Abstract
A laboratory study was conducted to examine tritrophic effects on the suitability of the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and tobacco aphid, Myzus persicae nicotianae (Blackman & Eastop), as prey for the two spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (L.), when the aphids were reared on either sweet pepper or tobacco. Significant host plant-aphid interactions were evident for every component of development (juvenile survival, developmental time, adult mass at emergence) and reproduction (pre-oviposition period, fecundity, fertility). By almost all measures, the suitability of each aphid species was improved by rearing on its host plant of origin and diminished by rearing on the alternative host plant. The symmetry of the interactions are suggestive of both positive and negative host plant effects on aphid suitability as prey. Whereas M. p. nicotianae may be better able than M. persicae to detoxify the nicotine that is likely responsible for the reduced suitability of M. persicae when reared on tobacco, it appears to have lower nutritive value for A. bipunctata than M. persicae when reared on pepper. Thus, population parameters (R0, rm, l and DT) derived from performance data indicated that M. persicae reared on sweet pepper was the most suitable prey and that the same species reared on tobacco was the least suitable, with other host plant-aphid combinations intermediate.
Highlights
Aphidophagous lady beetles are generally polyphagous and consume most of the aphid species that they encounter (Hodek, 1996), aphid species vary in suitability as prey, i.e., the degree to which they support successful development and reproduction (Obrycki & Orr, 1990; Phoofolo & Obrycki, 1997; Kalushkov, 1998; Kalushkov & Hodek, 2004; Mignault et al, 2006)
A substantial literature exists on the relative suitablity of different aphid species as prey for A. bipunctata, but little is known of how host plants may affect this suitability (e.g., Francis et al, 2001a, b)
Immature survival rates to adult emergence were greater on M. persicae than on M. p. nicotianae when the host plant was pepper (F2 = 13.75, p < 0.001) but the difference was not Source of variation df
Summary
Aphidophagous lady beetles are generally polyphagous and consume most of the aphid species that they encounter (Hodek, 1996), aphid species vary in suitability as prey, i.e., the degree to which they support successful development and reproduction (Obrycki & Orr, 1990; Phoofolo & Obrycki, 1997; Kalushkov, 1998; Kalushkov & Hodek, 2004; Mignault et al, 2006). A substantial literature exists on the relative suitablity of different aphid species as prey for A. bipunctata (see Omkar & Pervez, 2005), but little is known of how host plants may affect this suitability (e.g., Francis et al, 2001a, b). Both the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), and the tobacco aphid, M. persicae nicotianae (Blackman & Eastop), are known to support both the development and reproduction of A. bipunctata (Lommen et al, 2008; Jalali et al, 2009) and qualify as “complete” prey (Michaud, 2005). Understanding how tritrophic interactions can affect prey suitability for A. bipunctata may improve our ability to gage the efficacy of this species in biological control programs against these and other aphids of economic importance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
