Sophie Rochefort

Publications (3)3.81 Total impact

• Article: Impact of four turf management regimes on arthropod abundance in lawns.

  Sophie Rochefort, David J Shetlar, Jacques Brodeur
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Turfgrass management practices, especially the use of chemical pesticides, may be detrimental to beneficial arthropods such as predators and decomposers. However, little is known about the impact of other practices or pest control products on these beneficials. The impact of four different management regimes, consisting of synthetic pesticide cover sprays or combinations of more targeted applications of natural pesticides, on selected groups of non-targeted arthropods in lawns of different age was studied over 3 years. The short-term effect of diazinon and carbaryl on Carabidae and Collembola was also evaluated. RESULTS: Formicidae and Araneae were the most abundant taxa at both sites, representing 74-80% of total captures. With a few short-term exceptions, no persistent and significant difference between turfgrass management regimes on arthropod abundance was observed over the 3 year study. Diazinon and carbaryl significantly reduced Carabidae abundance, but only one year out of three, while Collembola abundance was only transiently affected by carbaryl application in 2003. CONCLUSION: The study showed that practices and products used in the four management regimes did not disrupt the populations of specific groups of arthropods. These results provide useful information to professionals for the development of ecological turf practices to maintain beneficial arthropod abundance and diversity in urban landscapes. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.
  Pest Management Science 05/2012; · 2.25 Impact Factor
• Article: Ground Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Their Seasonal Abundance in Cool Season Turfgrass Lawns of Quebec

  Sophie Rochefort, David J. Shetlar, Jacques Brodeur
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  ABSTRACT: Turfgrass lawns support a diverse fauna of arthropods including ground beetles, a major predator and seed feeding group. Despite their ubiquity and ecological roles, few studies have looked at ground beetle diversity and composition within lawns. We studied assemblages of Carabidae and their seasonal abundance in a newly established and a 10-yr-old lawn located in Quebec City, Canada. Carabids were sampled from May to November in 2003, 2004, and 2005 using pitfall traps. A total of 17 species in 10 genera and 7 tribes were identified. In the new lawn, three ground beetle species represented 72% of total Carabidae: Harpalus rufipes (30%), Clivina fossor (30%), and Amara aenea (12%). In the older lawn, the most abundant species were Amara aenea (31%), Bembidion mimus (21%), and Dyschirius brevispinus (19%), representing 71% of total Carabidae. Ground beetles were six times more abundant at the older site, and there were minor differences in species diversity between sites and years. For the most abundant Carabidae collected, seasonal abundance patterns were similar for A. aenea and B. mimus with peak abundance in July and/or August. For Harpalus rufipes, seasonal abundance was higher in 2003 and 2005 than in 2004, suggesting a biennial life cycle.
  Environmental Entomology 11/2009; · 1.56 Impact Factor
• Article: Abondance saisonnière des espèces de pyrales des prés (Lepidoptera : Crambidae) associées aux graminées à gazon au Québec

  Sophie Rochefort, Yves Carrière, David J. Shetlar
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  ABSTRACT: L'échantillonnage de 15 terrains gazonnés des régions de Québec et de Montréal, Québec, Canada, a permis d'identifier les espèces de pyrales des prés présentes dans les pelouses urbaines, ainsi que celles causant des dommages au stade larvaire. Le dépistage des papillons a été réalisé de juin à septembre à l'aide de pièges lumineux, et celui des larves à l'aide d'un perce-trou de golf (emporte-pièce). Onze espèces de pyrales des prés adultes ont été capturées dans les pièges lumineux en 1998 et quatre en 1999. De ces espèces, trois étaient plus abondantes et associées aux pelouses, soit Crambus praefectellus, Pediasia trisecta, la grande pyrale des prés, et Chrysoteuchia topiaria, l'anneleur de la canneberge. Les patrons d'abondance saisonnière des adultes de ces trois espèces durant la saison estivale ont été établis pour 1998 et 1999. L'anneleur de la canneberge est la seule espèce qui a causé des dommages aux pelouses étudiées. (Seasonal abundance of the sod webworm species (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) associated with turfgrass in Quebec) Fifteen lawns in Quebec City and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, were sampled in 1998 and 1999 to establish the sod webworm species complex associated with turfgrass and to determine the damaging species at the larval stage. Sod webworm adults were captured with light traps from June to September. A golf cup cutter served to monitor larvae in sod with webworm damage. Eleven sod webworm species were captured with light traps in 1998 and four in 1999. Three of these species were dominant: Crambus preafectellus (silver-striped webworm), Pediasia trisecta (larger sod webworm) and Chrysoteuchia topiaria (cranberry girdler). The seasonal abundance of these species at the adult stage was established during the summer of 1998 and 1999. The cranberry girdler was the only species that caused damages to the turf. Conférence internationale francophone d'entomologie - Montréal 2002