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Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that cactus bugs, Chelinidea vittiger Uhler, prefer fire damaged host plants to undamaged hosts. In fifteen replications utilizing a total of 75 burned and unburned pairs of prickly pear cactus pads, Opuntia polyacantha Haw., a total of 150 cactus insects (1:1 sex ratio) showed highly significant preferences for burned hosts as resting, feeding, and mating sites. Unburned pads were usually selected for oviposition because spines utilized as oviposition sites were destroyed on burned plants. The positive responses of cactus bugs to burned hosts suggests that fire stressed plants are more attractive and vulnerable to attack by this insect and possibly most other cactus insects.
Cataloging Information
- arid regions
- arthropods
- Chelinidea vittiger
- Coleoptera
- competition
- fire adaptations (animals)
- fire injuries (plants)
- fire management
- grazing
- habits and behavior
- Hymenoptera
- insect ecology
- insects
- laboratory fires
- livestock
- mortality
- Opuntia
- Opuntia polyacantha
- plant diseases
- range management
- reproduction
- Texas
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