Ek del Val | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (original) (raw)

Papers by Ek del Val

The use of biological control agents to control pests is an alternative to pesticides and a tool ... more The use of biological control agents to control pests is an alternative to pesticides and a tool to manage invasive alien species. However, biocontrol agents can themselves become invasive species under certain conditions. The harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) is a native Asian biocontrol agent that has become a successful invader. We reviewed articles containing ''Harmonia axyridis'' to gather information on its presence and surveyed entomologists researching Coccinellidae around the world to investigate further insights about the current distribution, vectors of introduction, habitat use and threats this species pose. The harlequin ladybird has established populations in at least 59 countries outside its native range. Twenty six percent of the surveyed scientists considered it a potential threat to native Coccinellidae. Published studies and scientists suggest Adalia bipunctata, native to Europe, is under the highest risk of population declines. Strict policies should be incorporated to prevent its arrival to non-invaded areas and to prevent further expansion range. Managing invasive species is a key priority to prevent biodiversity loss and promote ecosystem services.

Anthropod-plant interactions, May 28, 2024

Journal of Pest Science, Jan 2, 2024

Oecologia

Phylogenetic diversity of plant communities can influence the interaction between plants, herbivo... more Phylogenetic diversity of plant communities can influence the interaction between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies. Plant communities with phylogenetically distant species tend to present a wide variety of functional traits and ecological niches, which in turn can influence competitive interactions among plants as well as food and habitat quality for herbivores and their natural enemies. To assess some different mechanisms by which phylogenetic diversity of plant communities can influence herbivores and their natural enemies, we established 12 experimental plots of tropical trees with two treatments: high and low phylogenetic diversity. We measured plant growth and anti-herbivore defenses, herbivore foliar damage, and predator activity in seven species that were present in both treatments. We found significant differences in the expression of plant traits as a function of species identity and their life history, but also depending on the phylogenetic context in which th...

Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad, Dec 8, 2022

Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales, 2019

Los herbívoros invertebrados son un factor limitante para la supervivencia de las plantas en cond... more Los herbívoros invertebrados son un factor limitante para la supervivencia de las plantas en condiciones de restauración, pero existen pocos estudios en los que se haya abordado este tema. En un experimento con una duración de cuatro años que se realizó en Michoacán, México con Pinus pseudostrobus y P. montezumae , crecieron, saludablemente hasta 2006, cuando fueron atacados por Pineus strobi (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). En consecuencia se evaluó el efecto de los adélgidos sobre el arbolado. En 2006 la infestación, a pesar de ser grande, no tuvo efectos significativos sobre el crecimiento de ninguna de las dos especies de pinos. En 2007 se realizó un experimento para eliminar a P. strobi mediante la aplicación del insecticida Decis ® y evaluar su efecto sobre los árboles. Durante ese año se midió la infestación de los insectos y el desarrollo de los árboles mensualmente, durante la temporada de crecimiento. Los resultados muestran que el producto aplicado redujo la infestación de P. s...

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2020

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

Fig. 4. Network of mitochondrial COI haplotypes obtained from D. frontalis samples from 11 sites ... more Fig. 4. Network of mitochondrial COI haplotypes obtained from D. frontalis samples from 11 sites in Mexico and the United States.The area of each circle is proportional to the number of samples with that haplotype. Small black dots represent un-sampled (or extinct) haplotypes separating observed haplotypes. Haplotypes are color-coded to indicate the geographic population from which they were sampled (Table 1).

Fig. 3. Neighbor-net network based on FST genetic differentiation among D. frontalis populations ... more Fig. 3. Neighbor-net network based on FST genetic differentiation among D. frontalis populations in the eastern United States.

Fig. 1. The geographic range of D. frontalis (green), with locations of sampling sites.The geogra... more Fig. 1. The geographic range of D. frontalis (green), with locations of sampling sites.The geographic range is based on the distributions of suitable pine host tree species from Critchfield and Little (1966), modified to reflect the current northern limits of D. frontalis. United States and Mexican state abbreviations are as follows: Alabama, AL; Arizona, AZ; Florida, FL; Georgia, GA; Louisiana, LA; Michoacán, MC; Maryland, MD; Mississippi, MS; and Pennsylvania, PA.

Survival of Brosimum lactescens seedlings during a period of eleven months

Biotropica, 2021

Dung beetle activity causes many changes in the soil when they remove feces from the surface. In ... more Dung beetle activity causes many changes in the soil when they remove feces from the surface. In temperate grasslands and in greenhouse experiments, these changes have been found to positively affect established plants, but information about these effects under natural conditions in tropical forests is practically nonexistent. In a tropical rainforest (Los Tuxtlas, Mexico), we carried out field experiments with seedlings of six tree species (Brosimum alicastrum, Calophyllum brasiliense, Cymbopetalum baillonii, Diospyros digyna, Omphalea oleifera, and Poulsenia armata), to assess whether feces burial by dung beetles had any positive effect on them. We estimated foliar nitrogen and phosphorus, seedling survival, growth and resource allocation, under three treatment levels: (a) feces added and beetles active, (b) feces added and beetles excluded, and (c) no feces added (and consequently no beetles active). We analyzed data at two levels: community (all plant species together) and indiv...

Global Ecology and Conservation, 2014

Plant Ecology, 2003

Cecropia peltata L. is a myrmecophyte, with a wide distribution in the neotropics, predominantly ... more Cecropia peltata L. is a myrmecophyte, with a wide distribution in the neotropics, predominantly associated with ants of the genus Azteca. It has been shown that Azteca ants defend Cecropia plants against herbivores, and that the plants provide housing (hollow stems) and food (Müllerian bodies) for the ant colony. In the field, occupation by ants does not take place until

Ecosistemas, 2021

Se presenta una base de datos de los registros de interacción planta-bupréstidos en México (latit... more Se presenta una base de datos de los registros de interacción planta-bupréstidos en México (latitud 14.540833 y 32.718333; longitud -118.456666 y -86.710000), con información obtenida en publicaciones científicas y colecciones entomológicas mexicanas, con la intención de facilitar el uso y la difusión de los datos entre taxónomos, ecólogos, y otras personas interesadas en el estudio y exploración de la relación planta-Coleoptera; así como con posibles usos en planes de conservación. Se compiló un total de 1656 registros de interacciones a partir de más de 5200 especímenes documentados en 115 artículos –publicados entre 1902 y 2020–, y de la revisión de aproximadamente 7000 especímenes depositados en tres colecciones entomológicas. Los registros de interacción compilados pertenecen a 45 géneros, 318 especies y 13 subespecies de bupréstidos mexicanos asociados a 56 familias, 159 géneros y 202 especies, subespecies y variedades de plantas hospedadoras, que fueron observados o colectado...