The Ant Mosaic - Tropical Tree Crops and the Limiting of Pests and Diseases

Leston, Dennis

doi:10.1080/09670877309412778

Cited by 153 publications

(167 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…A second option could involve actions to facilitate the movement of predators among bunches within a tree and among trees. This could be done by connecting bunches of coconut fruits and coconut trees, for example with nets or sticks, reminiscent of a practice already used millenia ago by chinese farmers in citrus orchards (Leston 1973), by intercropping with climbing plants, or perhaps by reducing the planting distance among coconut trees so that their leaves will touch.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Size of predatory mites and refuge entrance determine success of biological control of the coconut mite

et al. 2016

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Predators face the challenge of accessing prey that live in sheltered habitats. The coconut mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae) lives hidden beneath the perianth, which is appressed to the coconut fruit surface, where they feed on the meristematic tissue. Its natural enemy, the predatory mite Neoseiulus paspalivorus De Leon (Acari: Phytoseiidae), is larger than this pest and is believed to gain access to the refuge only after its opening has increased with coconut fruit age. In the field, experimentally enlarging the perianth-rim-fruit distance beyond the size of the predators resulted in earlier predator occurrence beneath the perianth and lower numbers of coconut mites. On non-manipulated coconut fruits, the predators gained access to the prey weeks later than on manipulated ones, resulting in higher pest densities of coconut mites. Successful biological control thus critically hinges on the size of the predator relative to the opening of the prey refuge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Size of predatory mites and refuge entrance determine success of biological control of the coconut mite

et al. 2016

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“…On the other hand, competition causes hierarchical dominance amongst the species through the use of aggression, food source exclusion, and different foraging strategies [4,5]. Dominant ant species can influence the occurrence of other species and play a major role in ant assemblage structuring, in which they generate distribution patterns and a mosaic-like species coexistence, especially in forest canopies [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of Competition Between Two Canopy Ant Species: Is Aggressive Behavior Innate or Shaped by a Competitive Environment?

Santo

Ribeiro

Lopes

2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Competition occurs in all ecological communities, although it has not always been experimentally tested as a structuring force in the distribution of species. We tested the hypothesis that the aggressiveness exhibited by Camponotus rufipes changes according to the pressures of a competitive environment. This is a dominant species in the montane forest of the Itacolomi State Park, Brazil, where Camponotus sericeiventris does not occur. Using bait traps in a field site where both species occur, ("Juiz de Fora" site) we showed that C. sericeiventris was able to remove C. rufipes workers at the same bait. In the laboratory, we used dyadic encounters to test workers from both species taken from colonies found in areas where both occur and where only C. rufipes was found. Camponotus rufipes from Itacolomi fought significantly less and was killed during the first few minutes in 60% of the events. On the other hand, the workers that co-existed with C. sericeiventris in the field were more aggressive, but less efficient fighters than the latter. This investigation demonstrated existence of competition between C. rufipes and C. sericeiventris, and also the lower aggressiveness of C. rufipes' individuals that did not co-exist in the field with C. sericeiventris.

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“…Many ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) are generalist predators and have the potential to control herbivore abundance, reducing the plant damage while increasing plant growth,  Corresponding author Email: rksdias@kln.ac.lk reproduction and yield (Majer 1972, Leston 1973, Schmitz et al 2000, Symondson et al 2002, Van Mele 2008 in agro-ecosystems (Way & Khoo 1992, Peng & Christian 2004, 2005, Peng et al 1995, 1997, 1999, 2014. Cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., a tree crop native to coastal Brazil, grown in many other countries including Sri Lanka (Cashew Corporation of Sri Lanka 2010) has high economic value as a fruit, nut and oil globally (Blomhoff et al 2006, FAO 2013.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Richness of Arboreal Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and Frequency of <em>Oecophylla Smaragdina </em>(Fabricius) Occurrence in A Wet Zone Cashew (<em>Anacardium Occidentale L.</em>) Field in Sri Lanka

Dias

Perera

2016

J Sci.Univ.Kelaniya

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Ant assemblages on cashew trees in the wet zone of Sri Lanka were recorded throughout three phenological phases from March to June in 2015. Baited trapping and hand collection recorded fourteen ant species in five subfamilies and species richness observed on each occasion ranged from 7 to 11. Absence of serious cashew pests was noticeable in the current phenological cycle. Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) was the only species recorded on all trees. Number of O. smaragdina nests observed on the same cashew trees in the two plots was recorded from April to June in 2015 and nests of the species were observed only on large and medium-sized trees. The materials carried by O. smaragdina workers on cashew tree branches were also collected, preserved in 70% ethanol and identified as far as possible using a Low Power Stereo-microscope and various plant and animal materials carried by workers confirmed that the species is an omnivore and a generalist predator. In the current study absence of serious damages caused by the cashew insect pests even without any insecticide application might be due to the presence of ant assemblages on cashew trees.

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The Ant Mosaic - Tropical Tree Crops and the Limiting of Pests and Diseases

Cited by 153 publications

References 43 publications

Size of predatory mites and refuge entrance determine success of biological control of the coconut mite

Size of predatory mites and refuge entrance determine success of biological control of the coconut mite

Evidence of Competition Between Two Canopy Ant Species: Is Aggressive Behavior Innate or Shaped by a Competitive Environment?

Species Richness of Arboreal Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and Frequency of <em>Oecophylla Smaragdina </em>(Fabricius) Occurrence in A Wet Zone Cashew (<em>Anacardium Occidentale L.</em>) Field in Sri Lanka

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