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Batista MC, Heimpel GE, Bulgarella M, Venzon M. Diet breadth of the aphid predator Chrysoperla rufilabris Burmeister (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Bull Entomol Res 2022; 112:528-535. [PMID: 35256021 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485321001061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The performance (development and reproduction) of generalist predators can vary greatly among the prey species that they use, and these differences can influence the ability of predatory insects to suppress pest populations. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister, 1839) by offering 16 species of aphids and by assessing the effects of each species on the survival, larval development time, prey consumption, pupal mass and egg load of adult Chr. rufilabris females taking aphid phylogeny into account. Chrysoperla rufilabris larvae preyed on individuals from all 16 aphid species, but complete development, adult emergence and egg load production were achieved only in seven species. As a general pattern, the best levels of performance were achieved for an aphid clade that includes the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Matsumara, 1917), and for a milkweed-feeding species, Myzocallis asclepiadis (Monell, 1879). We found significant phylogenetic clustering for most of the performance traits indicating the aspects of specialization in the diet breadth of Chr. rufilabris despite the fact that this species is considered a generalist aphid predator. These findings can help us to understand the interactions of this species in agroecological food webs, where it is commonly found, and provide insights into why natural, conservation biological control or augmentative releases may succeed or fail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela C Batista
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agricultura e Ambiente, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Balsas, Brazil
- Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana Bulgarella
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Madelaine Venzon
- Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais - EPAMIG, Viçosa, Brazil
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2
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Bulgarella M, Lincango MP, Lahuatte PF, Oliver JD, Cahuana A, Ramírez IE, Sage R, Colwitz AJ, Freund DA, Miksanek JR, Moon RD, Causton CE, Heimpel GE. Persistence of the invasive bird-parasitic fly Philornis downsi over the host interbreeding period in the Galapagos Islands. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2325. [PMID: 35149738 PMCID: PMC8837626 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06208-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many parasites of seasonally available hosts must persist through times of the year when hosts are unavailable. In tropical environments, host availability is often linked to rainfall, and adaptations of parasites to dry periods remain understudied. The bird-parasitic fly Philornis downsi has invaded the Galapagos Islands and is causing high mortality of Darwin's finches and other bird species, and the mechanisms by which it was able to invade the islands are of great interest to conservationists. In the dry lowlands, this fly persists over a seven-month cool season when availability of hosts is very limited. We tested the hypothesis that adult flies could survive from one bird-breeding season until the next by using a pterin-based age-grading method to estimate the age of P. downsi captured during and between bird-breeding seasons. This study showed that significantly older flies were present towards the end of the cool season, with ~ 5% of captured females exhibiting estimated ages greater than seven months. However, younger flies also occurred during the cool season suggesting that some fly reproduction occurs when host availability is low. We discuss the possible ecological mechanisms that could allow for such a mixed strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Bulgarella
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - M Piedad Lincango
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Paola F Lahuatte
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - Jonathan D Oliver
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Andrea Cahuana
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - Ismael E Ramírez
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Roxanne Sage
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Alyssa J Colwitz
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA
| | - Deborah A Freund
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA
| | - James R Miksanek
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Roger D Moon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Charlotte E Causton
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - George E Heimpel
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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Gomes LR, González AR, de Carvalho CJ, Couri MS, Fogaça JM, Roper JJ. Taxonomy and observations of three species of Brazilian Philornis Meinert (Diptera, Muscidae) and two new host species of cavity-nesting birds. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Percara A, Quiroga MA, Beldomenico PM, Monje LD. Genetic diversity and geographic distribution of parasitic flies of the Philornis torquans complex in Argentina. Med Vet Entomol 2021; 35:567-579. [PMID: 34129691 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Philornis Meinert 1890 (Diptera: Muscidae) is a genus of flies that parasitize birds in the Neotropical region. The characteristics of the host-parasite interactions and its consequences may depend on the Philornis species involved, and thus precise identification of these parasites is crucial for the interpretation of ecological and epidemiological studies. However, morphological identification of Argentine Philornis species is elusive while molecular evidence points towards the existence of a complex of cryptic species or lineages undergoing a speciation process, which were named the 'Philornis torquans complex'. Herein the authors extended the current knowledge on the systematics and biogeography of parasitic Philornis flies from Argentina, analysing samples collected in several ecoregions, including the Atlantic Forest, Iberá Wetlands, Open Fields and Grasslands, Espinal, Pampa, Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco, Delta and Paraná River Islands, Monte of Plains and Plateaus. The results of the present study strengthen the evidence on previously described Philornis genotypes using four genetic markers (ITS2, COI, ND6, 12S rRNA). The authors report new patterns of occurrence and describe the presence of a novel genotype of subcutaneous Philornis. In addition, the present study unveils ecological niche differences among genotypes of the Philornis torquans complex in southern South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Percara
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICIVET-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Argentina
| | - M A Quiroga
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICIVET-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Argentina
- The Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID, U.S.A
- Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos, Oro Verde, Argentina
| | - P M Beldomenico
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICIVET-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UNL, Esperanza, Argentina
| | - L D Monje
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades, Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICIVET-Litoral), Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Esperanza, Argentina
- Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
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Heimpel GE, Abram PK, Brodeur J. A phylogenetic perspective on parasitoid host ranges with implications for biological control. Curr Opin Insect Sci 2021; 44:95-100. [PMID: 33901732 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Interactions that shape parasitoid host ranges occur within the context of both host and parasitoid phylogenetic history. While host-associated speciation of parasitoids can lead to increased host specificity, it can also lead to a broadening of host range through radiation onto a new group of host species. In both cases, sister-species of parasitoids may have widely divergent host ranges. But how should host range be estimated? Traditional views of host ranges as simple lists of species have given way to analyses that can detect host phylogenetic signal. Host relatedness can also be codified into useful indices that reflect the phylogenetic breadth of host range. All of these considerations have important implications for biological control, particularly in the realm of risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E Heimpel
- Dept. of Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Ave, St. Paul MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Paul K Abram
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz Research and Development Centre, 6947 Hwy #7, Agassiz, BC, Canada
| | - Jacques Brodeur
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Causton CE, Moon RD, Cimadom A, Boulton RA, Cedeño D, Lincango MP, Tebbich S, Ulloa A. Population dynamics of an invasive bird parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), in the Galapagos Islands. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224125. [PMID: 31626686 PMCID: PMC6874344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The invasive parasitic fly, Philornis downsi (Muscidae), is one of the greatest threats to the avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. The larvae of this fly feed on the blood and tissues of developing nestlings of at least 18 endemic and native birds. The aim of the current study was to investigate biotic and abiotic factors that may influence the population dynamics of this invasive parasite. To study the influence of vegetation zone and related climatic factors on fly numbers, a bi-weekly monitoring program using papaya-baited traps was carried out at a dry, lowland site and at a humid, highland site on Santa Cruz Island between 2012-2014. Female flies, a large proportion of which were inseminated and gravid, were collected throughout the year at both sites, indicating females were active during and between the bird breeding seasons. This is the first evidence that female flies are able to persist even when hosts are scarce. On the other hand, catch rates of male flies declined between bird breeding seasons. Overall, catch rates of P. downsi were higher in the drier, lowland habitat, which may be a consequence of host or resource availability. Time was a stronger predictor of adult fly numbers than climate, further suggesting that P. downsi does not appear to be limited by its environment, but rather by host availability. Seasonal catch rates suggested that populations in both habitats were continuous and multivoltine. Numbers of adult female flies appeared to be regulated chiefly by simple direct density dependence, and may be governed by availability of bird nests with nestlings. Nevertheless, confounding factors such as the existence of reservoir hosts that perpetuate fly populations and changes in behavior of P. downsi may increase the vulnerability of bird hosts that are already IUCN red-listed or in decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E. Causton
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora,
Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - Roger D. Moon
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United
States of America
| | - Arno Cimadom
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna,
Austria
| | - Rebecca A. Boulton
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter,
Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Cedeño
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora,
Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - María Piedad Lincango
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora,
Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
- Facultad De Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Central Del Ecuador, Quito,
Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Sabine Tebbich
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna,
Austria
| | - Angel Ulloa
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora,
Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
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Fessl B, Heimpel GE, Causton CE. Invasion of an Avian Nest Parasite, Philornis downsi, to the Galapagos Islands: Colonization History, Adaptations to Novel Ecosystems, and Conservation Challenges. Disease Ecology 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-65909-1_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Kleindorfer S, Dudaniec RY. Host-parasite ecology, behavior and genetics: a review of the introduced fly parasite Philornis downsi and its Darwin’s finch hosts. BMC ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1186/s40850-016-0003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
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9
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Lahuatte PF, Lincango MP, Heimpel GE, Causton CE. Rearing Larvae of the Avian Nest Parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), on Chicken Blood-Based Diets. J Insect Sci 2016; 16:iew064. [PMID: 27493240 PMCID: PMC4973507 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iew064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Captive rearing of insect pests is necessary to understand their biology and to develop control methods. The avian nest fly, Philornis downsi Dodge and Aitken, is a blood-sucking parasite during its larval stage and a serious threat to endemic birds in the Galapagos Islands where it is considered invasive. In order to procure large numbers of flies for biological studies, rearing media and diets were trialed for rearing the larval stage of P. downsi under controlled conditions in the absence of its avian host. P. downsi eggs were obtained from field-caught female flies, and once eggs hatched they were reared on chicken blood for the first 3 d. Following this, three diets were tested on second- and third-instar larvae: 1) chicken blood only; 2) chicken blood, hydrolyzed protein and dried milk powder; and 3) chicken blood, hydrolyzed protein and brewer's yeast. Out of 385 P. downsi larvae tested, we were able to rear 50 larvae to the adult stage. The highest level of mortality was found in the first-instar larvae. Survivorship of second- and third-instar larvae was similar irrespective of diet and diet did not significantly influence larval or pupal development times; though larvae fed the diet with brewer's yeast developed marginally faster. Pupal weights were similar to those of larvae that had developed on bird hosts in the field. To our knowledge, this is the first effective protocol for rearing a hematophagous parasitic avian fly from egg to adult in the absence of a living host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola F Lahuatte
- Carrera De Ciencias Biológicas Y Ambientales, Sector El Dorado, Quito-Ecuador, Universidad Central Del Ecuador, Iquique N14-121 Y Sodiro-Itchimbía Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - M P Lincango
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Facultad De Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Central Del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - G E Heimpel
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul MN, USA
| | - C E Causton
- Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
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Gagic V, Petrović-Obradović O, Fründ J, Kavallieratos NG, Athanassiou CG, Starý P, Tomanović Ž. The Effects of Aphid Traits on Parasitoid Host Use and Specialist Advantage. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157674. [PMID: 27309729 PMCID: PMC4910996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Specialization is a central concept in ecology and one of the fundamental properties of parasitoids. Highly specialized parasitoids tend to be more efficient in host-use compared to generalized parasitoids, presumably owing to the trade-off between host range and host-use efficiency. However, it remains unknown how parasitoid host specificity and host-use depends on host traits related to susceptibility to parasitoid attack. To address this question, we used data from a 13-year survey of interactions among 142 aphid and 75 parasitoid species in nine European countries. We found that only aphid traits related to local resource characteristics seem to influence the trade-off between host-range and efficiency: more specialized parasitoids had an apparent advantage (higher abundance on shared hosts) on aphids with sparse colonies, ant-attendance and without concealment, and this was more evident when host relatedness was included in calculation of parasitoid specificity. More traits influenced average assemblage specialization, which was highest in aphids that are monophagous, monoecious, large, highly mobile (easily drop from a plant), without myrmecophily, habitat specialists, inhabit non-agricultural habitats and have sparse colonies. Differences in aphid wax production did not influence parasitoid host specificity and host-use. Our study is the first step in identifying host traits important for aphid parasitoid host specificity and host-use and improves our understanding of bottom-up effects of aphid traits on aphid-parasitoid food web structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vesna Gagic
- CSIRO, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia
- Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Jochen Fründ
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Agrarökologie, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nickolas G. Kavallieratos
- Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece
- Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Attica, Greece
| | - Christos G. Athanassiou
- Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Magnissia, Greece
| | - Petr Starý
- Laboratory of Aphidology, Department of Experimental Ecology, Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, ČeskéBudějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Željko Tomanović
- Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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