Is pollinivory in the omnivorous ladybird beetle Micraspis discolor (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) symbiosis-dependent?

Huang, Yu‐Hao; Du, Xue‐Yong; Chen, Pei‐Tao; Tang, Xiaowen; Gong, Sen‐Rui; Zhang, Pei‐Fang; Yang, Hongbo; Clercq, Patrick De; Li, Hao‐Sen

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2022.104867

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…By comparing the transcriptome of P. japonica fed on E. kuehniella eggs with that of aphids, we identified numerous upregulated metabolism-related genes that were enriched in several sugar metabolism pathways. This outcome parallels findings in previous studies on other ladybird species, indicating that changes in life history traits and transcriptome regulation may reflect variations in the nutritional composition of the E. kuehniella eggs [ 14 , 24 ]. Similar changes in life history traits and differentially expressed metabolism-related genes in response to varied nutritional compositions of diets have been observed in other insects.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Effect of Ephestia kuehniella Eggs on Development and Transcriptome of the Ladybird Beetle Propylea japonica

Li,

Chen,

Chen

et al. 2024

Insects

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The eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella, are frequently utilized as alternative diets and have demonstrated promising outcomes when consumed by various insects. Nonetheless, the specific reasons for their effectiveness remain unclear. In our study, we assessed the developmental performance of the ladybird Propylea japonica when fed E. kuehniella eggs, alongside 12 factitious prey or artificial diets. Our findings revealed that ladybirds fed E. kuehniella eggs displayed a performance comparable to those fed the natural prey Megoura crassicauda. Transcriptome profiling of larvae raised on E. kuehniella eggs and M. crassicauda revealed that genes upregulated in the former group were enriched in metabolic pathways associated with carbohydrates, lipids, and other essential nutrients. This suggests that E. kuehniella eggs may have a higher nutrient content compared to natural prey. Furthermore, a notable downregulation in the expression of immune effector genes, such as Attacin and Coleoptericin, was observed, which might be attributed to the lower microbial content in E. kuehniella eggs compared to M. crassicauda. We suggest that the difference between E. kuehniella eggs and M. crassicauda as food sources for P. japonica lies in their nutrient and microbial contents. These findings provide valuable insights for the advancement of innovative artificial breeding systems for natural enemies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Effect of Ephestia kuehniella Eggs on Development and Transcriptome of the Ladybird Beetle Propylea japonica

Li,

Chen,

Chen

et al. 2024

Insects

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“…It should be noted that many other insects, for example, thrips, mirid bugs, spider mites, Lepidoptera pests, and cotton pollen and nectar could support the high population levels of predators in cotton field. [53][54][55][56] In wheat-based systems, intercropping routinely lowers pest densities but does not always enhance natural enemy populations. 57 These inconsistent patterns likely can be explained by space, time and gene dimensions of given intercrop system, 58 and a myriad of traits of the plant species that are paired.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In July and August, the predator/aphid ratio was still great, because the number of aphids significantly decreased. It should be noted that many other insects, for example, thrips, mirid bugs, spider mites, Lepidoptera pests, and cotton pollen and nectar could support the high population levels of predators in cotton field 53–56 . In wheat‐based systems, intercropping routinely lowers pest densities but does not always enhance natural enemy populations 57 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant volatiles mediate Aphis gossypii settling but not predator foraging in intercropped cotton

Yang

Zhang

et al. 2023

Pest Management Science

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BackgroundThe cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an important pest of cotton and horticultural crops globally. In China, smallholder farmers regularly intercrop cotton with garlic or onion. Aside from higher farm‐level revenue, cotton intercrops are typified by lower Aphis gossypii abundance than monocrops. So far, the mechanistic basis of this lowered pest pressure has not been empirically assessed.ResultsField trials showed that Aphis gossypii abundance is lower and (relative) abundance of aphid predators higher in early‐season cotton intercrops than in monocrops. Cage trials and Y‐tube olfactometer tests further indicated that garlic and onion volatiles repel Aphis gossypii alates. Electrophysiological bioassays and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) identified two physiologically active volatiles, that is, diallyl disulfide and propyl disulfide from garlic and onion respectively. Next, behavioral tests confirmed that both sulfur compounds exert a repellent effect on alate Aphis gossypii.ConclusionGarlic and onion volatiles interfere with Aphis gossypii settling, but do not affect its main (ladybird) predators. Meanwhile, early‐season cotton/onion intercrops bear higher numbers of Aphis gossypii predators and fewer aphids. By thus unveiling the ecological underpinnings of aphid biological control in diversified cropping systems, our work advances non‐chemical management of a globally‐important crop pest. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

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“…The eggs of the flour moth Ephestia cautella were used as an alternative diet for predatory ladybirds. A microbiota survey of these moth eggs showed that they do not contain any Serratia bacteria (Huang et al, 2022). The cells of S. symbiotica strain SsMj and S. marcescens strain SmMd were suspended at approximately 10 9 CFU/ml (OD 630 = 1.0) using phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) buffer and then mixed with both moth eggs and a cotton ball for water supply.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Survival and Development Of Ladybirds Fed Diets Containing B...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Aphidophagous ladybird beetles adapt to an aphid symbiont

Yang

Gong

et al. 2022

Functional Ecology

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1. Bacterial symbionts can play a key role in the interactions between trophic levels. Certain symbionts are known to confer protection against natural enemies of their arthropod hosts. However, whether natural enemies evolve and adapt to prey symbionts is not well understood.2. In this study, we found that a free-living strain of aphid symbiont Serratia symbiotica, SsMj, was the most discriminative biomarker of the aphid feeding in the microbiota of aphidophagous (aphid-feeding) ladybirds. Moreover, SsMj persisted in the digestive tract of starved ladybirds and did not decay together with ingested aphid materials, suggesting horizontal transmission across trophic levels.3. We further found that SsMj did not necessarily exhibit a negative impact on aphidophagous ladybirds of the Coccinellini tribe in contrast with other, nonaphidophagous, ladybirds. First, starvation did not significantly change SsMj relative abundance or alpha microbiota diversity of an aphidophagous ladybird.Second, diets containing SsMj did not decrease the performance of the aphidophagous ladybirds. Third, infection with SsMj through injection had a minor impact on the survival of aphidophagous ladybirds.4. Together, our evidence suggests that the aphid symbiont S. symbiotica can be horizontally transmitted to ladybird predators. At the same time, the group of ladybirds that have adapted to feeding on aphids have also evolved to establish a nearly neutral relationship with S. symbiotica, suggesting adaptation to a prey symbiont.

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Is pollinivory in the omnivorous ladybird beetle Micraspis discolor (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) symbiosis-dependent?

Cited by 5 publications

References 73 publications

Effect of Ephestia kuehniella Eggs on Development and Transcriptome of the Ladybird Beetle Propylea japonica

Effect of Ephestia kuehniella Eggs on Development and Transcriptome of the Ladybird Beetle Propylea japonica

Plant volatiles mediate Aphis gossypii settling but not predator foraging in intercropped cotton

Aphidophagous ladybird beetles adapt to an aphid symbiont

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