Abstract
A chamber, named SOIL-INSECT toolbox, was developed to analyse the effect of various factors on the behaviour of soil-dwelling insects. It is equipped with sensors that continuously monitor the concentration of CO2 in the different compartments of the chamber without disturbing the air balance in the soil. The chamber can be adapted to study different stimuli, including volatile compounds, both in the presence and absence of plants. The chamber was tested using the larvae of Melolontha spp., which confirmed its suitability for carrying out complex studies on insect-insect and insect-plant-microbiome interactions in a complex environment such as soil. The results of behavioural experiments using L3 larvae of Melolontha spp. in sterilized and natural soils revealed that the soil condition affected the behaviour of the larvae, likely due to its effect on the soil microbiome and physico-chemical characteristics.
Highlights
The knowledge on belowground interactions between root-feeding insects, plants and the soil microbiome are still limited, in spite of the recent increase in studies on soil biodiversity (Shikano et al, 2017; Mercado-Blanco et al, 2018) and its relations with plant health (Zvereva & Kozlov, 2012; Thompson et al, 2017)
The carbon dioxide concentration in the direct vicinity of the gas supply was significantly higher than in the soil, indicating that this system could be used for determining the response of insects to CO2
A chamber (SOIL-INSECT toolbox) for studying soildwelling insects was designed for analysing the effect of various factors on the behaviour of insects
Summary
The knowledge on belowground interactions between root-feeding insects, plants and the soil microbiome are still limited, in spite of the recent increase in studies on soil biodiversity (Shikano et al, 2017; Mercado-Blanco et al, 2018) and its relations with plant health (Zvereva & Kozlov, 2012; Thompson et al, 2017). The complexity of the soil environment (Ariño et al, 2008), the patchy distribution of soil pests (Schmidt & Hurling, 2014) and the consequent difficulties in monitoring them, together with the limited number of active substances available for their control, have resulted in an increased risk of damage to crops. In this context, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant-insect interactions and the behaviour of insects, as well as the influence of the soil microbiome, including that of the entomopathogenic species, could result in the development of new strategies for managing soil pests. As the gas exchange in soil is a passive processes (Stępniewski et al, 2011; Smith et al, 2018), the procedure for collecting volatile substances should be based on static techniques, which only slightly disturb the natural
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