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Mata L, Knapp RA, McDougall R, Overton K, Hoffmann AA, Umina PA. Acute toxicity effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms - Dispelling myths for a more sustainable use of chemicals in agricultural environments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 930:172521. [PMID: 38641095 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural practitioners, researchers and policymakers are increasingly advocating for integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pesticide use while preserving crop productivity and profitability. Using selective pesticides, putatively designed to act on pests while minimising impacts on off-target organisms, is one such option - yet evidence of whether these chemicals control pests without adversely affecting natural enemies and other beneficial species (henceforth beneficials) remains scarce. At present, the selection of pesticides compatible with IPM often considers a single (or a limited number of) widely distributed beneficial species, without considering undesired effects on co-occurring beneficials. In this study, we conducted standardised laboratory bioassays to assess the acute toxicity effects of 20 chemicals on 15 beneficial species at multiple exposure timepoints, with the specific aims to: (1) identify common and diverging patterns in acute toxicity responses of tested beneficials; (2) determine if the effect of pesticides on beetles, wasps and mites is consistent across species within these groups; and (3) assess the impact of mortality assessment timepoints on International Organisation for Biological Control (IOBC) toxicity classifications. Our work demonstrates that in most cases, chemical toxicities cannot be generalised across a range of beneficial insects and mites providing biological control, a finding that was found even when comparing impacts among closely related species of beetles, wasps and mites. Additionally, we show that toxicity impacts increase with exposure length, pointing to limitations of IOBC protocols. This work challenges the notion that chemical toxicities can be adequately tested on a limited number of 'representative' species; instead, it highlights the need for careful consideration and testing on a range of regionally and seasonally relevant beneficial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Mata
- Cesar Australia, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick 3056, Victoria, Australia; School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond 3121, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Rosemary A Knapp
- Cesar Australia, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick 3056, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robert McDougall
- Cesar Australia, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick 3056, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kathy Overton
- Cesar Australia, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick 3056, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ary A Hoffmann
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul A Umina
- Cesar Australia, 95 Albert Street, Brunswick 3056, Victoria, Australia; Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia.
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2
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Shreenidhi PM, Brock DA, McCabe RI, Strassmann JE, Queller DC. Costs of being a diet generalist for the protist predator Dictyostelium discoideum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313203121. [PMID: 38530891 PMCID: PMC10998602 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313203121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Consumers range from specialists that feed on few resources to generalists that feed on many. Generalism has the clear advantage of having more resources to exploit, but the costs that limit generalism are less clear. We explore two understudied costs of generalism in a generalist amoeba predator, Dictyostelium discoideum, feeding on naturally co-occurring bacterial prey. Both involve costs of combining prey that are suitable on their own. First, amoebas exhibit a reduction in growth rate when they switched to one species of prey bacteria from another compared to controls that experience only the second prey. The effect was consistent across all six tested species of bacteria. These switching costs typically disappear within a day, indicating adjustment to new prey bacteria. This suggests that these costs are physiological. Second, amoebas usually grow more slowly on mixtures of prey bacteria compared to the expectation based on their growth on single prey. There were clear mixing costs in three of the six tested prey mixtures, and none showed significant mixing benefits. These results support the idea that, although amoebas can consume a variety of prey, they must use partially different methods and thus must pay costs to handle multiple prey, either sequentially or simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. M. Shreenidhi
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Debra A. Brock
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Rachel I. McCabe
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Joan E. Strassmann
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - David C. Queller
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
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3
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Bisesi AT, Möbius W, Nadell CD, Hansen EG, Bowden SD, Harcombe WR. Bacteriophage specificity is impacted by interactions between bacteria. mSystems 2024; 9:e0117723. [PMID: 38376179 PMCID: PMC11237722 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01177-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Predators play a central role in shaping community structure, function, and stability. The degree to which bacteriophage predators (viruses that infect bacteria) evolve to be specialists with a single bacterial prey species versus generalists able to consume multiple types of prey has implications for their effect on microbial communities. The presence and abundance of multiple bacterial prey types can alter selection for phage generalists, but less is known about how interactions between prey shape predator specificity in microbial systems. Using a phenomenological mathematical model of phage and bacterial populations, we find that the dominant phage strategy depends on prey ecology. Given a fitness cost for generalism, generalist predators maintain an advantage when prey species compete, while specialists dominate when prey are obligately engaged in cross-feeding interactions. We test these predictions in a synthetic microbial community with interacting strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica by competing a generalist T5-like phage able to infect both prey against P22vir, an S. enterica-specific phage. Our experimental data conform to our modeling expectations when prey species are competing or obligately mutualistic, although our results suggest that the in vitro cost of generalism is caused by a combination of biological mechanisms not anticipated in our model. Our work demonstrates that interactions between bacteria play a role in shaping ecological selection on predator specificity in obligately lytic bacteriophages and emphasizes the diversity of ways in which fitness trade-offs can manifest. IMPORTANCE There is significant natural diversity in how many different types of bacteria a bacteriophage can infect, but the mechanisms driving this diversity are unclear. This study uses a combination of mathematical modeling and an in vitro system consisting of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, a T5-like generalist phage, and the specialist phage P22vir to highlight the connection between bacteriophage specificity and interactions between their potential microbial prey. Mathematical modeling suggests that competing bacteria tend to favor generalist bacteriophage, while bacteria that benefit each other tend to favor specialist bacteriophage. Experimental results support this general finding. The experiments also show that the optimal phage strategy is impacted by phage degradation and bacterial physiology. These findings enhance our understanding of how complex microbial communities shape selection on bacteriophage specificity, which may improve our ability to use phage to manage antibiotic-resistant microbial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ave T. Bisesi
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Wolfram Möbius
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Carey D. Nadell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Eleanore G. Hansen
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Steven D. Bowden
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - William R. Harcombe
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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4
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Luna D, Mohanbabu N, Johnson J, Althoff DM. Host use by 2 sibling species of bogus yucca moths in relation to plant hardness and saponin content. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:659-666. [PMID: 37338184 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Plant defenses allow plants to deter or kill their insect herbivores and are considered to be a major driver of host use for herbivorous insects in both ecological and evolutionary time. Many closely related species of insect herbivores differ in their ability to respond to plant defenses and in some cases are specialized to specific plant species. Here we tested whether both mechanical and chemical plant defenses are a major factor in determining the host range of 2 sibling species of Prodoxid bogus yucca moths, Prodoxus decipiens (Riley) and Prodoxus quinquepunctellus (Chambers) that feed within the inflorescence stalk of Yucca species. These 2 moth species have separate suites of host plant species, yet narrowly overlap geographically and share 1 Yucca species, Y. glauca. We surveyed the lignin and cellulose content, the force required to the puncture the stalk tissue, and saponin concentration across 5 Yucca species used as hosts. Lignin, cellulose concentrations, and stalk hardness differed among Yucca species but did not correlate with host use patterns by the moths. Saponin concentrations in the stalk tissue were relatively low for yuccas (<1%) and did not differ among species. The results suggest that these moth species should be able to use each other's hosts for egg deposition. Additional factors such as larval development or competition among larvae for feeding space may serve to keep moth species from expanding onto plants used by its sibling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Luna
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Neha Mohanbabu
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Josiah Johnson
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aikens, SC, USA
| | - David M Althoff
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
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Generalism in nature: a community ecology perspective. COMMUNITY ECOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-022-00130-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
AbstractLife on Earth is complex and generally abounds in food webs with other living organisms in terms of an ecological community. Besides such complexity, and the fact that populations of most living organisms have never been studied in terms of their molecular ecology, it is best to tread carefully when describing a given species as a ‘generalist’, more especially in terms of dietary and habitat breadth. We very much doubt that population homogeneity ever exists—because populations are always undergoing molecular-genetic changes, sometimes rapid, in response to various ecological challenges (e.g. climate, intra- and interspecific competition). In any case, a population may already have begun to undergo cryptic speciation. Such entities can occupy different habitats or exhibit different dietary breadths as a result of various ecological interactions formed over different spatial scales. These scales include everything from local (including islands) to geographic. The fossil evidence reveals that specialisations have existed over vast swathes of time. Besides, as is well documented, evolution only occurs as a result of adaptations leading to specialisation, and ultimately, specialist entitles, i.e. species and lower levels of ecological-evolutionary divergence. Here, focusing on diet, we posit that the terms mono-, oligo-and polyphagous are more accurate in relation to the dietary breadth of animals, with omnivory adopted in the case of organisms with very different food items. Thus, we strongly urge that the dubious and unscientific term ‘generalism’ be dropped in favour of these more precise and scientifically accurate terms directly relating to levels of phagy.
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Abe M, Kamiyama T, Izumi Y, Qian Q, Yoshihashi Y, Degawa Y, Watanabe K, Hattori Y, Uemura T, Niwa R. Shortened lifespan induced by a high-glucose diet is associated with intestinal immune dysfunction in Drosophila sechellia. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb244423. [PMID: 36226701 PMCID: PMC9687539 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Organisms can generally be divided into two nutritional groups: generalists that consume various types of food and specialists that consume specific types of food. However, it remains unclear how specialists adapt to only limited nutritional conditions in nature. In this study, we addressed this question by focusing on Drosophila fruit flies. The generalist Drosophila melanogaster can consume a wide variety of foods that contain high glucose levels. In contrast, the specialist Drosophila sechellia consumes only the Indian mulberry, known as noni (Morinda citrifolia), which contains relatively little glucose. We showed that the lifespan of D. sechellia was significantly shortened under a high-glucose diet, but this effect was not observed for D. melanogaster. In D. sechellia, a high-glucose diet induced disorganization of the gut epithelia and visceral muscles, which was associated with abnormal digestion and constipation. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that many immune-responsive genes were suppressed in the gut of D. sechellia fed a high-glucose diet compared with those fed a control diet. Consistent with this difference in the expression of immune-responsive genes, high glucose-induced phenotypes were restored by the addition of tetracycline or scopoletin, a major nutritional component of noni, each of which suppresses gut bacterial growth. We propose that, in D. sechellia, a high-glucose diet impairs gut immune function, which leads to a change in gut microbiota, disorganization of the gut epithelial structure and a shortened lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maiko Abe
- Degree Programs in Life and Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Takumi Kamiyama
- Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yasushi Izumi
- Division of Cell Structure, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Qingyin Qian
- PhD Program in Human Biology, School of Integrative and Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yuma Yoshihashi
- Degree Programs in Life and Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Sugadairakogen 1278-294, Nagano 386-2204, Japan
| | - Yousuke Degawa
- Sugadaira Research Station, Mountain Science Center, University of Tsukuba, Sugadairakogen 1278-294, Nagano 386-2204, Japan
| | - Kaori Watanabe
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yukako Hattori
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Research Center for Dynamic Living Systems, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- AMED-CREST, AMED, Otemachi 1-7-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Ryusuke Niwa
- Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- AMED-CREST, AMED, Otemachi 1-7-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
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7
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Skoracka A, Laska A, Radwan J, Konczal M, Lewandowski M, Puchalska E, Karpicka‐Ignatowska K, Przychodzka A, Raubic J, Kuczyński L. Effective specialist or jack of all trades? Experimental evolution of a crop pest in fluctuating and stable environments. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1639-1652. [PMID: 36330306 PMCID: PMC9624081 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding pest evolution in agricultural systems is crucial for developing effective and innovative pest control strategies. Types of cultivation, such as crop monocultures versus polycultures or crop rotation, may act as a selective pressure on pests' capability to exploit the host's resources. In this study, we examined the herbivorous mite Aceria tosichella (commonly known as wheat curl mite), a widespread wheat pest, to understand how fluctuating versus stable environments influence its niche breadth and ability to utilize different host plant species. We subjected a wheat-bred mite population to replicated experimental evolution in a single-host environment (either wheat or barley), or in an alternation between these two plant species every three mite generations. Next, we tested the fitness of these evolving populations on wheat, barley, and on two other plant species not encountered during experimental evolution, namely rye and smooth brome. Our results revealed that the niche breadth of A. tosichella evolved in response to the level of environmental variability. The fluctuating environment expanded the niche breadth by increasing the mite's ability to utilize different plant species, including novel ones. Such an environment may thus promote flexible host-use generalist phenotypes. However, the niche expansion resulted in some costs expressed as reduced performances on both wheat and barley as compared to specialists. Stable host environments led to specialized phenotypes. The population that evolved in a constant environment consisting of barley increased its fitness on barley without the cost of utilizing wheat. However, the population evolving on wheat did not significantly increase its fitness on wheat, but decreased its performance on barley. Altogether, our results indicated that, depending on the degree of environmental heterogeneity, agricultural systems create different conditions that influence pests' niche breadth evolution, which may in turn affect the ability of pests to persist in such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Skoracka
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
- Center for Advanced TechnologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Alicja Laska
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Jacek Radwan
- Evolutionary Biology GroupFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Mateusz Konczal
- Evolutionary Biology GroupFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Mariusz Lewandowski
- Section of Applied EntomologyDepartment of Plant ProtectionInstitute of Horticultural SciencesWarsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGWWarsawPoland
| | - Ewa Puchalska
- Section of Applied EntomologyDepartment of Plant ProtectionInstitute of Horticultural SciencesWarsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGWWarsawPoland
| | - Kamila Karpicka‐Ignatowska
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Anna Przychodzka
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Jarosław Raubic
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Lechosław Kuczyński
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
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8
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Jones LC. Insects allocate eggs adaptively according to plant age, stress, disease or damage. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220831. [PMID: 35858074 PMCID: PMC9277260 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Most herbivorous insects can only survive on a small subset of the plant species in its environment. Consequently, adult females have evolved sophisticated sensory recognition systems enabling them to find and lay eggs on plants supporting offspring development. This leads to the preference-performance or 'mother knows best' hypothesis that insects should be attracted to host plants that confer higher offspring survival. Previous work shows insects generally select plant species that are best for larval survival, although this is less likely for crops or exotic host plants. Even within a species, however, individual plants can vary greatly in potential suitability depending on age, access to water or nutrients or attack by pathogens or other herbivores. Here, I systematically review 71 studies on 62 insect species testing the preference-performance hypothesis with sets of plants varying in age, stress, fungal/microbial infection or herbivore damage. Altogether, 77% of insects tested with a native host (N = 43) allocated their eggs to plants best for offspring development, as did 64% (N = 22) of insects tested with an exotic host. Results were similar across plant age, stress, disease and damage categories. These findings show adaptive maternal behaviour in insects occurs for both host species and variation among individual plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan C. Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, the University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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9
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Jones LC, Rafter MA, Walter GH. Host interaction mechanisms in herbivorous insects – life cycles, host specialization and speciation. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Why are most herbivorous insects so specialized? How do generalists and specialists differ ecologically? And what sensory and cognitive processes determine which host species an insect recognizes and uses? We review sensory cues involved at different stages of interaction with host plants and outline a unified scheme of insect–host interaction mechanisms. Generalist species may be best understood as specialized organisms with a longer tail of secondary host species that they accept to a lessening extent. Secondary hosts have fewer attractive cues, and hence a lower probability of meeting the stimulation threshold required for egg laying. We then discuss the alternative theories of co-evolution and sequential evolution used to explain the diversification of insect herbivores. We conclude that ‘escape and radiate’ co-evolution rests on unrealistic assumptions and empirical evidence favours sequential evolution of plants and herbivores, and the unique life cycles of insect herbivores may sufficiently explain their extreme diversity within the animal kingdom. We also outline a new speciation-oriented hypothesis to explain why specialists are far more diverse than generalists. Generalists tend to have large, contiguous distributions and therefore lower speciation rates. Natural selection in novel environments may also result in narrowing of the host range more often than broadening, further increasing specialist diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan C Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland , St Lucia 4072, Brisbane, QLD , Australia
| | - Michelle A Rafter
- Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Ecosciences Precinct , Dutton Park 4102, Brisbane, QLD , Australia
| | - Gimme H Walter
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland , St Lucia 4072, Brisbane, QLD , Australia
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10
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Wray AK, Gratton C, Jusino MA, Wang JJ, Kochanski JM, Palmer JM, Banik MT, Lindner DL, Peery MZ. Disease-related population declines in bats demonstrate non-exchangeability in generalist predators. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8978. [PMID: 35784069 PMCID: PMC9170538 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which persisting species may fill the functional role of extirpated or declining species has profound implications for the structure of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. In North America, arthropodivorous bats are threatened on a continent-wide scale by the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. We tested whether bat species that display lower mortality from this disease can partially fill the functional role of other bat species experiencing population declines. Specifically, we performed high-throughput amplicon sequencing of guano from two generalist predators: the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). We then compared changes in prey consumption before versus after population declines related to WNS. Dietary niches contracted for both species after large and abrupt declines in little brown bats and smaller declines in big brown bats, but interspecific dietary overlap did not change. Furthermore, the incidence and taxonomic richness of agricultural pest taxa detected in diet samples decreased following bat population declines. Our results suggest that persisting generalist predators do not necessarily expand their dietary niches following population declines in other predators, providing further evidence that the functional roles of different generalist predators are ecologically distinct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy K. Wray
- Department of Forest & Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Claudio Gratton
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Michelle A. Jusino
- Center for Forest Mycology ResearchNorthern Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Jing Jamie Wang
- Department of Forest & Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Jade M. Kochanski
- Department of EntomologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Jonathan M. Palmer
- Center for Forest Mycology ResearchNorthern Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Mark T. Banik
- Center for Forest Mycology ResearchNorthern Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Daniel L. Lindner
- Center for Forest Mycology ResearchNorthern Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - M. Zachariah Peery
- Department of Forest & Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
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11
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Starkie ML, Cameron SL, Krosch MN, Phillips MJ, Royer JE, Schutze MK, Strutt F, Sweet AD, Zalucki MP, Clarke AR. A comprehensive phylogeny helps clarify the evolutionary history of host breadth and lure response in the Australian Dacini fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 172:107481. [PMID: 35452838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The tribe Dacini (Diptera: Tephritidae) contains over 930 recognised species and has been widely studied due to the economic importance of some taxa, such as the Oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis. Despite the attention this group has received, very few phylogenetic reconstructions have comprehensively sampled taxa from a single biogeographic region, thereby limiting our capacity to address more targeted evolutionary questions. To study the evolution of diet breadth and male lure response, two key traits fundamental to understanding dacine diversity and the biology of pest taxa, we analysed 273 individuals representing 144 described species from Australia (80% continental coverage), the Pacific, and select close relatives from South-east Asia to estimate a dated molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of the Dacini. We utilised seven loci with a combined total of 4,332 nucleotides, to estimate both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenies of the tribe. Consistent with other molecular phylogenies of the tribe, there was a high level of disagreement between the placement of species in the phylogeny and their current subgeneric and species-complex level taxonomies. The Australian fauna exhibit high levels of endemism, with radiations of both exclusively Australian clades, and clades that originate elsewhere (e.g. the Bactrocera dorsalis species group). Bidirectional movement of species has occurred between Papua New Guinea and Australia, with evidence for multiple incursions over evolutionary time. The Bactrocera aglaiae species group emerged sister to all other Bactrocera species examined. Divergence time estimates were ∼ 30 my younger than previously reported for this group, with the tribe diverging from its most recent common ancestor ∼ 43 mya. Ancestral trait reconstruction and tests for trait phylogenetic signal revealed a strong signal for the evolution of male lure response across the tree, with cue-lure/raspberry ketone lure response the ancestral trait. Methyl eugenol response has arisen on multiple, independent occasions. The evolution of host breadth exhibited a weaker signal; yet, basal groups were more likely to be host specialists. Both the evolution of lure response and host fruit use provide predictive information for the outbreak management of understudied pest fruit flies for which direct inference of these features may be lacking. Our results, which parallel those of earlier research into the closely-related African Dacus spp., demonstrate how geographically focussed taxon coverage allows Dacini phylogenetics to more explicitly test evolutionary hypotheses, thereby progressing our understanding of the evolution of this highly diverse and recently-radiated group of flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Starkie
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - S L Cameron
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - M N Krosch
- Forensic Services Group, Queensland Police Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - M J Phillips
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - J E Royer
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - M K Schutze
- Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - F Strutt
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - A D Sweet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, USA
| | - M P Zalucki
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - A R Clarke
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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12
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Ode PJ, Vyas DK, Harvey JA. Extrinsic Inter- and Intraspecific Competition in Parasitoid Wasps. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 67:305-328. [PMID: 34614367 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-071421-073524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The diverse ecology of parasitoids is shaped by extrinsic competition, i.e., exploitative or interference competition among adult females and males for hosts and mates. Adult females use an array of morphological, chemical, and behavioral mechanisms to engage in competition that may be either intra- or interspecific. Weaker competitors are often excluded or, if they persist, use alternate host habitats, host developmental stages, or host species. Competition among adult males for mates is almost exclusively intraspecific and involves visual displays, chemical signals, and even physical combat. Extrinsic competition influences community structure through its role in competitive displacement and apparent competition. Finally, anthropogenic changes such as habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pollutants, and climate change result in phenological mismatches and range expansions within host-parasitoid communities with consequent changes to the strength of competitive interactions. Such changes have important ramifications not only for the success of managed agroecosystems, but also for natural ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Ode
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA;
| | - Dhaval K Vyas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Animal Ecology Section, Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Abstract
Many questions remain about the interplay between adaptive and neutral processes leading to genome expansion and the evolution of cellular complexity. Genome size appears to be tightly linked to the size of the regulatory repertoire of cells (van Nimwegen E. 2003. Scaling laws in the functional content of genomes. Trends Gen. 19(9):479–484). In the context of gene regulation, we here study the interplay between adaptive and nonadaptive forces on genome and regulatory network in a computational model of cell-cycle adaptation to different environments. Starting from the well-known Caulobacter crescentus network, we report on ten replicate in silico evolution experiments where cells evolve cell-cycle control by adapting to increasingly harsh spatial habitats. We find adaptive expansion of the regulatory repertoire of cells. Having a large genome is inherently costly, but also allows for improved cell-cycle behavior. Replicates traverse different evolutionary trajectories leading to distinct eco-evolutionary strategies. In four replicates, cells evolve a generalist strategy to cope with a variety of nutrient levels; in two replicates, different specialist cells evolve for specific nutrient levels; in the remaining four replicates, an intermediate strategy evolves. These diverse evolutionary outcomes reveal the role of contingency in a system under strong selective forces. This study shows that functionality of cells depends on the combination of regulatory network topology and genome organization. For example, the positions of dosage-sensitive genes are exploited to signal to the regulatory network when replication is completed, forming a de novo evolved cell cycle checkpoint. Our results underline the importance of the integration of multiple organizational levels to understand complex gene regulation and the evolution thereof.
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14
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Schwarz R, Stark G, Antonopolous A, Itescu Y, Pafilis P, Chapple DG, Meiri S. Specialist versus Generalist at the Intraspecific Level: Functional Morphology and Substrate Preference of Mediodactylus kotschyi Geckos. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:62-75. [PMID: 34010416 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Populations of the same species occupying different microhabitats can either exhibit generalized traits across them or display intraspecific variability, adapting to each microhabitat in order to maximize performance. Intraspecific variability contributes to the generation of diversity, following selection and adaptation, and understanding such variability is important for comprehending how individuals choose their microhabitats. Compared with interspecific variability, however, intraspecific variability in functional morphology and its relationship with microhabitat preference and use have been relatively little studied. Here we examined whether populations of the gecko Mediodactylus kotschyi that differ in the substrates they occupy display habitat-specific behaviors and differing morphologies associated with functional adaptation to their microhabitats. We collected 207 geckos from under or on rocks or on trees from seven populations in Greece. On large islands individuals occupy both substrates; whereas small islets are devoid of trees and the geckos are restricted to rocks, while on the mainland they are only found on trees. We determined gecko substrate preferences in the laboratory, together with their clinging abilities to the different substrates. We measured their limbs, digits, and claws and assessed how these measurements relate to clinging ability. Geckos from all populations preferred the tree made available to them, but this preference was not statistically significant. Geckos from both large and small islands clung better to the tree than to the rock in the laboratory, while those from the mainland clung similarly to both substrates. Geckos collected from trees had longer manual digits and hind limbs. Geckos collected from large and small islands had taller (longer on the dorso-ventral axis; henceforth "deeper") claws. Longer digits and deeper but shorter claws were associated with a better ability to cling to rocks. Our findings suggest that while M. kotschyi is potentially preferentially arboreal, due to the great variation and plasticity it possesses, it can successfully also exploit the habitats available on the smallest, treeless islets in the Aegean Sea. Our study suggests that the dichotomous use of generalist versus specialist in describing species' habitat use is oversimplified, and we suggest the use of a generalist-specialist gradient instead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Schwarz
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Gavin Stark
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Antonis Antonopolous
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 157 72, Greece
| | - Yuval Itescu
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin 12587, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 157 72, Greece
| | - David G Chapple
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.,The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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15
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Hood GR, Blankinship D, Doellman MM, Feder JL. Temporal resource partitioning mitigates interspecific competition and promotes coexistence among insect parasites. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1969-1988. [PMID: 34041840 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A key to understanding life's great diversity is discerning how competing organisms divide limiting resources to coexist in diverse communities. While temporal resource partitioning has long been hypothesized to reduce the negative effects of interspecific competition, empirical evidence suggests that time may not often be an axis along which animal species routinely subdivide resources. Here, we present evidence to the contrary in the world's most biodiverse group of animals: insect parasites (parasitoids). Specifically, we conducted a meta-analysis of 64 studies from 41 publications to determine if temporal resource partitioning via variation in the timing of a key life-history trait, egg deposition (oviposition), mitigates interspecific competition between species pairs sharing the same insect host. When competing species were manipulated to oviposit at (or near) the same time in or on a single host in the laboratory, competition was common, and one species was typically inherently superior (i.e. survived to adulthood a greater proportion of the time). In most cases, however, the inferior competitor could gain a survivorship advantage by ovipositing earlier (or in a smaller number of cases later) into shared hosts. Moreover, this positive (or in a few cases negative) priority advantage gained by the inferior competitor increased as the interval between oviposition times became greater. The results from manipulative experiments were also correlated with patterns of life-history timing and demography in nature: the more inherently competitively inferior a species was in the laboratory, the greater the interval between oviposition times of taxa in co-occurring populations. Additionally, the larger the interval between oviposition times of competing taxa, the more abundant the inferior species was in populations where competitors were known to coexist. Overall, our findings suggest that temporal resource partitioning via variation in oviposition timing may help to facilitate species coexistence and structures diverse insect communities by altering demographic measures of species success. We argue that the lack of evidence for a more prominent role of temporal resource partitioning in promoting species coexistence may reflect taxonomic differences, with a bias towards larger-sized animals. For smaller species like parasitic insects that are specialized to attack one or a group of closely related hosts, have short adult lifespans and discrete generation times, compete directly for limited resources in small, closed arenas and have life histories constrained by host phenology, temporal resource subdivision via variation in life history may play a critical role in allowing species to coexist by alleviating the negative effects of interspecific competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen Ray Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, U.S.A.,Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, 5047 Gullen Mall, Detroit, MI, 48202, U.S.A
| | - Devin Blankinship
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, U.S.A
| | - Meredith M Doellman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, U.S.A
| | - Jeffrey L Feder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, U.S.A
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16
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Exploring ecological specialization in pipefish using genomic, morphometric and ecological evidence. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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17
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Malka O, Feldmesser E, van Brunschot S, Santos‐Garcia D, Han W, Seal S, Colvin J, Morin S. The molecular mechanisms that determine different degrees of polyphagy in the Bemisia tabaci species complex. Evol Appl 2021; 14:807-820. [PMID: 33767754 PMCID: PMC7980310 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a closely related group of >35 cryptic species that feed on the phloem sap of a broad range of host plants. Species in the complex differ in their host-range breadth, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. We investigated, therefore, how six different B. tabaci species cope with the environmental unpredictability presented by a set of four common and novel host plants. Behavioral studies indicated large differences in performances on the four hosts and putative specialization of one of the species to cassava plants. Transcriptomic analyses revealed two main insights. First, a large set of genes involved in metabolism (>85%) showed differences in expression between the six species, and each species could be characterized by its own unique expression pattern of metabolic genes. However, within species, these genes were constitutively expressed, with a low level of environmental responsiveness (i.e., to host change). Second, within each species, sets of genes mainly associated with the super-pathways "environmental information processing" and "organismal systems" responded to the host switching events. These included genes encoding for proteins involved in sugar homeostasis, signal transduction, membrane transport, and immune, endocrine, sensory and digestive responses. Our findings suggested that the six B. tabaci species can be divided into four performance/transcriptomic "Types" and that polyphagy can be achieved in multiple ways. However, polyphagy level is determined by the specific identity of the metabolic genes/pathways that are enriched and overexpressed in each species (the species' individual metabolic "tool kit").
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Affiliation(s)
- Osnat Malka
- Department of EntomologyThe Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael
| | - Ester Feldmesser
- Department of Biological ServicesWeizmann Institute of ScienceRehovotIsrael
| | - Sharon van Brunschot
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichKentUK
- School of Biological Sciencesthe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQldAustralia
| | | | - Wen‐Hao Han
- Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and InsectsInstitute of Insect SciencesZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Susan Seal
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichKentUK
| | - John Colvin
- Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of GreenwichKentUK
| | - Shai Morin
- Department of EntomologyThe Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael
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18
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Harvey JA, Heinen R, Gols R, Thakur MP. Climate change-mediated temperature extremes and insects: From outbreaks to breakdowns. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:6685-6701. [PMID: 33006246 PMCID: PMC7756417 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Insects are among the most diverse and widespread animals across the biosphere and are well-known for their contributions to ecosystem functioning and services. Recent increases in the frequency and magnitude of climatic extremes (CE), in particular temperature extremes (TE) owing to anthropogenic climate change, are exposing insect populations and communities to unprecedented stresses. However, a major problem in understanding insect responses to TE is that they are still highly unpredictable both spatially and temporally, which reduces frequency- or direction-dependent selective responses by insects. Moreover, how species interactions and community structure may change in response to stresses imposed by TE is still poorly understood. Here we provide an overview of how terrestrial insects respond to TE by integrating their organismal physiology, multitrophic, and community-level interactions, and building that up to explore scenarios for population explosions and crashes that have ecosystem-level consequences. We argue that TE can push insect herbivores and their natural enemies to and even beyond their adaptive limits, which may differ among species intimately involved in trophic interactions, leading to phenological disruptions and the structural reorganization of food webs. TE may ultimately lead to outbreak-breakdown cycles in insect communities with detrimental consequences for ecosystem functioning and resilience. Lastly, we suggest new research lines that will help achieve a better understanding of insect and community responses to a wide range of CE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Harvey
- Netherlands Institute of EcologyWageningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Ecological Sciences – Animal EcologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Robin Heinen
- Department of Terrestrial EcologyTechnische Universität MünchenFreisingGermany
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of EntomologyWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Madhav P. Thakur
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
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19
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Silva R, Clarke AR. The "sequential cues hypothesis": a conceptual model to explain host location and ranking by polyphagous herbivores. INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:1136-1147. [PMID: 31448531 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Successfully locating a host plant is crucial for an insect herbivore to feed and/or oviposit. However, locating a host within a complex environment that may contain an array of different plant species is a difficult task. This is particularly the case for polyphagous herbivores, which must locate a host within environments that may simultaneously contain multiple suitable and unsuitable hosts. Here we review the mechanisms of host selection used by polyphagous herbivores, as well as exploring how prior experience may modify a generalist's response to host cues. We show that recent research demonstrates that polyphagous herbivores have the capacity to detect both common cues from multiple host species, as well as specific cues from individual host species. This creates a paradox in that generalists invariably rank hosts when given a choice, a finding at odds with the "neural limitations" hypothesis that says generalist insect herbivores should not have the neural capacity to identify cues specific to every possible host. To explain this paradox we propose a model, akin to parasitoid host location, that postulates that generalist herbivores use different cues sequentially in host location. We propose that initially common host cues, associated with all potential hosts, are used to place the herbivore within the host habitat and that, in the absence of any other host cues, these cues are sufficient in themselves to lead to host location. As such they are true "generalist" cues. However, once within the host habitat, we propose that the presence of a smaller group of cues may lead to further host searching and the location of preferred hosts: these are "specialist" cues. This model explains the current conflict in the literature where generalists can respond to both common and specific host-plant cues, while also exhibiting specialist and generalist host use behavior under different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rehan Silva
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anthony R Clarke
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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20
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Harvey JA, Ode PJ, Gols R. Population- and Species-Based Variation of Webworm-Parasitoid Interactions in Hogweeds (Heracelum spp.) in the Netherlands. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:924-930. [PMID: 32457993 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In three Dutch populations of the native small hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium L. [Apiales: Apiaceae]), and one of the invasive giant hogweed (H. mantegazzianum Sommeier & Levier [Apiales: Apiaceae]), interactions between a specialist herbivore, the parsnip webworm (Depressaria radiella), and its associated parasitoids were compared during a single growing season. We found host plant species-related differences in the abundance of moth pupae, the specialist polyembryonic endoparasitoid, Copidosoma sosares, the specialist pupal parasitoid, Barichneumon heracliana, and a potential hyperparasitoid of C. sosares, Tyndaricus scaurus Walker (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). Adult D. radiella body mass was similar across the three small hogweed populations, but moths and their pupal parasitoid B. heracliana were smaller when developing on giant than on small hogweeds where the two plants grew in the same locality (Heteren). Mixed-sex and all-male broods of C. sosares were generally bigger than all-female broods. Furthermore, adult female C. sosares were larger than males and adult female mass differed among the three small hogweed populations. The frequency of pupal parasitism and hyperparasitism also varied in the different H. sphondylium populations. These results show that short-term (intra-seasonal) effects of plant population on multitrophic insects are variable among different species in a tightly linked food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Section Animal Ecology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J Ode
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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21
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Alberdi A, Razgour O, Aizpurua O, Novella-Fernandez R, Aihartza J, Budinski I, Garin I, Ibáñez C, Izagirre E, Rebelo H, Russo D, Vlaschenko A, Zhelyazkova V, Zrnčić V, Gilbert MTP. DNA metabarcoding and spatial modelling link diet diversification with distribution homogeneity in European bats. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1154. [PMID: 32123172 PMCID: PMC7052159 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14961-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Inferences of the interactions between species' ecological niches and spatial distribution have been historically based on simple metrics such as low-resolution dietary breadth and range size, which might have impeded the identification of meaningful links between niche features and spatial patterns. We analysed the relationship between dietary niche breadth and spatial distribution features of European bats, by combining continent-wide DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples with species distribution modelling. Our results show that while range size is not correlated with dietary features of bats, the homogeneity of the spatial distribution of species exhibits a strong correlation with dietary breadth. We also found that dietary breadth is correlated with bats' hunting flexibility. However, these two patterns only stand when the phylogenetic relations between prey are accounted for when measuring dietary breadth. Our results suggest that the capacity to exploit different prey types enables species to thrive in more distinct environments and therefore exhibit more homogeneous distributions within their ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antton Alberdi
- Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Orly Razgour
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.,Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PY, UK
| | - Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Ivana Budinski
- Department of Genetic Research, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11060, Serbia
| | - Inazio Garin
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Eñaut Izagirre
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Spain.,Basque Centre for Climate Change BC3, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade Recursos e Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,CIBIO-InBIO, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80055, Portici, Naples, Italy
| | - Anton Vlaschenko
- Bat Rehabilitation Center of Feldman Ecopark, Kharkiv, 62340, Ukraine
| | - Violeta Zhelyazkova
- National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Vida Zrnčić
- Croatian Biospeleological Society, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Museum, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
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22
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Wilson AB, Wegmann A, Ahnesjö I, Gonçalves JMS. The evolution of ecological specialization across the range of a broadly distributed marine species. Evolution 2020; 74:629-643. [PMID: 31976557 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Ecological specialization is an important engine of evolutionary change and adaptive radiation, but empirical evidence of local adaptation in marine environments is rare, a pattern that has been attributed to the high dispersal ability of marine taxa and limited geographic barriers to gene flow. The broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle, is one of the most broadly distributed syngnathid species and shows pronounced variation in cranial morphology across its range, a factor that may contribute to its success in colonizing new environments. We quantified variation in cranial morphology across the species range using geometric morphometrics, and tested for evidence of trophic specialization by comparing individual-level dietary composition with the community of prey available at each site. Although the diets of juvenile pipefish from each site were qualitatively similar, ontogenetic shifts in dietary composition resulted in adult populations with distinctive diets consistent with their divergent cranial morphology. Morphological differences found in nature are maintained under common garden conditions, indicating that trophic specialization in S. typhle is a heritable trait subject to selection. Our data highlight the potential for ecological specialization in response to spatially variable selection pressures in broadly distributed marine species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony B Wilson
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, 11210.,The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, 10016
| | - Alexandra Wegmann
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ingrid Ahnesjö
- Department of Ecology and Genetics/Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, SE-75236, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jorge M S Gonçalves
- Centro de Ciencias do Mar (CCMAR), Coastal Fisheries Research Group, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
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23
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Loxdale HD, Balog A, Biron DG. Aphids in focus: unravelling their complex ecology and evolution using genetic and molecular approaches. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Aphids are renowned plant parasites of agriculture, horticulture and forestry, causing direct physical damage by sucking phloem and especially by transmission of plant pathogenic viruses. The huge yield loss they cause amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars globally, and because of this damage and the intense efforts expended on control, some 20 species are now resistant to pesticides worldwide. Aphids represent an ancient, mainly northern temperate group, although some species occur in the tropics, often as obligate asexual lineages or even asexual ‘species’. However, besides their notoriety as enemies of plant growers, aphids are also extremely interesting scientifically, especially at the molecular and genetic levels. They reproduce mainly asexually, one female producing 10–90 offspring in 7–10 days and therefore, theoretically, could produce billions of offspring in one growing season in the absence of mortality factors (i.e. climate/weather and antagonists). In this overview, we provide examples of what molecular and genetic studies of aphids have revealed concerning a range of topics, especially fine-grained ecological processes. Aphids, despite their apparently limited behavioural repertoire, are in fact masters (or, perhaps more accurately, mistresses) of adaptation and evolutionary flexibility and continue to flourish in a variety of ecosystems, including the agro-ecosystem, regardless of our best efforts to combat them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh D Loxdale
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, the Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff, UK
| | - Adalbert Balog
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Technical and Human Science, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Tirgu-Mureș/Corunca, Romania
| | - David G Biron
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR CNRS, Campus Universitaire des Cézeaux, Aubiere Cedex, France
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24
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Vanderplanck M, Zerck P, Lognay G, Michez D. Generalized host-plant feeding can hide sterol-specialized foraging behaviors in bee-plant interactions. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:150-162. [PMID: 31993117 PMCID: PMC6972837 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-plant selection is a key factor driving the ecology and evolution of insects. While the majority of phytophagous insects is highly host specific, generalist behavior is quite widespread among bees and presumably involves physiological adaptations that remain largely unexplored. However, floral visitation patterns suggest that generalist bees do not forage randomly on all available resources. While resource availability and accessibility as well as nectar composition have been widely explored, pollen chemistry could also have an impact on the range of suitable host-plants. This study focuses on particular pollen nutrients that cannot be synthesized de novo by insects but are key compounds of cell membranes and the precursor for molting process: the sterols. We compared the sterol composition of pollen from the main host-plants of three generalist bees: Anthophora plumipes, Colletes cunicularius, and Osmia cornuta, as well as one specialist bee Andrena vaga. We also analyzed the sterols of their brood cell provisions, the tissues of larvae and nonemerged females to determine which sterols are used by the different species. Our results show that sterols are not used accordingly to foraging strategy: Both the specialist species A. vaga and the generalist species C. cunicularius might metabolize a rare C27 sterol, while the two generalist species A. plumipes and O. cornuta might rather use a very common C28 sterol. Our results suggest that shared sterolic compounds among plant species could facilitate the exploitation of multiple host-plants by A. plumipes and O. cornuta whereas the generalist C. cunicularius might be more constrained due to its physiological requirements of a more uncommon dietary sterol. Our findings suggest that a bee displaying a generalist foraging behavior may sometimes hide a sterol-specialized species. This evidence challenges the hypothesis that all generalist free-living bee species are all able to develop on a wide range of different pollen types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryse Vanderplanck
- Laboratory of ZoologyResearch Institute for BiosciencesUniversity of MonsMonsBelgium
- Evo‐Eco‐Paleo ‐ UMR 8198CNRSUniversity of LilleLilleFrance
| | - Pierre‐Laurent Zerck
- Laboratory of ZoologyResearch Institute for BiosciencesUniversity of MonsMonsBelgium
| | - Georges Lognay
- Laboratory of Analytical ChemistryGembloux Agro‐Bio TechUniversity of LiègeGemblouxBelgium
| | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of ZoologyResearch Institute for BiosciencesUniversity of MonsMonsBelgium
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Derocles SA, Navasse Y, Buchard C, Plantegenest M, Le Ralec A. "Generalist" Aphid Parasitoids Behave as Specialists at the Agroecosystem Scale. INSECTS 2019; 11:E6. [PMID: 31861737 PMCID: PMC7023390 DOI: 10.3390/insects11010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The degree of trophic specialization of interacting organisms impacts on the structure of ecological networks and has consequences for the regulation of crop pests. However, it remains difficult to assess in the case of parasitoids. Host ranges are often established by listing host records from various years and geographic areas in the literature. Here, we compared the actual hosts exploited at a local farm-scale by aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae), to the available species listed as hosts for each parasitoid species. We sampled aphids and their parasitoids in cultivated and uncultivated areas in an experimental farm from April to November 2014 and thereafter used DNA-based data to determine whether a differentiation in sequences existed. Twenty-nine parasitoid species were found on 47 potential aphid hosts. Our results showed that the great majority of the parasitoid tested used fewer host species than expected according to data published in the literature and parasitized a limited number of hosts even when other potential hosts were available in the environment. Moreover, individuals of the most generalist species differed in their DNA sequences, according to the aphid species and/or the host plant species. At a local scale, only obligate or facultative specialist aphid parasitoids were detected. Local specialization has to be considered when implementing the use of such parasitoids in pest regulation within agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane A.P. Derocles
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Yoann Navasse
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Christelle Buchard
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, 35650 Le Rheu, France
| | - Manuel Plantegenest
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Anne Le Ralec
- IGEPP, Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, Université de Rennes 1, Université Bretagne-Loire, 35000 Rennes, France
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Hlaoui A, Boukhris-Bouhachem S, Sepúlveda DA, Correa MCG, Briones LM, Souissi R, Figueroa CC. Spatial and Temporal Genetic Diversity of the Peach Potato Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) in Tunisia. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10100330. [PMID: 31581571 PMCID: PMC6835240 DOI: 10.3390/insects10100330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The peach potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is a worldwide pest of many crops, and the most important aphid pest of peach and potato crops in Tunisia, mainly due to virus transmission, for which insecticides are frequently applied. We studied the genetic structure of M. persicae populations in Tunisia, in order to further our understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors shaping populations and to predict their evolutionary responses to the present management practices. We monitored peach orchards and seed potato crops in different seasons and regions from 2011–2013 and in 2016 (19 populations), assessing the genetic diversity of M. persicae at six microsatellite loci. Temporal and spatial changes in the frequency and distribution of 397 genotypes in 548 sampled aphids were studied. Only 37 genotypes were found more than once (clonal amplification), as most genotypes were found only once (91.60% in peach; 88.73% in potato crops). A similarly high genetic diversity was observed in aphids sampled from peach (G/N = 0.76; Ho = 0.617) and potato (G/N = 0.70; Ho = 0.641). Only a weak genetic differentiation among populations was found, mainly between geographic locations. Clustering analysis revealed genotypes to be grouped mainly according to host plant. The availability of the primary host, high proportion of unique genotypes, high genetic diversity and lack of structuring suggest that the aphid reproduces mainly through cyclical parthenogenesis in Tunisia. On the other hand, we provide a farm-scale study that shows how easily M. persicae can colonize different areas and hosts, which may have important implications in relation to plant virus vectoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amen Hlaoui
- Laboratoire de Protection des Végétaux, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie INRAT, Rue Hédi Karray, Ariana 2049, Tunisia.
- Département Santé Végétale et Environnement, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie INAT, Université de Carthage, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, Cité Mahrajène Tunis 1082, Tunisia.
| | - Sonia Boukhris-Bouhachem
- Laboratoire de Protection des Végétaux, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie INRAT, Rue Hédi Karray, Ariana 2049, Tunisia.
| | - Daniela A Sepúlveda
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
| | - Margarita C G Correa
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique INRA, CNRS, ISA, Université Côte d'Azur, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France.
| | - Lucía M Briones
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
| | - Rebha Souissi
- Laboratoire de Protection des Végétaux, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie INRAT, Rue Hédi Karray, Ariana 2049, Tunisia.
| | - Christian C Figueroa
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile.
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Loxdale HD, Balog A, Harvey JA. Generalism in Nature…The Great Misnomer: Aphids and Wasp Parasitoids as Examples. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10100314. [PMID: 31554276 PMCID: PMC6835564 DOI: 10.3390/insects10100314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the present article we discuss why, in our view, the term ‘generalism’ to define the dietary breadth of a species is a misnomer and should be revised by entomologists/ecologists with the more exact title relating to the animal in question’s level of phagy—mono-, oligo, or polyphagy. We discard generalism as a concept because of the indisputable fact that all living organisms fill a unique ecological niche, and that entry and exit from such niches are the acknowledged routes and mechanisms driving ecological divergence and ultimately speciation. The term specialist is probably still useful and we support its continuing usage simply because all species and lower levels of evolutionary diverge are indeed specialists to a large degree. Using aphids and parasitoid wasps as examples, we provide evidence from the literature that even some apparently highly polyphagous agricultural aphid pest species and their wasp parasitoids are probably not as polyphagous as formerly assumed. We suggest that the shifting of plant hosts by herbivorous insects like aphids, whilst having positive benefits in reducing competition, and reducing antagonists by moving the target organism into ‘enemy free space’, produces trade-offs in survival, involving relaxed selection in the case of the manicured agro-ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh D Loxdale
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3AX, UK.
| | - Adalbert Balog
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Technical and Human Science, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Sighisoara Str. 1C., 540485 Tirgu-Mures, Romania.
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Gols R, Desurmont GA, Harvey JA. Variation in Performance and Resistance to Parasitism of Plutella xylostella Populations. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10090293. [PMID: 31514415 PMCID: PMC6780392 DOI: 10.3390/insects10090293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Two major ecological factors determine the fitness of an insect herbivore: the ability to overcome plant resistance strategies (bottom-up effects) and the ability to avoid or resist attack by natural enemies such as predators and parasitoids (top-down effects). In response to differences in selection pressure, variation may exist in host-plant adaptation and immunity against parasitism among populations of an insect herbivore. We investigated the variation in larval performance of six different Plutella xylostella populations originating from four continents when feeding on a native Dutch plant species, Brassica rapa. One of the used populations has successfully switched its host plant, and is now adapted to pea. In addition, we determined the resistance to attack by the endoparasitoid Diadegma semiclausum originating from the Netherlands (where it is also native) and measured parasitoid performance as a proxy for host resistance against parasitism. Pupal mortality, immature development times, and adult biomass of P. xylostella differed significantly across populations when feeding on the same host plant species. In addition, parasitism success differed in terms of parasitoid adult emergence and their biomass, but not their development times. Variation among natural populations of insects should be considered more when studying interactions between plants and insects up the food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Gaylord A Desurmont
- EBCL USDA ARS, 810 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Department of Ecological Science, Section Animal Ecology, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Herrera P, Suárez JP, Sánchez-Rodríguez A, Molina MC, Prieto M, Méndez M. Many broadly-shared mycobionts characterize mycorrhizal interactions of two coexisting epiphytic orchids in a high elevation tropical forest. FUNGAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Frayssinet M, Audiot P, Cusumano A, Pichon A, Malm LE, Jouan V, Vabre M, Malavieille S, Delalande M, Vargas-Osuna E, Bourguet D, Volkoff AN. Western European Populations of the Ichneumonid Wasp Hyposoter didymator Belong to a Single Taxon. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Gajdzik L, Bernardi G, Lepoint G, Frédérich B. Genetic diversity mirrors trophic ecology in coral reef fish feeding guilds. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:5004-5018. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Gajdzik
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology FOCUS, University of Liège Liège Belgium
| | - Giacomo Bernardi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- Laboratory of Oceanology FOCUS, University of Liège Liège Belgium
| | - Bruno Frédérich
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology FOCUS, University of Liège Liège Belgium
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Loxdale HD. Aspects, Including Pitfalls, of Temporal Sampling of Flying Insects, with Special Reference to Aphids. INSECTS 2018; 9:E153. [PMID: 30388726 PMCID: PMC6316496 DOI: 10.3390/insects9040153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Since the advent and widespread use of high-resolution molecular markers in the late 1970s, it is now well established that natural populations of insects are not necessarily homogeneous genetically and show variations at different spatial scales due to a variety of reasons, including hybridization/introgression events. In a similar vein, populations of insects are not necessarily homogenous in time, either over the course of seasons or even within a single season. This of course has profound consequences for surveys examining, for whatever reason/s, the temporal population patterns of insects, especially flying insects as mostly discussed here. In the present article, the topics covered include climate and climate change; changes in ecological niches due to changes in available hosts, i.e., essentially, adaptation events; hybridization influencing behaviour⁻host shifts; infection by pathogens and parasites/parasitoids; habituation to light, sound and pheromone lures; chromosomal/genetic changes affecting physiology and behaviour; and insecticide resistance. If such phenomena-i.e., aspects and pitfalls-are not considered during spatio-temporal study programmes, which is even more true in the light of the recent discovery of morphologically similar/identical cryptic species, then the conclusions drawn in terms of the efforts to combat pest insects or conserve rare and endangered species may be in error and hence end in failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh D Loxdale
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, Wales, UK.
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Birke A, Aluja M. Do mothers really know best? Complexities in testing the preference-performance hypothesis in polyphagous frugivorous fruit flies. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 108:674-684. [PMID: 29198205 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485317001213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The preference-performance hypothesis (PPH) has widely been used to explain host exploitation patterns by phytophagous insects. However, this hypothesis often fails in the case of polyphagous species when compared with specialists. One explanation, validated by the information-processing hypothesis (IPH), considers that polyphagous insects are unable to process a large array of cues, which hinders females from distinguishing between high- and low- quality hosts. Here we analyzed Anastrepha ludens female host preference and offspring performance, and tested if neuronal limitations could possibly play a role in the incapacity of the polyphagous A. ludens to make 'accurate decisions' and therefore partially explain mismatches related to PPH. Results testing the PPH by correlating female preference to six naturally occurring hosts and its offspring outcomes show that A. ludens females oviposited greater proportions of eggs on fruit according to hierarchical preferences. Infestation level was low in white sapote, the preferential and seemingly putative ancestral host, likely due to sapote defence mechanisms. Pupal weight and adult size were lower when A. ludens larvae developed in guava (conditional host that was artificially infested) and peach, a lower ranked host compared with 'Marsh' grapefruit, white sapote, and 'Manila' mango (three preferred hosts). Larvae reared in 'Manzano' pepper, a low-ranked host, performed better than in peach and guava. Results testing the IPH, show that polyphagous A. ludens females were less accurate when discerning between a non natural host (guava) when compared with a preferred, natural host (grapefruit): error rate was significantly higher, number of oviposited fruit in a 6-h period was extremely low, time searching and ovipositing took longer, and pupae recovery was extremely low. Our findings indicate that both hypotheses tested are complementary and help better understand host use by A. ludens. However, we also discuss the complexity of polyphagy considering other factors such as plant resistance/defence mechanisms which are not fully addressed in both theories tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Birke
- Clúster Científico y Tecnológico BioMimic, Instituto de Ecología A.C.,Apartado Postal 63, 91070 Xalapa, Veracruz,Mexico
| | - M Aluja
- Clúster Científico y Tecnológico BioMimic, Instituto de Ecología A.C.,Apartado Postal 63, 91070 Xalapa, Veracruz,Mexico
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Widespread plant specialization in the polyphagous planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus (Cixiidae), a major vector of stolbur phytoplasma: Evidence of cryptic speciation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196969. [PMID: 29738577 PMCID: PMC5940214 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The stolbur phytoplasma vector Hyalesthes obsoletus is generally considered as a polyphagous species associated with numerous wild and cultivated plants. However, recent research in southeastern Europe, the distribution centre of H. obsoletus and the area of most stolbur-inflicted crop diseases, points toward specific host-plant associations of the vector, indicating specific vector-based transmission routes. Here, we study the specificity of populations associated with four host-plants using mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers, and we evaluate the evolution of host-shifts in H. obsoletus. Host-plant use was confirmed for Convolvulus arvensis, Urtica dioica, Vitex agnus-castus and Crepis foetida. Mitochondrial genetic analysis showed sympatric occurrence of three phylogenetic lineages that were ecologically delineated by host-plant preference, but were morphologically inseparable. Nuclear data supported the existence of three genetic groups (Evanno’s ΔK(3) = 803.72) with average genetic membership probabilities > 90%. While populations associated with C. arvensis and U. dioica form a homogenous group, populations affiliated with V. agnus-castus and C. foetida constitute two independent plant-associated lineages. The geographical signal permeating the surveyed populations indicated complex diversification processes associated with host-plant selection and likely derived from post-glacial refugia in the eastern Mediterranean. This study provides evidence for cryptic species diversification within H. obsoletus sensu lato: i) consistent mitochondrial differentiation (1.1–1.5%) among host-associated populations in syntopy and in geographically distant areas, ii) nuclear genetic variance supporting mitochondrial data, and iii) average mitochondrial genetic distances among host-associated meta-populations are comparable to the most closely related, morphologically distinguishable species, i.e., Hyalesthes thracicus (2.1–3.3%).
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Nicholls JA, Schönrogge K, Preuss S, Stone GN. Partitioning of herbivore hosts across time and food plants promotes diversification in the Megastigmus dorsalis oak gall parasitoid complex. Ecol Evol 2017; 8:1300-1315. [PMID: 29375799 PMCID: PMC5773290 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Communities of insect herbivores and their natural enemies are rich and ecologically crucial components of terrestrial biodiversity. Understanding the processes that promote their origin and maintenance is thus of considerable interest. One major proposed mechanism is ecological speciation through host-associated differentiation (HAD), the divergence of a polyphagous species first into ecological host races and eventually into more specialized daughter species. The rich chalcid parasitoid communities attacking cynipid oak gall wasp hosts are structured by multiple host traits, including food plant taxon, host gall phenology, and gall structure. Here, we ask whether the same traits structure genetic diversity within supposedly generalist parasitoid morphospecies. We use mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite genotypes to quantify HAD for Megastigmus (Bootanomyia) dorsalis, a complex of two apparently generalist cryptic parasitoid species attacking oak galls. Ancient Balkan refugial populations showed phenological separation between the cryptic species, one primarily attacking spring galls, and the other mainly attacking autumn galls. The spring species also contained host races specializing on galls developing on different host-plant lineages (sections Cerris vs. Quercus) within the oak genus Quercus. These results indicate more significant host-associated structuring within oak gall parasitoid communities than previously thought and support ecological theory predicting the evolution of specialist lineages within generalist parasitoids. In contrast, UK populations of the autumn cryptic species associated with both native and recently invading oak gall wasps showed no evidence of population differentiation, implying rapid recruitment of native parasitoid populations onto invading hosts, and hence potential for natural biological control. This is of significance given recent rapid range expansion of the economically damaging chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus, in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Nicholls
- Ashworth Labs Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | | | - Sonja Preuss
- Ashworth Labs Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK.,Present address: Uppsala County Administrative Board Uppsala Sweden
| | - Graham N Stone
- Ashworth Labs Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
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Padró J, De Panis DN, Vrdoljak J, Carmona PM, Colines B, Hasson E, Soto IM. Experimental Evolution of Alkaloid Tolerance in Sibling Drosophila Species with Different Degrees of Specialization. Evol Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-017-9441-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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37
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Wiklund C, Norén K, Ryman N, Friberg M. Local monophagy and between-site diversity in host use in the European swallowtail butterfly, Papilio machaon. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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38
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Variation in defensive chemistry within a polyphagous Baikal population of Chrysomela lapponica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): potential benefits in a multi-enemy world. POPUL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-017-0601-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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39
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Loxdale HD, Balog A. Aphid specialism as an example of ecological-evolutionary divergence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:642-657. [PMID: 28836372 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Debate still continues around the definition of generalism and specialism in nature. To some, generalism is equated solely with polyphagy, but this cannot be readily divorced from other essential biological factors, such as morphology, behaviour, genetics, biochemistry, chemistry and ecology, including chemical ecology. Viewed in this light, and accepting that when living organisms evolve to fill new ecological-evolutionary niches, this is the primal act of specialisation, then perhaps all living organisms are specialist in the broadest sense. To illustrate the levels of specialisation that may be found in a group of animals, we here provide an overview of those displayed by a subfamily of hemipteran insects, the Aphididae, which comprises some 1600 species/subspecies in Europe alone and whose members are specialised in a variety of lifestyle traits. These include life cycle, host adaptation, dispersal and migration, associations with bacterial symbionts (in turn related to host adaptation and resistance to hymenopterous wasp parasitoids), mutualisms with ants, and resistance to insecticides. As with polyphagy, these traits cannot easily be separated from one another, but rather, are interconnected, often highly so, which makes the Aphididae a fascinating animal group to study, providing an informative, perhaps unique, model to illustrate the complexities of defining generalism versus specialism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh D Loxdale
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, U.K
| | - Adalbert Balog
- Faculty of Technical and Human Science, Department of Horticulture, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, 540485, Tirgu-Mures, Romania
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Hiroyoshi S, Harvey JA, Nakamatsu Y, Nemoto H, Mitsuhashi J, Mitsunaga T, Tanaka T. Potential Host Range of the Larval Endoparasitoid Cotesia vestalis ( =plutellae) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 9:1179543317715623. [PMID: 35241962 PMCID: PMC8848047 DOI: 10.1177/1179543317715623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Many parasitoid wasps are highly specialized in nature, attacking only one or a few species of hosts. Host range is often determined by a range of biological and ecological characteristics of the host including diet, growth potential, immunity, and phylogeny. The solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia vestalis, mainly parasitizes diamondback moth (DBM) larvae in the field, although it has been reported that to possess a relatively wide lepidopteran host range. To better understand the biology of C vestalis as a potential biological control of hosts other than the DBM, it is necessary to determine suitability for potential hosts. In this study, the potential host range of the wasp and its developmental capacity in each host larva were examined under laboratory conditions using 27 lepidopteran species from 10 families. The wasp was able to parasitize 15 of the 27 species successfully. Some host species were not able to exclude C vestalis via their internal physiological defenses. When parasitization was unsuccessful, most hosts killed the parasitoid at the egg stage or early first-instar stage using encapsulation, but some host species disturbed the development of the parasitoid at various stages. No phylogenetic relationships were found among suitable and unsuitable hosts, revealing that host range in some endoparasitoids is not constrained by relatedness among hosts based on immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Hisashi Nemoto
- Saitama Agriculture and Forestry Research Center, Saitama, Japan
| | | | - Takayuki Mitsunaga
- Central Region of Agricultural Research Center, National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshiharu Tanaka
- Nagoya University in Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia Satellite Campus, Cambodia
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Fei M, Harvey JA, Yin Y, Gols R. Oviposition Preference for Young Plants by the Large Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris brassicae ) Does not Strongly Correlate with Caterpillar Performance. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:617-629. [PMID: 28620771 PMCID: PMC5501907 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0853-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The effects of temporal variation in the quality of short-lived annual plants on oviposition preference and larval performance of insect herbivores has thus far received little attention. This study examines the effects of plant age on female oviposition preference and offspring performance in the large cabbage white butterfly Pieris brassicae. Adult female butterflies lay variable clusters of eggs on the underside of short-lived annual species in the family Brassicaceae, including the short-lived annuals Brassica nigra and Sinapis arvensis, which are important food plants for P. brassicae in The Netherlands. Here, we compared oviposition preference and larval performance of P. brassicae on three age classes (young, mature, and pre-senescing) of B. nigra and S. arvensis plants. Oviposition preference of P. brassicae declined with plant age in both plant species. Whereas larvae performed similarly on all three age classes in B. nigra, preference and performance were weakly correlated in S. arvensis. Analysis of primary (sugars and amino acids) and secondary (glucosinolates) chemistry in the plant shoots revealed that differences in their quality and quantity were more pronounced with respect to tissue type (leaves vs. flowers) than among different developmental stages of both plant species. Butterflies of P. brassicae may prefer younger and smaller plants for oviposition anticipating that future plant growth and size is optimally synchronized with the final larval instar, which contributes >80% of larval growth before pupation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Fei
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Section Animal Ecology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yi Yin
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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43
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Zvereva EL, Zverev V, Kruglova OY, Kozlov MV. Strategies of chemical anti-predator defences in leaf beetles: is sequestration of plant toxins less costly than de novo synthesis? Oecologia 2016; 183:93-106. [PMID: 27718063 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3743-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of defensive traits is driven both by benefits gained from protection against enemies and by costs of defence production. We tested the hypothesis that specialisation of herbivores on toxic host plants, accompanied by the ability to acquire plant defensive compounds for herbivore defence, is favoured by the lower costs of sequestration compared to de novo synthesis of defensive compounds. We measured physiological costs of chemical defence as a reduction in larval performance in response to repeated removal of secretions (simulating predator attack) and compared these costs between five species synthesising defences de novo and three species sequestering salicylic glucosides (SGs) from their host plants. Experiments simulating low predator pressure revealed no physiological costs in terms of survival, weight and duration of development in any of study species. However, simulation of high predation caused reduction in relative growth rate in Chrysomela lapponica larvae producing autogenous defences more frequently, than in larvae sequestering SGs. Still meta-analysis of combined data showed no overall difference in costs of autogenous and sequestered defences. However, larvae synthesising their defences de novo demonstrated secretion-conserving behaviour, produced smaller amounts of secretions, replenished them at considerably lower rates and employed other types of defences (regurgitation, evasion) more frequently when compared to sequestering larvae. These latter results provide indirect evidence for biosynthetic constraints for amounts of defensive secretions produced de novo, resulting in low defence effectiveness. Lifting these constraints by sequestration may have driven some leaf beetle lineages toward sequestration of plant allelochemicals as the main defensive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena L Zvereva
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
| | - Vitali Zverev
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Mikhail V Kozlov
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
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44
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Clarke AR. Why so many polyphagous fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)? A further contribution to the ‘generalism’ debate. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony R Clarke
- School of Earth, Environment and Biological Sciences; Queensland University of Technology (QUT); Brisbane Qld 4001 Australia
- Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre; LPO Box 5012 Bruce ACT 2617 Australia
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45
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Zvereva EL, Kozlov MV, Rank NE. Does ant predation favour leaf beetle specialization on toxic host plants? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nathan E. Rank
- Department of Biology; Sonoma State University; Rohnert Park CA USA
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Cunningham JP, Carlsson MA, Villa TF, Dekker T, Clarke AR. Do Fruit Ripening Volatiles Enable Resource Specialism in Polyphagous Fruit Flies? J Chem Ecol 2016; 42:931-940. [PMID: 27586434 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0752-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Frugivorous tephritid fruit flies have lineages with high levels of host generalism. These insects use olfaction to locate fruits, but how they are able to recognize the odors of so many different host species is poorly understood. We used a series of behavioral experiments to investigate the role of fruit ripening volatiles as host cues in the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), a polyphagous pest in Australia. Odors of mature guava (Psidium guajava) attracted female and male flies more strongly than three other ripening stages and guava pulp. We analyzed volatiles from guava odor and selected eleven compounds, all of which elicited an electrophysiological response in the antenna of female flies. Three of these, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, and ethyl propionate, were released at the highest rates from the most attractive ripening stage. In behavioral trials, these three esters were not attractive individually, whereas a combination was necessary and sufficient in attracting female flies. The three-component blend was as attractive as the entire 11-component blend, which without these key volatiles was not attractive. Moreover, injecting low ranking hosts (squash and cucumber) with the three volatiles increased attraction in ovipositing female flies. These fruit flies are classed as generalists, but like many polyphagous insects they could be regarded as resource specialists, preferring specific plant reproductive stages with predictable odor cues. Exploring olfaction from this perspective could improve our understanding of host choice in polyphagous insects, and the selection of volatiles to be used as attractants in insect pest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Paul Cunningham
- Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport & Resources, Biosciences Research, AgriBio Centre, 5 Ring Road, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia. .,Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia.
| | - Mikael A Carlsson
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tommaso F Villa
- Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia
| | - Teun Dekker
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Anthony R Clarke
- Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Plant Biosecurity, ACT, Bruce, Australia
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Fei M, Harvey JA, Weldegergis BT, Huang T, Reijngoudt K, Vet LM, Gols R. Integrating Insect Life History and Food Plant Phenology: Flexible Maternal Choice Is Adaptive. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:E1263. [PMID: 27527153 PMCID: PMC5000661 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17081263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Experience of insect herbivores and their natural enemies in the natal habitat is considered to affect their likelihood of accepting a similar habitat or plant/host during dispersal. Growing phenology of food plants and the number of generations in the insects further determines lability of insect behavioural responses at eclosion. We studied the effect of rearing history on oviposition preference in a multivoltine herbivore (Pieris brassicae), and foraging behaviour in the endoparasitoid wasp (Cotesia glomerata) a specialist enemy of P. brassicae. Different generations of the insects are obligatorily associated with different plants in the Brassicaceae, e.g., Brassica rapa, Brassica nigra and Sinapis arvensis, exhibiting different seasonal phenologies in The Netherlands. Food plant preference of adults was examined when the insects had been reared on each of the three plant species for one generation. Rearing history only marginally affected oviposition preference of P. brassicae butterflies, but they never preferred the plant on which they had been reared. C. glomerata had a clear preference for host-infested B. rapa plants, irrespective of rearing history. Higher levels of the glucosinolate breakdown product 3-butenyl isothiocyanate in the headspace of B. rapa plants could explain enhanced attractiveness. Our results reveal the potential importance of flexible plant choice for female multivoltine insects in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Fei
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Section Animal Ecology, Department of Ecological Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Berhane T Weldegergis
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Tzeyi Huang
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Kimmy Reijngoudt
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Louise M Vet
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Loxdale HD, Harvey JA. The ‘generalism’ debate: misinterpreting the term in the empirical literature focusing on dietary breadth in insects. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugh D. Loxdale
- School of Biosciences; Cardiff University; The Sir Martin Evans Building Museum Avenue Cardiff CF10 3AX UK
| | - Jeffrey A. Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology; Netherlands Institute of Ecology; Droevendaalsesteeg 10 6708 PB Wageningen the Netherlands
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Gómez-Cendra PV, Paulin LE, Oroño L, Ovruski SM, Vilardi JC. Morphometric Differentiation Among Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) Exploiting Sympatric Alternate Hosts. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 45:508-517. [PMID: 26787122 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvv224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) is currently considered a complex of cryptic species infesting fruits from Mexico to Argentina and represents an interesting biological model for evolutionary studies. Moreover, detecting and quantifying behavioral, morphological, and genetic differentiation among populations is also relevant to the application of environment-friendly control programs. Here, phenotypic differentiation among individuals coexisting in the wild in a Northern region of Argentina was unveiled and associated with host choice. Six morphometric traits were measured in sympatric flies exploiting three different host species. Phenotypic variation was shown to be host-dependent regardless of geographical or temporal overlap. Flies collected from synchronous alternate hosts (peach and walnut) differed from each other despite the lack of geographical isolation. By contrast, flies emerging from guavas that ripen about two months later than peach and walnut showed no significant differentiation in comparison to flies collected from walnuts, but they differ significantly from flies originating from peaches. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the same population of flies shifts from walnuts to guavas throughout the year, whereas the population of flies that uses peaches as a host is probably exploiting other alternate hosts when peach availability decreases. Further research is needed to study the underlying mechanism. Results are consistent with previous molecular markers (inter-simple sequence repeat-ISSR) research on flies stemming from the same hosts and the same area, suggesting that differentiation among flies emerging from alternative hosts occurs at both genetic and phenotypic levels. The contribution of host preference in long-term genetic differentiation is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P V Gómez-Cendra
- Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (; ; ), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA,
| | - L E Paulin
- Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (; ; ), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA
| | - L Oroño
- Universidad Nacional de Chilecito. 9 de Julio 22, Chilecito, La Rioja, Argentina, F5360CKB , and Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecoetológicas de Moscas de la Fruta y sus Enemigos Naturales, División Control Biológico, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos y Biotecnología (PROIMI) - CCT Tucumán - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina, T4001MVB
| | - S M Ovruski
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecoetológicas de Moscas de la Fruta y sus Enemigos Naturales, División Control Biológico, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos y Biotecnología (PROIMI) - CCT Tucumán - CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina, T4001MVB
| | - J C Vilardi
- Laboratorio de Genética de Poblaciones Aplicada, Depto. Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA (; ; ), Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) - CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, C1428EGA
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Fei M, Gols R, Zhu F, Harvey JA. Plant Quantity Affects Development and Survival of a Gregarious Insect Herbivore and Its Endoparasitoid Wasp. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149539. [PMID: 26963702 PMCID: PMC4786310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtually all studies of plant-herbivore-natural enemy interactions focus on plant quality as the major constraint on development and survival. However, for many gregarious feeding insect herbivores that feed on small or ephemeral plants, the quantity of resources is much more limiting, yet this area has received virtually no attention. Here, in both lab and semi-field experiments using tents containing variably sized clusters of food plants, we studied the effects of periodic food deprivation in a tri-trophic system where quantitative constraints are profoundly important on insect performance. The large cabbage white Pieris brassicae, is a specialist herbivore of relatively small wild brassicaceous plants that grow in variable densities, with black mustard (Brassica nigra) being one of the most important. Larvae of P. brassicae are in turn attacked by a specialist endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata. Increasing the length of food deprivation of newly molted final instar caterpillars significantly decreased herbivore and parasitoid survival and biomass, but shortened their development time. Moreover, the ability of caterpillars to recover when provided with food again was correlated with the length of the food deprivation period. In outdoor tents with natural vegetation, we created conditions similar to those faced by P. brassicae in nature by manipulating plant density. Low densities of B. nigra lead to potential starvation of P. brassicae broods and their parasitoids, replicating nutritional conditions of the lab experiments. The ability of both unparasitized and parasitized caterpillars to find corner plants was similar but decreased with central plant density. Survival of both the herbivore and parasitoid increased with plant density and was higher for unparasitized than for parasitized caterpillars. Our results, in comparison with previous studies, reveal that quantitative constraints are far more important that qualitative constraints on the performance of gregarious insect herbivores and their gregarious parasitoids in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Fei
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Feng Zhu
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey A. Harvey
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Section Animal Ecology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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