Chrysoperla carnea s.l. (Stephens) larvae are important natural enemies in agroecosystems. However, adults feed on honeydew excreted by hemipterans, and pollen and nectar from flowering plants. Pollen is essential for egg production, but to our knowledge, the pollen diet of C. carnea in perennial crops has never been addressed. In this work, the objective was to study the diversity and potential selection of pollen types consumed by C. carnea in the olive grove agroecosystem. For this study, C. carnea adults were captured from April to December of 2012 and 2013, and simultaneously, inventories of the plant diversity were obtained in olive orchards and adjacent scrubland and herbaceous patches. The pollen types contained in C. carnea guts were identified by microscopy and compared with the pollen types in the environment using Jacobs`s second selection index. The results indicated that (i) C. carnea females and males captured in the olive tree canopy visited scrub and herbaceous vegetation patches; (ii) they fed on different anemophilous and entomophilous pollen types from tree and scrub (Olea europaea, Fabaceae, Pinaceae, Cistaceae or Ericaceae) and herbaceous (Asteraceae, Apicaceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Rumex type or Plantago type) strata; and (iii) adults fed not only on flowers but also on pollen settled on vegetation surfaces. Here, we demonstrated that C. carnea could benefit not only from the diversity of entomophilous pollen during the plant flowering periods but also from other pollens that could remain in the environment in different periods. This has important implications for the management of the floral diversity adjacent to the crop.

Landscape and crop management are important concepts for conservation biological control as they can influence the abundance of natural enemies. In this work we accomplished a multi-scale study focused on the effect of landscape structure and crop management on the olive moth, Prays oleae (Bernard), an important pest of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.). The olive moth was collected in different olive groves managed under organic farming and integrated production and surrounded by different landscape structures. Generalized additive mixed models were used to analyze the response of the pest to (i) landscape composition and configuration indices, (ii) the management system and (iii) pesticides applications at different scales. Results indicated that the landscape composition, through the effect of the Simpson's diversity index, negatively influenced P. oleae abundance and that the effect was evident at larger scales. Also, the landscape configuration negatively affected P. oleae at larger scales. However, neither the crop management system nor the pesticide applications affected P. oleae abundance. This study emphasizes that the preservation or implementation of diverse and complex landscapes can contribute to maintain lower population levels of P. oleae when compared with homogenous landscape areas.

No abstract

El banco de semillas constituye un componente clave en la dinámica de las comunidades vegetales ya que representa un flujo continuo de aporte y pérdida de semillas que determina la densidad, la composición y la reserva genética del bosque (Simpson et al. 1989). Este banco puede constituir una fuente de propágulos capaz de regenerar la comunidad nativa luego de un disturbio y mantener la riqueza específica, o bien, constituir una fuente de potenciales especies invasoras. En bosques primarios, la composición del banco de semillas suele estar dominada SUMMARYSeed banks are key components of terrestrial ecosystems as they determine the future development of its vascular plants. In disturbed environments, seed banks can either favor regeneration of native species, or enhance colonization and expansion of exotic species. In Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), Celtis tala forests are the main wooded community. They have experienced strong anthropogenic disturbances that made them vulnerable to invasion from the exotic tree Ligustrum lucidum. The objective of this work was to study the seed bank composition in Celtis tala forests in "El Destino" Reserve (Magdalena, Buenos Aires) and its relation with the standing vegetation in areas with distinct degrees of invasion. Five plots were stablished in two wooded cordons, covering four types of environments. In each plot, a soil sample was taken and standing vegetation was studied. Seed bank composition was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively during four months in a Ciudad Universitaria's greenhouse. Invaded environments were characterized by having less diversity, richness and evenness than those presented by non-invaded environments. Non-invaded environment's seed banks exhibited a larger proportion of herbaceous species while in invaded seed banks, Ligusrtrum lucidum dominated. This result shows that invasion has exceeded the threshold of reversibility, consolidating as neo-ecosystems dominated by L. lucidum.Key words: invasiveness, diversity, glossy privet, Celtis tala. RESUMENEl banco de semillas es un componente clave de los ecosistemas terrestres ya que determina el desarrollo futuro de la estructura y composición de sus plantas vasculares. En ambientes disturbados, el banco de semillas puede favorecer la regeneración de las especies nativas o la colonización y expansión de especies exóticas. Los bosques dominados por Celtis tala constituyen la principal comunidad boscosa de la provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina) y han experimentado fuertes perturbaciones antrópicas, convirtiéndose en susceptibles a la invasión por la especie exótica Ligustrum lucidum (ligustro). El objetivo del trabajo fue estudiar la composición del banco de semillas de los bosques de tala de la Reserva "El Destino" (Magdalena, Buenos Aires), su relación con la vegetación y distintas propiedades del suelo en áreas con distinto grado de invasión. Se establecieron cinco parcelas en dos cordones boscosos que abarcaron cuatro tipos de bosques (conservado, semi-conservado, ligustral e implantado) ...

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Wood density (WD) and other wood mechanical and structural properties may have a strong functional relationship with demographic patterns and allometry of trees. We analyzed the influence of WD, structural properties, architectural traits and community level attributes on growth rates (GR) and mortality modes of canopy tree species in a subtropical forest of Argentina. Stem WD, and WD, strength, stiffness, toughness and hardness of branches were measured in 10 canopy species. Also, architectural traits and liana load were determined. Strength and hardness of branches were linearly correlated to branch WD, and GR were linearly correlated to stem WD across species. At individual level, trees with greater hardness and toughness in branches died mostly uprooted and trees with greater branch stiffness and susceptibility to colonization by lianas were mostly broken. At community level, the suppressed trees died mostly broken. The dominant trees with high local tree density died mostly broken whereas more isolated trees died mostly uprooted. Mortality modes were determined by mechanical properties, but also by community properties, such as liana load, crown canopy position and number of neighboring trees. Other biophysical traits beside WD are important explanatory variables when dry wood is used to describe functional characteristics of trees.