Translated by Judong Shen

Edited by Mohan Ramaswamy

Source: Journal of Nanjing Agricultural University [Nanjing Nongye Daxue Xuebao ISSN: 1000-2030] (1996) v.19(3)p.55-58

 

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE OF APHIS GLYCINES MATSUMURA

 

Jianya Su, Kangshan Hao and Xiaoling Shi

(Institute of Agricultural Entomology, Nanjing Agric Univ., Nanjing 210095)

 

ABSTRACT The spatial distribution of Aphis glycines Matsumura was studied. All sets of samples exhibited aggregated patterns of spatial distribution, but did not fit Poisson, Neymann (n=0~4 and ), Poisson-binomial and compound Poisson distributions. Of 11 sets of samples tested, 10 sets fitted the negative binomial distribution; only 1 set did not fit. The fundamental components of the spatial distributions of Aphis glycines are aggregated distribution of individual populations; the degrees of aggregation increase with the population densities. The spatial distribution parameters (, , ,,) of the soybean aphids and species aggregation average degree () were analyzed, the reason of aggregation patterns of the aphids was discussed, and the relation between the average sizes of the individual population and its average densities was predicted. The theoretical sizes of sampling and sequential sampling plans of fixed levels with precision were determined by utilizing estimated variance/mean relationship obtained from Taylor’s power law regression. The theoretical size of sampling is    and the stop line of fixed-precision-level sequential sampling is  .

Key words Aphis glycines Matsumura; spatial distribution; sampling

 

Aphis glycines Matsumura is one of the serious pests on soybean in China. This paper is the first study about the analysis of the characterization of field distribution patterns and the spatial distribution parameters. The application of spatial distribution parameters on the sampling technique has also been explored.

 

1.     Data sources and methods

 

The population of A. glycines in the experimental fields of Nanjing Agriculture University was studied by sampling survey in 1995. The sampling unit was a compound leaf. Four hundred individual plants were investigated continuously. Three pieces of compound leaves were taken from the upper, middle and bottom parts of each individual plant. Totally, eleven fields were surveyed, thus the data of eleven groups of samples were obtained. Those data were applied for the analysis of the distribution pattern characteristics using frequency mapping, degree of aggregation indices and regression model methods respectively. Furthermore, the characteristics of the parameters were investigated.

 

2. Results and Analysis

 

2.1 The determination of the distribution patterns

 

The distribution patterns were analyzed using the frequency mapping, aggregation degree indices and regression model methods respectively.

 

2.1.1 Frequency mapping method

Eleven groups of sample data were listed in the frequency distribution table, and the theoretical frequencies of five kinds of distributions (Poisson distribution, negative binominal distribution, Neymann distribution (n=0~4 and n=), Poisson-binomial and compound Poisson distribution) were calculated using computers. Then the chi square value was calculated. The results showed that of 11 sets of samples tested, 10 sets fitted the negative binomial distribution, only 1 set did not fit (probably due to the discrete sample data), and all the samples did not fit other distributions.

 

2.1.2 Degree of aggregation indices method

For each group of sample, the mean (), variance (), average degree of aggregation (), k value of negative binomial distributions, dispersion index (C), Kuno’s  index, Moristita’s , cluster index (y), average size index of individual population () were calculated respectively. The measurement standards are given in Table 1. It has been shown from Table 2 that all aggregation indices of A. glycines conform with the measurement standards [1~3], which accounts for the result that all of the eleven groups of samples belong to clustered distribution.

 

Table 1. Several aggregation parameters for measuring spatial pattern of insects

Distribution Pattern

Dispersion index C

Morisita’s

Kuno’s

Cluster index (y)

Taylor’s b

Twao’s

Poisson

1

1

0

1

1

1

Aggregation

>1

>1

>0

>1

>1

>1

Regular

<1

<1

<0

<1

<1

<1

Measurements

 

Table 2. The aggregation parameters of A. glycines population

Date

y

Degrees of freedom

Pattern

1995-07-24

1.310 0

8.185 7

3.491 4

6.248 6

5.006 6

5.005 8

21.05

18

N.B.D.

1995-07-26

0.987 5

5.205 0

3.661 8

5.270 9

5.325 0

5.325 0

32.19

15

C.D.

1995-07-28

0.776 7

3.563 1

4.211 0

4.587 7

5.619 0

5.620 4

13.28

11

N.B.D.

1995-07-30

0.510 0

2.145 0

4.882 4

4.205 9

7.286 1

7.291 2

3.95

11

N.B.D.

1995-08-01

0.640 0

3.613 4

5.910 7

5.646 0

8.259 4

8.262 7

2.73

11

N.B.D.

1995-08-03

0.429 2

1.851 5

6.121 6

4.314 2

8.821 8

8.731 1

10.24

8

N.B.D.

1995-08-05

0.748 3

2.885 7

3.410 8

3.853 2

4.816 9

4.817 8

13.36

10

N.B.D.

1995-08-07

0.459 2

1.908 3

5.284 0

4.155 9

7.872 6

7.879 9

8.01

11

N.B.D.

1995-08-14

0.306 7

0.861 7

4.868 8

2.809 8

6.900 9

6.912 7

8.00

8

N.B.D.

1995-08-16

0.317 5

1.312 8

5.591 9

4.134 8

10.873 4

10.891 0

10.96

8

N.B.D.

1995-08-18

0.526 7

2.229 5

3.977 4

4.233 2

7.138 6

7.143 6

11.23

9

N.B.D.

* N.B.D. = negative binomial distribution; C.D. = clustered distribution.

 

2.1.3 Regression model method

The eleven groups of sample data were used to check the distribution of A. glycines based on the regression equation: , which consists of the relation between average degree of aggregation () and the mean (). Iwao proposed this method. The results are as the follows:

                            = 1.953 1 + 3.421 6 (r = 0.875 7, F=29.6)

The value of = 1.953 1>0 shows that the fundamental components of the spatial distributions of A. glycines population are individual populations. The value of = 3.421 6>1 shows that the fundamental components of the distributions of A. glycines population are clustered distributions.

 

The Iwao model improved by Rumei Xu is:

                            = 1.920 8 + 3.522 1- 0.064 74

Its r value (r = - 0.064 7) approaches 0 and there is little difference between its values of ,  and the values of , in the original Iwao model.

 

The results are as the follows tested by Taylor’s regression equation: , which consists of the relation between variance () and the mean ():

                     = 5.364 (r = 0.976 6, F=185.5)

The values of a = 5.364 1>1 and b = 1.360 1>1 show that the distributions of A. glycines are all clustered distributions in all densities and the aggregation degrees increase with the population densities.

 

The F-value in analysis of variance showed that Taylor’s variance and regression equation of means reflected the aggregation and distribution patterns of A. glycines in fields more accurately than Iwao’s average degree of aggregation and regression of mean did. The relevant coefficients of Taylor’s regression equation and F value were all greater than Iwao’s. The Taylor’s b value was dependent on specific characters of insect species. As the life behaviors of species vary form each other, the b values differ between species a lot. While, for the species with the similar life behaviors and distribution patterns, their b values are quite similar between each other. Thus, b values are more suitable in the application of sampling experiments than Iwao’s parameters.

 

2.2 The size analysis of individual population of A. glycines

The spatial distribution of A. glycines is the clustered distribution of individual population structure in terms of the parameters and . Its aggregation size relates to the k value of negative binomial distribution, which can be represented by the average size index of individual population (L) [5]. The established relation equation between L and average density () is: = 2.063 + 3.711 1 (r = 0.935 7). The size of individual population of A. glycines is unstable since it increases with the population density.

 

2.3 Analysis of causes of aggregation

 

Average degree of population aggregation () proposed by Blacksmith was used to examine the aggregation phenomenon of A. glycines in fields. The formula to calculate the average degree of population aggregation is:

                    

in which k is the parameter of negative binomial distribution, and r is the function of  when the degrees of freedom are 2k. The aggregation results from some environmental factors when  is less than 2. However, when  is greater than 2, the aggregation results from the combined effects of both insects’ behaviors and the environmental factors. The  values in eleven groups of samples are all less than 2, which shows that the aggregation distribution of A. glycines results from the different characteristics of the environment, and it is also related to the very low population density of A. glycines.

 

2.4 Determination of the theoretical sampling size

 

The theoretical sampling size and the stop lines of fixed-precision-level sequential sampling are determined using the parameters a and b in Taylor’s variance and mean equation. They are as follows respectively:

                               

in which n is the size of sampling,  is the cumulative number of aphids, D is the precision index (n = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3). If the values of a and b are substituted in the above equation, the theoretical size of sampling and the stop lines of fixed-precision-level sequential sampling under different aphid densities () and different precision requirements could be obtained as follows:

                             

It is shown in Figure 1 that the theoretical size of sampling (n) will increase exponentially with the decrease of the aphid densities (). In the process of fixed-precision-level sequential sampling, the investigation could be terminated when the accumulative aphid number reaches the stop lines in Figure 2. In practice, the precision level could be determined by the specific requirements. Usually, D is set to 0.2 in large fields.

 

    

Fig. 1 Sample size curves for leaf samples                 Fig. 2 Stop lines for fixed-precision-level

of A. glycines                                         sequential sampling for A. glycines

 

 

(This paper was reviewed by Prof. Xianian Cheng. The authors acknowledge him)

 

 

References:

 

1.       Laixing Tong, Baiyao Shen, Xiaofeng Yu et al. The parameter characteristics and its applications of the spatial distribution patterns of flat-thorn-moth on peaches, Entomological Knowledge, 1994, 31 (1): 11~14

2.       Rumei Xu. Ecology of Insect species. The Press of Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 1987, 7~34

3.       Xiangguang Wu. The commonly used mathematical analysis methods of insect ecology. Agriculture Press, Beijing, 1985, 343~517

4.       Elliott N C, Kieckhefer R W. Cereal aphid populations in winter wheat: Spatial distributions and sampling with fixed levels of precision. Environ. Entomol., 1986, 15: 954~958

5.       Yanqing Ding. The definition and the feature analysis of the model of individual species size. Entomological Knowledge, 1993, 30 (5): 304~306

 

 

(Editor: Hongyan Zhao)