Abstract
Abstract Harmonia axyridis is an exotic species that can cause serious impacts on native biodiversity in areas where it is introduced to act as a biological control agent. This predator is often involved with intraguild predation, in most cases with aphids predators. Here, we report the results of experiments designed to understand the outcome of the invasion of H. axyridis on native coccinellid aphidophagous guilds using intraguild predation as a theoretical framework. Tests were conducted to determine the interactions between 1st and 4th instars larvae and H. axyridis adults, with Cycloneda sanguinea, Cycloneda pulchella, Eriopis connexa and Hippodamia convergens larvae, as well as eggs predation rate. Two treatments were used: absence and presence of food, Cinara atlantica. The results showed that 1st and 4th instars larvae and H. axyridis adults are able to prey on larvae and eggs of four Coccinellidae species analyzed, and also their own eggs, showing that this exotic species is a dominant predator in this guild of aphidophagous coccinellids. Adding to these results, studies are recommended, especially the monitoring of these species in the field in the long run, reporting their abundance and diversity as well as their behavior and impact within aphidophagous guilds, especially in Coccinellidae species.
Highlights
Invasive species enter a novel environment and have to established and spread while interacting with native species in the communities (Simberloff, 2015; DiTomaso et al, 2017)
The results showed that 1st and 4th instars larvae and H. axyridis adults are able to prey on larvae and eggs of four Coccinellidae species analyzed, and their own eggs, showing that this exotic species is a dominant predator in this guild of aphidophagous coccinellids
We detected in all experiments an asymmetric intraguild predation in favor of H. axyridis that was independent of the age, except for adults (Table 1)
Summary
Invasive species enter a novel environment and have to established and spread while interacting with native species in the communities (Simberloff, 2015; DiTomaso et al, 2017) This new scenario implies new trophic interactions and a rearrangement of community structure, that may be facilitated by the life history strategy of the invader (Raak-van den Berg et al, 2017). These interactions can be negative, for example, the introduction of non-native species, aiming biological control is considered a major threat to native biodiversity (Van Lenteren et al, 2003; Brown et al, 2015) because destabilizes native prey and predator populations dynamics, especially in agronomic systems (Van Lenteren et al, 2003; Crowder and Snyder, 2010; Brown et al, 2015; Björklund et al, 2016). When the non-native predator did not suffer a negative effect from a native predator (enemy release hypothesis), either by absence or ineffectiveness of a top predator, or by a competitor it would not be controlled and the structure of this system could be destabilized (Crowder and Snyder, 2010; Björklund et al, 2016; Roy et al, 2016)
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