Keywords
leaf-flushing
macroarthropod abundances
canopies
Eucalyptus
How to Cite
Abstract
Flushing of leaves and macroarthropod abundances were monitored in the canopies of five species of Eucalyptus saplings under different conditions and seasons. Leaf-flushing took place year round but was most prevalent during periods of high rainfall. Flushing was not synchronous among saplings even within a species. Saplings in open field conditions retained the young quality of new leaves longer than those in shaded woodlands. Arthropod numbers differed significantly among individual saplings and species of sapling, and with time and exposure. There were significant interactive effects. There were more arthropods on saplings in the sun than on those under a tree canopy. Values ranged from zero to over 20,000 insects on individual saplings at particular sampling times. Peaks of abundance were of short duration and were attributable to different species of insects at different sampling periods. Coleóptera, Hemiptera and Formicidae (ants) were the most common groups. Insect peaks were not consistently in concert with leaf flushes. Susceptibility to insect attack was influenced by whether or not a particular sapling flushed simultaneously with the occurrence of a peak of grazing insects. Canopies of saplings were more accessible to quantify temporal and spatial variation in insects than were mature trees.
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