Priscila Gomez-Polo1, Oscar Alomar1, Cristina Castañé1, Jonathan G Lundgren2, Josep Piñol3,4, Nuria Agustí1. 1. Entomology, Institute for Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Cabrils, Barcelona, Spain. 2. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, Brookings, SD 57006, USA. 3. Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. 4. Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are generalist predators of a great variety of pests. Nasonovia ribisnigri (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are two common pests in Mediterranean lettuce crops, where they occur alongside alternative prey (e.g., Collembola). A semi-field experiment was conducted in an experimental lettuce plot where hoverfly predation on N. ribisnigri, F. occidentalis and Collembola was studied by conventional PCR and qPCR using specific primers, as well as by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in order to reveal other potential trophic interactions. RESULTS: Trophic linkages between hoverflies and N. ribisnigri were the strongest both in spring and summer. F. occidentalis and Collembolans were also detected in both seasons, but with less frequency. qPCR detected a higher frequency of consumption than conventional PCR when both tests were run at optimal conditions. NGS analyses showed intraguild predation on other hoverfly species, as well as on anthocorids, spiders and even aphid parasitoids. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional PCR and qPCR provided important insights into Mediterranean hoverfly species predation on target pest and non-pest prey. NGS gave a complementary approach revealing a broader diet of these predators within the studied ecosystem.
BACKGROUND: Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are generalist predators of a great variety of pests. Nasonovia ribisnigri (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are two common pests in Mediterranean lettuce crops, where they occur alongside alternative prey (e.g., Collembola). A semi-field experiment was conducted in an experimental lettuce plot where hoverfly predation on N. ribisnigri, F. occidentalis and Collembola was studied by conventional PCR and qPCR using specific primers, as well as by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in order to reveal other potential trophic interactions. RESULTS: Trophic linkages between hoverflies and N. ribisnigri were the strongest both in spring and summer. F. occidentalis and Collembolans were also detected in both seasons, but with less frequency. qPCR detected a higher frequency of consumption than conventional PCR when both tests were run at optimal conditions. NGS analyses showed intraguild predation on other hoverfly species, as well as on anthocorids, spiders and even aphid parasitoids. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional PCR and qPCR provided important insights into Mediterranean hoverfly species predation on target pest and non-pest prey. NGS gave a complementary approach revealing a broader diet of these predators within the studied ecosystem.
Authors: Jason M Schmidt; Angelita Acebes-Doria; Brett Blaauw; Arash Kheirodin; Swikriti Pandey; Kylie Lennon; Amos D Kaldor; Pedro F S Toledo; Erin E Grabarczyk Journal: Insects Date: 2021-04-16 Impact factor: 2.769
Authors: C E Pearson; W O C Symondson; E L Clare; S J Ormerod; E Iparraguirre Bolaños; I P Vaughan Journal: Mol Ecol Date: 2017-12-23 Impact factor: 6.185