First Screening of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Fungus as Biocontrol Agents against an Emerging Pest of Sugarcane, Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Javal, Marion; Terblanche, John S.; Conlong, Des E.; Malan, Antoinette P.

doi:10.3390/insects10040117

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Upon infection, the bacteria are released into the insect blood cavity and together the nematode and bacterium kill and consume the insect for their own reproduction before developing into the bacterium-colonized infective stage again to repeat the cycle ( 12 , 13 ). Entomopathogenic nematodes and bacteria (EPNB) have been applied as insecticide alternatives to promote agricultural productivity and to help prevent transmission of insect diseases like dengue and West Nile virus ( 14 , 15 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apex Predator Nematodes and Meso-Predator Bacteria Consume Their Basal Insect Prey through Discrete Stages of Chemical Transformations

et al. 2022

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The processes by which organic life is consumed and reborn in a complex ecosystem were investigated through a multiomics approach applied to the tripartite Xenorhabdus bacterium- Steinernema nematode- Galleria insect symbiosis. Trophic analyses demonstrate the primary consumers of the insect are the bacteria, and the nematode in turn consumes the bacteria.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apex Predator Nematodes and Meso-Predator Bacteria Consume Their Basal Insect Prey through Discrete Stages of Chemical Transformations

et al. 2022

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“…Cacosceles newmannii (Thomson, 1877) is a cerambycid species native to southern Africa (Ferreira 1980). Its biology has been poorly studied until recently, with its recent emergence as a pest on sugarcane (Way et al 2017;Javal et al 2019a;Javal, et al 2019b;Lehmann et al 2021;Smit et al 2021a, b). Its life cycle is assumed to last for two years, during which time larvae feed on organic material.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary assessment of the physiological and morphological correlates of beetle aggression in an emerging sugarcane pest, Cacosceles newmannii (Thomson, 1877) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

et al. 2022

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Understanding the morphological and physiological correlates of competitive behaviours can provide important insights into the ecology of competition, home range size and resource consumption. Here we first estimated and defined sexual dimorphism in a poorly studied African cerambycid species, Cacosceles newmannii (Thomson, 1877). We then assessed morphological and physiological attributes of male beetles in relation to their fighting behaviour. Suites of morphological and energetic measurements were carried out on adult males, the latter before and after male-male interactions. Aggressive behaviour and the outcomes of male fighting trials were assessed under controlled conditions. The species is highly sexually dimorphic in relation to mandible size. During male-male interactions, a continuum of behaviours with an increasing risk of injury and metabolic cost was observed. Grasping was prolonged in males with larger fighting apparatus, who also tended to use more energy during the encounter than males displaying other behaviours. Our results indicate that the mandible size in C. newmannii serves as an honest signal of fighting ability in this species. Additionally, energetic assessments in preparation for fighting, costs during a fight, and persistence of metabolic costs post-fighting may be useful for understanding the relative fitness costs of competition.

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“…Upon infection, the bacteria are released into the insect blood cavity and together the nematode and bacterium kill and consume the insect for their own reproduction before developing into the bacteria-colonized infective stage again to repeat the cycle {Richards, 2009; Stock, 2019}. EPNBs have been applied as insecticide alternatives to promote agricultural productivity and to help prevent transmission of insect diseases like dengue and West Nile virus {Lacey, 2012; Javal, 2019; da Silva, 2020}.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical ecology of an apex predator life cycle

Jones

Cao

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Microbial symbiotic interactions, mediated in part by small molecule signaling, drive physiological processes of higher order systems, including the acquisition and consumption of nutrients that support symbiotic partner reproduction. Advances in metabolic analytic technologies provide new avenues to examine how chemical ecology, or the conversion of existing biomass to new forms, changes over a symbiotic lifecycle. Here we examine such processes using the tripartite relationship involving the nematode host Steinernema carpocapsae, its obligate mutualist bacterium, Xenorhabdus nematophila, and the insects they infect together. The nematode infective juveniles infect insects into which they release bacteria that help suppress insect immunity and kill the insect. The nematode-bacterium pair consume the insect cadaver and reproduce until nutrients are depleted, causing a new generation of infective juvenile nematodes, colonized by the bacterial symbiont, to leave the cadaver in search of insect prey. To begin to understand the processes by which insect biomass is converted over time to either nematode or bacterium biomass, we took a three-pronged approach integrating information from trophic, metabolomics, and gene regulation analyses. Trophic analysis established bacteria as the primary insect consumers, with nematodes at a trophic position of 4.37, indicating consumption of bacteria and likely also other nematodes. Metabolic changes associated with bioconversion of Galleria mellonella insects were assessed using multivariate statistical analyses of metabolomics datasets derived from sampling over an infection time course. Statistically significant, discrete phases were distinguishable from each other, indicating the insect chemical environment changes reproducibly during bioconversion. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle components and amino acids such as proline and leucine were significantly affected throughout the infection. Hierarchical clustering revealed a similar molecular abundance fluctuation pattern for nucleic acid, amino acid, and lipid biosynthesis metabolites. Together, these findings contribute to an ongoing understanding of how symbiont associations shape chemical environments.

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First Screening of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Fungus as Biocontrol Agents against an Emerging Pest of Sugarcane, Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Cited by 13 publications

References 37 publications

Apex Predator Nematodes and Meso-Predator Bacteria Consume Their Basal Insect Prey through Discrete Stages of Chemical Transformations

Apex Predator Nematodes and Meso-Predator Bacteria Consume Their Basal Insect Prey through Discrete Stages of Chemical Transformations

A preliminary assessment of the physiological and morphological correlates of beetle aggression in an emerging sugarcane pest, Cacosceles newmannii (Thomson, 1877) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Chemical ecology of an apex predator life cycle

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