Coptotermes testaceus (L.) (Rhinotermitidae) is a subterranean termite species that causes damage in urban and agricultural areas in the neotropics. Despite its economic importance, there are no studies on its basic biological aspects for laboratory management and the development of strategies for its control. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relative humidity, temperature, substrate moisture and preference to different wood substrates for the best C. testaceus survival under laboratory conditions. For this, a range of eight relative humidity (from 9 to 100%), three temperatures (20, 25 and 30 °C), six substrates (Pinus sp, Cedrela odorata (L.), Cocos nucifera (L.), Eucalyptus urophylla (S. T. Blake), Haematoxylum campechianum (L.) and Tabebuia rosea [Bertol.] DC) and four substrate moistures, (0 to 60%) were tested. The results of this study indicated a significant effect of all factors on termite survival or termite preference. When tested independently, the highest survival percentage of C.testaceus was obtained with humidity of 100%, temperature of 20 °C, substrate moisture of 60% and the Eucalyptus urophylla substrate, reaching 83.33% survival at 21 days of observation. With these preliminary assays on small termite groups, it is concluded that with the appropriate percentages of humidity, temperature and substrate and the interaction of these three factors, further research can be conducted using larger termite groups in biologically relevant conditions, in order to study various aspects of C. testaceus biology.
<p><strong>Background. </strong>The mangrove forest is a mixture of tree and shrub species which inhabit the coastal areas of the tropics and subtropics, around estuaries and coastal lagoons, near the mouths of rivers, with another different capacities than the tolerance of salinity. Despite its ecological and social importance, it is one of the ecosystems most threatened by changes in land use and climatic variations. <strong>Objective.</strong> Evaluate the increase in total height and basal diameter in the dry and rainy period in <em>Avicennia germinans</em> L. seedlings, from the nursery and from natural regeneration. <strong>Methodology.</strong> In ten sampling units (SU) the total height (At), basal diameter (Db) and the survival rate (%) of the reforested individuals were recorded. In each SU, three Sub-SU (SSU) were installed where only the first two attributes were recorded for natural repopulation. The measurements were carried out in three stages during one year (M1, M2 and M3). <strong>Results</strong>. The mean annual increase in reforestation was 1.14 cm in Db and 58.8 cm in At. SU 4 was the one that reported the greatest increase in Db (1.87 cm) and At (132.6 cm), while the lowest values were presented in SU 9. The growth relationship between Db and At was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). Reforestation survival decreased from 73.2% to 52.7% during the evaluation period. The highest growth in Db, At and survival were in the SU´s where the water flow is greater and with a canopy gap is larger. Natural regeneration had a lower mean annual increase in both Db (0.51 cm) and At (37.2 cm). <strong>Implications.</strong> This novel information provides the basis for the planning, management and conservation of <em>A. germinans</em> in the southeast of Mexico. <strong>Conclusion</strong>. The time of measurement and the ecological differences between sampling units significantly influence the dasometric increase of <em>A. germinans</em>. The reforested individuals show a greater annual increase in Db and At compared to those of natural regeneration.</p>
Eucalyptus grandis plantations are of great importance, from a social point of view due to their great commercial value, and from an ecological point of view because they are capable of harboring a certain biodiversity of species. The leaf area index (LAI) is an important indicator to measure the health of these plantations related to productivity. The objective of this research is to estimate the LAI from Sentinel images in Eucalyptus grandis plantations. Sentinel satellite images were used to estimate the LAI in the plantations, later the statistical analyzes were carried out by means of a comparison of independent means. Values were obtained as the mean that was 2.0 of the leaf area index in the plantations, these results were very similar to those obtained in other investigations carried out in the field. Therefore, it is recommended to use this methodology in other types of plantations, since it can be used to be applied in other equations to calculate the potential yield of crops.
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