Experimental evidence of the consumption of the invasive alien duckweed Lemna minuta by herbivorous larvae of the moth Cataclysta lemnata in Italy

Mariani, Flaminia; Giulio, Andrea Di; Fattorini, Simone; Ceschin, Simona

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2019.103172

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The relative long larval stage of C. lemnata (23 days on average) further supports the hypothesis of using this insect as biocontrol agent of the alien duckweed, since the herbivorous larvae are voracious consumers of this duckweed, especially at the medium-late instars (Mariani et al 2020a), which also are the larval instars with the longest duration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…The case size increased as the larvae grow and ranged from 2 mm to 2 cm in the last larval instar. As the larval body size increased, larvae consume large amounts of Lemna more rapidly, and this positive correlation was also demonstrated in a recent study (Mariani et al 2020a). This results in greater consumption of plants by late-instar larvae that therefore could be the best larval instar to start a containment effort of the invasive alien duckweed in the field.…”

Section: Larval Stagesupporting

confidence: 70%

“…Lemna minuta is an aquatic plant considered highly invasive in many European countries, including Italy (DAISIE 2009;Ceschin et al 2018), due to its high vegetative growth rate (Landolt 1986;Ceschin et al 2016), and the severe impacts exerted by its free-floating mats on the invaded aquatic ecosystems (Dussart et al 1993;Ceschin et al 2019Ceschin et al , 2020. Since the herbivorous aquatic larvae of C. lemnata have a diet that preferably includes native duckweeds, such as Lemna minor L. and Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid., they might be also able to contain the spread of the alien duckweed, having proved to accept it as a new host plant and use it as food and material to build larval protective cases in water (Mariani et al 2020a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development and reproduction ofCataclysta lemnata, a potential natural enemy of the invasive alien duckweedLemna minutain Italy

Mariani

Fattorini

Giulio

et al. 2021

The European Zoological Journal

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Life cycle of the aquatic moth Cataclysta lemnata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was studied in laboratory conditions to obtain a basic biological knowledge useful for predicting the possible success of the herbivorous larvae of this insect as potential control agents in limiting the spread of the invasive American duckweed Lemna minuta (Alismatales: Araceae) in Italy. The multivoltinism of C. lemnata, as well as the high overall emergence from the pupal stage (85%), the high success in mating among the formed couples (>90%), and the high number of larvae born from each egg laying (on average 310 individuals), suggest that the insect can be successfully bred in the laboratory for the purposes of an augmentative biological control. Under experimental conditions, larvae developed in 23 days (through six larval instars, distinguishable by cephalic capsule dimensions) and pupae in 10, with no difference in duration between females and males. The larval phase resulted longer than the adult one (23 vs 10 days); therefore, it can be considered the most suitable stage for releasing the insect in the field for biocontrol purposes. Indeed, the larvae having a herbivorous diet might consume a large amount of the invasive plant, contrarily to the adult phase which is focused exclusively on reproduction. Our results not only contribute to the knowledge of aquatic Lepidoptera that are scarcely known, but also support the effectiveness of a possible protocol for an augmentative biological control of the invasive alien duckweed L. minuta.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Larval Stagesupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development and reproduction ofCataclysta lemnata, a potential natural enemy of the invasive alien duckweedLemna minutain Italy

Mariani

Fattorini

Giulio

et al. 2021

The European Zoological Journal

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“…In contrast, under low light intensities, L. minor has a marginally higher growth rate owing to a greater Leaf Area Ratio, and higher chlorophyll content than L. minuta . It is undoubtable that a higher growth rate is beneficial to the accumulation of starch in duckweed (Ceschin et al., 2019; Mariani, Di Giulio, Fattorini, & Ceschin, 2020; Paolacci, Harrison, & Jansen, 2018). In general, duckweed can either speed up photosynthate assimilation or slow down starch decomposition to increase starch accumulation.…”

Section: Duckweed In the Production Of High Value‐added Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifaceted roles of duckweed in aquatic phytoremediation and bioproducts synthesis

Liu

et al. 2020

GCB Bioenergy

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“…It has been demonstrated that Lemna minor is preferred over other species of duckweed and floating aquatic macrophytes by the golden apple snail ( Pomacea canaliculata ; Carlsson & Lacoursierre, 2005) and the leaf‐mining duckweed shore fly ( Lemnaphila scotlandae ; Mansor and Buckingham, 1989). Moreover, studies on the China‐mark moth larvae show that they feed without preference on L. minor and the locally invasive Lemna minuta (Mariani et al ., 2020), and their grazing pressure on duckweed decrease with increasing temperature (Heide et al ., 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preference, performance, and impact of the water‐lily aphid on multiple species of duckweed

Subramanian

Turcotte

2020

Ecological Entomology

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1. The role of herbivores in driving the structure of freshwater macrophyte communities remains poorly understood in comparison with terrestrial ecosystems. For instance, although duckweed (subfamily Lemnoideae) are globally distributed, can be locally highly abundant and ecologically dominant, and are of growing economic importance, their interactions with herbivores remain understudied. 2. To address how herbivores may impact duckweed species composition, we here experimentally quantify the preference and performance of a common duckweed herbivore, the water-lily aphid (Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae) on four widespread duckweed species. 3. Our two-way choice experiments reveal that aphids display a preference for Spirodela polyrhiza > Landoltia punctata = Lemna minor > > Wolffia brasiliensis. These results are rarely influenced by natal host species. 4. By evaluating the growth of aphid populations on each duckweed species, we find that preference may be adaptive in certain ecological conditions. 5. Quantifying the population growth rate of duckweed growing in the presence and absence of aphids revealed differential tolerance of herbivory across duckweed species. 6. This study shows that aphids, through preferential feeding and significant differential effects on duckweed growth, can have a significant impact on duckweed population dynamics and potentially community composition.

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Experimental evidence of the consumption of the invasive alien duckweed Lemna minuta by herbivorous larvae of the moth Cataclysta lemnata in Italy

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Development and reproduction ofCataclysta lemnata, a potential natural enemy of the invasive alien duckweedLemna minutain Italy

Development and reproduction ofCataclysta lemnata, a potential natural enemy of the invasive alien duckweedLemna minutain Italy

Multifaceted roles of duckweed in aquatic phytoremediation and bioproducts synthesis

Preference, performance, and impact of the water‐lily aphid on multiple species of duckweed

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