Lima bean–lady beetle interactions: spider mite mediates sublethal effects of its host plant on growth and development of its predator

Abstract

Cultivated plants can have negative effects on natural enemies that attack spider mites. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that spider mites mediate effects of a lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L., cultivar on the life history of a lady beetle Stethorus punctillum Weise. We provisioned laboratory arenas with two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch, from planters containing Henderson Bush Bean or Fordhook 242 lima bean plants and monitored the growth, development, larval survival, fecundity, and adult life span of predators. We determined the protein content and the linamarin (a cyanogenic glycoside) content in foliage, spider mites, and predators. Predators took longer to develop and were smaller sized when consuming mites from the Henderson foliage. There was no significant mite-mediated effect of cultivar on predator fecundity or life span. Although soluble protein was greater in foliage of the Henderson than the Fordhook cultivar, mites contained less protein when reared on the Henderson, and predators contained less protein when fed with mites from the Henderson. Linamarin content was greater in Henderson than Fordhook foliage, and greater in spider mites and predators in the Henderson treatment. Linamarin in Henderson foliage may reduce the ability of spider mites to utilize plant protein. As a result, prey quality is reduced and predators that feed on these prey (from the Henderson treatment) grow at a slower rate and are smaller sized than their cohorts (from the Fordhook treatment). In conclusion, T. urticae mediates the effects of the Henderson cultivar on S. punctillum development but not fecundity or life span.

Mother-Offspring Relations: Prey Quality and Maternal Size Affect Egg Size of an Acariphagous Lady Beetle in Culture

“…In our prey quality experiment, we did not determine the body size of mothers. At the time, we did not think it was necessary to record their size, since our previous research clearly showed that prey quality altered the growth and development of S. punctillum immatures; smaller immatures resulted from feeding on low-quality rather than high-quality prey [27]. The concentration of linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside purportedly used by the plant in defending itself against herbivory, is much greater in Henderson than in Fordhook lima beans [30].…”

“…The concentration of linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside purportedly used by the plant in defending itself against herbivory, is much greater in Henderson than in Fordhook lima beans [30]. Linamarin reduces the amount of nutrients (including soluble protein) that T. urticae can extract from lima bean foliage, resulting in prey of lower quality for S. punctillum, reducing growth rate and body size, but not fecundity or longevity [27]. Molecules that plants use in defense against herbivory might pass up the food chain [31] and reduce the quality of prey for the predator [32] or have no negative effects on the predator [33].…”

“…Spider mites ingest a much higher dose of linamarin when feeding on foliage of the Henderson cultivar than the Fordhook cultivar, and consumption of Henderson-fed prey causes a reduction in growth, development, and body size of S. punctillum larvae [27]. Therefore, we designated low quality and high quality prey as spider mites from the Henderson and Fordhook cultivar, respectively.…”

Production of Coleopteran Predators

“…Eliminating plants could reduce the harmful effects of plant defenses on developing coccinellids. Research has shown that plant trichomes and plant toxins (allelochemicals) can reduce the growth and development of coccinellids (Riddick and Wu, 2010b;Riddick et al, 2011a).…”

Is Tetranychus urticae suitable prey for development and reproduction of naïve Coleomegilla maculata?

“…urticae populations and several specialist predators of T . urticae are available commercially (Biddinger et al ., ; Riddick et al ., ; Fiedler, ; van Lenteren, ). When multiple pests are present on the same crop, using generalist predators–such as C .…”