APPLICATION OF GENETIC ALGORITHMS FOR OPTIMIZATION OF DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

Associations between the golden metallic beetle, Buprestis aurulenta L., and wooddestroying fungi were explored with adult beetles collected from log decks. A variety of fungi were isolated from the beetle bodies by four methods. A total of 863 isolations were made from 59 females and 21 males. There was no significant difference between the microflora associated with male and female adult beetles. Hyphomycetes constituted 91.4% of all isolates. Zygomycetes and yeasts represented 5.8% of the total number of isolates. Basidiomycetes were infrequently isolated (2.8%), suggesting that this buprestid does not consistently vector decay fungi into woody debris.