Browsing by Autor "Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry"

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Biology and Ecology of Alchisme grossa in a Cloud Forest of the Bolivian Yungas
(Oxford University Press, 2014) Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Liliana Alejandra Cáceres Sanchez; Daniela Saavedra-Ulloa; Luis Flores‐Prado; Hermann M. Niemeyer; Carlos F. Pinto
Treehoppers (Membracidae) exhibit different levels of sociality, from solitary to presocial. Although they are one of the best biological systems to study the evolution of maternal care in insects, information on the biology of species in this group is scarce. This work describes the biology and ecology of Alchisme grossa (Fairmaire) (Hemiptera: Membracidae) in a rain cloud forest of Bolivia. This subsocial membracid utilizes two host-plant species, Brugmansia suaveolens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Wild) Bercht. & J.Presl and Solanum ursinum (Rusby) (both Solanaceae), the first one being used during the whole year and the second one almost exclusively during the wet season. The development of A. grossa from egg to adult occurred on the plant where eggs were laid. Maternal care was observed during the complete nymphal development, and involved behavioral traits such as food facilitation and antidepredatory defense. Life cycle was longer on B. suaveolens during the dry season and shorter on S. ursinum during the wet season. Mortality was similar on both host plants during the wet season but was lower on B. suaveolens during the dry season. The presence of a secondary female companion to the egg-guarding female individual and occasional iteropary is also reported.
Biology, ecology and demography of the tropical treehopper <i> <scp>E</scp> nnya maculicornis </i> ( <scp>H</scp> emiptera: <scp>M</scp> embracidae): relationships between female fitness, maternal care and oviposition sites
(Wiley, 2017) Liliana Alejandra Cáceres Sanchez; Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; ROMINA COSSIO; KENIA REQUE; Sandra Aguilar; Hermann M. Niemeyer; Carlos F. Pinto
1. Treehoppers ( H emiptera: M embracidae) exhibit a wide range of social behaviours related to maternal care and nymphal aggregation. Maternal care represents an investment in terms of time and energy leading to trade‐offs which bear a strong relationship with parity and can thus affect population dynamics. These trade‐offs can be modulated by biotic and abiotic features of the oviposition site. 2. Preliminary observations on E nnya maculicornis ( M embracidae: S imilinae: P olyglyptini) show that females generally lay a single egg mass, and occasionally two or three egg masses, and that maternal care is a plastic trait because some females abandoned their egg mass before it hatched while other females remained with their offspring after egg hatching. These features make this species an interesting model to study the relationship between female fitness, maternal care and ecological factors such as oviposition site. 3. The biology and natural history of E . maculicornis are described and the relationships in question analysed using demographic parameters estimated by matrix models. E nnya maculicornis showed sexual dimorphism and a longer developmental period than other species of the same tribe. Females exhibited maternal care that increased offspring survival, and preferred mature over young host leaves for oviposition. Finite rate of increase ( λ ) values were lower than 1, suggesting a tendency towards population decrease. 4. The results represent the first detailed description of the life history and ecology for a species of this genus. Additionally, new hypotheses for treehopper sexual dimorphism, oviposition site choice and the ecological effects on population dynamics are proposed.
Demographic and performance effects of alternative host use in a Neotropical treehopper (Hemiptera: Membracidae)
(Elsevier BV, 2019) Carlos F. Pinto; Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Luis Flores‐Prado; Ramiro O. Bustamante; Hermann M. Niemeyer
Kin recognition in a subsocial treehopper ( <scp>H</scp> emiptera: <scp>M</scp> embracidae)
(Wiley, 2018) Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Liliana Alejandra Cáceres Sanchez; Luis Flores‐Prado; Daniel Aguilera‐Olivares; Francisco E. Fontúrbel; Hermann M. Niemeyer; Carlos F. Pinto
1. Insects exhibiting parental care usually can discriminate between kin and non‐kin individuals, allowing parents to avoid investment in foreign offspring. 2. This study investigated the occurrence of kin recognition in the sap‐feeding insect Alchisme grossa Fairmaire (Membracidae) through bioassays assessing median female distance to nymphs and degree of nymphal aggregation. Each bioassay involved groups consisting of a female and a cohort of kin or non‐kin nymphs (mother and non‐mother treatments, respectively). Furthermore, cuticular non‐volatile compounds were extracted from nymphal cohorts, analysed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and compared between cohorts. 3. In both treatments, nymphs performed a ‘rocking behaviour’ which appears to be correlated with aggregation. Temporal patterns of degree of nymphal aggregation and median female–nymph distance differed between treatments, the former parameter being higher in the mother treatment and the latter being higher in the non‐mother treatment. 4. A total of 40 compounds were found in the extracts. The composition of cuticular non‐volatile compounds differed between nymphal cohorts. 5. These results support the notion that kin recognition in A. grossa is possibly mediated by nymphal rocking behaviour and/or cuticular non‐volatile compounds (i.e. visual and/or chemical cues).
Natural selection in the tropical treehopper Alchisme grossa (Hemiptera: Membracidae) on two sympatric host-plants
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2016) Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Carlos F. Pinto; Luis Flores‐Prado; Francisco E. Fontúrbel; Hermann M. Niemeyer
Reproductive and brood-rearing strategies in Alchisme grossa (Hemiptera: Membracidae): genetic analyses of kinship relationships
(Springer Nature, 2020) Omar N. Urquizo; David Véliz; Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Caren Vega‐Retter; Luis Flores‐Prado; Hermann M. Niemeyer; Carlos F. Pinto
Response to selected ecological parameters by <i>Leptus hringuri</i> Haitlinger, 2000 larvae (Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae) parasitizing treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) from Bolivia on two host-plant species
(Taylor & Francis, 2020) Daniel Torrico-Bazoberry; Carlos F. Pinto; Joselina Davyt-Colo; Hermann M. Niemeyer
Larvae of Leptus hringuri parasitizing families (adult female + offspring) of the treehopper Alchisme grossa on two host-plants, Brugmansia suaveolens (BS) and Solanum ursinum (SU), were studied. The effect of microenvironmental abiotic conditions (luminosity, temperature and relative humidity) and biotic conditions (distance from the soil to a treehopper host and host-plant phenological stage) on this tritrophic interaction was examined. Overall, the results suggest i) intensity of mite infestation (mean number of mites per infested female or family) of treehoppers (insect hosts) was twice on SU than on BS, ii) a preference of L. hringuri larvae for places with more luminosity (on both host-plants) and relative humidity (on SU), iii) a negative correlation between larval infestation and distance of the host colony to the ground, and iv) that larvae of L. hringuri could detect cues (i.e. chemical) emitted by their insect hosts or the host-plant of the insect host. Results indicate that luminosity, humidity and distance to the ground of the insect-host microenvironment affect both parasitization and prevalence of Leptus larvae mites; however, further research will be needed to understand the ecological mechanisms and consequences of these interactions and to test the hypotheses proposed herein under a chemical ecology perspective.