Cannibalism among same-aged nymphs of the omnivorous predator Dicyphus errans (Hemiptera: Miridae) is affected by food availability and nymphal density

Arvaniti, Konstantina A.; Fantinou, Argyro A.; Perdikis, D.

doi:10.14411/eje.2019.033

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Intra‐specific aggression did not, however, result in any fatalities (consistent with results from studies on other predatory hemipterans; Tommasini et al, 2003). Individuals may compete for access to a food item but interactions may also represent attempts at cannibalism – previously reported in C. exiguus (Nasser & Abdurahiman, 1993) and in many other predator species (Polis, 1981; Hironori & Katsuhiro, 1997) – and the observed highest frequency of biting when no larva was provided fits the notion that scarcity of other food sources can increase cannibalism (Arvaniti et al, 2019). As the individuals had not been starved prior to the experiment their motivation to engage in costly interactions may have been relatively weak (Taylor & Schmidt, 1996) and when a C. cephalonica larva was provided it was large enough for both predators to feed simultaneously, rather than being an indivisible resource.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Contests between beneficial natural enemies: brood‐guarding parasitoids vs. foraging predators

Velasco-Hernández¹,

Shameer

Nasser

et al. 2020

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Beneficial insects, such as natural enemies, are important to agro‐ecosystem functioning and thus agricultural production. Parasitoids and predators can provide sustainable long‐term solutions to pest problems (biological control), reducing the need for expensive and sometimes polluting pesticide applications. When several species of beneficial insects are present, their pest control actions may be additive, synergistic, or disruptive. One form of disruptive interaction between parasitoids and predators is direct interspecific contest for access to individual pests (the resource to be exploited). This study evaluated behavioural interactions between brood‐guarding wasps, Goniozus nephantidis (Muesebeck) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), which are known to engage in intra‐specific contests, and a predatory bug, Cardiastethus exiguus (Poppius) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), which attack the same pest species, Opisina arenosella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), a major pest in coconut production systems. Dyadic parasitoid–predator and predator–predator contests were staged to determine the factors that influence the behaviours within, and outcomes of, such interactions. Parasitoids were aggressive towards predators, sometimes killing them, but predators were not aggressive towards parasitoids. Biting and stinging only occurred when there was a host larva present. In the absence of the parasitoid that had oviposited onto a host, predators often consumed the parasitoid’s eggs. Egg consumption sometimes occurred when the parasitoid was present. Intra‐specific competition between pairs of predators was also evaluated: adults were aggressive towards each other, but interactions were not fatal. Biting was more common when there was no prey larva present. When a larva was present, predators were observed feeding simultaneously. We conclude that direct parasitoid–predator interactions are likely to influence pest population dynamics, possibly reducing the overall suppression of O. arenosella by its natural enemies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Contests between beneficial natural enemies: brood‐guarding parasitoids vs. foraging predators

Velasco-Hernández¹,

Shameer

Nasser

et al. 2020

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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“…Therefore, an insight into predator preferences may help to understand and predict the efficacy of D. cerastii in multiple prey situations. Dicyphines can also present cannibalistic and intraguild predatory interactions [87,88]. Both these direct, and indirect interactions such as competitive displacement [31], may also affect the success of biological control programs with these predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Response and Predation Rate of Dicyphus cerastii Wagner (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Abraços-Duarte

Ramos

Valente

et al. 2021

Insects

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Dicyphine mirids are important biological control agents (BCAs) in horticultural crops. Dicyphus cerastii Wagner can be found in protected tomato crops in Portugal, and has been observed feeding on several tomato pests. However, the predation capacity of this species is poorly studied. In order to investigate the predation capacity of D. cerastii, and how it is affected by prey size and mobility, we evaluated the functional response (FR) and predation rate of female predators on different densities of four prey species: Myzus persicae 1st instar nymphs (large mobile prey), Bemisia tabaci 4th instar nymphs, Ephestia kuehniella eggs (large immobile prey) and Tuta absoluta eggs (small immobile prey). Experiments were performed on tomato leaflets in Petri dish arenas for 24 h. Dicyphus cerastii exhibited type II FR for all prey tested. The predator effectively preyed upon all prey, consuming an average of 88.8 B. tabaci nymphs, 134.4 E. kuehniella eggs, 37.3 M. persicae nymphs and 172.3 T. absoluta eggs. Differences in the FR parameters, attack rate and handling time, suggested that prey size and mobility affected predation capacity. Considering the very high predation rates found for all prey species, D. cerastii proved to be an interesting candidate BCA for tomato crops.

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“…(2018) showed that interactive effects on consumption of eggs of T. absoluta of two 5th‐instar nymphs of M. pygmaeus were more intense at high prey densities. Adult body weight of predatory mirids was significantly reduced when nymphs raised in groups of 2, 4, 8, and 16 individuals, in the presence of prey, rather than reared in isolation (Arvaniti et al., 2019). Therefore, the above evidence supports that interference may exist between nymphs of M. pygmaeus .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator size affects the intensity of mutual interference in a predatory mirid

Papanikolaou

Dervisoglou

Fantinou

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Interference competition occurs when access to an available resource is negatively affected by interactions with other individuals, where mutual interference involves individuals of the same species. The interactive phenomena among individuals may be size‐dependent, since body size is a major factor that may alter prey consumption rates and ultimately the dynamics and structure of food webs. A study was initiated in order to evaluate the effect of mutual interference in the prey‐specific attack rates and handling times of same size class predators, incorporating variation in consumer size. For this purpose, laboratory functional response experiments were conducted using same age predators, that is, newly hatched (first instar) or mature (fifth instar) nymphs of the polyphagous mirid predator Macrolophus pygmaeus preying on Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs. The experiments involved four predator density treatments, that is, one, two, three, or four predators of same age, that is, either first‐ or fifth‐instar nymphs, which were exposed to several prey densities. The Crowley–Martin model, which allows for interference competition between foraging predators, was used to fit the data. The results showed that mutual interference between predator's nymphs may occur that affect their foraging efficiency. The values of the attack rate coefficient were dependent on the predator density and for the first‐instar nymphs were significantly lower at the highest predator density than the lower predator densities, whereas for the fifth‐instar nymphs in all density treatments were significantly lower to that of the individual foragers' ones. These results indicate that mutual interference is more intense for larger predators and is more obvious at low prey densities where the competition level is higher. The wider use of predator‐dependent functional response models will help toward a mechanistic understanding of intraspecific interactions and its consequences on the stability and structure of food webs.

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Cannibalism among same-aged nymphs of the omnivorous predator Dicyphus errans (Hemiptera: Miridae) is affected by food availability and nymphal density

Abstract: http://www.eje.cz of interacting conspecifi cs are also important drivers of cannibalistic behaviour resulting in (a) more cannibalism when the density of interacting conspecifi cs is high and (b) larger individuals being more effective cannibals than smaller ones (

Cited by 11 publications

References 44 publications

Contests between beneficial natural enemies: brood‐guarding parasitoids vs. foraging predators

Contests between beneficial natural enemies: brood‐guarding parasitoids vs. foraging predators

Functional Response and Predation Rate of Dicyphus cerastii Wagner (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Predator size affects the intensity of mutual interference in a predatory mirid

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