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Segoli M, Abram PK, Ellers J, Greenbaum G, Hardy ICW, Heimpel GE, Keasar T, Ode PJ, Sadeh A, Wajnberg E. Trait-based approaches to predicting biological control success: challenges and prospects. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:802-811. [PMID: 37202283 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Identifying traits that are associated with success of introduced natural enemies in establishing and controlling pest insects has occupied researchers and biological control practitioners for decades. Unfortunately, consistent general relationships have been difficult to detect, preventing a priori ranking of candidate biological control agents based on their traits. We summarise previous efforts and propose a series of potential explanations for the lack of clear patterns. We argue that the quality of current datasets is insufficient to detect complex trait-efficacy relationships and suggest several measures by which current limitations may be overcome. We conclude that efforts to address this elusive issue have not yet been exhausted and that further explorations are likely to be worthwhile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Segoli
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, BIDR, SIDEER, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus, Israel.
| | - Paul K Abram
- Agassiz Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz, BC, Canada
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gili Greenbaum
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ian C W Hardy
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland
| | - George E Heimpel
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Tamar Keasar
- Department of Biology, University of Haifa at Oranim, Tivon, Israel
| | - Paul J Ode
- Department of Agricultural Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Asaf Sadeh
- Department of Natural Resources, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization (Volcani Institute), Israel
| | - Eric Wajnberg
- INRAE, Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France and INRIA, Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France
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Kenis M. Prospects for classical biological control of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in invaded areas using parasitoids from the Americas. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:331-341. [PMID: 36889357 PMCID: PMC10125038 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a polyphagous agricultural pest threatening food security worldwide. This American species recently invaded most of Africa, many Asian countries, and Oceania, where it mainly damages maize. Classical biological control (CBC) through the introduction of natural enemies from its area of origin is considered as a potential management approach. The paper reviews the prospects and constraints of a CBC programme against S. frugiperda using larval parasitoids, which are considered the most suitable natural enemies for introduction against this pest. The most important larval parasitoids in its native range are presented and discussed for their suitability as CBC agents, based the following criteria: their frequency of occurrence and parasitism levels, specificity, climatic suitability and absence of closely related species parasitizing S. frugiperda in the area of introduction. The ichneumonid Eiphosoma laphygmae Costa-Lima (Hymenoptera: Icheumonidae) is considered as a potential candidate for introduction because of its specificity and its importance as a parasitoid of the pest in most of its native range. The most frequent and important parasitoid of S. frugiperda in the Americas, the braconid Chelonus insularis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), would most probably contribute to the control of S. frugiperda if released in invaded areas. However, it is oligophagous and would most certainly parasitize nontarget species. Before introducing C. insularis, or any other parasitoid species, the potential nontarget effects will have to be assessed and the risks will have to be weighed against the benefits of improving the natural control of this important pest.
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Neuenschwander P, Borgemeister C, De Groote H, Sæthre MG, Tamò M. Perspective article: Food security in tropical Africa through climate-smart plant health management. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15116. [PMID: 37151684 PMCID: PMC10161365 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Each year, Africa loses half of its harvest to pests (insects, pathogens, nematodes, weeds). To offset these losses and improve food security, pest management needs to be revamped urgently. Based on a synthesis of all 58 pest management projects conducted by IITA in its 55-year history, we advocate here for the implementation of the five following key climate-smart interventions, which have been shown to increase yields and decreasing CO2 outputs compared to the current practices that are largely based on the use of synthetic pesticides: 1. Sanitation at the country's borders and at the field level is the most cost-efficient way to prevent pest damage and losses from exotic pests entering new territories. 2. Good soil management strengthens the crop plant and enhances the effectiveness of all other interventions. 3. Biological control is the quickest and in the long run most cost-effective way to control invading insect pests and weeds. 4. Resistant varieties are often the only way to control already established diseases and are a mainstay control method in combination with other practices. 5. Various bio-pesticides based on viruses, bacteria and fungi against insects have been commercialized or can be produced on-farm; they are to replace synthetic pesticides, which continue to have large negative impacts on the environment and human health. To apply these five practices, new decision-support and climate services tools should be used to empower low-literacy farmers to take timely decisions about pest control and to act as business partners. Meanwhile, all actors in the pest control community should account for their environmental costs, which up to now are born solely by the community, while profits from pesticide sales are pocketed privately. To successfully disseminate these practices across the continent, enhanced and harmonized policy support is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Neuenschwander
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Benin
- Corresponding author.
| | | | - Hugo De Groote
- The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Manuele Tamò
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Benin
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Bloom EH, Constancio N, Hauri KC, Szendrei Z. A newly invasive species may promote dissimilarity of pest populations between organic and conventional farming systems. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2615. [PMID: 35365941 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Insect taxa vary in their phenology across space creating dissimilar patterns of species abundance over time. The role of human disturbances and invasive species in these patterns of temporal dissimilarity (phenological differences) across space, however, remain largely unexplored. To dissect these patterns, we evaluated four common pests and one newly invasive species (Contarinia nasturtii; Swede midge) at 220 time points across 2 years on organic and conventional farms. We first summarized across time and evaluated differences in pest abundance between farm management (organic and conventional). We then used generalized additive models to describe temporal patterns of abundance, disentangling phenological differences across management systems. Last, we conducted a temporal beta diversity analysis to identify which species and management practices contribute most to dissimilarity. We found that aggregating pest abundance across time and species masked differences in pest phenology across management systems and concealed variation in pest abundance that was strongly driven by an invasive species, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that organic and conventional farms may be only superficially similar in pest abundance. Rather, by accounting for time, we demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of pest communities moving beyond abundance that may be particularly important for management of newly invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias H Bloom
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Natalie Constancio
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Kayleigh C Hauri
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Zsofia Szendrei
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Wyckhuys KAG, Sasiprapa W, Taekul C, Kondo T. Unsung heroes: fixing multifaceted sustainability challenges through insect biological control. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 40:77-84. [PMID: 32619951 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Insects are indispensable actors within global agri-food systems and ensure the delivery of myriad ecosystem services. A progressive decline in insect numbers - as inflicted by habitat loss, pollution or intensive agriculture - can jeopardize a sustained provisioning of those services. Though we routinely disregard how insects help meet multiple sustainable development challenges, a gradual insect decline can have grave, long-lasting consequences. Here, we describe how insect-mediated biological control not only defuses invasive pests and can reconstitute crop productivity, but equally delivers other positive social-ecological outcomes. Drawing upon the pan-tropical invasion of the cassava mealybug and its ensuing suppression by the monophagous parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi, we illuminate how biological control contributes to food security, poverty alleviation, human wellbeing and environmental preservation. Trans-disciplinary research and 'systems thinking' are needed to maximize the potential of these biodiversity-driven interventions, and thus reap the net positive spin-offs insects provide for farmers, the environment and human society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris A G Wyckhuys
- Institute of Plant Protection (IPP), China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China; Chrysalis Consulting, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
| | - Walaiporn Sasiprapa
- Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Charuwat Taekul
- Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
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Schaffner U, Hill M, Dudley T, D'Antonio C. Post-release monitoring in classical biological control of weeds: assessing impact and testing pre-release hypotheses. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:99-106. [PMID: 32278264 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
While various aspects of classical biological control (CBC) of weeds, including non-target risk assessment, have been continuously improved in the past few decades, post-release monitoring remains neglected and underfunded. Detailed assessments of the population, community and ecosystem outcomes of CBC introductions, including reasons for success/failure and absence or evidence of non-target effects are generally lacking or fragmentary. Here we review recent advances in understanding the demography of biological control agents released into a novel environment, their impact on the target weed and on non-target species, and the consequences for the resident plant and animal communities and ecosystem functioning, including the restoration of ecosystem services. We argue that post-release monitoring of CBC programs offers unique but largely underutilized opportunities to improve our understanding of CBC outcomes and to inform management and decision-makers on when and how CBC should be integrated with other management options to enhance ecosystem restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urs Schaffner
- CABI, Rue des Grillons 1, 2800 Delémont, Switzerland.
| | - Martin Hill
- Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Tom Dudley
- University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Wyckhuys KAG, Hughes AC, Buamas C, Johnson AC, Vasseur L, Reymondin L, Deguine JP, Sheil D. Biological control of an agricultural pest protects tropical forests. Commun Biol 2019; 2:10. [PMID: 30623106 PMCID: PMC6323051 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0257-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Though often perceived as an environmentally-risky practice, biological control of invasive species can restore crop yields, ease land pressure and thus contribute to forest conservation. Here, we show how biological control against the mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera) slows deforestation across Southeast Asia. In Thailand, this newly-arrived mealybug caused an 18% decline in cassava yields over 2009-2010 and an escalation in prices of cassava products. This spurred an expansion of cassava cropping in neighboring countries from 713,000 ha in 2009 to > 1 million ha by 2011: satellite imagery reveals 388%, 330%, 185% and 608% increases in peak deforestation rates in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam focused in cassava crop expansion areas. Following release of the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera) in 2010, mealybug outbreaks were reduced, cropping area contracted and deforestation slowed by 31-95% in individual countries. Hence, when judiciously implemented, insect biological control can deliver substantial environmental benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. A. G. Wyckhuys
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, People’s Republic of China
- China Academy of Agricultural Sciences CAAS, Beijing 100193, People’s Republic of China
- University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, QLD Australia
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058 People’s Republic of China
| | - A. C. Hughes
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens, China Academy of Sciences CAS, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303 People’s Republic of China
| | - C. Buamas
- Department of Agriculture (DoA), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - A. C. Johnson
- Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW 2800 Australia
| | - L. Vasseur
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, People’s Republic of China
- Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 Canada
| | - L. Reymondin
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, 100000 Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - D. Sheil
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
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