Effects of elevated CO2 on the fitness and potential population damage of Helicoverpa armigera based on two-sex life table

Abstract

We evaluated the direct effects of three different atmospheric CO2 concentrations (380 ppm, 550 ppm and 750 ppm) on the population parameters of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera fed an artificial diet. The life history and fitness of H. armigera were analyzed using an age-stage, two-sex life table. Our results showed significantly longer larval durations and lower female pupal weight under elevated CO2 than under ambient CO2. Additionally, the fecundity of H. armigera was lower under elevated CO2 than under ambient CO2. H. armigera reared under elevated CO2 conditions showed lower intrinsic and finite rates of increase but higher net consumption and finite consumption rates than H. armigera reared under ambient CO2 conditions. According to population projections, a much smaller total population size and reduced consumption capacities would be expected in an elevated CO2 atmosphere due to higher mortality and lower growth rate compared with ambient CO2 levels. These results indicate that the fitness of and potential damage caused by H. armigera would be affected by increased CO2 relative to ambient CO2 concentrations. Additional studies on the long-term direct and indirect effects of elevated CO2 levels on H. armigera are still needed.

Population parameters and growth ofRiptortus pedestris(Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) under elevated CO2concentrations

“…Akbar et al (2016) reported that increased CO 2 negatively affected larval survival, larval development, pupation and adult emergence of H. armigera , while pupal period, pupal weight and individual fecundity increased. Liu et al (2017) also showed that H. armigera would exhibit lower fitness in the future with increasing CO 2 concentration because the population size was lower under elevated CO 2 than under ambient CO 2 . Xie et al (2015) reported that Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) fed on an artificial diet reduced larval food digestibility and utilization efficiency as well as decreased fitness‐related parameters including higher mortality, lower pupal weight, and longer development times under elevated CO 2 treatments (550 ppm and 750 ppm).…”

“…The most important thing is to discover the effect of elevated CO 2 on insect distribution and occurrence in order to predict the change of insect population dynamics and community structure in potential future environments. The longer developmental duration and higher mortality of H. armigera larvae under elevated CO 2 resulted in lower population sizes than those under ambient CO 2 (Liu et al 2017; Wu et al 2006; Yin et al 2010). Choi et al (2018) proposed a possible mechanism about how slightly increase of CO 2 level can directly affect insect life using the pheromone communication of H. armigera .…”

“…Increases in ambient levels of CO 2 can cause changes in plant growth rates and the chemical composition of their tissues; phytophagous insects are indirectly affected by these changes to their host plants (Guerenstein & Hildebrand 2008; Shi et al 2019; Stiling & Cornelissen 2007). Furthermore, the fitness and behavior of insects is directly influenced by elevated CO 2 levels (Choi et al 2018; Fu et al 2016; Liu et al 2017).…”

“…Many published studies have demonstrated the effects of temperature on demographic characteristics and population parameters of R. pedestris (Ahn et al 2019; Kim et al 2009; Rahman & Lim 2017). However, there are few studies regarding the direct effects of elevated CO 2 on herbivores (Akbar et al 2016; Choi et al 2018; Liu et al 2017; Xie et al 2015) and there is no information on its effects on R. pedestris . Therefore, a lot of data is needed to comprehensively understand the various effects of increased CO 2 on herbivores.…”

Molecular Evidence for the Fitness of Cotton Aphid, Aphis gossypii in Response to Elevated CO2 From the Perspective of Feeding Behavior Analysis

“…A recent meta-analysis examining the effects of elevated CO 2 on the life history traits of insects found that while the abundance of foliage feeders tends to decrease, phloem feeders on average tend to perform better under elevated CO 2 ( Robinson et al, 2012 ). Generally, elevated CO 2 shows negative effects on chewing insects with a decline in the foliar nitrogen content of host plants; as a recent study on the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera , showed that larval durations were significantly prolonged by elevated CO 2 , additionally, female pupal weight, fecundity, and total population size under elevated CO 2 were lower than ambient CO 2 ( Liu et al, 2017 ). In contrast, aphids, as a kind of phloem feeders, are considered the only feeding guild that positively responds to elevated CO 2 .…”