Gone with the wind: low availability of volatile information limits foraging efficiency in downwind-flying parasitoids

Vosteen, Ilka; Meiracker, Nika van den; Poelman, Erik H.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.04.025

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Interestingly, some studies have shown that neighboring intact plants can also detect volatiles of infested plants and prime themselves for subsequent attack by herbivores by attracting herbivore natural enemies, providing evidence of plant-plant communications (Dicke and Baldwin, 2010;Ninkovic et al, 2016Ninkovic et al, , 2019Heil and Karban, 2020;Loreto and D'Auria, 2021;Takabayashi, 2022). This study highlights the importance of considering effects of volatile emissions from surrounding on parasitoid foraging behavior and calls for behavioral experiments in more complex foraging situations in laboratory and field set-ups (see for example Vosteen et al, 2020;de Bruijn et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Parasitoid females are attracted more to volatiles emitted by host-infested plants than to those by intact, i.e., uninfested plants (McCormick et al, 2012;Wäschke et al, 2013;Turlings and Erb, 2018). Several studies have found that volatiles from neighboring plants affect olfactory responses of predators and parasitoids to induced volatiles (Schröder and Hilker, 2008;Liu et al, 2019;Vosteen et al, 2020;Takabayashi, 2022). Some authors have tested discrimination ability of parasitoid wasps in searching for hostinfested plants in the presence of heterospecific neighboring plants (Wäschke et al, 2013;De Rijk et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aversive effects of volatiles from intact plants help to fine tune host-searching behavior of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai

et al. 2023

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Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) from infested plants are exploited by parasitoid wasps as cues to search for host habitat. However, uninfested (intact) and infested plants are often intermingled in nature, and how volatiles released by intact plants affect host-searching behavior in natural habitats remains unknown. In a previous study, using a wind tunnel, we found that intact maize plants negatively influenced landing behavior of a parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), when they were placed downwind of infested plants. To determine whether intact plant volatiles affect host searching by C. kariyai, we collected volatiles from intact plants using a headspace volatile collection technique. In a wind tunnel, wasps landed less frequently on a green paper model treated with intact plant volatiles placed in front of an infested plant, than on a green paper model treated with the solvent, hexane. In a 4-arm olfactometer, wasps spent significantly less time in an arena containing mixed volatiles from intact and infested plants, compared to the same arena treated only with volatiles from infested plants. Both results indicate that intact plant volatiles re-direct host-searching behavior in C. kariyai females. Chemical analyses suggest differences in volatiles between intact and infested plants. In terms of parasitoid adaptations for effective searching for hosts in complex environments, aversive effects of intact plant volatiles may help C. kariyai to locate patches of infested plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aversive effects of volatiles from intact plants help to fine tune host-searching behavior of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai

et al. 2023

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“…Naïve Cotesia glomerata parasitoids are equally attracted to plants infested by their caterpillar hosts as to plants infested with non-host caterpillars. In the presence of non-host-infested plants, parasitoids need more time to find a host-infested plant and occasionally oviposit in non-hosts (Vosteen et al, 2019(Vosteen et al, , 2020. Perception errors that cause confusion and reduced foraging efficiency are expected to be most likely if cues from resources and non-resources are highly similar.…”

Section: Confusion In Pollinators and Parasitoids: Reduced Foraging E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the parasitoid C. glomerata leaves an attractive smelling plant infested by non-host caterpillars already after a brief inspection when host-related cues such as host-frass are missing (Bukovinszky et al, 2012). Non-host encounters on the contrary do not induce patch-leaving behaviour, probably because hosts and non-hosts often co-occur on the same plant (Bukovinszky et al, 2012;Vosteen et al, 2020). Hyperparasitoids use differences in the HIPV blends induced by parasitized and non-parasitized caterpillars (Cusumano et al, 2019;Poelman et al, 2012).…”

Section: Evidence For Hierarchical Cue Use Comes Mostly From Studies ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

En route to resources: Foraging strategies of plant‐associated insects to identify resources in complex dynamic environments

Rusman,

Cusumano,

Vosteen

2024

Functional Ecology

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In plant‐associated communities, foraging insects aim to find different resources of interest. Herbivores look for the most nutritious plant tissues, pollinators for sweet nectar and protein‐rich pollen, and carnivores for their preferred prey. Although these foragers look for different resources, they face similar problems: resource cues are often highly variable and need to be detected in complex environments among non‐resources. Search templates—a subset of stimuli that is likely correlated with the occurrence of a particular resource—help foragers across trophic levels to find their resources. However, search‐template‐based foraging can also cause perception errors. Here, we synthesize knowledge on foraging by insects from functional groups belonging to different trophic levels to reveal common problems experienced by foragers and strategies to solve such problems. We focus mostly on volatile‐based foraging because this searching strategy is best studied across functional groups. We argue that search templates are both multimodal (including multiple trait types, e.g. odour and visual) and hierarchical (including multiple foraging steps). Search templates are plastic and updated by experience to match the dynamic foraging environment over time. By comparing insects from different functional groups spanning multiple trophic levels, we have identified important missing gaps on cue use and foraging strategies which should be addressed in the future in order to reduce knowledge asymmetries among functional groups about search‐template‐based foraging. We propose a way to achieve this goal arguing that studies on less well investigated functional groups can advance rapidly by borrowing, testing and adjusting already available hypotheses and theories formulated for other insect groups. Knowledge of search‐template‐based foraging across functional groups will give new insights into the evolution of foraging behaviour in complex ecological communities, help predict ecological consequences of large‐scale human‐made disturbances and help optimize insect‐delivered ecosystem services (pollination and biological control) in cropping systems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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“…Moreover, drought stress often coincides with high temperatures and low atmospheric humidity and these additional factors may exacerbate the effects of drought stress. For example, low atmospheric humidity negatively affects parasitoid activity and host-finding success in the field (Vosteen et al, 2020). Drought stress combined with high temperatures negatively affected the ability of parasitoids to control aphid populations, despite the positive effects of these factors when tested alone (Romo & Tylianakis, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of global change on multitrophic interactions of sugar beet

Rahman

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Climate change leads to more frequent droughts that may alter multitrophic networks in agroecosystems by changing bottom-up and top-down effects on herbivorous insects. Yet, how bottom-up effects of drought alter tritrophic interactions remains poorly understood. This study investigated two intensities of drought stress in the tritrophic system consisting of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), an aphid (Aphis fabae), and its parasitoid (Aphidius colemani). We thoroughly investigated each trophic level, examining the performance of plants, insects, and parasitoids, as well as the attraction of parasitoids to herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). Drought stress negatively affected plant growth but benefited A. fabae, leading to faster development and a higher reproduction rate. Droughtstressed plants also emitted less plant volatiles, which resulted in reduced attraction of A. colemani to aphid-infested plants. Drought indirectly affected parasitoid performance, as evidenced by lower emergence rates and production of fewer females, although mummification rates were higher on drought-stressed plants. Reduced parasitoid attraction and performance on drought-stressed plants may exert lower top-down pressure on aphid populations. Combined with increased aphid performance, this may facilitate aphid outbreaks, which could further weaken drought-stressed plants. Our findings highlight the need to study multiple trophic levels and emphasize the importance of incorporating HIPVs and parasitoid attraction when assessing combined abiotic and biotic stresses in crops.

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Gone with the wind: low availability of volatile information limits foraging efficiency in downwind-flying parasitoids

Cited by 10 publications

References 62 publications

Aversive effects of volatiles from intact plants help to fine tune host-searching behavior of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai

Aversive effects of volatiles from intact plants help to fine tune host-searching behavior of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai

En route to resources: Foraging strategies of plant‐associated insects to identify resources in complex dynamic environments

The effect of global change on multitrophic interactions of sugar beet

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