Responses of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acaride) to odour associated with its predator Neoseiulus cucumeris (Phytoseiidae)

2022

Biogerontology

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In predator–prey interactions, non-consumptive effects of predators have been less studied than consumptive effects. However, non-consumptive effects may have significant influences on prey and can change different aspects of their life history such as development, reproduction and lifespan. The odour and other cues associated with a predator, without direct contact, could induce stress in prey, leading to phenotypic changes in life history traits. In this study, we investigate how mild and strong predator-induced stress could affect prey life history. The prey (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) was exposed, from hatching to death, to three different levels of predation stress from its predator (Neoseiulus cucumeris) (1, 3 or 5 predator adults in an adjacent cage separated by a mesh screen). Compared with the control, both males and females under predator-induced stress had longer developmental time and shorter lifespan when the level of predation stress increased, showing significant level-dependence. In addition, females had reduced fecundity under predation stress. Sex-specific response to predation stress was observed under a low level of predation stress: females had greater reduction in lifespan than males. Furthermore, the reduction in female lifespan was due more from the decrease in the post-oviposition period than the decrease in the oviposition period. Future studies applying even milder levels of predation press, such as exposure of prey to predator cues only during part of the prey lifespan, may provide additional insights.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Level-dependent effects of predation stress on prey development, lifespan and reproduction in mites

Wei

2022

Biogerontology

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A modified Munger cell for testing long-term effects of predator-induced stress on prey: an example using Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acaridae) and its predator Neoseiulus cucumeris (Phytoseiidae)

Wei

2019

saa

Predators can influence prey directly by consuming them, or indirectly by inducing stress to them. In previous studies, the exposure of leaves or containers to predators is short term and the replacement of such predator-exposed units for any long-term experiments is laborious. This study aims to establish a new method to enable continuous predator-induced stress to prey by using a modified Munger cell, with Tyrophagus putrescentiae and its predator predator Neoseiulus cucumeris as an example.

Indirect effects in predator-prey interaction: development and predation rates by immature Neoseiulus cucumeris increased by odour from its prey (Tyrophagus putrescentiae)

2020

saa

Predator-prey interactions have long been of great interest to ecologists. Although the direct consumptive effects have received extensive research, indirect influences of odour derived from their conspecifics and prey on predators have largely been underestimated and overlooked. In this study, the indirect effects of predator-prey interactions were determined with predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris and its factitious prey Tyrophagus putrescentiae. The responses of immature N. cucumeris to mixed odour with their conspecifics and prey were determined in a laboratory experiment. Our results showed that the mixed odour with their conspecifics did not demonstrate any obvious influences on the survival rates, developmental periods, predation rates and activities of the predatory mites. Intriguingly, the predators prolonged their protonymphal stage and consumed more prey eggs when exposed to mixed odour with their prey. Our results indicated that the mixed odour with their conspecifics was weak and its influence was insignificant for this species, but the prey odour showed a signifcant influence on the growth and consumption rates of immature predators, which highlighted that the indirect influences of predator-prey interactions on the predator were substantial and cannot be neglected.