Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 78 (1): 23-32, 2005
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Infestation patterns of xylophagous insects in second growth stands of Nothofagus
oblique Mirb. and Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Oerst. (Fagales: Nothofagaceae)
Infestation patterns of xylophagous insects were evaluated in second growth stands of
Nothofagus obliqua and Nothofagus dombeyi in Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue provinces of Chile. The
analysis addressed two scales. First, at the individual level, diameter at breast height (DBH) and canopy class (CC) of the host tree
were used as predictor traits of xylophagous damage. Second, at the stand level, variables such as total tree density, host density,
species richness and cover (arboreal, shrubby, herbaceous and epiphytic strata) and their asociation with infestation average were
considered. The infestation mean was 9.35 % for N. obliqua and 15.89 % for N. dombeyi. At individual level
both DBH and CC were positively associated with damage presence. However, the best predictor of tree infestation was DBH in both
N. dombeyi and N. obliqua, greater DBH increasing the probability to find an infested tree. At the stand level,
no relationship was found between insect infestation and evaluated traits in N. obliqua, whereas N.
dombeyi stands with high species richness in the shrubby stratum and/or with higher total tree density and host density showed
the lowest infestation levels.
Key words:
herbivory, xylophagous
insect, wood-boring insect, Nothofagus obliqua, Nothofagus dombeyi
