Population Dynamics and Spatial Distribution of the Calosoma Granulatum Perty., 1830 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Soybean/Corn Crop
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AJCS 12(11):1710-1717 (2018) ISSN:1835-2707 doi: 10.21475/ajcs.18.12.11.p1130 Population dynamics and spatial distribution of the Calosoma granulatum Perty., 1830 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in soybean/corn crop Ivan Carlos Fernandes Martins1*, Francisco Jorge Cividanes2, José Carlos Barbosa2, Joaquim Alves de Lima Junior1, André Luiz Pereira da Silva2, Lourival Dias Campos1, Gianni Queiroz Haddad2, Anderson Gonçalves da Silva3 1Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia / UFRA, Capanema Campus, PA, Brazil 2Universidade Estadual Paulista / UNESP, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences / FCAV, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil 3Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia / UFRA, Campus Paragominas, PA, Brazil *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract The (Calosoma granulatum Perty., 1830) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is an important predator of agricultural pests. The knowledge about the spatial and temporal behavior and influence of the environmental structure may be fundamental for the application of conservative biological control. This study evaluated whether phenology of cultivated plants and meteorological factors influencing the occurrence and spatial distribution of the predaceous beetle (Calosoma granulatum) in soybean/corn crop. Three hypotheses were tested: H1: that this predaceous beetle occurs naturally in aggregated spatial patterns; H2: its presence/absence in agricultural fields is influenced by meteorolical factors; and H3: the presence of the beetle bank in crop fields affects the carabid spatial distribution patterns. To test these hypotheses, we measured annual population fluctuations to examine the influence of meteorological factors, and to determinate the spatial distribution using dispersion indices and probabilistic models based on the Calosoma granulatum frequency distribution in one hectare of soybean/corn crop using multiple regression analysis (stepwise). The results showed that population peaks of the beetle in soybean crop were coincident with their reproductive period regardless of meteorological factors. The analyses of the spatial distributions showed that Calosoma granulatum has a clustered distribution, and the highest numbers were observed in soybean crop. These results support the hypothesis that the beetles have an aggregated pattern. However, the hypotheses that the occurrence and distribution of this predator is directly influenced by environmental distribution factors and by the presence of herbaceous refuge is not supported. Keywords: Carabid beetles, dispersion indexes, Glycine max, linear interpolation, natural pest control, predator, Zea mays. Introduction There is a great diversity and abundance of arthropods that The implementation of refuge areas (beetle banks) in can be found in soybean and corn fields (Cividanes and agricultural fields may benefit conservative biological Yamamoto, 2002; Adams et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the vast control. Collins et al. (2003) verified that beetle bank can majority of studies on arthropods associated with these benefit the occurrence of polyphagous predators in crops have related to phytophagous insects, probably agricultural fields. Thomas et al. (1992) reported that carabid because of the injury that these organisms cause to crops species preferably occurs at the boundary (boundary (Kogan and Turnipssed, 1987). These authors also reported species) or crops (open-field species). The use of refuge that the natural biological control of soybean crop has been islands (beetle banks) within the cultures can increase the effective, mainly due to the action of arthropod predators. effectiveness of boundary species in biological control. Therefore, ecological studies on those organisms are also Martins et al. (2016) reported that the predator Abaris required. basistriata Chaudoir, 1873 (Carabidae) used the beetle bank The main arthropods predators associated with soil in as a refuge island in unfavorable periods in agricultural soybean and corn crops are spiders, rove beetles, ground areas. beetles, earwigs and ants (Bechinski and Pedigo, 1981; The species Calosoma granulatum Perty. 1830, is a predator Cividanes, 2002; Cividanes et al., 2009). The ground beetles carabid commonly found in areas cultivated with soybeans are among the most abundant predators (Witmer et al., (Brondani et al., 2008; Lietti et al., 2008). In laboratory 2003). The ground beetles play multiple roles in the studies, this species consumed a great number of Anticarsia ecosystem. They, are reported as predators of agricultural gemmatalis Hübner, 1818 larvae causing high mortality rates pests (Kromp, 1999), seed predators (Honek et al., 2006) and (above 90%) (Pasini 1991, 1995; Cividanes et al., 2014). environmental quality indicators (Pearce and Venier, 2006). 1710 Several biotic and abiotic factors influence the occurrence of periods of high rainfall, and maximum and minimum carabids in agroecosystems such as temperature, humidity, temperatures around 30oC and 20oC, respectively. However, food supply, presence of competitors and reproductive the only meteorological factor that showed significant behavior (Lövei and Sunderland, 1996). These factors can regression coefficient of 10% was the minimum also affect the spatial distribution of carabids and change the temperature, which explained only 10.37% of the observed aggregation of the species (Dennis et al., 2002). variation in the occurrence of C. granulatum (parameter: According to Taylor (1984), most studies on spatial 2.44191, F = 2.89, R2 = 0.1037). The statistical results do distribution are related to insect pests of agricultural show the influence of the meteorological factors analyzed systems. However, knowledge of the spatial distribution of on the occurrence of C. granulatum. However, Fig. 2 shows a natural enemies seems to be essential for the understanding trend of increasing population in periods of high humidity of natural and applied biological control and development of due to rainfall and high temperatures. Martins et al. (2009) strategies to be implemented in integrated pest verified that rainfall influenced positively the occurrence of management (Hajek, 2004). The use of tools for the C. granulatum in the soybean crop. Barros et al. (2006) Geostatistics is valuable to investigate the behavior and report the peak population of C. granulatum in cotton, 55 spatial pattern of insect populations and to support days after emergence of the crop, period with high integrated pest management (Sciarretta and Trematerra, temperature and humidity. 2014). The variation in population density with the phenological The structure and environmental conditions may interfere phases of the soybeans showed that the highest population with the occurrence of insects in agricultural areas and peaks occurrs during the reproductive period of soybean beetle Calosoma granulatum presents potential in the (Fig. 3). However, the developmental stage of highest biological control of pests. The following research questions occurrence differed in seasons. In 2008/09, population peak were elaborated: How is the spatial and temporal behavior occurred in the R3 up to R5 stage (beginning of fruit set to of Calosoma granulatum in an agricultural area? the beginning of grain filling), while in 2009/10 season, the Meteorological factors, phenological stages of cultivated peak occurred in the R1 and R2 stages (beginning of plants and the presence of beetle bank influence this flowering and full flowering) (Fig. 3). Similar results were behavior? To answer these questions, we elaborate the observed by Pegoraro and Foerster (1988) that verified a following hypotheses, H1: The spatial patterns of this highest incidence of C. granulatum between R2 and R6 predatory beetle occur naturally in aggregate form; H2: its soybean stages. Other carabids of the genus Callida and presence / absence in agricultural fields is influenced by Lebia (Didonet et al., 2003) and Abaris (Martins et al., 2016) meteorological factors and phenological stages of cultivated were also observed with highest occurrence in the plants; and H3: the presence of the beetle bank in the reproductive stage of soybean. cultivated fields benefits the occurrence of Calosoma The population peaks were occurred in the same period of granulatum. Based on the questions and hypotheses the the year (February), when the soybeans did not have the objectives of this study were to analyze the population same developmental stage. Also, a low correlation with dynamics and spatial distribution of adult Calosoma temperature and rainfall was onserved that may indicate granulatum in soybean / corn crops with the presence of a that the occurrence of C. granulatum is cyclical and related beetle bank. to other environmental factors. The presence of the prey is one of the factors that may influence the occurrence of C. Results and discussion granulatum. Bueno et al. (2012) reported that from December to early April, there is a large occurrence of C. Occurrence of Calosoma granulatum granulatum larvae in the soybean crop, and that these are voracious predators of the soybean caterpillar (A. Throughout the sample period, there was a total of 366 gemmatalis). Didonet et al. (2003) found that the caterpillar specimens of C. granulatum, of which 317 (86.61%) A. gemmatalis has population peaks mainly in the specimens occurred in soybean, indicating mean number of reproductive period of soybean, being able to attract and 3.3 equivalent per trap specimens, and only 49 specimens in increase in population of this predator in