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Effects of White Grubs on Soil Water Infiltration

  • Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics
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Abstract

Water infiltration rates k were measured in mesocosms with soil and “white grubs” of Ancognatha falsa (Arrow) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae). Three third instars of A. falsa and three adult earthworms Pontoscolex corethrurus were selected, weighted, and introduced into the mesocosms setting three treatments: soil + A. falsa, soil + P. corethrurus, and control (soil without any macroorganism). The experiment had a completely random design with four replicates per treatment (n = 4). The infiltration rates of soil matrix were assessed in each mesocosms with a minidisk tension infiltrometer. Six measurements were made along the experiment. Results showed that larvae of A. falsa promoted a higher water infiltration in the soil, compared to the control. On day 7, k values were similar among treatments, but k values after 28 days and up to 100 days were much higher in the A. falsa treatment (k = 0.00025 cm s−1) if compared to control (k = 0.00011 cm s−1) and P. corethrurus (k = 0.00008 cm s−1) treatments. The k values were significantly higher in the presence of larvae of A. falsa compared to the control and P. corethrurus treatments. The larvae of A. falsa are potential candidates for new assays on soil water infiltration with different tensions to evaluate the role of pores and holes created by the larvae on soils.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank S. Rocha, N. Portilla, L. Cruz and V. Méndez, A. Santos, and M. de los Santos (INECOL) for their support in soil analysis and experimental logistics and SEP-CONACyT for the financial support and a Postdoc scholarship under the project no. 106788.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Univ Autónoma de Puebla, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, 72570, Puebla, México

    A A Romero-López

  2. Instituto de Ecología A.C, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    E Rodríguez-Palacios, D Geissert & I Barois

  3. Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Univ Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    E Alarcón-Gutiérrez

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  1. A A Romero-López
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  2. E Rodríguez-Palacios
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  3. E Alarcón-Gutiérrez
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  4. D Geissert
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  5. I Barois
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Correspondence to A A Romero-López.

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Edited by Kleber Del Claro – UFU

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Romero-López, A.A., Rodríguez-Palacios, E., Alarcón-Gutiérrez, E. et al. Effects of White Grubs on Soil Water Infiltration. Neotrop Entomol 44, 134–139 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-015-0273-x

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