Indirect competitive effects of stemborers on a gall community

Stokes, Keith; Stiling, Peter

doi:10.1111/eea.12251

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Their larvae have developed a close association with their host plants [ 51 ] as they coexist with a “restricted” resource, available over a short period of time (2 to 3 months), with the most nutritious stage between 2 to 8 weeks and with unreliable availability of suitable hosts because drought spells commonly occur in the region. All these characteritics make cereal stemborers a good model for testing the competition theory [ 11 , 20 , 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Temperature on Intra- and Interspecific Resource Utilization within a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers

et al. 2016

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Competition or facilitation characterises intra- and interspecific interactions within communities of species that utilize the same resources. Temperature is an important factor influencing those interactions and eventual outcomes. The noctuid stemborers, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis and the crambid Chilo partellus attack maize in sub-Saharan Africa. They often occur as a community of interacting species in the same field and plant at all elevations. The influence of temperature on the intra- and interspecific interactions among larvae of these species, was studied using potted maize plants exposed to varying temperatures in a greenhouse and artificial stems kept at different constant temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) in an incubator. The experiments involved single- and multi-species infestation treatments. Survival and relative growth rates of each species were assessed. Both intra- and interspecific competitions were observed among all three species. Interspecific competition was stronger between the noctuids and the crambid than between the two noctuids. Temperature affected both survival and relative growth rates of the three species. Particularly at high temperatures, C. partellus was superior in interspecific interactions shown by higher larval survival and relative growth rates. In contrast, low temperatures favoured survival of B. fusca and S. calamistis but affected the relative growth rates of all three species. Survival and relative growth rates of B. fusca and S. calamistis in interspecific interactions did not differ significantly across temperatures. Temperature increase caused by future climate change is likely to confer an advantage on C. partellus over the noctuids in the utilization of resources (crops).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Temperature on Intra- and Interspecific Resource Utilization within a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers

et al. 2016

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“…The superiority of C. partellus over other stemborer species has been well reported and discussed by Ntiri et al [13]. In addition, the competitive abilities of each species involved in a competition depend on its temperature tolerance limits for survival and development and thus the outcomes of interspecific competition are greatly affected by temperature [13,15,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. This was also the case for, the interactions between FAW and the stemborers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Influence of Temperature on the Interaction for Resource Utilization between Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers Larvae

Sokame

Rebaudo

Malusi

et al. 2020

Insects

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Intra- and interspecific interactions within communities of species that utilize the same resources are characterized by competition or facilitation. The noctuid stemborers, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis, and the crambid stemborer, Chilo partellus were the most important pests of maize in sub-Saharan Africa before the recent “invasion” of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, which currently seriously limits maize yields in Africa. This new pest is interacting with the stemborer community at the larval stage in the use of maize resources. From previous works on the influence of temperature on the larval intra- and interspecific resources utilization within the community of Lepidoptera stemborers involving B. fusca, S. calamistis, and C. partellus, there is a need to update these studies by adding the new pest, S. frugiperda, in order to understand the effect of temperature on the larval interactions of all these four species under the context of climate change. The influence of temperature on intra- and interspecific larval interactions was studied using artificial stems kept at different constant temperatures (15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C) in an incubator and assessing survival and relative growth rates of each species in single and multi-species experiments. After the inclusion of FAW into the experiments, with regard to relative growth rates, both intra- and interspecific competition was observed among all four species. With regard to survival rates, cannibalism can also explain the intra- and interspecific interactions observed among all four species. Interspecific competition was stronger between the stemborers than between the FAW and the stemborers. Similar to lepidopteran stemborers, temperature affected both survival and relative growth rates of the FAW as well. Regardless of the temperature, C. partellus was superior in interspecific interactions shown by higher relative growth and survival rates. The results suggest that the FAW will co-exist with stemborer species along entire temperature gradient, though competition and/or cannibalism with them is weak. In addition, temperature increases caused by climate change is likely to confer an advantage to C. partellus over the fall armyworm and the other noctuids.

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“…Gall characteristics, as an extension of host plant quality, provide partial bottom‐up regulation of the midge population; gall size has been shown to affect the size and potential fitness of A. borrichiae (Rossi et al, 2001). However, gall diameter can also affect the suitability of galls to attacking parasitoids, thereby potentially shifting the composition of the guild of natural enemies (suite of parasitoids; Stokes & Stiling, 2015). For instance, for the cecidomyiid willow pinecone gall midge ( Rhabdophaga strobiloides (O.S.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bottom‐up effects shift top‐down community structure of the parasitoid guild that attacks Asphondylia borrichiae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Borrichia frutescens (Asteraceae)

Orta,

Rossi

2023

Ecological Entomology

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Asphondylia borrichiae induces galls at the apical meristems of its host plant, Borrichia frutescens, and the larvae develop and pupate within the gall. During development, immature stages of the midge are attacked by four species of parasitic wasps; two of these parasitoids, Galeopsomyia haemon and Torymus umbilicatus, are the most common members of the guild, and both are hyperparasitic. In the current study, plots of B. frutescens were randomly assigned to control (unmanipulated), salted or fertilised in a long‐term press experiment. Although plots initially exhibited no differences in stem length, gall and flower densities, after 3 months, they began to exhibit significant differences, suggesting stress (salted plots) and vigour (fertilised plots). Galls produced on plants from fertilised plots were approximately 20% and 31% larger than those from control and salted plots, respectively. Larger gall diameter in fertilised plots resulted in a shift of the parasitoid community towards the largest parasitoid, T. umgbilicatus, whereas smaller galls produced in salted plots became biased towards the smallest, but gregarious, G. haemon; interestingly, this pattern held for T. umbilicatus across treatments, and the effect for G. haemon was not significant when all treatments were combined. This study suggests that abiotic factors that alter host plant characteristics, such as gall diameter, affect the composition of the parasitoid guild that attacks A. borrichiae, which has implications for the acquisition of enemy‐free space during host range expansion of the midge.

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Indirect competitive effects of stemborers on a gall community

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Influence of Temperature on Intra- and Interspecific Resource Utilization within a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers

Influence of Temperature on Intra- and Interspecific Resource Utilization within a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers

Influence of Temperature on the Interaction for Resource Utilization between Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and a Community of Lepidopteran Maize Stemborers Larvae

Bottom‐up effects shift top‐down community structure of the parasitoid guild that attacks Asphondylia borrichiae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Borrichia frutescens (Asteraceae)

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