Monday, 15 November 2004
D0201

The effect of riparian forested corridors on beneficial and detrimental entomofauna in coffee farms of the Turrialba Region, Costa Rica

Mariangie Ramos, ramo7363@uidaho.edu1, Edgar Varon, evaron@catie.ac.cr1, Sanford D. Eigenbrode, sanforde@uidaho.edu2, Nilsa A. Bosque-Perez, nbosque@uidaho.edu2, and Luko Hilje, lhilje@catie.ac.cr3. (1) University of Idaho, PSES, CATIE-km.2 via a Limon, Turrialba, Costa Rica, (2) University of Idaho, Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences, P.O. Box 442339, Moscow, ID, (3) Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), 7170, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

Riparian forested corridors are often left in coffee farms of Costa Rica, due to legal requirements or unsuitability for planting. These corridors may affect the abundance of beneficial and detrimental entomofauna in coffee farms. They may affect the abundance and species richness of bee pollinators by providing alternative foraging, nesting and resting sites. Additionally, riparian forested corridors may act as buffers against leaf-cutting ant damage to coffee plants or promote the colonization of leaf-cutting ants in coffee fields. The effect of distance to riparian forest on bee (Apoidea) abundance and species richness and leaf-cutting ant (Atta spp.) nest density were studied. Three farms with and three without riparian forested corridors in the Turrialba region of Costa Rica were selected for assessments. Bee individuals and leaf-cutting ant nests were monitored across two transects perpendicular to the riparian corridor, or in farms without riparian corridors, perpendicular to the edge of farm. Results of the assessments will be presented.


Species 1: Hymenoptera Formicidae Atta cephalotes (Leaf-cutting ants, Fungus grower ants)
Species 2: Hymenoptera Apidae Melipona beechei (stingless bees)
Species 3: Hymenoptera Apidae Trigona corvina (stingless bees)
Keywords: edge effect, reservoir

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