Intraguild Predation Research Articles

Two Better Than One? Potential Effects of Intraguild Predation on the Biological Control of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) by the Parasitoid Aganaspis daci (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) and the Predator Pseudoophonus rufipes (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The use of more than one species to manage a single insect pest is a common practice among biological control programs. However, the beneficial effects of natural enemies are not always additive, which in many cases may be attributed to interspecific interactions such as intraguild predation (IGP). Herein, we investigated the potential IGP between two relevant natural enemies of the Medfly (Ceratitis capitata), the predator Pseudoophonus rufipes and the parasitoid Aganaspis daci, as well as the possible implications of this phenomenon in their efficiency as biocontrol agents. To this end, we assessed their functional responses and different demographic parameters when acting alone and together against C. capitata under laboratory conditions. Coexistence led to a switch in the functional response of both species, from type III to type II in A. daci and the opposite in P. rufipes. Regarding demographic parameters, coexistence resulted in higher parasitoidism and population reduction by A. daci only at low host densities, probably due to competition pressure. In the same circumstances, P. rufipes reduced its predatory activity, rejecting those larvae that were presumably parasitized and causing negligible IGP. At high Medfly densities, A. daci efficiency decreased, and the reduced encounter probability enhanced the predatory activity by P. rufipes. As a result of these trends, Medfly population reduction reached almost 100% at all densities, which suggests an additive effect of both natural enemies and recommends combined releases of these agents as a strategy for the control of the Medfly.

Resistance from a resident heterospecific affects establishment success of a globally invasive freshwater fish

Abstract The role of biotic resistance is a subject of debate in our understanding of invasions. We used a well‐known system in the Northern Range of Trinidad, where ephemeral conditions in small pool habitats lead to repeated colonisation by two native species (guppies, Poecilia reticulata, and killifish, Anablepsoides hartii), to ask questions about the role of biotic resistance and intraguild predation in natural, small‐water habitats. Using horticultural containers under forest cover, alongside constructed bankside mesocosms, we established populations of each species to test hypotheses concerning the conditions under which the guppy, a globally successful invasive species with the potential to establish populations from a single female, could be excluded by a resident intraguild predator, the killifish. Recruitment success of the guppy depended on founder numbers (propagule size) and introduction order (whether first or last to arrive in the habitat). Single founder guppies always failed to recruit in pools with resident killifish, which we posit is directly attributable to biotic resistance from the resident. However, increased propagule pressure (introduction attempts and propagule number) greatly increased the probability of successful invasion. Our results have two main implications. The first is that guppies are capable of being successful colonisers even in the presence of a resident intraguild predator. The second is to highlight the role that biotic resistance can play in preventing establishment in small‐water habitats, especially under circumstances of low propagule pressure. While previous studies have shown that guppies are strong colonisers outside of their native range, our findings suggest that this may not always be the case when there are other small‐bodied fish present. Accordingly, we argue that in small‐water habitats, biotic resistance and intraguild predation relationships should be important considerations when the ability to establish is being assessed for a taxon.

First report of intraguild predation in scorpions (Scorpiones Buthidae) from Turkey

First report of intraguild predation in scorpions (Scorpiones Buthidae) from Turkey

Intraguild predation between two predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris Oudemans (Phytoseiidae) and Blattisocius dentriticus Berlese (Blattisociidae)

Different species not only can compete with each other for food and space but also prey on competitors. Intraguild predation is where individuals prey on other competing species. Nevertheless, intraguild predation may cause adverse influence between biocontrol agents targeting the same pest. The generalist predator Blattisocius dentriticus recently invaded and excluded our culture of Neoseiulus cucumeris. Additionally, the presence of B. dentriticus females’ cues has prolonged the development time and consumption of N. cucumeris males (Gu et al., 2022). Therefore, the potential for intraguild predation between the two predatory mites, N. cucumeris and B. dentriticus, was investigated. Laboratory experiments were conducted using a no-choice test and a population test in the presence of their shared prey, Tyrophagus putrescentiae Schrank. Like other phytoseiid species, intraguild predation between N. cucumeris and B. dentriticus is mutual though they are asymmetric in size. Blattisocius dentriticus was larger than N. cucumeris, based on their dorsal shield lengths of the same sex and life stage, and superior than N. cucumeris in intraguild predation. In the no-choice test, B. dentriticus adults consumed N. cucumeris at all life stages, while N. cucumeris adults (i.e. females) preyed only on immature B. dentriticus. Body size was found to be a major factor affecting the direction of intraguild predation: intraguild predators were larger than intraguild prey they consumed. In the population experiment, B. dentriticus eliminated N. cucumeris despite the different starting populations of the two species. Our laboratory study suggests that B. dentriticus may adversely impact N. cucumeris through direct (i.e. intraguild predation) and indirect interactions.

Invasion of the coccinellid community associated with a tropical annual agroecosystem

Abstract Detailed understanding of the mechanisms enabling or limiting the impacts of invasive generalist predators is needed. Harmonia axyridis is an invasive generalist coccinellid predator that may have destabilised coccinellid communities worldwide and is an excellent candidate for investigating invasion dynamics. We evaluated four hypotheses: (1) Nine years after being detected in Central Brazil, Ha. axyridis has dominated the coccinellid community. This is facilitated by (2) its broader aphid prey range than the other aphidophagous coccinellids, (3) its superiority as an asymmetrical intraguild predator, and (4) the invasibility of the present coccinellid community. We sampled the invertebrate communities associated with six organic vegetable farms in Brazil during 2017 and 2018, conducted a feeding trial to measure prey niche breadth and overlap, and estimated intra‐ and interspecific interaction strengths corresponding to first‐order Lotka‐Volterra parameters to evaluate the strength of intraguild predation and create a community matrix. We found (1) Ha. axyridis comprised ≤8.3% of the coccinellid community. (2) Hi. convergens had the broadest prey niche and dominated the prey niche of Ha. axyridis. (3) We could not determine from the population data if Ha. axyridis was the dominant intraguild predator because its density was too low and constant. (4) The community matrix indicated that the present‐day coccinellid community was stable. We conclude Ha. axyridis has not become invasive in Central Brazil, in part because it does not have the broadest prey niche breadth and the present coccinellid community is stable to the present perturbation of Ha. axyridis.

Spider mites avoid caterpillar traces to prevent intraguild predation

The phytophagous spider mites Tetranychus kanzawai and Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) can be as small as < 0.5 mm; thus, they are often incidentally consumed along with food plant leaves by voracious lepidopteran larvae (hereafter, ‘caterpillars’; Shirotsuka and Yano, 2012). Therefore, the ability to avoid such intraguild predation should confer a selective advantage to mites. We experimentally demonstrated that adult females of both mite species avoided settling on food plant leaves with traces of all tested caterpillar species (Bombyx mori, Papilio xuthus, Spodoptera litura, and Theretra oldenlandiae). We examined additional interactions using B. mori and T. kanzawai and found that B. mori trace avoidance by T. kanzawai lasted for more than 48 h. Tetranychus kanzawai also avoided B. mori traces on plant stems, along which mites access leaves. Moreover, T. kanzawai avoided acetone extracts of B. mori traces applied to filter paper, indicating that chemical substances of caterpillar traces are responsible for the avoidance. This study is the first demonstration of a repellent effect of herbivore trace chemicals on heterospecific herbivores. Although spider mites have developed resistance against many synthetic pesticides (Attia et al., 2013; Van Leeuwen et al., 2010), this study showed the potential of using natural compounds simulating caterpillar traces in repelling spider mites from agricultural crops.

Early life experience of intraguild predation risk shifts the personalities of predatory mites along the shy-bold axis

Animal personalities are defined as within-individual consistency and consistent among-individual variation in behavior across time and contexts (Biro & Stamps 2008). Typical categories of behavioral traits used to characterize animal personalities are activity, aggressiveness, boldness, exploration, and sociability (Reale et al. 2007).

Diel and seasonal changes in gut contents of omnivorous–carnivorous macroinvertebrates in the Yura River, Japan

AbstractDiel and seasonal changes in the gut contents of omnivorous–carnivorous macroinvertebrates were examined in a Japanese mountain stream based on direct observation of gut contents. Carnivorous–omnivorous (predator) macroinvertebrates were sampled at four time periods (02:00–03:00, 08:00–09:00, 14:00–15:00, and 20:00–21:00) on 3 days in each of March, June, September, and December. A total of 1391 individual macroinvertebrates belonging to 71 taxa were dissected: identifiable gut contents were observed in 928 individuals and prey identified to the family level were observed from the guts of 564 individuals. Using nonmetric multidimensional scaling, interspecific variation in foraging patterns was summarized into two axes that approximately correspond to body size and habitat preferences of prey taxa. Although seasonal patterns in the number of prey individuals in a gut varied among taxa, in March and December, several predators notably foraged on taxa such as Simuliidae, which inhabits stone surfaces in river sections with a rapid current. This pattern may be explained by season‐specific prey availability and predation risks from vertebrates. Diel changing patterns in the number of prey individuals per gut varied among predator taxa, and most predators did not show obvious proportional changes in gut contents. These results indicate that subcompartments of interaction networks and numerous indirect effects via intraguild predation potentially exist within the “guild” of macroinvertebrates, which are often summarized as mesopredators of stream food webs.

Prey fear of a specialist predator in a tri-trophic food web can eliminate the superpredator

We propose an intraguild predation ecological system consisting of a tri-trophic food web with a fear response for the basal prey and a Lotka–Volterra functional response for predation by both a specialist predator (intraguild prey) and a generalist predator (intraguild predator), which we call the superpredator. We prove the positivity, existence, uniqueness, and boundedness of solutions, determine all equilibrium points, prove global stability, determine local bifurcations, and illustrate our results with numerical simulations. An unexpected outcome of the prey's fear of its specialist predator is the potential eradication of the superpredator.

Changes in the gut microbial community of larvae of the harlequin lady beetle in response to cannibalism and intraguild predation

Diet affects the gut microbial community in most organisms, but the potential effects of cannibalism and intraguild predation (IGP) on the gut microbiota of predatory arthropods remain unexplored. Here, a series of feeding experiments examined changes in the gut microbial community of larvae of the predatory lady beetle Harmonia axyridis resulting from egg and larval cannibalism and IGP. We found that gut microbial abundance increased in fourth instar H. axyridis larva when conspecific eggs plus aphids were consumed as neonates, but did not change when their consumption was sustained across larval stages. In contrast, the consumption of Coccinella septempunctata eggs plus aphids over all larval stages decreased gut microbial abundance, whereas neonate consumption of the same had no such effect. Gut microbial composition differed following consumption of either conspecific or heterospecific eggs. Consumption of a C. septempunctata larva by molting H. axyridis third instar larvae decreased gut microbial abundance and diversity, whereas consumption of a conspecific larva increased them. Larval cannibalism and IGP appear to have variable effects on microbial composition due to differences in relative abundance of prevailing bacterial groups associated with these prey items. Our results indicate that cannibalism and IGP can have both quantitative and qualitative consequences for the gut microbial community in aphidophagous lady beetles.

Benthic macroinvertebrate community shifts based on Bti-induced chironomid reduction also decrease Odonata emergence

Chironomid larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) often dominate aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and are a key food source for many aquatic predators, such as dragonfly and damselfly larvae (Odonata). Changes in aquatic macroinvertebrate communities may propagate through terrestrial food webs via altered insect emergence. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti)-based larvicides are widely used in mosquito control but can also reduce the abundance of non-biting chironomid larvae. We applied the maximum field rate of Bti used in mosquito control three times to six mesocosms in a replicated floodplain pond mesocosm (FPM) system in spring for two consecutive years, while the remaining six FPMs were untreated. Three weeks after the third Bti application in the first year, we recorded on average a 41% reduction of chironomid larvae in Bti-treated FPMs compared to untreated FPMs and a shift in benthic macroinvertebrate community composition driven by the reduced number of chironomid, Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae larvae (Odonata). Additionally, the number of emerging Libellulidae (estimated by sampling of exuviae in the second year) was reduced by 54% in Bti-treated FPMs. Since Odonata larvae are not directly susceptible to Bti, our results suggest indirect effects due to reduced prey availability (i.e., chironomid larvae) or increased intraguild predation. As Libellulidae include species of conservation concern, the necessity of Bti applications to their habitats, e.g. floodplains, should be carefully evaluated.

Intercropping collard plants with coriander modulates behavioral interactions among aphidophagous predators by altering microhabitat structure

Intercrops increase microhabitat structural complexity and may affect the strength of intraguild predation, facilitating the coexistence of species in aphidophagous guilds that share similar resources. Microhabitat structure may also influence the outcome of intraguild predation among larval stages by influencing the selection of oviposition sites. We investigated how intercrops affect intraguild predation, consumption, and behavioral interactions among various life stages of aphidophagous predators. We examined interactions among conspecific and heterospecific pairs of Cycloneda sanguinea (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Chrysoperla externa (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in collards planted in monoculture (simple microhabitat) or intercropped with coriander (complex microhabitat). Heterospecific pairs had reduced impact on their shared prey, especially in monocultures. Chrysoperla externa larvae acted as intraguild predators more often than C. sanguinea larvae and changed the foraging behavior of the intraguild prey. Microhabitat complexity in the intercrop did not extend the period of larval coexistence when intraguild predation was strong. Cycloneda sanguinea avoided laying eggs in the presence of C. externa in the monoculture, and tended to lay more eggs in sheltered locations in the intercrop. Conversely, C. externa laid more eggs in the presence of C. sanguinea, especially in the monoculture. Our findings suggest that the increased microhabitat complexity of the intercrop reduced both the encounter rate between intraguild prey and intraguild predator during larval stages, and the overlap in oviposition site selection by adult females. Our findings highlight the relevance of plant diversity and microhabitat architecture in promoting the coexistence of aphidophagous predators throughout their life cycle, and their potential to increase the efficiency of conservation biological control.

Cannibalism and intraguild predation involved in the intra- and inter-specific interactions of the invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, and lepidopteran maize stemborers

Cannibalism and intraguild predation can play important roles in determining spread and survival or death of organisms which share the same resource. However, the relationship between cannibalism and intraguild predation, and the costs and benefits of such behaviours, is difficult to establish within insect communities, and little is known about how such behaviours are affected by invasive species. The present study was aimed at assessing the interactions between larvae of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and maize stemborers (native to Africa, Busseola fusca, and Sesamia calamistis and native to India, Chilo partellus) in relation to cannibalism and intraguild predation when they utilize the same resource. Experiments involving treatments with either single species of S. frugiperda or any of the stemborers or pairwise species combinations with S. frugiperda were conducted under laboratory conditions. The experimental insect larvae were reared on maize leaves and monitored until the last developmental stage where cannibalism and/or intraguild predation, larval survival, and relative growth rate were recorded. Results of the intraspecific interaction indicated that S. frugiperda exhibited cannibalism to a larger degree than the stemborers species, especially at the late instars. The higher cannibalism trait in S. frugiperda turned, however, to competitive advantage as it led to a higher degree of intraguild predation when they cohabit with stemborer species and allowed FAW to gain a greater relative growth rate. Overall, interactions with FAW are detrimental for stemborer species and may be an important factor to explain the invasive success of S. frugiperda. Such knowledge is essential to understand the mechanisms behind ecological interactions between pests with overlapping niches in the field and in designing successful integrated pest management strategies.

Combined influences of environmental enrichment and harvesting mediate rich dynamics in an intraguild predation fishery system

Natural resources and its enrichment activities are often being associated with the paradoxical effects in ecology such as in predator–prey and fishery models. Several studies have shown that an increase in resources can cause the “Paradox of Enrichment” i.e., the destabilization of certain species population as the system is enriched. This situation is rather contradictory to our logical intuition. Parallel with this view, harvesting effort and the intensity of enrichment activities are among crucial factors in shaping the sustainability of fishery activities and natural resources. This is because an extreme harvesting effort could lead to resource depletion and threaten vulnerable marine ecosystems. In this work, we investigate the joint effects of enrichment and harvesting activities in an intraguild predator–prey fishery model that incorporates the Michaelis–Menten type of harvesting of predatory fishes. We study the existence and stability of the steady states in this system analytically and conduct numerical simulations, together with bifurcation analysis to verify our analytical findings. Our co-dimension one bifurcation analysis shows that the system can exhibit local bifurcations such as transcritical, saddle–node, subcritical, and supercritical Hopf bifurcations. Co-dimension two bifurcation analysis further demonstrates the existence of global dynamics through the appearance of Generalized Hopf (GH) and Zero-Hopf (ZH) bifurcations, which occur due to the interactions of distinct local bifurcations in this ecological system. The limit point bifurcation of cycles that emanates from the GH point has a bounded parameter space region in which tristability phenomenon (between stable steady states and stable limit cycles) occurs. In a scenario where the resources are enriched in the presence of harvesting activity, bistability emerges with the long-term outcomes lead to the exclusion of either prey or predator population, depending on the initial conditions of species. Based on these findings, we propose another interpretation to the “Paradox of Enrichment” as postulated in ecological theories: this predator–prey fishery system can be destabilized through an alternative stable states phenomenon, which results in the extinction of certain species as the ecosystem is further enriched.

Intraguild predation of inferior larval instars of two ladybirds Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius) and Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) (Coleoptera:Coccinellidae)

Ladybird beetles are predatory insects, which consumes everal insect pests and have immense biocontrol potential, particularly against aphids. In prey scarcity, they resort to intraguild predation (IGP) by consuming immature stages of other heterospecific ladybirds. A laboratory experiment was performed to quantify the incidence of IGP of first and second larval instars by older instars and adults of two co-occurring ladybird species, Propylea dissecta and Menochilus sexmaculatus. IGP of first and second larval instars increased significantly with increase in the larval stages followed by adult males and females. Predatory stages of M. sexmaculatus were more potential intraguild predators than those of P. dissecta. Among adults, the female consumed a greater number ofearly and weaker heterospecific instars. The presence of dorsal spines and hair on the larva of M. sexmaculatusprovided aposematism that helps in defense against superior heterospecific larvae thereby enabling its successful establishment and distribution. M. sexmaculatus could act as an intraguild predator in the fields and may contribute in declining the population density of P. dissecta during aphid-prey scarcity.

A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recovery.

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.

Influence of predator density in foraging behavior and microhabitat choice on litter-dwelling scorpions

ABSTRACT The presence of a predator can cause behavioral changes in its prey, such as decreased foraging activity. Previous studies have indicated that the scorpion Ananteris mauryi has the ability to identify the chemical traces of its intraguild predator Tityus pusillus, causing it to reduce its exploratory activity. In this study, the foraging activities of A. mauryi in a natural environment with different densities of T. pusillus were compared. The study was carried out through active searches from 19:00 to 22:00 in five fragments of the Atlantic Forest in Pernambuco, Brazil, one having a low density of T. pusillus and four returning high densities. In total, 81 individuals of A. mauryi were observed, and 49.4% were recorded in the area with a low density of T. pusillus. In general, A. mauryi individuals exhibited a similar foraging activity in the fragment with low and higher density of T. pusillus. Similarly, A. mauryi was found on leaf litter bottom layers independently of T. pusillus density. Therefore, our results suggest that their predator density does not exert any influence on foraging activity and microhabitat choice in A. mauryi.

The fear diet: Risk, refuge, and biological control by omnivorous weed seed predators

Weed seed biocontrol by omnivorous mice and insects can limit weed seedbanks, but this ecosystem service can be difficult to predict given the broad diet breadth of seed predators and their potential for intraguild predation. Seed foraging behavior is further modified by fluctuating cues of predation risk from higher trophic levels and the availability of refuge habitat. Uncertainty about whether co-occurring insects and mice additively contribute to weed biocontrol or interfere with each other via intraguild predation limits our ability to recommend habitat management strategies that reliably promote seed destruction. Using seed removal assays, fluorescent powder tracking, and stable isotope analyses, we assessed effects of a predation risk cue (moonlight) on mouse foraging patterns in a patchwork of vegetated and exposed plots in a cultivated field. Mouse foraging activity decreased on exposed ground during the full moon, compared to dark nights, yet foraging movements were unaffected by moon cycle within refuge patches. Weed seed consumption was more than three times higher in cover than exposed soil, and 78% of that difference was attributable to invertebrate granivores. Mice and invertebrate granivores both exhibited higher foraging activity in cover, indicating co-occurrence of intraguild predators and prey. However, stable isotope analyses of fecal samples revealed that mice captured in refuge habitats fed at slightly lower trophic levels than those in exposed habitats (suggesting minimal intraguild predation in refuge habitat), and mouse diet was unaffected by moonlight. Despite increased availability of invertebrate prey in cover patches, mice do not appear to preferentially exploit prey when avoiding their own predators or interfere with weed seed predation. Therefore, functional redundancy of mice and invertebrate seed predators in cover crops and other refuge habitats may strengthen and stabilize weed seed biocontrol.

Controlling of periodicity and chaos in a three dimensional prey predator model introducing the memory effect

In an ecological system, omnivores are often significantly important as they feed upon more than one trophic level in a food chain model. Intraguild predation is a special kind of omnivory that is ubiquitous in many ecological communities. A lot of field experiments suggest that the experience over a time duration in the recent past affects the growth rate of all species at the present time. Here, we have considered the Caputo type fractional ordered three-species food chain model. The memory effect is explained in terms of the order of the fractional derivative. Intermediate, top predators feed upon prey by Holling type I functional response and the top predator consumes intermediate predator by Holling type II functional response. Here, we established the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the considered system. Also, we prove the positivity and boundedness of the system solution. All possible feasible equilibrium points with required parametric conditions are discussed in the text. The local stability of all feasible equilibrium points and the parametric conditions of global stability of all non-trivial equilibrium points are discussed. The memory effect can stabilize the system from the periodic oscillatory situation which has been proved through the Hopf bifurcation analysis. Finally, some numerical simulation has been carried out to make significant comments on the dynamics of the considered system about the memory effect and other system parameters. It is clear from the numerical simulations that the order of fractional derivative can be taken as the indicator of chaos control. The biological interpretations make the article most significant from the ecological point of view.

Impact of egg-quality and its laying pattern on the fate of egg-cannibalism and intraguild predation in ladybirds

We investigated the impact of egg-quality and its laying pattern on the incidence of cannibalism and intraguild predation in ladybirds. We manipulated quality by using two species of ladybirds’ eggs and the pattern of egg-laying by arranging the eggs singly or in cluster and using second, third and fourth instar larva of two ladybird species, Coccinella septempunctata L. and Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricius), as predators. We found that second instars of both ladybird species indulged in egg-cannibalism, whereas third and fourth instars were potential intraguild predators and consumed heterospecific eggs. On the other hand, linearly arranged and clustered eggs of M. sexmaculatus were least protected by higher instars of C. septempunctata, while clustered eggs of C. septempunctata got a refuge from M. sexmaculatus higher stage larvae due to aposematism in eggs. It is concluded that C. septempunctata was an intraguild predator of eggs of M. sexmaculatus in starved conditions, and the egg-quality and pattern of egg-laying can affect the fate of egg-cannibalism and intraguild predation.