Efeitos do Biochar na sobrevivência de Ips pini Say 1826 (Curculionidae :scolynae ) e seus predadores

Abstract

Biochar is a material that has been used as a soil amendment where it may increase soil fertility and improve the physical and chemical structures of the soil. There are several studies about the effects of biochar in soil microbial community, however, there is little information available on the direct effects of biochar on forest insect survival. Therefore, this study investigated the potential effects of the exposure of biochar to Ips pini and two of its predators, Enoclerus sphegeus and Temnochila chlorodia. The experiment consisted of exposures of different amounts of dry biochar that was contained or available for the beetles to touch. Statistical analyses were used to compare emerged Ips pini, number of nuptial chambers and the mortality rate of the beetles between non-treated tests versus those that were treated with biochar. There was no significant difference among the treatments in the number of emerged Ips pini and nuptial chambers. Only the treatment that allowed physical contact of the I. pini with the 100mg concentration of biochar resulted in the highest mortality rate during the 72 hour exposure period. Additionally, Enoclerus sphegeus survival was not significant affected by the biochar exposure, on the other hand, Temnochila chlorodia had its survival significantly affect by the biochar exposure. Additional work that compares the impacts of biochars of different compositions on multiple species is necessary to provide a better understanding of the impact of biochar on invertebrate communities.