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Shameer KS, Hardy IC. Host-parasitoid trophic webs in complex agricultural systems. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 65:101253. [PMID: 39153528 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
The composition and dynamics of ecological communities are complex because of the presence of large numbers of organisms, belonging to many different species, each with their own evolutionary history, and their numerous interactions. The construction and analysis of trophic webs summarize interactions across trophic levels and link community structure to properties such as ecosystem services. We focus on agroecological communities, which may be simpler than natural communities but nonetheless present considerable challenges to describe and understand. We review the characteristics and study of communities comprised of plants, phytophagous insects, and insect parasitoids with particular regard to the maintenance of sustainable agroecological communities and ecosystem services, especially biological pest control. We are constrained to largely overlook other members of these communities, such as hyperparasitoids, predators, parasites, and microbes. We draw chiefly on recent literature while acknowledging the importance of many advances made during the immediately preceding decades. Trophic web construction and analysis can greatly improve the understanding of the role and impact of herbivores and natural enemies in agroecological communities and the various species interactions, such as apparent competition, which assists biocontrol strategies. The study of trophic webs also helps in predicting community ecology consequences of externally driven changes to agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S Shameer
- Insect Ecology and Ethology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Calicut University P.O., Malappuram, Kerala 673635, India; Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 Finland.
| | - Ian Cw Hardy
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 Finland.
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2
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Ma R, Ma S, Liu H, Hu L, Li Y, He K, Zhu Y. Seasonal changes in invertebrate diet of breeding black-necked cranes ( Grus nigricollis). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70234. [PMID: 39219571 PMCID: PMC11362503 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Invertebrates greatly support the growth, development, and reproduction of insectivorous birds. However, the influence of human activity (e.g., pesticide use, deforestation, and urbanization) inevitably leads to a decrease in global arthropods. The diversity and variation in invertebrate diet influence the food composition of birds, especially species living in rapidly changing environments, such as the Tibetan Plateau. However, little is known of the seasonal variation in invertebrate diet in response to environmental changes. Here, we characterized the invertebrate diet composition in pre- and post-breeding black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) using fecal metabarcoding. We identified 38 invertebrate genera; the top three were Tipula (82.1% of relative abundance), Ceramica (3.0%), and unclassified_Hymenoptera (2.5%), with Tipula predominated the diet in both seasons. We also observed 20 and 16 unique genera in the pre- and post-breeding periods, and the genera composition was distinct between seasons (R = .036, p = .024). In pre-breeding, black-necked cranes tended to consume more diverse foods, and individual cranes exhibited greater heterogeneity at the genus level. At the genera and species level, pre-breeding black-necked cranes showed a wider dietary niche than post-breeding cranes. We observed season-specific features, with Tipula (common crane fly) and Stethophyma (grasshoppers) being enriched in the post-breeding period and Ceramica (moth) being more abundant in the pre-breeding period. Three Tipula species had the greatest importance in discriminating between seasonal diets. This study demonstrated a seasonal pattern of invertebrate diet in the black-necked crane, suggesting diet composition in response to resource and species availability. These results elaborate on the foraging ecology of highland birds and can inform the management of black-necked crane conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifeng Ma
- College of Grassland Resources, Institute of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Sichuan Provincial Forest and Grassland Key Laboratory of Alpine Grassland Conservation and Utilization of Qinghai‐Tibetan PlateauSouthwest Minzu UniversityChengduSichuanChina
| | - Shujuan Ma
- College of Grassland Resources, Institute of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Sichuan Provincial Forest and Grassland Key Laboratory of Alpine Grassland Conservation and Utilization of Qinghai‐Tibetan PlateauSouthwest Minzu UniversityChengduSichuanChina
| | - Hongyi Liu
- The Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life SciencesNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Lei Hu
- College of Grassland Resources, Institute of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Sichuan Provincial Forest and Grassland Key Laboratory of Alpine Grassland Conservation and Utilization of Qinghai‐Tibetan PlateauSouthwest Minzu UniversityChengduSichuanChina
| | - Yudong Li
- Sichuan Province Laboratory for Natural Resources Protection and Sustainable UtilizationSichuan Provincial Academy of Natural Resource SciencesChengduChina
| | - Ke He
- College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary MedicineZhejiang A&F UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Ying Zhu
- College of Grassland Resources, Institute of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, Sichuan Provincial Forest and Grassland Key Laboratory of Alpine Grassland Conservation and Utilization of Qinghai‐Tibetan PlateauSouthwest Minzu UniversityChengduSichuanChina
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3
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Vescera C, Van Vyve C, Smits Q, Michaux JR. All-you-can-eat buffet: A spider-specialized bat species (Myotis emarginatus) turns into a pest fly eater around cattle. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302028. [PMID: 38718094 PMCID: PMC11078406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining the dietary spectrum of European insectivorous bats over time is the cornerstone of their conservation, as it will aid our understanding of foraging behavior plasticity in response to plummeting insect populations. Despite the global decline in insects, a restricted number of arthropod pest species thrive. Yet past research has overlooked the potential of European bats to suppress pests harmful to woodlands or livestock, in spite of their economic relevance. Here we investigated the diet composition, its breeding season variations and pest consumption of an insectivorous bat species (Myotis emarginatus), at the northern edge of its range (Wallonia, Belgium). We also explored the prey ecology to gain insight into the hunting strategies and foraging habitats of this bat species. We used DNA metabarcoding to amplify two COI markers within 195 bat droppings collected in June, July and August, thereby identifying 512 prey taxa predominated by Diptera, Araneae and Lepidoptera. Overall, in 97% of the samples we detected at least one of the 58 potential pest taxa, 41 of which targeting trees. The June samples were marked by a diet rich in orb-weaver spiders, in accordance with the archetypal diet of M. emarginatus bats. However, during the highly energy demanding July-August parturition and lactation period, roughly 55% of the dropping samples contained two cattle fly pests (Stomoxys calcitrans and Musca domestica). Moreover, among the 88 Diptera species preyed upon by M. emarginatus in July and August, these flies accounted for around 50% of the taxa occurrences. This plasticity-the switch from a spider-rich to a fly-rich diet-seems providential considering the dramatic ongoing drop in insect populations but this involves ensuring bat-friendly cattle farming. Our results revealed that bats widely consume pest entomofauna, thereby highlighting their potential role as allies of forest managers and farmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Vescera
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Quentin Smits
- Département de l’Etude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (DEMNA), Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Johan R. Michaux
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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4
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Lue CH, Abram PK, Hrcek J, Buffington ML, Staniczenko PPA. Metabarcoding and applied ecology with hyperdiverse organisms: Recommendations for biological control research. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6461-6473. [PMID: 36040418 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Metabarcoding is revolutionizing fundamental research in ecology by enabling large-scale detection of species and producing data that are rich with community context. However, the benefits of metabarcoding have yet to be fully realized in fields of applied ecology, especially those such as classical biological control (CBC) research that involve hyperdiverse taxa. Here, we discuss some of the opportunities that metabarcoding provides CBC and solutions to the main methodological challenges that have limited the integration of metabarcoding in existing CBC workflows. We focus on insect parasitoids, which are popular and effective biological control agents (BCAs) of invasive species and agricultural pests. Accurately identifying native, invasive and BCA species is paramount, since misidentification can undermine control efforts and lead to large negative socio-economic impacts. Unfortunately, most existing publicly accessible genetic databases cannot be used to reliably identify parasitoid species, thereby limiting the accuracy of metabarcoding in CBC research. To address this issue, we argue for the establishment of authoritative genetic databases that link metabarcoding data to taxonomically identified specimens. We further suggest using multiple genetic markers to reduce primer bias and increase taxonomic resolution. We also provide suggestions for biological control-specific metabarcoding workflows intended to track the long-term effectiveness of introduced BCAs. Finally, we use the example of an invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii, in a reflective "what if" thought experiment to explore the potential power of community metabarcoding in CBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hua Lue
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Paul K Abram
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz Research and Development Centre, Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jan Hrcek
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Matthew L Buffington
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS/USDA c/o Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Phillip P A Staniczenko
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
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5
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Tuneu-Corral C, Puig-Montserrat X, Riba-Bertolín D, Russo D, Rebelo H, Cabeza M, López-Baucells A. Pest suppression by bats and management strategies to favour it: a global review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1564-1582. [PMID: 37157976 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Fighting insect pests is a major challenge for agriculture worldwide, and biological control and integrated pest management constitute well-recognised, cost-effective ways to prevent and overcome this problem. Bats are important arthropod predators globally and, in recent decades, an increasing number of studies have focused on the role of bats as natural enemies of agricultural pests. This review assesses the state of knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by bats as pest consumers at a global level and provides recommendations that may favour the efficiency of pest predation by bats. Through a systematic review, we assess evidence for predation, the top-down effect of bats on crops and the economic value of ecosystem services these mammals provide, describing the different methodological approaches used in a total of 66 reviewed articles and 18 agroecosystem types. We also provide a list of detailed conservation measures and management recommendations found in the scientific literature that may favour the delivery of this important ecosystem service, including actions aimed at restoring bat populations in agroecosystems. The most frequent recommendations include increasing habitat heterogeneity, providing additional roosts, and implementing laws to protect bats and reduce agrochemical use. However, very little evidence is available on the direct consequences of these practices on bat insectivory in farmland. Additionally, through a second in-depth systematic review of scientific articles focused on bat diet and, as part of the ongoing European Cost Action project CA18107, we provide a complete list of 2308 documented interactions between bat species and their respective insect pest prey. These pertain to 81 bat species belonging to 36 different genera preying upon 760 insect pests from 14 orders in agroecosystems and other habitats such as forest or urban areas. The data set is publicly available and updatable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carme Tuneu-Corral
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Xavier Puig-Montserrat
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Daniel Riba-Bertolín
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Danilo Russo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università, 100, Portici, Naples, 80055, Italy
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
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6
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Grabarczyk EE, Cottrell TE, Schmidt JM, Tillman PG. Low Incidence of Avian Predation on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), in Southeastern Orchard Systems. INSECTS 2023; 14:595. [PMID: 37504601 PMCID: PMC10380626 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
In many agroecosystems, brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are polyphagous pests that cause significant economic losses to numerous crops every year. Insectivorous birds may provide a means of sustainable predation of invasive pests, such as H. halys. In forest margins surrounding peach, pecan, and interplanted peach-pecan orchards, we monitored H. halys populations with pheromone-baited traps, mist-netted birds, and collected avian fecal samples for molecular gut content analysis. We screened 257 fecal samples from 19 bird species for the presence of H. halys DNA to determine whether birds provide the biological control of this pest. Overall, we found evidence that four birds from three species consumed H. halys, including Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalisis), Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), and Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Halyomorpha halys captured in traps increased over time but did not vary by orchard type. Although incidence of predation was low, this may be an underestimate as a result of our current avian fecal sampling methodology. Because birds are members of the broader food web, future studies are needed to understand avian ecosystem services, especially in terms of pest control, including H. halys and other pest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Grabarczyk
- Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA 31793, USA
- Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698, USA
| | - Ted E Cottrell
- Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Byron, GA 31008, USA
| | - Jason M Schmidt
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA
| | - P Glynn Tillman
- Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA 31793, USA
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7
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Rijal DP, Hanebrekke T, Arneberg P, Johansen T, Sint D, Traugott M, Skern‐Mauritzen M, Westgaard J. Contaminants reach everywhere: Fish dietary samples should be surface decontaminated prior to molecular diet analysis. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10187. [PMID: 37342457 PMCID: PMC10277604 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of trophic interaction is necessary to understand the dynamics of ecosystems and develop ecosystem-based management. The key data to measure these interactions should come from large-scale diet analyses with good taxonomic resolution. To that end, molecular methods that analyze prey DNA from guts and feces provide high-resolution dietary taxonomic data. However, molecular diet analysis may also produce unreliable results if the samples are contaminated by external sources of DNA. Employing the freshwater European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) as a tracer for sample contamination, we studied the possible route of whitefish in beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) guts sampled in the Barents Sea. We used whitefish-specific COI primers for diagnostic analysis, and fish-specific 12S and metazoa-specific COI primers for metabarcoding analyses of intestine and stomach contents of fish samples that were either not cleaned, water cleaned, or bleach cleaned after being in contact with whitefish. Both the diagnostic and COI metabarcoding revealed clear positive effects of cleaning samples as whitefish were detected in significantly higher numbers of uncleaned samples compared to water or bleach-cleaned samples. Stomachs were more susceptible to contamination than intestines and bleach cleaning reduced the frequency of whitefish contamination. Also, the metabarcoding approach detected significantly more reads of whitefish in the stomach than in intestine samples. The diagnostic analysis and COI metabarcoding detected contaminants in a higher and comparable number of gut samples than the 12S-based approach. Our study underlines thus the importance of surface decontamination of aquatic samples to obtain reliable diet information from molecular data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Daniela Sint
- Applied Animal Ecology, Department of ZoologyUniversity of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
| | - Michael Traugott
- Applied Animal Ecology, Department of ZoologyUniversity of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
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8
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Sow A, Soti V, Thiaw I, Brévault T. Non-crop habitats concurrently drive crop colonization by the millet head miner and regulation by natural enemies. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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9
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Baroja U, Garin I, Vallejo N, Caro A, Ibáñez C, Basso A, Goiti U. Molecular assays to reliably detect and quantify predation on a forest pest in bats faeces. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2243. [PMID: 35145165 PMCID: PMC8831491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06195-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted molecular methods such as conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR), combined with species-specific primers and probes, are widely applied for pest species detection. Besides, the potential of qPCR to quantify DNA in samples makes it an invaluable molecular tool to infer the predation levels on specific prey by analysing predators’ stools. Nevertheless, studies on the diet of bats failed to find any empirical relationship, and it remains to be evaluated. Thus, we developed and evaluated two species-specific PCR assays to detect and quantify DNA of a major forest pest, the pine processionary, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, in bats’ faeces. Further, we empirically compared a range of different known DNA concentrations (input) of the target species mixed with mocks and bat faecal samples against DNA abundances yielded by qPCR (output) for a quantitative assessment. Overall, cPCR showed a lower detection rate than qPCR, but augmenting the replicate effort from one to three replicates led to a greater increase in the detection rate of the cPCR (from 57 to 80%) than the qPCR (from 90 to 99%). The quantitative experiment results showed a highly significant correlation between the input and output DNA concentrations (t = 10.84, p < 0.001) with a mean slope value of 1.05, indicating the accuracy of our qPCR assay to estimate DNA abundance of T. pityocampa in bat faeces. The framework of this study can be taken as a model to design similar assays applicable to other species of interest, such as agricultural pests or insects of public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unai Baroja
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Inazio Garin
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Nerea Vallejo
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Amaia Caro
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Andrea Basso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università, 10, 35020, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Urtzi Goiti
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
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10
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DNA barcoding of insects from India: Current status and future perspectives. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:10617-10626. [PMID: 35716293 PMCID: PMC9206398 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07628-2] [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] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Insect fauna occupy the largest proportion of animal biodiversity on earth, but the assessment or quantification in terms of species diversity is far from complete. Several recent studies have demonstrated the rapid pace at which insect population decline is occurring. There is an urgent need to document and quantify the diversity of insect fauna for a proper understanding of terrestrial ecosystems. This can be achieved by using modern technology to identify species much faster than relying on traditional methods alone. In line with this, the molecular approach through DNA barcoding coupled with morphological identification needs to be focused and accelerated. The present paper describes the current status of barcoding of insect species in India along with the gaps that need to be remedied. This analysis shows that barcoded specimens cover a very meagre proportion of less than 3.73% of the known taxa/described species and the most represented orders are Lepidoptera and Hemiptera followed by Diptera and Coleoptera. There is a need to expedite insect species discovery and documentation in a collaborative mode between traditional taxonomists and molecular biologists, to accomplish the DNA barcoding of all known insect taxa from India.
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11
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Pozsgai G, Ben Fekih I, Kohnen MV, Amrani S, Bérces S, Fülöp D, Jaber MYM, Meyling NV, Ruszkiewicz-Michalska M, Pfliegler WP, Sánchez-García FJ, Zhang J, Rensing C, Lövei GL, You M. Associations between carabid beetles and fungi in the light of 200 years of published literature. Sci Data 2021; 8:294. [PMID: 34737321 PMCID: PMC8569211 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-01072-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Describing and conserving ecological interactions woven into ecosystems is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Here, we present a unique dataset compiling the biotic interactions between two ecologically and economically important taxa: ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and fungi. The resulting dataset contains the carabid-fungus associations collected from 392 scientific publications, 129 countries, mostly from the Palearctic region, published over a period of 200 years. With an updated taxonomy to match the currently accepted nomenclature, 3,378 unique associations among 5,564 records were identified between 1,776 carabid and 676 fungal taxa. Ectoparasitic Laboulbeniales were the most frequent fungal group associated with carabids, especially with Trechinae. The proportion of entomopathogens was low. Three different formats of the data have been provided along with an interactive data digest platform for analytical purposes. Our database summarizes the current knowledge on biotic interactions between insects and fungi, while offering a valuable resource to test large-scale hypotheses on those interactions. Measurement(s) | species associations | Technology Type(s) | digital curation | Factor Type(s) | associations between Carabidae and Fungi | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Carabidae • Fungi • Laboulbeniales | Sample Characteristic - Location | global |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14602770
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Pozsgai
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. .,Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, 350002, China. .,CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Azorean Biodiversity Group and Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, 9700-042, Azores, Portugal.
| | - Ibtissem Ben Fekih
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.,Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Markus V Kohnen
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Said Amrani
- Laboratoire de Biologie et de Physiologie des Organismes, Faculté des Sciences Biologiques, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediène, BP 32 El Alia, Alger, 16111, Algeria
| | - Sándor Bérces
- Duna-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Költő u. 21, H-1121, Budapest, Hungary.,Juhász-Nagy Pál Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Dávid Fülöp
- Department of Zoology, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Nagykovácsi út 26-30, H-1029, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mohammed Y M Jaber
- Fujian University Key Laboratory for Plant-Microbe Interaction, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Nicolai Vitt Meyling
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Malgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska
- Department of Algology and Mycology Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 12/16, PL-90-237, Łódź, Poland
| | - Walter P Pfliegler
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, H-4032, Hungary
| | - Francisco Javier Sánchez-García
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.,Área de Biología Animal, Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Jie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
| | - Gábor L Lövei
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, 350002, China.,Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Flakkebjerg Research Centre, Forsøgsvej 1, DK-4200, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. .,Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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Avanesyan A, Sutton H, Lamp WO. Choosing an Effective PCR-Based Approach for Diet Analysis of Insect Herbivores: A Systematic Review. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 114:1035-1046. [PMID: 33822094 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Identification of ingested plant species using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods is an increasingly useful yet challenging approach to accurately determine the diet composition of insect herbivores and thus their trophic interactions. A typical process of detection of DNA of ingested plants involves the choice of a DNA extraction method, a genomic target region, and/or the best approach for an accurate plant species identification. The wide range of available techniques makes the choice of the most appropriate method for an accurately and timely identification of ingested plants from insect guts difficult. In our study, we reviewed the commonly used PCR-based approaches in studies published from 1977 to 2019, to provide researchers with the information on the tools which have been shown to be effective for obtaining and identifying ingested plants. Our results showed that among five insect orders used in the retrieved studies Coleoptera and Hemiptera were prevalent (33 and 28% of all the records, respectively). In 79% of the studies a DNA barcoding approach was employed. In a substantial number of studies Qiagen DNA extraction kits and CTAB protocol were used (43 and 23%, respectively). Of all records, 65% used a single locus as a targeted plant DNA fragment; trnL, rbcL, and ITS regions were the most frequently used loci. Sequencing was the dominant type of among DNA verification approaches (70% of all records). This review provides important information on the availability of successfully used PCR-based approaches to identify ingested plant DNA in insect guts, and suggests potential directions for future studies on plant-insect trophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Avanesyan
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 4112 Plant Sciences, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Hannah Sutton
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 4112 Plant Sciences, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - William O Lamp
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, 4291 Fieldhouse Drive, 4112 Plant Sciences, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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McCary MA, Schmitz OJ. Invertebrate functional traits and terrestrial nutrient cycling: Insights from a global meta-analysis. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1714-1726. [PMID: 33782983 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Functional traits are useful for characterizing variation in community and ecosystem dynamics. Most advances in trait-based ecology to date centre on plant functional traits, although there is an increasing recognition that animal traits are also key contributors to processes operating at the community or ecosystem scale. Terrestrial invertebrates are incredibly diverse and ubiquitous animals with important roles in nutrient cycling. Despite their widespread influence on ecosystem processes, we currently lack a synthetic understanding of how invertebrate functional traits affect terrestrial nutrient cycling. We present a meta-analysis of 511 paired observations from 122 papers that examined how invertebrate functional traits affected litter decomposition rates, nitrogen pools and litter C:N ratios. Based on the available data, we specifically assessed the effects of feeding mode (bioturbation, detritus shredding, detritus grazing, leaf chewing, leaf piercing, ambush predators, active hunting predators) and body size (macro- and micro-invertebrates) on nutrient cycling. The effects of invertebrates on terrestrial nutrient cycling varied according to functional trait. The inclusion of both macro- (≥2 mm) and micro-invertebrates (<2 mm) increased litter decomposition by 20% and 19%, respectively. All detritivorous feeding modes enhanced litter decomposition rates, with bioturbators, detritus shredders and detritus grazers increasing decomposition by 28%, 22% and 15%, respectively. Neither herbivore feeding mode (e.g. leaf chewers and leaf piercers) nor predator hunting mode (ambush and active hunting) affected decomposition. We also revealed that bioturbators and detritus grazers increased soil nitrogen availability by 99% and 70%, respectively, and that leaf-chewing herbivores had a weak effect on litterfall stoichiometry via reducing C:N ratios by 11%. Although functional traits might be useful predictors of ecosystem processes, our findings suggest context-dependent effects of invertebrate traits on terrestrial nutrient cycling. Detritivore functional traits (i.e. bioturbators, detritus shredders and detritus grazers) are more consistent with increased rates of nutrient cycling, whereas our currently characterized predator and herbivore traits are less predictive. Future research is needed to identify, standardize and deliberately study the impacts of invertebrate functional traits on nutrient cycling in hopes of revealing the key functional traits governing ecosystem functioning worldwide.
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Sow A, Haran J, Benoit L, Galan M, Brévault T. DNA Metabarcoding as a Tool for Disentangling Food Webs in Agroecosystems. INSECTS 2020; 11:E294. [PMID: 32403224 PMCID: PMC7290477 DOI: 10.3390/insects11050294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Better knowledge of food webs and related ecological processes is fundamental to understanding the functional role of biodiversity in ecosystems. This is particularly true for pest regulation by natural enemies in agroecosystems. However, it is generally difficult to decipher the impact of predators, as they often leave no direct evidence of their activity. Metabarcoding via high-throughput sequencing (HTS) offers new opportunities for unraveling trophic linkages between generalist predators and their prey, and ultimately identifying key ecological drivers of natural pest regulation. Here, this approach proved effective in deciphering the diet composition of key predatory arthropods (nine species.; 27 prey taxa), insectivorous birds (one species, 13 prey taxa) and bats (one species; 103 prey taxa) sampled in a millet-based agroecosystem in Senegal. Such information makes it possible to identify the diet breadth and preferences of predators (e.g., mainly moths for bats), to design a qualitative trophic network, and to identify patterns of intraguild predation across arthropod predators, insectivorous vertebrates and parasitoids. Appropriateness and limitations of the proposed molecular-based approach for assessing the diet of crop pest predators and trophic linkages are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmadou Sow
- Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Julien Haran
- CIRAD, UMR CBGP, F-34398 Montpellier, France; (J.H.); (L.B.)
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, F-34988 Montpellier, France;
| | - Laure Benoit
- CIRAD, UMR CBGP, F-34398 Montpellier, France; (J.H.); (L.B.)
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, F-34988 Montpellier, France;
| | - Maxime Galan
- CBGP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, F-34988 Montpellier, France;
- INRA, UMR CBGP, F-34398 Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Brévault
- CIRAD, UPR AIDA, Centre de recherche ISRA-IRD, Dakar, Senegal;
- AIDA, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, F-34398 Montpellier, France
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