Jorge Ruiz-Arocho

• BSc
• PhD Student at University of Vermont

Although crop leaf traits associated with acquisitive life strategies might largely be the result of inherence from their wild progenitors, more research is still needed to understand the roles that genotype and environment play in their expression. Given their importance for regulating photosynthesis and protecting plants from herbivores, it is su...

Conservation of maize landraces in the Mexico center of origin is critical for sustainable agriculture. However, farmers in many regions of Mexico are abandoning landraces for more modern maize varieties, particularly hybrid maize. The reasons farmers choose to maintain maize landraces have been recently recognized as strongly linked to their speci...

Conservation of maize landraces in the Mexico center of origin is critical for sustainable agriculture. However, farmers in many regions of Mexico are reducing landraces for more modern maize varieties, particularly hybrid maize. The reasons why farmers choose to maintain maize landraces have been recently recognized to be strongly linked to their...

Societal Impact Statement Agricultural sustainability depends on the adaptation of crops to their local environment. Smallholder farmers who save seed provide an essential “evosystem” service by growing locally adapted seed varieties that can recruit biodiversity to enhance their growth and defense. While professional plant breeding has diverted ev...

Although insect herbivory is thought to be higher in agroecosystems compared to natural ecosystems, direct evidence on how agriculture itself has impacted herbivory remains scarce. To understand the effects of agriculture, or the cultivation of domesticated crops, over higher trophic levels, it is necessary to compare cultivated crops and their wil...

We evaluated the impact of the Harrisia Cactus Mealybug (HCM), Hypogeococcus sp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), on seed germination of Pilosocereus royenii (Cactaceae) in Puerto Rico. Mature fruits were collected from individuals of P. royenii at various levels of HCM infestation, ranging from completely healthy plants to fruits growing directly on H...

Background Many Puerto Rican ecosystems evolved without a regular fire regime. As such, many native plants lack adaptations necessary to survive even low-intensity fires. Human-caused fires are increasing in frequency, in part promoted by the presence of invasive grasses. During the afternoon of 19 February 2014, a wildfire burned a large portion o...

Tropical dry forests are threatened by invasive species. In Puerto Rican dry forests, two of these invasive species are the Harrisia cactus mealybug Hypogeococcus sp. (HCM), a member of the H. pungens-complex (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), and the liana Jasminum fluminense (Oleaceae). Here, we aim to determine the effects of HCM and J. fluminense on...

The island of Puerto Rico is home to five species of columnar, globular and semi-epiphytic cacti: Pilosocereus royenii, Melocactus intortus, Stenocereus fimbriatus, Leptocereus quadricostatus and Hylocereus trigonus. However, their ecology and natural history are still largely unknown. We visited a total of 12 sites during four years. We identified...

El proceso de dispersión es una de las necesidades básicas que la mayoría de los seres vivos deben sobrellevar para la supervivencia óptima de su especie. En el reino Mycota, la dispersión puede verse influenciada no solo por factores abióticos, sino también por factores bióticos como interacciones en el tracto digestivo de animales y la dispersión...

The Harrisia cactus mealybug (HCM), Hypogeococcus pungens (Hemiptera: Pseucococcidae), is known to be an effective biological control agent for invasive columnar cacti in Australia and South Africa. In the Caribbean, Central and North America, HCM is an alien invasive species that is threating native cactus. Despite their negative impacts on ecosys...

Background/Question/Methods Cacti are a key component of Puerto Rican dry forests ecosystems. Currently, four native columnar cacti, including two endemic species, are threatened by the invasion of Hypogeococcus pungens, the Harrisia cactus mealybug (HCM). HCM infection is characterized by the growth of galls or tumors around the insect feeding sit...