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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory » LAPRU » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #345603
Title: Higher beetle diversity in native vegetation than in stands of the invasive arundo, Arundo donax L., along the Rio Grande basin in Texas, U.S.A.

Author
item Osbrink, Weste
item Thomas, Donald
item Goolsby, John
item Showler, Allan
item Leal, Brenda

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/11/2018
Publication Date: 5/11/2018
Citation: Osbrink, W.L., Thomas, D.B., Goolsby, J., Showler, A., Leal, B. 2018. Higher beetle diversity in native vegetation than in stands of the invasive arundo, Arundo donax L., along the Rio Grande basin in Texas, U.S.A.. Journal of Insect Science. 18: 1-10.

Interpretive Summary: At the Rio Grande, Texas-Mexico border, beetles collected in pitfall traps were identified and compared between native vegetation and stands of invasive arundo cane every month at 10 locations for a year. A total of 766 beetles representing 34 genera and 19 species were collected. More beetles were collected in the native vegetation than arundo. More beetles were collected in the native vegetation because there was more food available than in the arundo stands. More beetles, that are predators of ticks, may create a more robust biological barrier to cattle fever tick invasion from Mexico along the Rio Grande.

Technical Abstract: Our hypothesis was that there will be greater beetle biodiversity in heterogeneous native vegetation compared with arundo stands. Beetles collected in pitfall traps were identified and compared between native vegetation and stands of arundo, Arundo donax L., monthly for a year at 10 locations. A total of 766 beetles represented by 34 genera and 19 species were collected. More beetles were collected in the native vegetation which also had greater species richness and biological diversity than beetles collected from arundo stands. It is suggested that the heterogeneous nature of native vegetation provided superior harborage and greater and more predictable nourishment in the form of more diverse plant materials and abundant arthropod prey when compared to arundo stands.