Relative abundance and phenology of<i>Drosophila</i>Fallén, 1815 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) species in south-central Washington State

Drosophila community composition is complex in temperate regions with different abundance of flies and species across the growing season. Monitoring Drosophila populations provides insights into the phenology of both native and invasive species. Over a single growing season, we collected Drosophila at regular intervals and determined the number of individuals of the nine species we found in Kansas, USA. Species varied in their presence and abundance through the growing season with peak diversity occurring after the highest seasonal temperatures. We developed models for the abundance of the most common species, Drosophila melanogaster , D . simulans , D . algonquin , and the recent invasive species, D . suzukii . These models revealed that temperature played the largest role in abundance of each species across the season. For the two most commonly studied species, D . melanogaster and D . simulans , the best models indicate shifted thermal optima compared to laboratory studies, implying that fluctuating temperature may play a greater role in the physiology and ecology of these insects than indicated by laboratory studies, and should be considered in global climate change studies.

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“…D . suzukii [14]). Drosophila assemblages are good bioindicators of climate change [98] and habitat fragmentation and urbanization [27, 99].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drosophila species have differing phenology and environmental tolerances (e.g. [14–18]). Although multiple studies focused on diverse Drosophila taxa have documented the dynamics of single species or species groups in temperate zones (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology of Drosophila species across a temperate growing season and implications for behavior

et al. 2019

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“…Kremmer et al (2017) reported 56% D. suzukii of the summed trap catches across natural habitat and crops in February (baited with apple cider vinegar). Studies in agricultural areas similar to our sites in terms of trapping period, climate and sampling method do not confirm D. suzukii as the most abundant taxon: D. suzukii accounted for 7% in Apulia, Italy (Antonacci et al 2017), 11% in Kansas, USA (but baited with mashed banana; Gleason et al 2019), and 18% in Washington, USA) (but some unmanaged habitats included; Bahder et al 2016). Several factors could have caused these differences.…”

Section: Adult Trapping Revealed Drosophila Suzukii As a Dominant Spe...mentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Since trap captures of a single trap during our study period should not be considered as replicates, especially because of varying phenology in different species (e.g. Bahder et al 2016), we used the totals of trap captures per trap for the analysis.…”

Section: Adult Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

Bühlmann¹,

Goßner²

2022

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Impacts of biological invasions are diverse and can have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems. The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a major invasive pest of fruits, which negatively affects fruit and wine production. However, little is known about the ecological impact of this fly species on more natural ecosystems it has invaded, such as forests. In this study, we investigated the use of potential host plants by D. suzukii at 64 sites in different forest communities in Switzerland from mid-June to mid-October 2020. We examined more than 12,000 fruits for egg deposits of D. suzukii to assess its direct impact on the plants. We recorded symptoms of fruit decay after egg deposition to determine if D. suzukii attacks trigger fruit decay. In addition, we monitored the drosophilid fauna with cup traps baited with apple cider vinegar, as we expected that D. suzukii would outnumber and potentially outcompete native controphics, especially other drosophilids. Egg deposits of D. suzukii were found on the fruits of 31 of the 39 potential host plant species studied, with 18 species showing an attack rate > 50%. Overall, fruits of Cotoneaster divaricatus (96%), Atropa bella-donna (91%), Rubus fruticosus corylifolius aggr. (91%), Frangula alnus (85%) and Sambucus nigra (83%) were attacked particularly frequently, resulting also in high predicted attack probabilities that varied among forest communities. Later and longer fruiting, black fruit colour, larger fruit size and higher pulp pH all positively affected attack rates. More than 50% of the plant species showed severe symptoms of decay after egg deposition, with higher pulp sugar content leading to more severe symptoms. The high fruit attack rate observed was reflected in a high abundance and dominance of D. suzukii in trap catches, independent of forest community and elevation. Drosophila suzukii was by far the most abundant species, accounting for 86% (81,395 individuals) of all drosophilids. The abundance of D. suzukii was negatively associated with the abundance of the native drosophilids. Our results indicate that the invasive D. suzukii competes strongly with other frugivorous species and that its presence might have far-reaching ecosystem-level consequences. The rapid decay of fruits attacked by D. suzukii leads to a loss of resources and may disrupt seed-dispersal mutualisms through the reduced consumption of fruits by dispersers such as birds.

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Section: Adult Trappingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

Bühlmann¹,

Goßner²

2022

Preprint

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Impacts of biological invasions are diverse and can have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems. The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a major invasive pest of fruits, which negatively affects fruit and wine production. However, little is known about the ecological impact of this fly species on the ecosystems it has invaded. In this study, we investigated the use of potential host plants by D. suzukii at 64 sites in different forest communities in Switzerland from mid-June to mid-October 2020. We examined more than 12,000 fruits for egg deposits of D. suzukii to assess its direct impact on the plants. We recorded symptoms of fruit decay after egg deposition to determine if D. suzukii attacks trigger fruit decay. In addition, we monitored the drosophilid fauna with cup traps baited with apple cider vinegar, as we expected that D. suzukii would outnumber and potentially outcompete native controphics, especially other drosophilids. Egg deposits of D. suzukii were found on the fruit of 31 of the 39 potential host plant species studied, with 18 species showing an attack rate > 50%. Overall, fruits of Cotoneaster divaricatus (96%), Atropa bella-donna (91%), Rubus fruticosus corylifolius aggr. (91%), Frangula alnus (85%) and Sambucus nigra (83%) were attacked particularly frequently, resulting also in predicted attack probabilities that varied among forest communities. Later and longer fruiting, black fruit colour, larger fruit size and higher pulp pH all positively affected attack rates. More than 50% of the plant species showed severe symptoms of decay after egg deposition, with higher pulp sugar content leading to more severe symptoms. The high fruit attack rate observed was reflected in a high abundance and dominance of D. suzukii in trap catches, independent of forest community and elevation. Drosophila suzukii was by far the most abundant species, accounting for 86% (81,395 individuals) of all drosophilids. The abundance of D. suzukii was negatively associated with the abundance of the native drosophilids. Our results indicate that the invasive D. suzukii competes strongly with other frugivorous species and that its presence has far-reaching ecosystem-level consequences. The rapid decay of fruits attacked by D. suzukii leads to a loss of resources and may disrupt seed-dispersal mutualisms through the reduced consumption of fruits by dispersers such as birds.

show abstract

Relative abundance and phenology ofDrosophilaFallén, 1815 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) species in south-central Washington State

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Phenology of Drosophila species across a temperate growing season and implications for behavior

Phenology of Drosophila species across a temperate growing season and implications for behavior

Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

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Relative abundance and phenology ofDrosophilaFallén, 1815 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) species in south-central Washington State

Cited by 5 publications

References 18 publications

Phenology of Drosophila species across a temperate growing season and implications for behavior

Phenology of Drosophila species across a temperate growing season and implications for behavior

﻿Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants

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Invasive Drosophila suzukii outnumbers native controphics and causes substantial damage to fruits of forest plants