Predicting Caterpillar Parasitism in Banana Plantations

Dyer, Lee A.; Matlock, Robert B.; Chehrezad, Darya; O’malley, Rachel

doi:10.1603/0046-225x-34.2.403

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…The species with the highest parasitism rate was the saddleback caterpillar, Acharia nesea (Limacodidae) ( Table 3 ). These results corroborate earlier studies that predict highest levels of parasitism by tachinids, followed by braconids then other parasitic hymenoptera [ 6 , 11 ]. Models by Dyer and Gentry [ 11 ] also predict highest levels of parasitism by tachinids for generalists, such as Acharia and lowest levels of parasitism by tachinids for specialists, such as Caligo .…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Bananas ( Musa spp.,Musaceae, Figure 1 ) are the largest export crop in Costa Rica and are the most popular fruit in the United States (reviewed by [ 7 ]). In 2009, banana imports exceeded 14 million tons in the USA-Canada, European Union, and Japan; and Costa Rica is the third top exporter of bananas world-wide behind Ecuador and Philippines [ 40 ].Commercial banana cultivation practices currently depend upon regular applications of a variety of fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and nematicides to maintain productivity (see [ 5 , 6 , 7 ] for complete list of pesticides used). We focused our caterpillar collection on two farms near Puerto Viejo, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From 2004 to 2006, we collected and reared caterpillars from banana plantations to obtain parasitism rates. The method used by our laboratory in the past [ 7 , 6 , 44 ] for collecting caterpillars in agriculture were utilized. Plantation managers were given a brief fact sheet about the project, and asked to fill out a very simple sheet with information about management practices at their farm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parasitoids are particularly sensitive to chemical treatments in agriculture [ 3 , 4 ]. Several other studies have examined biological control (hereafter ‘biocontrol’) in banana plantations with a focus on the importance of parasitoids and other enemies, their potential role in biocontrol, and the effects of pesticides on parasitoids [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Here, we focus on the effects of banana pesticides on the immune response of lepidopteran larvae and on parasitoid populations in order to better understand the interaction between pesticides, herbivores, and natural enemies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Banana Plantation Pesticides on the Immune Response of Lepidopteran Larvae and Their Parasitoid Natural Enemies

Smilanich

Dyer

2012

Insects

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Basic research on the insect immune response has progressed dramatically within the last two decades, showing that immunity is one of the most effective defenses against foreign invaders. As such, it is important to understand the causes of variation in this response. Here, we investigate the effects of pesticides used in Costa Rican banana plantations on the immune response of the lepidopteran larva, Caligo memnon (Brassolinae). In addition, we performed a parasitism survey of the banana plantations and surrounding forests to provide a broader assessment of pesticide effects on parasitoid populations. All caterpillars for the immune assay were collected from two banana plantations and brought to La Selva Biology Station for immune challenge. Individuals were fed leaves from the plantations (pesticide) or leaves from La Selva (pesticide-free), then immune challenged with injected sephadex beads. We found that individuals feeding on pesticide leaves had significantly lower bead melanization compared to individuals feeding on pesticide-free leaves. Nonetheless, the parasitism survey showed that caterpillars from the banana plantations had lower parasitism rates compared to caterpillars from the La Selva forest. This study adds to the growing body of evidence documenting negative effects of pesticides on the insect immune response and on adult parasitoids, and underscores the need for more research at the intersection between ecological entomology and immunology.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Banana Plantation Pesticides on the Immune Response of Lepidopteran Larvae and Their Parasitoid Natural Enemies

Smilanich

Dyer

2012

Insects

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“…Finally, the low abundance of caterpillars in the secondary riparian vegetation also suggests that the microclimate per se does not regulate the Heliconia-insect system. In fact, the reduction in caterpillar abundance in human-altered areas might be associated with either higher predation pressure (Dyer et al 2005) and/or dispersal limitation (Fáveri et al 2008) in these habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect Herbivory and Leaf Disease in Natural and Human Disturbed Habitats: Lessons from Early‐SuccessionalHeliconiaHerbs

Santos

Benítez‐Malvido

2011

Biotropica

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The interaction of plants with insect herbivores and fungal pathogens can affect community dynamics, but there is little information on how this antagonistic interaction may be altered in human-disturbed tropical systems. We examined whether the amount and quality of foliar damage on the pioneer herbs Heliconia latispatha and Heliconia collinsiana are distinct on road edges and secondary riparian vegetation compared with natural gaps in continuous forest (controls) in Mexico. We also investigated some physical and biological mechanisms that may jointly explain such differences. The overall insect damage in H. latispatha was similar between road edges and natural forest gaps (8.0% vs. 7.2% of leaf area). Damage by caterpillars, however, decreased from 4.2 percent in forest gaps to 0.5 percent on road edges, whereas damage by leaf-cutting ants increased from 0 to 5.8 percent. In secondary riparian vegetation, where none of the leaves sampled were attacked by ants, overall herbivore damage in H. collinsiana was less than half that observed in forest gaps (3.0% vs. 6.7%), and driven mainly by differences in caterpillar damage (2.5% vs. 6.2%). By contrast, attack by leaf fungal pathogens was two to three times greater in both human-disturbed habitats than in gaps (8.2-9.6% vs. 3.7-4.2%). Potential mechanisms underlying these differences involved human-induced shifts in air and soil temperature driven by greater light availability, as well as changes in relative humidity, leaf toughness, foliar condensed tannins, and local abundance of herbivores. Our results indicate that human disturbance alters insect herbivory and may increase proliferation of leaf disease.Abstract in Spanish is available in the online version of this article.

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