Browsing by Author "Longing, S.D."

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    Communities of Canopy-Dwelling Arthropods in Response to Diverse Forages
    (2018) Bhandari, Krishna B.; West, C.P.; Longing, S.D.
    ‘WW-B.Dahl’ old world bluestem (OWB) [Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz) S.T. Blake] is an important warm-season perennial grass pasture in semiarid western Texas. This grass deters pestiferous ants; however, its effect on canopy-dwelling insects is not documented. The abundance of canopy-dwelling arthropods among OWB, OWB–alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), alfalfa, and native grass pastures was compared by sweep-net sampling over 3 yr (2014–2016). Forty-six families of nine insect orders and a single family of spider (Araneae: Araneidae) were identified. Among total individuals, 85% were insects and 15% were spiders. Housefly (Musca spp., Diptera: Muscidae), potato leafhopper (Empoasca spp., Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), lygus bug (Lygus hesperus, Hemiptera: Miridae), and spur-throated grasshopper (Melanoplus spp., Orthoptera: Acrididae) were other abundant taxa. Among the insects collected, spur-throated grasshoppers were the most abundant, comprising 12% of total taxa. Alfalfa hosted the greatest number of total insects, including pests such as potato leafhopper and lygus bug. Lower abundances of pestiferous insects were found in OWB while still hosting greater abundances of some arthropods of ecological significance such as spider and ladybird beetle (Hippodamia spp., Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).
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    Pollinator Abundance in Semiarid Pastures as Affected by Forage Species
    (2018) Bhandari, Krishna B.; West, C.P.; Longing, S.D.; Brown, C.P.; Green, P.E.; Barkowsky, E.
    The semiarid Texas High Plains has a declining water supply for irrigated crop production because of unsustainable pumping from the Ogallala aquifer. Conversion of land from annual crops to limited-irrigated perennial forages is an option for profitable land use. ‘WW-B.Dahl’ old world bluestem [Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz) S.T. Blake, OWB] is a well-adapted grass known for deterring some soil-dwelling insects, but effects of OWB on insect pollinators are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether adapted forage types (species or mixtures) affected insect pollinator abundance in pastures. Foraging insects were collected using bee bowls and compared among OWB alone, OWB mixed with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), alfalfa, and a native grass mix. Twenty-one families from four orders of insects were recovered over 3 yr. Sweat bee (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) was the most abundant family, with 59% of the total number of insects collected. Honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) constituted an additional 17% of the total number of insects collected, with hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and skippers (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) found in lesser abundances. Interactions between forage type and years restricted consistent forage-type effects. In general, the lowest abundances of foraging insects were commonly found in OWB growing alone, especially of the native, ground-nesting sweat bee, whereas greater abundances were more commonly found in native grass and alfalfa pastures. Widespread adoption of WW-B.Dahl OWB may reduce local numbers of foraging insects in the Texas High Plains, which could negatively affect pollinators in managed grasslands.