Identifying Molecular-Based Trophic Interactions as a Resource for Advanced Integrated Pest Management

Abstract

Biodiversity is an essential attribute of sustainable agroecosystems. Diverse arthropod communities deliver multiple ecosystem services, such as biological control, which are the core of integrated pest management programs. The molecular analysis of arthropod diets has emerged as a new tool to monitor and help predict the outcomes of management on the functioning of arthropod communities. Here, we briefly review the recent molecular analysis of predators and parasitoids in agricultural environments. We focus on the developments of molecular gut content analysis (MGCA) implemented to unravel the function of community members, and their roles in biological control. We examine the agricultural systems in which this tool has been applied, and at what ecological scales. Additionally, we review the use of MGCA to uncover vertebrate roles in pest management, which commonly receives less attention. Applying MGCA to understand agricultural food webs is likely to provide an indicator of how management strategies either improve food web properties (i.e., enhanced biological control), or adversely impact them.

Rethinking trophic interactions in agricultural landscapes through tracking secondary feeding

“…The high sensitivity and specificity of DNA‐based diagnostic tools led to a new field of ecological research, molecular trophic interactions (González‐Chang et al., 2016; King et al., 2008; Schmidt et al., 2021). The development of PCR‐based diagnostic tools revolutionized studies of trophic interactions, given their advantage over previous approaches (i.e., gut content dissection and field observations) in detecting small DNA remains in arthropod digestive parts (Pompanon et al., 2012).…”

“…The development of PCR‐based diagnostic tools revolutionized studies of trophic interactions, given their advantage over previous approaches (i.e., gut content dissection and field observations) in detecting small DNA remains in arthropod digestive parts (Pompanon et al., 2012). Given their efficacy in providing detailed information on trophic linkages among species, molecular gut content analysis (thereafter MGCA) has been employed to determine herbivore–plant interactions (Avanesyan et al., 2021; Kheirodin et al., 2021; Wallinger et al., 2012), predator–prey interactions (King et al., 2008; Schmidt et al., 2021; Symondson, 2012), parasitoid–host interactions (Gariepy & Messing, 2012; Grab et al., 2018), intraguild predation (Traugott et al., 2012; Traugott & Symondson, 2008), and more recently to study plant–pest–predator interactions (Da Silva et al., 2019; Guenay et al., 2020).…”

Metabarcoding and applied ecology with hyperdiverse organisms: Recommendations for biological control research

“…Metabarcoding has yet to be fully integrated in CBC research, but some component techniques, such as multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assays with species-specific primers and DNA barcoding, are already used in biological control research more generally (Gariepy et al, 2007(Gariepy et al, , 2019Schmidt et al, 2021;Ye et al, 2017). Moreover, it is becoming increasingly apparent that metabarcoding can be a powerful tool for detecting and monitoring the presence of non-native insect species (Batovska et al, 2021;Comtet et al, 2015), their host-parasitoid interactions (Kitson et al, 2018;Sow et al, 2019), and characterizing the trophic interaction networks that form around them in invaded areas and their areas of origin (Brown et al, 2016).…”

Transcriptome Analysis for Identification of Genes Related to Growth and Development, Digestion and Detoxification, Olfaction in the Litchi Stink Bug Tessaratoma papillosa

“…For instance, Wu et al (2017) used transcriptome sequencing technology to analyze the T. papillosa olfaction gene families. Moreover, targeted acquisition of pest control strategies based on molecular targeting technology offers a viable alternative approach to mitigating pests ( Delye et al, 2020 ; Schmidt et al, 2021 ).…”