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by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-03
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The study surveyed insect pests and their herbivore community diversity on Prosopis juliflora in Ethiopia’s Afar rangelands across three sites (Amibara, Gewanne, Aysayita) using sweep net and hand collection between January and November 2021. Among 118 adult insect specimens, community structure analyzed with the Shannon–Wiener diversity index was linked to patterns of plant reproductive damage: Amibara had the highest insect diversity and showed significant flower loss (5.98%) and pod tunneling (10.39%) mainly attributed to Chrysomelidae and Pyralidae, while Gewanne had lower diversity but higher sap-sucking damage (13.39% shriveled pods; 5.11% flower curling) caused by Aphididae. Across sites, 18.41% of pods and 11.59% of flowers showed insect-related injury, and the paper reports that internal seed predation and nutrient depletion reduced viable seed production, with natural insects acting as partial biological control agents. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.
Abstract
Prosopis juliflora is an invasive alien plant species and a problematic weed that poses significant ecological and socio-economic challenges in Ethiopia, particularly in the Afar rangelands. The study explored the diversity and effects of insect herbivores communities feeding on the flowers and pods of P. juliflora to determine their role in limiting reproductive success across three selected ecological sites: Amibara, Gewanne, and Aysayita. A total of 118 adult insect specimens were collected between January and November 2021 using a sweep net and hand collection methods. Community structure, analysis via the Shannon Wiener diversity index, strongly influenced damage pattern. Amibara exhibited the highest insect diversity resulting in significant reproductive damage, including 5.98% of flower loss and 10.39% pods tunneling, primarily caused by Chrysomelidae and Pyralidae. Conversely, Gewanne was showed lower diversity, but higher sap-sucking (13.39 % shriveled pods; 5.11 % flower curling) were caused by Aphididae. Overall, 18.41 % of the pods, and 11.59 % of the flowers were exhibited insect related injury. These finding confirm that more internal seed predation and nutrient depletion were revealed significantly reduce viable seed production. The result was suggested that natural insect communities currently function as partial biological control agents. This indicates strong potential for developing integrated biological control strategies to manage P. juliflora invasion in Ethiopia rangelands.
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Abstract
Prosopis juliflora is an invasive alien plant species and a problematic weed that poses significant ecological and socio-economic challenges in Ethiopia, particularly in the Afar rangelands. The study explored the diversity and effects of insect herbivores communities feeding on the flowers and pods of P. juliflora to determine their role in limiting reproductive success across three selected ecological sites: Amibara, Gewanne, and Aysayita. A total of 118 adult insect specimens were collected between January and November 2021 using a sweep net and hand collection methods. Community structure, analysis via the Shannon Wiener diversity index, strongly influenced damage pattern. Amibara exhibited the highest insect diversity resulting in significant reproductive damage, including 5.98% of flower loss and 10.39% pods tunneling, primarily caused by Chrysomelidae and Pyralidae. Conversely, Gewanne was showed lower diversity, but higher sap-sucking (13.39 % shriveled pods; 5.11 % flower curling) were caused by Aphididae. Overall, 18.41 % of the pods, and 11.59 % of the flowers were exhibited insect related injury. These finding confirm that more internal seed predation and nutrient depletion were revealed significantly reduce viable seed production. The result was suggested that natural insect communities currently function as partial biological control agents. This indicates strong potential for developing integrated biological control strategies to manage P. juliflora invasion in Ethiopia rangelands.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Email: getay27{at}Gmail.com ; etaygittet{at}rayu.edu.et, Email: seidz7560{at}su.edu.et
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