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199 results for “natural enemies”

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dryad36/100

Data from: Land consolidation impacts the abundance and richness of natural enemies but not pests in small-holder rice systems

Traditional small-holder agricultural landscapes in southern China are being consolidated to increase mechanization levels in agriculture, but it is unclear how this influences rice arthropod communities in these landscapes. Here, based on a six-year study in 20 rice fields, we evaluated the impact of land consolidation on arthropod communities, crop damage, and rice yield. We also analyzed how effects of land consolidation were moderated by the proportion of large semi-natural habitat patches and insecticide use. We found that, compared to consolidated fields, rice fields in traditional farmlands had a higher abundance and family richness of natural enemies, but a similar abundance of rice pests. Land consolidation did not significantly interact with the proportion of large semi-natural habitat patches or insecticide application, in terms of affecting arthropods. The proportion of semi-natural habitat reduced the negative effect of insecticide application on key rice pests, but no equivalent interaction occurred for natural enemies. Syntheses and Applications: Land consolidation can have negative impacts on the abundance and richness of natural enemies, but not pests in small-holder rice systems, and these impacts are independent from insecticide application and proportion of semi-natural habitat in the landscape. We recommend the implementation of agri-environmental measures or re-establishing field margin vegetation during the consolidation process to mitigate these potential negative effects, although trade-off between enhancing crop yields and preserving rice arthropod biodiversity should be considered. We encourage future research to focus on the detailed assessment of the function of linear habitats for a better understanding of the impact of land consolidation.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Do natural enemies mediate conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence of trees? A meta-analysis of exclusion experiments

Conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence is believed to be one of the most important mechanisms controlling forest community assembly and species diversity globally. Plant pathogens, and insect and mammalian herbivores, are the most common natural enemy types that have been implicated in this phenomenon, but their general effects at different plant life stages are still unclear. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies that involved robust manipulative experiments, using fungicides, insecticides, or exclosures, to assess the contributions of different natural enemy types to distance- and density-dependent effects at seed and seedling stages. We found that conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence was more common at the seedling stage. Only 30% of studies showed significant conspecific negative distance- and density-dependence. Among those studies, applying fungicides significantly reduced the effect of conspecific negative distance -dependent mortality. Excluding large mammals reduced the effect of conspecifics, but with only marginal significance (p < 0.1). Our study confirms that plant pathogens have a significant impact on distance -dependent mortality and suggests that the impacts of herbivores on seedlings have been understudied. At the seed stage, large and small mammals, respectively, appear to weaken and enhance negative conspecific distance-dependent mortality. Future research should identify specific agents of mortality, investigate the interactions among different enemy types, and assess how global change may affect natural enemies and thus influence the strength of conspecific distance- and density-dependence.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Oviposition preference and performance of Plutella xylostella are modulated by natural enemies, larval odours and immune status

Insect herbivores frequently must balance host plant quality and the risk of attack by their natural enemies when making oviposition decisions. Yet, which factor is more important remains unresolved in plant-insect ecology. Here, we report the oviposition preference and larval performance of the brassicaceous specialist Plutella xylostella, in the context of plant quality (cabbage Brassica oleracea, vs. mustard B. juncea) and associated natural enemies. <a name="_Hlk95552650"></a>Despite the greater larval weight and adult life-span on cabbage, ovipositing females strongly preferred mustard. Both the egg parasitoid Trichogrammatoidea bactrae and the larval ectoparasitoid Bracon brevicornis are more likely to attack P. xylostella that feed on cabbage; thus, mustard represents enemy-reduced space from these two parasitoids. However, larval diet had no impact on the parasitization rate of specialist Cotesia vestalis. Feeding on mustard improved larval immunity. The total hemocytes number, diversity and phenoloxidase activity was higher on mustard-fed larvae that increased their survival against the entomopathogen, Bacillus thuringiensis. Interestingly, host plants altered the larval body odour profile. Mustard fed larvae emitted allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and butyl isothiocyanate (BITC) while cabbage fed larvae emitted dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulphide (DMTS) that served as short-range cues for larval parasitoids. For B. brevicornis, host body odour guided oviposition choice was crucial as their fitness was affected by the host larval diet. Although, C. vestalis showed a clear preference towards volatiles emitted by mustard fed larvae, their fitness was unaltered. Taken together, our results illustrate that P. xylostella prefers to lay eggs on mustard plants providing enemy-reduced space from some, but not all, natural enemies.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

zenodo36/100

Weissflog et al. - Daytime but not plant trichomes provide herbivores with enemy-free space: of plasticine caterpillars, superheroes, and natural enemies.

RAW DATA We use artificial prey to quantify spatial and temporal variation in predation pressure on insect herbivores in two tropical rainforest sites in Panama.  We measured temporal and spatial variation in predation in the understory of the lowland rainforest of Barro Colorado Island in Panama [79°49.79´S, 9°9.48´E; 2600 mm yr-1 rainfall, 3 mo dry season; = island experiment) in February 2020 by comparing diurnal and nocturnal attacks on plasticine caterpillars and hulks placed on glabrous and pubescent plants. We used model prey to measure predation pressure. Caterpillars (50 x 4 mm) and hulks (with a height of 30 mm that equaled the maximum height of the bent caterpillars) were molded from green, (to humans) odorless, non-toxic Newplast (Newclay Products Ltd., Newton Abbot, UK). Caterpillars were shaped and bent to mimic the posture of common geometrid caterpillars. Hulks resembled small (but fearsome) superhero figurines, known from the Marvel comics (Marvel Worldwide Inc.), and were shaped using custom made plastic molds. We used hulks as a control to the more naturally shaped caterpillar models to test whether objects resembling natural prey are indeed recognized as such by potential predators. All objects were modeled and handled using surgical gloves to avoid leaving unwanted cues (i.e., scent or other distracting contaminants) to predators. A hundred caterpillars and a hundred hulks were individually placed on 50 plants per host species. Objects were attached close to the midrib on the upper surface of plant leaves with a small amount of fast-setting glue, 30-80 cm from the ground. For four consecutive days (total of 96 h), the plasticine objects were inspected in 12 hour intervals at dusk and dawn (18:15 and 06:15 hours) to differentiate diurnal from nocturnal predation. Further, we conducted a follow-up experiment in a close-by mainland forest site in Gamboa, Parque Nacional Soberanía (79°43.38 S, 9°8.24 E; = mainland study) in early-March 2021. Following the same procedure as for the island experiment described above, we glued 27 caterpillars, 27 hulks, and 27 small caterpillars (30 x 2 mm) close to the midrib onto the upper side of leaves of tree saplings. In this follow-up experiment, we did however not select specific plant species, but chose saplings that were naturally growing in the field site. All plants were of similar size, with simple, elliptic to ovate, smooth-edged leaves, and without any foliar or stem pubescence. As before, all objects were carefully inspected for attack marks at 12 hour intervals at 18:15 and 06:15 hours for four consecutive days.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

zenodo36/100

Figure 2 in From Eradication to Containment: Invasion of French Polynesia by Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Releases of Two Natural Enemies: A 17-Year Case Study

Figure 2. Monthly captures of B. dorsalis in methyl eugenol traps on Moorea.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2013View details →

zenodo36/100

Figure 2 in New data on Ovalisia (Palmar) festiva (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and its natural enemies reported from Bulgaria

Figure 2. Ovalisia festiva, adults (a); exit hole (b).

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2020View details →

zenodo36/100

Fig. 4 in A study of Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in its native range: further insights into life cycle, larval identification, developmental parameters, natural enemies, and damage to the host plant Opuntia ficus-indica (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae)

Fig. 4. Number of eggs across months for all sampling sites from Tucumán.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2018View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Ecological requirements drive the variable responses of wheat pests and natural enemies to the landscape context

1. Semi-natural habitats (SNH) are considered essential for pest suppressive landscapes, but their influence on crop pests and natural enemies can be highly variable. Instead of SNH per se, the availability of resources, such as pollen and nectar, may be more relevant for supporting pest control. 2. Here, we assessed the spatio-temporal variation of multiple insect pests (cereal leaf beetles and aphids) and natural enemies (predators and aphid parasitoids) in wheat fields and their responses to landscape context and flower availability. We combined detailed information on pollen use by natural enemies with the specific distribution of pollen-providing plants across a gradient of landscape composition and configuration. 3. The abundance of wheat pests was tightly linked to wheat development stage. Syrphids colonised the fields early in the season, while the abundance of other enemies increased later in the season. The responses of pests to landscape structure were variable and, while some pests had low abundances in landscapes with high edge density and SNH cover, Sitobion avenae abundance was positively associated with SNH cover. Lacewings, syrphids and cereal leaf beetles were abundant in landscapes with diverse and abundant flower resources, whereas the abundance of parasitoids and Nabis sp. was driven by aphid abundance. We detected no significant indirect effects of landscape on pests via natural enemies. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our findings highlight the need for conservation biological control to go beyond "one size fits all" and consider the specific ecology of the involved organisms. Landscapes with high edge density and flowering woody plants may support natural enemies, in particular syrphids, which colonised the fields early in the season. Incentives for pest-suppressive landscapes should focus on tailored strategies that disfavour pests and simultaneously enhance natural enemies according to their ecological requirements.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

dryad36/100

Data for: Hedgerows have contrasting effects on pollinators and natural enemies and limited spillover effects on apple production

Agricultural intensification has resulted in a decline in insect biodiversity and threatens the provision of valuable ecosystem services. Agri-environment schemes (AESs) have been implemented in an effort to conserve biodiversity on farmland and increase agricultural sustainability, but their effectiveness can vary widely. To better determine which factors influence AES effectiveness, the relative roles of local habitat features, habitat quality, and landscape context need to be further explored. The aim of this study was to determine the most important factors influencing field margin AES effectiveness in commercial apple orchards, in terms of arthropod biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision. We surveyed wild bees and aphid natural enemies in field margins and apple trees in 20 orchards, ten bordered by hedgerow field margins (an AES) and ten with herbaceous field margins (no hedgerows present, not an AES). We considered field margin floral resources and the cover of semi-natural habitat in the surrounding landscape as indicators of local habitat quality and landscape context, respectively. We furthermore quantified pollination and pest control as measures of ecosystem service delivery and the relationship between arthropod communities and apple yield (initial and final fruit set) and quality. We found that hedgerow presence strongly predicted both pollinator and natural enemy communities and that these relationships were more pronounced than those with local habitat quality and landscape context. Hedgerows were negatively related to wild bee richness and abundance within the orchard, and positively related to natural enemy richness and abundance at the field margin but not within the orchard. We found no relationships between local and landscape factors and ecosystem service delivery, and no relationship between wild bee communities and apple yield, suggesting that apple is not pollen limited in our study system. There was, however, a negative relationship between natural enemy richness and initial fruit set. We conclude that annually cut hedgerows can benefit the conservation of natural enemies, but have limited arthropod-mediated private benefits for apple production, and likely need to be supplemented with additional local habitat resources for the conservation of wild bees. Our findings indicate that local habitat factors can strongly influence biodiversity regardless of landscape context, but that AESs likely need to be designed with separate biodiversity and ecosystem service targets, and specific taxonomic groups, in mind.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Plant secondary metabolite increases the control-effectiveness of natural enemy - based on caffeine and Snellenius manilae

The food resources in the field can effectively strengthen the ability of natural enemies to control the pest. Certain compounds, in addition to carbohydrates and amino acids, may improve the physiological performance of insects. Caffeine, for instance, has been shown to enhance pollinator memory and physiological reactions. However, little is known about how caffeine influences parasitoids. The control effectiveness and survival rate of the parasitoid (Snellenius manilae) were tested in this study after the parasitoids were fed solutions with different concentrations of caffeine. We examined caffeine concentrations of 10-2, 10-4, and 10-6 (M) mixed with a 25% sucrose solution and a pure sucrose solution as a control group. The results show that a concentration of 10-6 caffeine solution significantly increased the parasitism rate of S. manilae by 10.76% when compared to the control group. Despite the significantly lower survival rate and male bias of S. manilae offspring in the 10-2 treatment, no further negative responses in growth performance, development time, or cocoon weight were observed. These findings suggest that an appropriate concentration of caffeine solution can have a positive impact on the control effectiveness of parasitoids in the laboratory. Our results highlight the potential of secondary compounds to increase the bio-control effectiveness.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

dryad36/100