Shifts in Ecological Dominance between Two Lepidopteran Species in Refuge Areas of Bt Cotton.

Competition behavior involving agricultural pest species has long been viewed as a powerful selective force that drives ecological and phenotypic diversity. In this context, a Game Theory-based approach may be useful to describe the decision-making dilemma of a competitor with impacts to guarantee its superiority in terms of ecological dominance or sharing of the food resource with its competitor. In an attempt to elucidate the consequences of competitive dynamics for the ecological dominance of these species in refuge areas of Bt cotton, we conducted a study that was divided into two parts.

[Spatial distribution of plants infested with Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on corn crop].

The importance of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is not only due to the damage it can cause, but also to its difficult control.