Impacts of invasive ant-hemipteran interaction, edge effects and habitat complexities on the spatial distribution of ants in citrus orchards

Anastasio, Olivia E.; Mathis, Kaitlyn A.; Rivera, Monique J.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2021.107299

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…In southern California citrus orchards, L. humile is a significant pest because it disrupts biological control of economically import- Aleyrodidae]) (Anastasio et al, 2021;Bartlett, 1961;Hoddle et al, 2022;Markin, 1970;Martínez-Ferrer et al, 2003). Linepithema humile forms mutualistic food-for-protection relationships with these pests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinosad‐infused biodegradable hydrogel beads as a potential organic approach for argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (hymenoptera: Formicidae), management in California citrus orchards

Milosavljević,

Irvin,

Lewis

et al. 2023

J Applied Entomology

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Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), disrupts biological control services in California citrus orchards, leading to economically damaging densities of honeydew‐producing hemipteran pests. With the elimination of chlorpyrifos, the sole registered insecticide for L. humile control in California citrus, the development of effective alternatives is necessary. One alternative is aqueous sugar baits laced with minute concentrations (0.0001%) of insecticide. Field trials were conducted to assess the efficacy of spinosad and thiamethoxam‐infused alginate hydrogel beads (HGBs) for L. humile control. Thiamethoxam‐infused HGBs have previously shown high efficacy against L. humile in citrus. Spinosad is approved for organic use, while thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid, along with other neonicotinoid insecticides, might soon face deregistration in California, underscoring the need for alternative insecticide chemistries for ant control. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize spinosad‐loaded HGBs by identifying efficacious concentrations, application rates, and deployment frequency, and to compare with thiamethoxam‐infused HGBs, the standard reference treatment. Results showed that spinosad‐infused HGBs significantly reduced high‐density L. humile populations in citrus orchards. Notably, the highest spinosad concentration tested (0.01%) demonstrated comparable control to both 0.0001% and 0.01% thiamethoxam concentrations. A tri‐weekly application schedule for spinosad‐infused HGBs provided best control. Trees treated with 125 or 250 g of hydrogels infused with 0.01% spinosad at weeks 0, 3, and 6 displayed significantly reduced ant activities compared to plots treated solely during weeks 0 and 6, as well as control plots lacking HGB applications. Spinosad‐infused HGBs may offer an effective alternative to thiamethoxam‐infused HGBs for control of L. humile in California citrus orchards.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinosad‐infused biodegradable hydrogel beads as a potential organic approach for argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (hymenoptera: Formicidae), management in California citrus orchards

Milosavljević,

Irvin,

Lewis

et al. 2023

J Applied Entomology

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“…wood ants in subalpine forests, Risch et al, 2005; Finér et al, 2013) as a by‐product of foraging and ground‐nesting. Second, invasive ants can feed on extrafloral nectar of host plants (Ness & Bronstein 2004; Lach et al, 2009) and collect honeydew from heterospecific insect partners (Beardsley et al, 1982; Zhou et al, 2017; Demian, 2019; Anastasio 2020): both activities remove carbon from their host plant’s active carbon pool that would otherwise support above‐ground growth and development (Pringle 2016). Ant interactions with nectaries or with phloem‐feeding insects can affect the carbon source–sink ratio of host plants (Albani et al, 2010; Del‐Claro et al, 2016; Prior & Palmer 2018) which can affect leaf carbon exchange rates (Goldschmidt & Huber 1992; Nebauer et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualism disruption by an invasive ant reduces carbon fixation for a foundational East African ant‐plant

et al. 2021

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Invasive ants shape assemblages and interactions of native species, but their effect on fundamental ecological processes is poorly understood. In East Africa, Pheidole megacephala ants have invaded monodominant stands of the ant‐tree Acacia drepanolobium, extirpating native ant defenders and rendering trees vulnerable to canopy damage by vertebrate herbivores. We used experiments and observations to quantify direct and interactive effects of invasive ants and large herbivores on A. drepanolobium photosynthesis over a 2‐year period. Trees that had been invaded for ≥ 5 years exhibited 69% lower whole‐tree photosynthesis during key growing seasons, resulting from interaction between invasive ants and vertebrate herbivores that caused leaf‐ and canopy‐level photosynthesis declines. We also surveyed trees shortly before and after invasion, finding that recent invasion induced only minor changes in leaf physiology. Our results from individual trees likely scale up, highlighting the potential of invasive species to alter ecosystem‐level carbon fixation and other biogeochemical cycles.

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“…Ants can be predators or are involved in mutualistic relationships with hemipterans such as aphids, scales, or psyllids (Calabuig et al 2015; Amiri-Jami et al 2017). Some studies have shown that ant exclusion promotes biological control of D. citri; for instance, ant exclusion increased the parasitism of D. citri by T. radiata because of food-for-protection relationships (Navarrete et al 2013;Tena et al 2013;Anastasio et al 2021). Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of the relationship between certain ant species and D. citri (predator-prey versus mutualism), to design effective management practices in citrus agroecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Fluctuations of Diaphorina citri and Its Natural Enemies in Response to Various Management Practices in Florida

Shrestha¹,

Martini²,

Stelinski³

2021

Florida Entomologist

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Impacts of invasive ant-hemipteran interaction, edge effects and habitat complexities on the spatial distribution of ants in citrus orchards

Cited by 11 publications

References 58 publications

Spinosad‐infused biodegradable hydrogel beads as a potential organic approach for argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (hymenoptera: Formicidae), management in California citrus orchards

Spinosad‐infused biodegradable hydrogel beads as a potential organic approach for argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (hymenoptera: Formicidae), management in California citrus orchards

Mutualism disruption by an invasive ant reduces carbon fixation for a foundational East African ant‐plant

Population Fluctuations of Diaphorina citri and Its Natural Enemies in Response to Various Management Practices in Florida

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