Pub Date : 2024-09-18DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09863-w
Laura A. Reeves, Michelle T. Fountain, Michael P. D. Garratt, Deepa Senapathi
Pear psyllid (Cacopsylla pyri) is a persistent pest to the pear industry; with an estimated cost of £5 million per annum in the UK alone. This phloem feeding insect is resistant to a large proportion of approved pesticides, necessitating the use of alternative control strategies. Many pear growers practice integrated pest management (IPM) of pear psyllid, focusing on maximizing natural enemy populations, whilst minimizing the use of agrochemical sprays. The anthocorid Anthocoris nemoralis and the European earwig Forficula auricularia are particularly effective at controlling pear psyllid populations during the summer months. Despite the effectiveness of both natural enemies, there is a lack of understanding on whether both species should be promoted together or separately, due to the risk of intraguild predation (IGP) or interference competition. Furthermore, abiotic factors including temperature may influence both behaviors, altering activity level and niche overlap. Although IGP and interference competition have been documented between multiple species of natural enemies neither have been studied between these two specific predators. Using microcosm experiments, olfactometer assays and survival analyses this study demonstrated whether A. nemoralis and F. auricularia can be used in synchrony to control pear psyllid. Results indicated that IGP is present; F. auricularia will consume A. nemoralis when predators are not spatially separate and in absence of psyllid prey. There was no evidence for interference competition, although both predators consumed more prey at higher temperatures. This confirms that pear growers can encourage both predators for the control of pear psyllid without losing predation efficacy.
梨木虱(Cacopsylla pyri)是梨产业的一种顽固害虫,仅在英国,每年的虫害损失估计就达 500 万英镑。这种以韧皮部为食的昆虫对大部分已获批准的杀虫剂具有抗药性,因此必须使用替代控制策略。许多梨树种植者对梨木虱实行虫害综合防治(IPM),重点是最大限度地增加天敌数量,同时最大限度地减少农用化学品喷洒的使用。炭疽天敌 Anthocoris nemoralis 和欧洲蠼 Forficula auricularia 在夏季控制梨木虱的数量特别有效。尽管这两种天敌都很有效,但由于存在虫群内捕食(IGP)或干扰竞争的风险,人们对这两种天敌是应该同时推广还是分开推广还缺乏了解。此外,包括温度在内的非生物因素可能会影响这两种行为,改变活动水平和生态位重叠。虽然多种天敌之间的IGP和干扰竞争都有记录,但这两种特定捕食者之间的IGP和干扰竞争都没有被研究过。本研究利用微生态环境实验、嗅觉测定和存活率分析,证明了是否可以同时使用 A. nemoralis 和 F. auricularia 来控制梨木虱。结果表明,IGP 是存在的;当捕食者在空间上不分开且没有梨木虱猎物时,F. auricularia 会吃掉 A. nemoralis。虽然两种捕食者在较高温度下会消耗更多的猎物,但没有证据表明存在干扰竞争。这证明梨树种植者可以鼓励两种捕食者同时控制梨木虱,而不会失去捕食效果。
{"title":"Intraguild Predation or Spatial Separation? The efficacy and Interactions of Two Natural Enemy Species for the Biological Control of Pear Psyllid (Cacopsylla pyri)","authors":"Laura A. Reeves, Michelle T. Fountain, Michael P. D. Garratt, Deepa Senapathi","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09863-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09863-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pear psyllid (<i>Cacopsylla pyri</i>) is a persistent pest to the pear industry; with an estimated cost of £5 million per annum in the UK alone. This phloem feeding insect is resistant to a large proportion of approved pesticides, necessitating the use of alternative control strategies. Many pear growers practice integrated pest management (IPM) of pear psyllid, focusing on maximizing natural enemy populations, whilst minimizing the use of agrochemical sprays. The anthocorid <i>Anthocoris nemoralis</i> and the European earwig <i>Forficula auricularia</i> are particularly effective at controlling pear psyllid populations during the summer months. Despite the effectiveness of both natural enemies, there is a lack of understanding on whether both species should be promoted together or separately, due to the risk of intraguild predation (IGP) or interference competition. Furthermore, abiotic factors including temperature may influence both behaviors, altering activity level and niche overlap. Although IGP and interference competition have been documented between multiple species of natural enemies neither have been studied between these two specific predators. Using microcosm experiments, olfactometer assays and survival analyses this study demonstrated whether <i>A. nemoralis</i> and <i>F. auricularia</i> can be used in synchrony to control pear psyllid. Results indicated that IGP is present; <i>F. auricularia</i> will consume <i>A. nemoralis</i> when predators are not spatially separate and in absence of psyllid prey. There was no evidence for interference competition, although both predators consumed more prey at higher temperatures. This confirms that pear growers can encourage both predators for the control of pear psyllid without losing predation efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142255866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-03DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09860-z
Bryan C. Watson, Corraine McNeill
Scientists have long studied the unexpected resistance of eusocial insect colonies to pathogen and parasitic threats. Despite having many closely related individuals living in proximity, these colonies have shown the ability to persist for long periods of time without epidemic collapse. Previous studies have theorized a variety of reasons for their ability to withstand chronic infections including the conveyor belt model and task specialization. The impact of each of these different strategies and the synergy between them is unknown. Testing the impact of each strategy experimentally may be difficult and time consuming. This paper examines the impact of five (5) strategies used by Camponotus rufipes to endure a chronic infection from Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis, a fungal infection which results in “zombie ants.” These five strategies are to avoid areas with increased numbers of spores, prevent completion of the fungal lifecycle within the nest, use specialized workers, separate groups within the nest, and invest less in forager immune response. A full factorial analysis of the strategies is performed through an agent-based model by selectively turning “off” each of the strategies. The contribution of this work is two-fold. First, a conceptual model for C. rufipes is presented. Synthesizing the current literature, the result is a tool for modeling colony behavior. Secondly, the output of the model indicates the role of each strategy in preventing fungal disease propagation in the colony and the interaction effects between the strategies. Analysis includes a 5-way ANOVA with interaction effects, post-hoc testing, and effect size measurements. Significant findings include that the strategy of minimizing the chance of fungal infection and preventing the fungus from completing its life cycle within the nest are the most important. When these strategies were disabled, 100% of colony collapse occurred. Additionally, the use of the conveyor belt approach (the use of older ants to forage) had a negligible effect on colony survival. Interaction effects between the five strategies are also presented. The results of this work highlight the synergies between the strategies used to prevent O. camponoti-rufipedis propagation, guide future experimentation on this species, and provide additional information for those seeking to use this species as a source of biologically inspired design.
长期以来,科学家们一直在研究群居昆虫对病原体和寄生虫威胁的意外抵抗力。尽管有许多关系密切的个体生活在一起,但这些群落仍能长期存在而不发生流行性崩溃。以前的研究提出了它们能够抵御慢性感染的各种原因,包括传送带模式和任务专业化。这些不同策略的影响以及它们之间的协同作用尚不清楚。通过实验测试每种策略的影响可能既困难又耗时。本文研究了红腹角雉(Camponotus rufipes)在忍受 Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis (一种导致 "僵尸蚂蚁 "的真菌感染)慢性感染时所使用的五(5)种策略的影响。这五种策略是:避开孢子数量增加的区域;防止真菌生命周期在巢内完成;使用专门的工蚁;在巢内分群;减少对觅食者免疫反应的投资。通过一个基于代理的模型,选择性地 "关闭 "每种策略,对这些策略进行了全面的因子分析。这项工作有两方面的贡献。首先,提出了一个 C. rufipes 的概念模型。该模型综合了当前的文献资料,是模拟虫群行为的工具。其次,该模型的输出结果表明了每种策略在防止真菌疾病在虫群中传播方面的作用以及策略之间的交互作用。分析包括带有交互效应的 5 方方差分析、事后检验和效应大小测量。重要发现包括:最大限度地减少真菌感染机会和防止真菌在巢内完成其生命周期的策略最为重要。当这些策略失效时,100% 的蜂群都会崩溃。此外,使用传送带方法(利用老龄蚂蚁觅食)对蚁群存活率的影响微乎其微。研究还显示了五种策略之间的交互作用。这项工作的结果强调了用于防止 O. camponoti-rufipedis 繁殖的各种策略之间的协同作用,为今后有关该物种的实验提供了指导,并为那些寻求利用该物种作为生物灵感设计来源的人提供了更多信息。
{"title":"Using an Agent-Based Model to Explore the Effectiveness of Strategies Used by Ants to Mitigate the Spread of the Fungus Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis","authors":"Bryan C. Watson, Corraine McNeill","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09860-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09860-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scientists have long studied the unexpected resistance of eusocial insect colonies to pathogen and parasitic threats. Despite having many closely related individuals living in proximity, these colonies have shown the ability to persist for long periods of time without epidemic collapse. Previous studies have theorized a variety of reasons for their ability to withstand chronic infections including the conveyor belt model and task specialization. The impact of each of these different strategies and the synergy between them is unknown. Testing the impact of each strategy experimentally may be difficult and time consuming. This paper examines the impact of five (5) strategies used by <i>Camponotus rufipes</i> to endure a chronic infection from <i>Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis,</i> a fungal infection which results in “zombie ants.” These five strategies are to avoid areas with increased numbers of spores, prevent completion of the fungal lifecycle within the nest, use specialized workers, separate groups within the nest, and invest less in forager immune response. A full factorial analysis of the strategies is performed through an agent-based model by selectively turning “off” each of the strategies. The contribution of this work is two-fold. First, a conceptual model for <i>C. rufipes</i> is presented. Synthesizing the current literature, the result is a tool for modeling colony behavior. Secondly, the output of the model indicates the role of each strategy in preventing fungal disease propagation in the colony and the interaction effects between the strategies. Analysis includes a 5-way ANOVA with interaction effects, post-hoc testing, and effect size measurements. Significant findings include that the strategy of minimizing the chance of fungal infection and preventing the fungus from completing its life cycle within the nest are the most important. When these strategies were disabled, 100% of colony collapse occurred. Additionally, the use of the conveyor belt approach (the use of older ants to forage) had a negligible effect on colony survival. Interaction effects between the five strategies are also presented. The results of this work highlight the synergies between the strategies used to prevent <i>O. camponoti-rufipedis</i> propagation<i>,</i> guide future experimentation on this species, and provide additional information for those seeking to use this species as a source of biologically inspired design.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142221890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-29DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09861-y
Anna Purtell, Jesse Anderson, Rebecca Ferguson, Konrad Juskiewicz, Michael H. Lee, Megan J. Lee, Lindsey Swierk
In response to physical damage, organisms must balance recovery with adaptive responses to other environmental stressors. Understanding how damage and repair influence adaptive responses to high environmental temperatures is of particular interest in light of global climate change. We investigate the impact of damage and subsequent repair on heat-avoidance behaviors in Cydia saltitans larvae using host seeds (Sebastiania pavoniana) as protective structures (together colloquially known as “Mexican jumping beans”). These larvae perform temperature-dependent “jumping” or “rolling” behaviors to escape extreme heat, which are crucial for larval survival in their native arid and hot subtropical dry forests. Due to possible costs of repair and limited energetic resources, we hypothesized that experiencing damage and investing in subsequent repair to a host seed would reduce larval displacement distance from extreme heat when compared to individuals that experienced damage without repairing the host seed, or the undamaged control group. Results suggest that larvae in control conditions exhibited greater displacement from heat compared to those in either damage treatment group. Contrary to predictions, damage and subsequent repair impaired heat avoidance behavior to same extent as damage without investing in repair. This reduced displacement distance in both damage treatment groups may be linked to energy allocation or an adaptive antipredator response. These findings contribute to our understanding of how environmental stressors interact to shape behavioral responses in insects with “extended architecture.” As global temperatures rise, insights into the flexibility of adaptive behaviors are increasingly crucial.
{"title":"Altered Heat-Avoidance Behavior Following Damage to the Extended Architecture of Mexican Jumping Bean Moth Larvae (Cydia saltitans)","authors":"Anna Purtell, Jesse Anderson, Rebecca Ferguson, Konrad Juskiewicz, Michael H. Lee, Megan J. Lee, Lindsey Swierk","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09861-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09861-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In response to physical damage, organisms must balance recovery with adaptive responses to other environmental stressors. Understanding how damage and repair influence adaptive responses to high environmental temperatures is of particular interest in light of global climate change. We investigate the impact of damage and subsequent repair on heat-avoidance behaviors in <i>Cydia saltitans</i> larvae using host seeds (<i>Sebastiania pavoniana</i>) as protective structures (together colloquially known as “Mexican jumping beans”). These larvae perform temperature-dependent “jumping” or “rolling” behaviors to escape extreme heat, which are crucial for larval survival in their native arid and hot subtropical dry forests. Due to possible costs of repair and limited energetic resources, we hypothesized that experiencing damage and investing in subsequent repair to a host seed would reduce larval displacement distance from extreme heat when compared to individuals that experienced damage without repairing the host seed, or the undamaged control group. Results suggest that larvae in control conditions exhibited greater displacement from heat compared to those in either damage treatment group. Contrary to predictions, damage and subsequent repair impaired heat avoidance behavior to same extent as damage without investing in repair. This reduced displacement distance in both damage treatment groups may be linked to energy allocation or an adaptive antipredator response. These findings contribute to our understanding of how environmental stressors interact to shape behavioral responses in insects with “extended architecture.” As global temperatures rise, insights into the flexibility of adaptive behaviors are increasingly crucial.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"286 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142221848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Death feigning is thought to have evolved primarily as a predator avoidance behavior, and has been reported in 10 of the 31 orders of insects. However, there have been no reports of death-feigning behavior in Mecoptera species. We found that larvae of two scorpionfly species, Panorpa japonica and P. pryeri, showed death feigning in response to external stimuli by brush poking stimulation. First, we examined the frequencies of death-feigning postures. The two species showed two different postures of death feigning, “straight” and “ball.” Most of the 1st instar larvae of P. japonica and P. pryeri adopted the straight death-feigning posture. Next, we examined duration of death feigning. As the larval instar progressed, the death-feigning posture shifted from straight to ball in both Panorpa species. In P. japonica, the longest durations of death feigning were found in the 2nd to 3rd instars, while the longest duration of death feigning was found in the late 4th instar in P. pryeri larvae.
佯死被认为主要是作为一种躲避捕食者的行为进化而来的,在 31 个昆虫目中有 10 个目有过佯死的报道。然而,目前还没有关于鞘翅目昆虫佯死行为的报道。我们发现,两种蝎蝇(Panorpa japonica 和 P. pryeri)的幼虫在受到外部刺激时,会通过刷戳刺激表现出佯死行为。首先,我们研究了装死姿势的频率。这两个物种表现出两种不同的佯死姿势,即 "直 "和 "球"。大多数粳稻和杓鹬的1龄幼虫都采用了 "直 "佯死姿势。接下来,我们研究了佯装死亡的持续时间。随着幼虫龄期的增加,两种Panorpa的佯死姿势都从直的转变为球的。在 P. japonica 中,死亡假动作持续时间最长的是 2-3 龄幼虫,而在 P. pryeri 幼虫中,死亡假动作持续时间最长的是 4 龄后期。
{"title":"Death Feigning in Larvae of Scorpionflies (Mecoptera: Panorpidae): Frequency and Postural Changes Based on Larval Instars","authors":"Ryo Ishihara, Kentarou Matsumura, Takahisa Miyatake","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09859-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09859-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Death feigning is thought to have evolved primarily as a predator avoidance behavior, and has been reported in 10 of the 31 orders of insects. However, there have been no reports of death-feigning behavior in Mecoptera species. We found that larvae of two scorpionfly species, <i>Panorpa japonica</i> and <i>P. pryeri</i>, showed death feigning in response to external stimuli by brush poking stimulation. First, we examined the frequencies of death-feigning postures. The two species showed two different postures of death feigning, “straight” and “ball.” Most of the 1st instar larvae of <i>P. japonica</i> and <i>P. pryeri</i> adopted the straight death-feigning posture. Next, we examined duration of death feigning. As the larval instar progressed, the death-feigning posture shifted from straight to ball in both <i>Panorpa</i> species. In <i>P. japonica,</i> the longest durations of death feigning were found in the 2nd to 3rd instars, while the longest duration of death feigning was found in the late 4th instar in <i>P. pryeri</i> larvae.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141881761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09858-7
Hannah Bodmer, Corrie Nyquist, Bruce Vondracek
Chironomidae (Diptera) are one of the most abundant aquatic insects in freshwater habitats and play key roles in aquatic ecosystems. Many studies have assessed chironomid longevity under varying conditions to estimate potential consequences of climate change on longevity. However, these studies did not account for behavioral changes that may affect the ability of chironomids to find a mate or return to the water for oviposition. Longevity estimates may therefore underestimate the effects of climate change on chironomids by neglecting behavior-related fitness losses. To better understand how chironomid behaviors relate to survivorship, we used previously identified behaviors to determine how behavior patterns changed as the chironomid Diamesa mendotae aged. We found that D. mendotae exhibited age-related behaviors that correlated with a decrease in mobility over time. Additionally, behaviors performed early post-collection in D. mendotae adult lifespans were predictive of total chironomid longevity. These findings will help improve estimates of chironomid longevity and our understanding of age-related behaviors in other invertebrates. Improved methods for determining longevity and age-specific fitness-linked behaviors will allow us to better understand climate change’s impacts on aquatic insect survival and reproduction, which has broad ramifications for the aquatic ecosystems where they are abundant.
{"title":"Diamesa mendotae (Diptera: Chironomidae) Demonstrate Predictable Behavior Patterns Associated with Aging and Mortality","authors":"Hannah Bodmer, Corrie Nyquist, Bruce Vondracek","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09858-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09858-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chironomidae (Diptera) are one of the most abundant aquatic insects in freshwater habitats and play key roles in aquatic ecosystems. Many studies have assessed chironomid longevity under varying conditions to estimate potential consequences of climate change on longevity. However, these studies did not account for behavioral changes that may affect the ability of chironomids to find a mate or return to the water for oviposition. Longevity estimates may therefore underestimate the effects of climate change on chironomids by neglecting behavior-related fitness losses. To better understand how chironomid behaviors relate to survivorship, we used previously identified behaviors to determine how behavior patterns changed as the chironomid <i>Diamesa mendotae</i> aged. We found that <i>D. mendotae</i> exhibited age-related behaviors that correlated with a decrease in mobility over time. Additionally, behaviors performed early post-collection in <i>D. mendotae</i> adult lifespans were predictive of total chironomid longevity. These findings will help improve estimates of chironomid longevity and our understanding of age-related behaviors in other invertebrates. Improved methods for determining longevity and age-specific fitness-linked behaviors will allow us to better understand climate change’s impacts on aquatic insect survival and reproduction, which has broad ramifications for the aquatic ecosystems where they are abundant.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141881716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-22DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09857-8
Paloma Ceribelli, Rafael Rios Moura, Thiago Gechel Kloss
Optimal foraging and individual specialization theories suggest that different properties of the interactions between prey and predators determine foraging strategies. However, none of these theories consider how the nutritional status of the predators and the risk of being attacked by other predators may affect prey foraging strategy. Shelter-building spiders, such as Metazygia laticeps (Araneidae), build webs as dynamic traps to capture prey and may optimize capture efficiency while adopting strategies to minimize their exposure to predators by building a shelter and staying inside it most of the time. Prey capture, however, involves leaving the shelter, which may contribute to an increased risk of predation. Individuals may be more likely to take risks when they are in poor nutritional status. In this study, we conducted field experiments to assess support for the hypotheses that M. laticeps spiders with poor nutritional status (i) expose themselves to greater risk of predation during foraging and (ii) invest more silk in different web structures to increase prey capture success. Nutritional state was unrelated to exposure to predation and did not restrict web investment in M. laticeps. However, spiders left the shelter more quickly at night than during the day, regardless of their nutritional state. We suggest that individual’s nutritional state does not determine foraging, and predation risk can affect general activity of spiders depending on foraging period.
{"title":"Nutritional Status Does Not Restrict Foraging Activity and Web Investment in a Shelter-Building Spider Species, But Individuals are More Risk-Prone at Night","authors":"Paloma Ceribelli, Rafael Rios Moura, Thiago Gechel Kloss","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09857-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09857-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Optimal foraging and individual specialization theories suggest that different properties of the interactions between prey and predators determine foraging strategies. However, none of these theories consider how the nutritional status of the predators and the risk of being attacked by other predators may affect prey foraging strategy. Shelter-building spiders, such as <i>Metazygia laticeps</i> (Araneidae), build webs as dynamic traps to capture prey and may optimize capture efficiency while adopting strategies to minimize their exposure to predators by building a shelter and staying inside it most of the time. Prey capture, however, involves leaving the shelter, which may contribute to an increased risk of predation. Individuals may be more likely to take risks when they are in poor nutritional status. In this study, we conducted field experiments to assess support for the hypotheses that <i>M. laticeps</i> spiders with poor nutritional status (i) expose themselves to greater risk of predation during foraging and (ii) invest more silk in different web structures to increase prey capture success. Nutritional state was unrelated to exposure to predation and did not restrict web investment in <i>M. laticeps</i>. However, spiders left the shelter more quickly at night than during the day, regardless of their nutritional state. We suggest that individual’s nutritional state does not determine foraging, and predation risk can affect general activity of spiders depending on foraging period.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141737285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-18DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09855-w
Allison D. Statton, Rickey D. Cothran
We explored the potential of differences in foraging preferences to contribute to long-term species coexistence in aquatic predatory hemipterans. We hypothesized that predatory hemipterans would have distinct foraging preferences informed by their morphology. We used a prey choice experiment to test whether Belostoma flumineum, Pelocoris biimpressus, and Ranatra australis differed in their relative preferences of amphipod, damselfly naiad, and physid snail prey. We discovered that the predators showed complementarity in their foraging preferences with B. flumineum preferring snails, P. biimpressus damselfly naiads and R. australis amphipods as prey. Our results suggest that the disparate foraging preferences of aquatic hemipterans may facilitate their coexistence in aquatic systems but caution that studies need to explore whether patterns uncovered in the laboratory experiment reflect interactions in nature.
{"title":"Prey Preferences for Three Aquatic Hemipterans Provide Insights About Their Coexistence","authors":"Allison D. Statton, Rickey D. Cothran","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09855-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09855-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We explored the potential of differences in foraging preferences to contribute to long-term species coexistence in aquatic predatory hemipterans. We hypothesized that predatory hemipterans would have distinct foraging preferences informed by their morphology. We used a prey choice experiment to test whether <i>Belostoma flumineum</i>, <i>Pelocoris biimpressus</i>, and <i>Ranatra australis</i> differed in their relative preferences of amphipod, damselfly naiad, and physid snail prey. We discovered that the predators showed complementarity in their foraging preferences with <i>B. flumineum</i> preferring snails, <i>P. biimpressus</i> damselfly naiads and <i>R. australis</i> amphipods as prey. Our results suggest that the disparate foraging preferences of aquatic hemipterans may facilitate their coexistence in aquatic systems but caution that studies need to explore whether patterns uncovered in the laboratory experiment reflect interactions in nature.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141737339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-13DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09856-9
Thomas K. Merchant, Douglass H. Morse
Where a female lays her eggs has strong implications for the survival of her offspring, an impetus that takes on particular significance for species that exhibit highly specific requirements. The preference-performance (optimal oviposition) hypothesis predicts that an individual will place its eggs where the resulting offspring experience their highest success. We assessed the spatial patterns of ovipositioning of the rare, monophagous Harris’ checkerspot butterfly (Chlosyne harrisii: Nymphalidae) and related this pattern to the survival of their early offspring, and the initial foraging-site decisions of the young. Harris’ checkerspots laid their egg masses exclusively on flat-topped white asters (Doellingeria umbellata: Asteraceae), exhibiting a strong preference for tall plants (> 40 cm). However, they frequently laid multiple egg masses on a single plant, seemingly contradicting the preference-performance hypothesis, since even a single brood usually consumed all the leaves of its natal plant, eventually forcing the caterpillars to find another host plant. Larvae in the second instar recruiting to their next aster experienced extremely high losses, though some individuals usually managed to locate the closest site. Accordingly, the average success of single broods on a foodplant significantly exceeded that of multiple ones. We thus found little evidence that plant characteristics associated with oviposition choice benefitted overall survival. Although occasional second broods prevailed over first broods, they typically had fewer food resources than on an unoccupied plant. This study presents an apparent conundrum for the preference performance hypothesis with potential implications for the conservation of this rare butterfly.
{"title":"Where do Harris’ Checkerspots Lay their Eggs and what are the Consequences?","authors":"Thomas K. Merchant, Douglass H. Morse","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09856-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09856-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Where a female lays her eggs has strong implications for the survival of her offspring, an impetus that takes on particular significance for species that exhibit highly specific requirements. The preference-performance (optimal oviposition) hypothesis predicts that an individual will place its eggs where the resulting offspring experience their highest success. We assessed the spatial patterns of ovipositioning of the rare, monophagous Harris’ checkerspot butterfly (<i>Chlosyne harrisii</i>: Nymphalidae) and related this pattern to the survival of their early offspring, and the initial foraging-site decisions of the young. Harris’ checkerspots laid their egg masses exclusively on flat-topped white asters (<i>Doellingeria umbellata</i>: Asteraceae), exhibiting a strong preference for tall plants (> 40 cm). However, they frequently laid multiple egg masses on a single plant, seemingly contradicting the preference-performance hypothesis, since even a single brood usually consumed all the leaves of its natal plant, eventually forcing the caterpillars to find another host plant. Larvae in the second instar recruiting to their next aster experienced extremely high losses, though some individuals usually managed to locate the closest site. Accordingly, the average success of single broods on a foodplant significantly exceeded that of multiple ones. We thus found little evidence that plant characteristics associated with oviposition choice benefitted overall survival. Although occasional second broods prevailed over first broods, they typically had fewer food resources than on an unoccupied plant. This study presents an apparent conundrum for the preference performance hypothesis with potential implications for the conservation of this rare butterfly.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141609545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-03DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09850-1
Usama Bin Tayyab, Muhammad Jalal Arif, Muhammad Dildar Gogi, Shamim Akhtar, Muhammad Jawad Abdullah, Faisal Ali
Among insect pests of field crops, sap-sucking insects are a major threat to all agricultural commodities. The sucking insect pests damage the crops by sucking the sap thereby weakening the plants, and transmitting several bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. The electrical penetration graph (EPG) has emerged as a highly valuable tool for analyzing the feeding behavior of sap-sucking insects on a broad range of host plants, examining pathogen transmission, evaluating the efficacy of feeding-restricting insecticides, plant responses to insect attack, and insect morphology and physiology. The EPG generates waveforms that facilitate the observation of probing behavior of the insects, enabling them to gain insights into the mechanisms and extent of underlying feeding. The integration of multiple complementary techniques, including histological analysis, video tracking, electron microscopy, elicitor proteins, and gene editing, has yielded significant advancements in the management of sap-sucking insects. These techniques have provided a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms and interactions involved in insect feeding behaviors, offering new opportunities for targeted interventions and improved pest control strategies. The EPG has been employed since the last five decades, yet needs to be investigated at higher levels with modernization. In spite of having a wide application, it still faces certain limitations, challenges, and research gaps that require addressing for enabling the scientists in novel findings. This review paper provides a historical prospect, the applications and technical intricacies of EPG.
{"title":"Tracking the Feeding Mechanism of Sap-Sucking Insect-Pests Through Electropenetrography (EPG)","authors":"Usama Bin Tayyab, Muhammad Jalal Arif, Muhammad Dildar Gogi, Shamim Akhtar, Muhammad Jawad Abdullah, Faisal Ali","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09850-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09850-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Among insect pests of field crops, sap-sucking insects are a major threat to all agricultural commodities. The sucking insect pests damage the crops by sucking the sap thereby weakening the plants, and transmitting several bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. The electrical penetration graph (EPG) has emerged as a highly valuable tool for analyzing the feeding behavior of sap-sucking insects on a broad range of host plants, examining pathogen transmission, evaluating the efficacy of feeding-restricting insecticides, plant responses to insect attack, and insect morphology and physiology. The EPG generates waveforms that facilitate the observation of probing behavior of the insects, enabling them to gain insights into the mechanisms and extent of underlying feeding. The integration of multiple complementary techniques, including histological analysis, video tracking, electron microscopy, elicitor proteins, and gene editing, has yielded significant advancements in the management of sap-sucking insects. These techniques have provided a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms and interactions involved in insect feeding behaviors, offering new opportunities for targeted interventions and improved pest control strategies. The EPG has been employed since the last five decades, yet needs to be investigated at higher levels with modernization. In spite of having a wide application, it still faces certain limitations, challenges, and research gaps that require addressing for enabling the scientists in novel findings. This review paper provides a historical prospect, the applications and technical intricacies of EPG.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140883305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-11DOI: 10.1007/s10905-024-09849-8
Juan S. Hillón-Salas, Juan D. Pineda-Dueñas, Ana M. Romero-Chacón, Juliana Fonseca-Tellez, Manuela Cardona-Restrepo, Sofía C. Garrido-Villegas, Diego Mejía-Tovar, Camilo Arenas-Ríos, Laia Gaitán-Botero, Zulma S. Barón-Garzón, Andrés F. Robayo-Salek, Harold Pulido-Guarín, Juan J. Ovalle-Barrera, Anyi D. Macías-González, Nicolás Bernal-Guatibonza, Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro
Artificial light at night (ALAN) affects species-specific communication in a wide range of nocturnal species, including fireflies (Lampyridae). Fireflies rely on bioluminescent signals for communicating. In this study, we conducted two manipulative field experiments to evaluate the effect of artificial light at night on the flashing activity of male and female neotropical fireflies during courtship and predation. Our results showed a significant reduction in the flashing activity of both males and females exposed to ALAN during courtship and predation. Remarkably, the effect of ALAN on male flashing activity seems to be independent of female flashing activity. In conclusion, ALAN disrupts bioluminescent intraspecific (courtship) and interspecific (predation) communication, which in turn could influence mating success, thus negatively affecting neotropical firefly populations in the long term. Our findings contribute to understanding the challenges faced by neotropical firefly communities in the presence of ALAN.
夜间人工光照(ALAN)会影响包括萤火虫(Lampyridae)在内的多种夜行物种的物种特异性交流。萤火虫依靠生物发光信号进行交流。在这项研究中,我们进行了两次操纵性野外实验,以评估夜间人造光对雌雄新热带萤火虫求偶和捕食时闪光活动的影响。结果表明,在求偶和捕食过程中,暴露于 ALAN 的雌雄萤火虫的闪光活动都明显减少。值得注意的是,ALAN对雄性闪光活动的影响似乎与雌性闪光活动无关。总之,ALAN会破坏生物发光的种内(求偶)和种间(捕食)交流,进而影响交配的成功率,从而对新热带萤火虫种群产生长期的负面影响。我们的研究结果有助于理解新热带萤火虫群落在ALAN作用下所面临的挑战。
{"title":"Artificial Light at Night Reduces Flashing in Photinus and Photuris Fireflies During Courtship and Predation","authors":"Juan S. Hillón-Salas, Juan D. Pineda-Dueñas, Ana M. Romero-Chacón, Juliana Fonseca-Tellez, Manuela Cardona-Restrepo, Sofía C. Garrido-Villegas, Diego Mejía-Tovar, Camilo Arenas-Ríos, Laia Gaitán-Botero, Zulma S. Barón-Garzón, Andrés F. Robayo-Salek, Harold Pulido-Guarín, Juan J. Ovalle-Barrera, Anyi D. Macías-González, Nicolás Bernal-Guatibonza, Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro","doi":"10.1007/s10905-024-09849-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-024-09849-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Artificial light at night (ALAN) affects species-specific communication in a wide range of nocturnal species, including fireflies (Lampyridae). Fireflies rely on bioluminescent signals for communicating. In this study, we conducted two manipulative field experiments to evaluate the effect of artificial light at night on the flashing activity of male and female neotropical fireflies during courtship and predation. Our results showed a significant reduction in the flashing activity of both males and females exposed to ALAN during courtship and predation. Remarkably, the effect of ALAN on male flashing activity seems to be independent of female flashing activity. In conclusion, ALAN disrupts bioluminescent intraspecific (courtship) and interspecific (predation) communication, which in turn could influence mating success, thus negatively affecting neotropical firefly populations in the long term. Our findings contribute to understanding the challenges faced by neotropical firefly communities in the presence of ALAN.</p>","PeriodicalId":16180,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Behavior","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140590883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}