Biological control agents in the Anthropocene: current risks and future options

Thurman, Jessa H.; Crowder, David W.; Northfield, Tobin D.

doi:10.1016/j.cois.2017.07.006

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Addressing the needs of the increasing human population will require a 60% increase in global food production by 2050 [174]. Insects could aid in achieving this objective by providing food production [19,164] as well as pollination service (see Section 4) and biological control of pests [175].…”

Section: Biological Control Agents and Sterile Insect Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biological control is a method of controlling pests such as arthropods, weeds, and plant diseases using predator (e.g., ladybugs to control aphids [176], herbivorous, or parasite species [175]). Parasitoids are among the most widely used biological control agents (e.g., [177,178]).…”

Section: Biological Control Agents and Sterile Insect Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since a large number of insect populations are produced in captive conditions isolated from their wild counterparts (Figure 1), many species can be considered as undergoing a domestication process. Moreover, new domestication processes can be expected in the near future due to current challenges to increase human food/sanitary security (e.g., [19,164,175,[186][187][188]) or to address new demands for pets (i.e., similar development to the ornamental fish trade (e.g., [18,[235][236][237])).…”

Section: Are Insect Species Undergoing Domestication Processes?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insects: The Disregarded Domestication Histories

Lecocq¹

2019

Animal Domestication

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Domestication has irrevocably impacted human evolution. The domestication process/ pathways have been the focus of abundant research for plants and vertebrates. Advances in genetics and archeology have allowed tremendous progresses in the understanding of domestication for these organisms. In contrast, insects' domestication has comparatively received far less attention to date. Yet, insects are the most common animal group on Earth and provide many valuable ecosystem services to humans. Therefore, the aims of this chapter are (i) to provide an overview of main ancient and recent insect domestication histories and (ii) to reread them by the light of the domestication process, pathways, triggers, and consequences observed in other animal species. Some of the considered species (i.e., silkworm and honey bee) have been chosen because they are among the few insects commonly acknowledged as domesticated, while others allow illustrating alternative domestication patterns. The overview of current literature shows similar humandirected pathway and domestication syndrome (e.g., increased tameness, decreased aggressiveness, modified reproduction) between several insect species.

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Section: Biological Control Agents and Sterile Insect Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biological Control Agents and Sterile Insect Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Insect Species Undergoing Domestication Processes?mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Insects: The Disregarded Domestication Histories

Lecocq¹

2019

Animal Domestication

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“…Recent approaches for the prevention of pest infestation in agricultural systems have moved towards sustainable, environmentally friendly methods based on natural modes of pest control (van Lenteren et al 2018). Sustainable insect pest control strategies involve natural enemies (top-down control) of insects, such as predatory and parasitoid insects (Thurman et al 2017), but further rely on resistant plant cultivars (Stenberg 2017). Plant-associated microorganisms are increasingly being discovered and applied as either entomopathogenic agents or as plant mutualists, boosting defenses against insect pests by increased production of deterrent or toxic metabolites (Gange et al 2019;Kauppinen et al 2016;Vega 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting Effects of Grass - Endophyte Chemotypes on a Tri-Trophic Cascade

2020

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Systemic grass-endophytes of the genus Epichloë symbiotically infect the above-ground plant parts of many grass species, where they produce alkaloids in a grass-and endophyte-specific manner that are toxic or deterrent to herbivores. An increasing number of studies show cascading negative effects of endophyte-derived alkaloids that extend to higher trophic levels, harming beneficial insects, including those that control aphid populations. Lacewings are one of the major biological aphid controls, and are especially resistant to insecticides and pollutants, but their susceptibility to endophyte infection in the food chain has never been studied. Our study found variability in aphid population growth depending on the endophyte-grass chemotype, where aphid population growth was lowest on chemotypes known for producing high amounts of loline alkaloids. We also showed that larval and pupal development and mortality of the Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) was, in a non-choice experiment, not affected by endophyte infection in the food chain. This is a first indication that lacewings might be resistant to endophyte-derived alkaloids and could be robust biocontrol agents when applied together with endophyte-infected grass, possibly replacing chemical pesticides.

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“…The disadvantage of these predators' specificity, however, is that they provide little protection against the emergence of pest species other than the relatively narrow range of hosts/prey species that they attack (Symondson et al, 2002). In contrast, generalist predators can combat a suite of pests and this polyphagy allows them to remain in a field as various prey species become more or less common (Offenberg, 2015;Thurman et al, 2017). However, the same diverse feeding habits can lead to harmful attacks on predators and parasitoids Ives, 2001, 2003;Mathews et al, 2011;Ramesh et al, 2016) weakening biological control, or on pollinators (Dukas, 2005;Rodriguez-Girones et al, 2013;Yamasaki et al, 2016), decreasing fruit set (Abdulla et al, 2015(Abdulla et al, , 2017Anato et al, 2015Anato et al, , 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weaver Ants Provide Ecosystem Services to Tropical Tree Crops

2019

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Generalist predators bring a complex mix of beneficial and harmful effects to agroecosystems. When these predators feed on herbivorous pests, biological control is improved with the potential to increase crop yield. However, generalists often feed on predators, pollinators, and plants, which might worsen pest outbreaks and reduce fruit set. For example, weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are major predators of several key, economically-damaging pest insects of tropical fruit and nut crops. Yet the ants also attack other predatory arthropods and important pollinators, while tending trophobiont honeydew producers like mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) that are themselves pests. Finally, ants will supplement their diet with sugars from floral and extrafloral nectaries, a form of plant feeding that presumably carries a physiological cost to the plant. Here, across previously-published experimental studies that compared treatments where ants were present vs. excluded, we summarize the effects of weaver ants on beneficial and pest insects and tree-crop productivity. Our quantitative review revealed nearly ubiquitous benefits of Oecophylla ants for tropical agriculture. Treatments with ants present generally showed lower pest densities and damage from pest insects in the families Coreidae, Miridae, Pentatomidae, and Tephritidae. Pest reduction was seen on cacao (Theobroma cacao), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), and mango (Mangifera indica) trees. The single exception to these pest reductions occurred when ants facilitated the population growth of mealybugs and other honeydew producers. In general, we found that Oecophylla ants provided the valuable ecosystem service of natural pest control to a diversity of tropical tree crops. Despite the potential for the ants to harm other predators or pollinators, evidence for these ecosystem disservices was rare and other beneficial insects co-exist well with this group of ants. Our findings bolster the general finding that ant species that tend herbivores who are not themselves pests can provide broad-reaching benefits to plant productivity. More generally, our findings are consistent with the many cases where non-pest prey bolster densities of polyphagous predators with benefits for biological control despite some degree of plant feeding by the predators.

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Biological control agents in the Anthropocene: current risks and future options

Cited by 23 publications

References 44 publications

Insects: The Disregarded Domestication Histories

Insects: The Disregarded Domestication Histories

Contrasting Effects of Grass - Endophyte Chemotypes on a Tri-Trophic Cascade

Weaver Ants Provide Ecosystem Services to Tropical Tree Crops

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