Local and distant prey‐related cues influence when an acarine predator leaves a prey patch

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AbstractOver relatively long distances, the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis is able to detect volatiles produced by bean plants that are infested by its prey, Tetranychus urticae, the twospotted spider mite. Our investigation examined the separate and combined effects of prey, their products, and prey‐induced plant volatiles on when P. persimilis left a potential prey host plant. In wind tunnels, we assessed the relative importance of and interaction among local and distant prey‐related cues. The examination of local cues included: (1) all local cues (prey eggs, webbing, and prey‐induced plant volatiles), (2) food (prey eggs) and webbing only, (3) plant volatiles only, and (4) no prey‐related cues. The examination of distant cues involved the presence or absence of prey‐induced plant volatiles from upwind plants. External volatile cues, produced by placing prey‐infested plants upwind in the wind tunnel, resulted in more predators leaving downwind plants, and leaving sooner, than when clean plants were upwind, regardless of the availability of prey or prey‐related cues on the local plant. However, local cues, especially the presence of food/webbing, had a greater effect than distant cues on timing of predator leaving. Predators remained in larger numbers and for longer times on prey‐infested plants. However, the presence of either locally‐produced plant volatiles or food/webbing alone still reduced the number of predators leaving a plant in the first hour compared to clean plants. After the first hour, the number of predators leaving was primarily driven by the presence of food/webbing. When no food/webbing was available, predators left plants rapidly; if food/webbing was available, some predatory mites remained on plants at least 24 hours. Even if no food/webbing was available, predators presented with local volatiles remained on plants for several hours longer than on clean plants without local volatiles. These small changes in leaving rates may lead to differences in local population dynamics, and possibly regional persistence, of the predator‐prey interaction in patchy environments.