Consuming Parasitized Aphids Alters the Life History and Decreases Predation Rate of Aphid Predator.

Jian-Feng Liu,Xiao-Fei Yu,Mao-Fa Yang,Hou-Ding Ou,Xiu-Qin Wang,Jacqueline R Beggs,Xiu-Xian Shen

doi:10.3390/insects11120889

Jian-Feng Liu, Xiao-Fei Yu + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11120889

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Journal: Insects	Publication Date: Dec 17, 2020
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Guizhou University, University of Auckland

Abstract

Simple SummaryIntraguild predation is a common phenomenon between predators and parasitoids. Despite numerous studies on the performance of intraguild predators by consuming on intraguild prey, the entire two-sex life table and predation rates of intraguild predators fed on intraguild prey remain poorly known. In this study, we investigated the effect of parasitized Myzus persicae aphids by Aphidius gifuensis (Ashmead) on the entire two-sex life table and predation rates of Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani). Our results showed that feeding on parasitized aphids did not influence the survival rates of immature A. aphidimyza individuals but significantly increased the development time of A. aphidimyza individuals and markedly reduced their longevity. The predation rate of immature A. aphidimyza individuals was also adversely affected by feeding on parasitized aphids. These results provide basic data for the potential use of A. aphidimyza in combination with A. gifuensis in M. persicae control programs.Intraguild predation interactions have substantial theoretical and practical implications for the dynamics of natural competitor populations used for biological control. Intraguild predation on parasitized aphids not only has a direct, negative effect on the parasitoid species, but it may indirectly influence the predator’s development, survival, reproduction and predation rates. In this study, we used two-sex life table theory, life table parameters and predation rates of Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani) to compare when its populations fed on aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) that were either unparasitized or parasitized by Aphidius gifuensis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Our results showed that individuals of A. aphidimyza were capable of completing their development and attaining maturity when they fed on parasitized aphids. Although feeding on parasitized aphids did not influence the survival rates of immature A. aphidimyza, it did significantly slow their development and extended their longevity, thereby reducing the fecundity and predation rates of A. aphidimyza. These findings may be pivotal for better understanding the sustained coexistence of predators with parasitoids in the biological control of aphids.

Highlights

Intraguild predation (IGP) arises when natural competitors of a shared resource engage in predation or parasitism in food webs of prey and their natural enemies at their same trophic level [1,2]
The A. gifuensis parasitoids were originally obtained from M. persicae in a tobacco farm located in Leshan Town (Zunyi City, Guizhou Province), and in a greenhouse, reared on M. persicae as a host for more than five generations
We transferred more than 400 M. persicae onto tobacco plants enclosed by synthetic fine-nylon mesh cages, after which we introduced 30–40 pairs of A. gifuensis adults into each cage at 25 ◦ C ± 1 ◦ C; 24 h later, we removed these adults from the mesh cages, and young parasitized fourth instar M. persicae nymphs were prepared for experiments 2 days later

Summary

Introduction

Intraguild predation (IGP) arises when natural competitors of a shared resource engage in predation or parasitism in food webs of prey and their natural enemies at their same trophic level [1,2]. A shared resource (aphids), a predator of the aphid such as a predatory midge or coccinellid beetle [3], and a parasitoid of the aphid. IGP occurs when the predator consumes the parasitoid offspring developing in the aphid. In this respect, IGP may have the potential to greatly disrupt the distribution, abundance, evaluation, and control efficiency of predators [1]. Predatory brown lacewing Micromus variegatus (Fabricius) and lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata L. prefers to consume parasitized aphids over unparasitized aphids [4,5]. The consumption of intraguild prey by the intraguild predator can negatively affect the development, survival, and oviposition of such predators [6,7,8,9,10]

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