population of aphids in the Alta Paulista, SP region and aspects of seed transmission. For this, four regions (East and West of Marília city, Guaimbê and Ocauçú) were monitored for 24 months using yellow water Moerick trap. The predominance of the genus Aphis was observed in the four evaluated areas. Other species founded in the area were: Myzus persicae, Geopenphigus flocculosus, Brevicoryne brassicae, Rhopalosiphum spp, Dysaphis spp and Lipaphis erysimi. The population curve of alate Aphis spp showed the highest frequency of flights during May, June, August and September. The Aphis spp (A. fabae, A. gossypii, A. spiraecola) probably is the most important vector of the CABMV in the region. New crops near old infected plants, were infected in three months. To evaluate properties of seed transmission, from 13056 collected from infected plants, 10592 were germinated and evaluated during two months for the presence of visual symptoms. No plants with simptoms were observed indicating no seed transmission. / Orientador: Marcelo Agenor Pavan / Coorientador: Valdir Atsushi Yuki / Banca: Renate Krause Sakate / Banca: Aloisio Costa Sampaio / Banca: Alexandre Levi R. Chaves / Banca: Hugo Kuniyuki / Doutor

Orientador: Luiz Carlos Forti / Coorientador: Juliane Floriano Lopes Santos / Banca: Pedro Leite Ribeiro / Banca: Vânia Maria Ramos / Banca: Roberto da Silva Camargo / Banca: Ivone Paschoal Garcia / Resumo: Não disponível / Abstract: Not available / Doutor