Intraguild Predation of Hippodamia variegata on Aphid Mummies in Cotton Field

Abstract

Intraguild predation among arthropod predators in agricultural ecosystems may have a negative impact on biological control. At present, there are few direct reports on trophic relationships among participants of predation in field groups. In this study, we measured the feeding choices of Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) towards mummies with different densities of Aphis gossypii Glover. The dynamics of the occurrence of mummies in the cotton field were investigated over 2017–2019. Singleplex PCR and multiplex PCR were used to detect the predation of 2090 H. variegata individuals on aphids and mummies in Xinjiang cotton field, which revealed the intraguild predation frequency between H. variegata and various parasitoids. There was no obvious feeding preference of H. variegata towards live aphids or mummies, which mainly depended on the relative density of prey. Among the four species of aphids detected in H. variegata, A. gossypii had a high detection rate and was the main prey source of the ladybeetle in the cotton filed. Mostly, ladybeetles consumed parasitoids through mummies, with 6.39% directly feeding on adult parasitoids. H. variegata had strong trophic links to both parasitoids and aphids. We established a food web of aphids–primary parasitoids–hyperparasitoids–H. variegata, which can be used to evaluate the pest control ability of H. variegata from a new perspective.

Predation and Control Effect of Eupeodes corollae Fabricius (Diptera: Syrphidae) on Leguminous Plant Aphids

“…In recent years, research on aphid predation and biological control has mostly focused on ladybirds [32][33][34]. As an important natural enemy insect, it is imperative to scientifically evaluate the predation and control effect of E. corollae on aphids.…”

Volatiles from cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) infested plants attract the natural enemy Hippodamia variegata

“…As a member of the ladybird family (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), both adults and larvae of Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) possess the ability to prey on a large number of cotton aphids ( Franzmann, 2002 ; Pervez et al., 2018 ; Nordey et al., 2021 ), making them a valuable natural enemy in Xinjiang, China, where cotton fields are prevalent ( Dou et al., 2023 ). Utilizing H. variegata for cotton aphid control not only helps mitigate aphid resistance, but also aligns with the principles of environmentally friendly pest management, offering a promising approach for integrated pest management (IPM) ( Baker et al., 2020 ; Jack and Ellis, 2021 ; Overton et al., 2021 ).…”