Growing Industries, Growing Invasions? The Case of the Argentine Ant in Vineyards of Northern Argentina

Schulze-Sylvester, Maria; Corronca, José Antonio; Paris, Carolina Ivon

doi:10.3390/insects9010011

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Human and Gordon (1996) showed that native ants that share foraging habitats with L. humile avoid invaded areas, where their foraging success is diminished. In Cafayate and other wine-growing areas in Argentina, encounters between leafcutter ants and L. humile are limited to irrigated areas (e.g., vineyards) and their surroundings (Paris 2011;Schulze-Sylvester et al 2018), while natural are too dry for L. humile, whose success relies on a certain soil humidity (Holway 1998). However, as local land-use changes progress, new vineyards are planted every year, and L. humile is likely to spread (Schulze-Sylvester et al 2018).…”

Section: Humile's Effect On a Bruchi Foraging Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Cafayate and other wine-growing areas in Argentina, encounters between leafcutter ants and L. humile are limited to irrigated areas (e.g., vineyards) and their surroundings (Paris 2011;Schulze-Sylvester et al 2018), while natural are too dry for L. humile, whose success relies on a certain soil humidity (Holway 1998). However, as local land-use changes progress, new vineyards are planted every year, and L. humile is likely to spread (Schulze-Sylvester et al 2018). Interactions between both ant species are bound to occur more frequently in the future.…”

Section: Humile's Effect On a Bruchi Foraging Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alien vs. herbivore: ant-mediated plant defense as an option for biological control of leafcutter ants

Schulze-Sylvester

Sylvester

Torres

et al. 2022

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Leafcutter ants are a major pest in vineyards in Argentina, but their damage to vine plants has not been sufficiently quantified. Biological control against leafcutter ants has not been successful so far. Sugary rewards can trigger ants to act as plant bodyguards against a wide range of herbivores. The Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr) is a common invader of vineyards worldwide and has a strong preference for carbohydrates. In a first 10-week field experiment, we attracted L. humile ants to a group of plants using sugar feeders, while no feeders were used for a second group. Ant-excluded control plants were also deployed. We quantified the damage inflicted by the leafcutter ant Amoimyrmex bruchi (Forel) on potted vines with and without L. humile ants. In a second short field experiment, we evaluated the impact of L. humile on A. bruchi foraging through the quantification of foraging activity and the amount of transported material as a function of L. humile presence. We found that A. bruchi caused >90% leaf area reductions in plants without L. humile, while plants where the species was present were rarely attacked and leaves developed similar to those of ant-excluded controls. Active interaction with L. humile decreased A. bruchi’s foraging activity and the amount of material transported by it. This is the first report of A. bruchi as a vineyard pest and the first quantification of the damage inflicted by a leafcutter ant on organic grapevines. We demonstrate that L. humile defends vine plants against herbivore pests and artificial sugar sources boost can this defense service. The development of biological control strategies that include the ecological services of ants as natural enemies of herbivorous pests could become a useful tool in sustainable viticulture and horticulture.

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Section: Humile's Effect On a Bruchi Foraging Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Humile's Effect On a Bruchi Foraging Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Alien vs. herbivore: ant-mediated plant defense as an option for biological control of leafcutter ants

Schulze-Sylvester

Sylvester

Torres

et al. 2022

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…In Argentinian vineyards, P. ficus was first detected in 2001, although it might have been present earlier, and it has spread across all grape-growing provinces of the country (Becerra et al, 2006;Viglianco et al, 2016). The problem is aggravated by the presence of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile Mayr (Schulze-Sylvester et al, 2018), a common mutualist of P. ficus, which can increase mealybug densities on grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) plants and clusters by 2-to 80-fold (Daane et al, 2007;Mgocheki and Addison, 2010). Mealybug damagehas mainly been attributed to indirect effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vine mealybugs disrupt biomass allocation in grapevine

2021

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Vine mealybug Planococcus ficus Signoret (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an important phloem-feeding pest species in many grapevine producing areas worldwide. The economic damage of P. ficus is thought to be mainly caused by sooty mould on infested grape clusters and transmission of plant viruses. Direct damage caused by mealybug feeding to grapevine plants (Vitis vinifera, L.) has only been vaguely described or otherwise completely discarded. The present study is the first to give an insight into the direct impacts of P. ficus on vegetative growth and biomass dynamics of grapevine plants. In a screenhouse, three-year-old, potted grapevine plants were infested with mealybugs at two different densities, imitating high and low field infestation levels. Mealybug numbers, plant biomass, leaf area, leaf size and leaf number were monitored over six months and compared to a control treatment without mealybugs. High infestation levels reduced leaf and stem biomass by one third, while low levels of P. ficus impacted only stem biomass, indicating a higher sensibility of the perennial parts of the plant or a reallocation of biomass. Leaf area, size and number were not affected by mealybug feeding.In conclusion, grapevine response to P. ficus is gradual and involves different plant parts depending on the severity of the attack. Contrary to previous assumptions, this study demonstrates considerable direct impacts of mealybug feeding on temporal and perennial parts of grapevine plants.

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Sustainable management of the vine mealybug in organic vineyards

et al. 2020

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The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus, is a major grapevine pest worldwide, whose chemical control is often unsatisfactory due to its cryptic behavior, insecticide resistance and high fecundity rate. Recently, increasing restrictions have been applied to insecticides used for managing VMB. This review discusses sustainable VMB management strategies in organic viticulture. Pheromone-mediated mating disruption has been proved to be effective in both organic wine and table-grape vineyards. Biocontrol projects carried out through the release of parasitoids and/or predators have often provided inconclusive results, ranging from effective reduction of mealybug infestation to a marginal impact of parasitoids on VMB density. The latter outcome is likely due to constraints affecting the parasitoid activity, such as the disrupting activity of mealybug-tending ants and broad-spectrum insecticides, or untimely release of parasitoids. Ant suppression should be associated with the release of beneficial organisms, as mealybug-tending ants can severely affect the parasitoid activity. Cultural and physical control and the employment of entomopathogens and natural products mitigate the buildup of VMB populations, but they are not widely applied. VMB control in organic viticulture requires the integration of different strategies, as application of single control tools as a stand-alone treatment may not be effective, especially for high pest infestation. Future research to determine the density action threshold below which sustainable methods are effective and calibrate efforts in relation with pest infestation is needed. A multi-disciplinary approach is required to define the most appropriate sustainable control protocols in different environmental conditions and promote a further spread of organic viticulture.

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Growing Industries, Growing Invasions? The Case of the Argentine Ant in Vineyards of Northern Argentina

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

Alien vs. herbivore: ant-mediated plant defense as an option for biological control of leafcutter ants

Alien vs. herbivore: ant-mediated plant defense as an option for biological control of leafcutter ants

Vine mealybugs disrupt biomass allocation in grapevine

Sustainable management of the vine mealybug in organic vineyards

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