Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites

Studies on intraguild interactions between phytoseiid species have shown that intraguild predation occurs and is most commonly manifested as adult females of one species feeding on juveniles of another. Whether such intraguild interactions can also occur between adult females of one species and adul...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sourassou, N.F., Hanna, R., Negloh, K., Breeuwer, J.A., Sabelis, M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76407
_version_ 1855514749227237376
author Sourassou, N.F.
Hanna, R.
Negloh, K.
Breeuwer, J.A.
Sabelis, M.
author_browse Breeuwer, J.A.
Hanna, R.
Negloh, K.
Sabelis, M.
Sourassou, N.F.
author_facet Sourassou, N.F.
Hanna, R.
Negloh, K.
Breeuwer, J.A.
Sabelis, M.
author_sort Sourassou, N.F.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Studies on intraguild interactions between phytoseiid species have shown that intraguild predation occurs and is most commonly manifested as adult females of one species feeding on juveniles of another. Whether such intraguild interactions can also occur between adult females of one species and adult males of another, is not known. Herein, we report on intraguild interactions between adults of the two sexes in cross-pairing experiments involving three related phytoseiid species (Neoseiulus paspalivorus, N. baraki and N. neobaraki) that are potential candidates for controlling the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis, a serious pest of coconut palms in tropical countries. For comparative reasons, the experiments were repeated with larvae instead of males, and with only males or only females of two different species together. In the presence of an ample supply of prey, females of N. neobaraki never fed on individuals of their own species, yet appeared to be very aggressive against males, as well as larvae of the other two phytoseiid species. They also fed on females of N. paspalivorus, but rarely on females of N. baraki. Males of N. neobaraki did not suffer mortality when together with females of either of the two other phytoseiid species. Males of N. baraki did not suffer predation from females of N. paspalivorus, but males of N. paspalivorus suffered some mortality (15 %) from N. baraki females. Larvae of each of the three species were vulnerable to intraguild predation by heterospecific adult females, except for N. neobaraki larvae when together with N. baraki females. The absence or presence of intraguild predation is largely explained by the size ratios of the individuals that were put together: large individuals feed on smaller ones, but never the reverse. For each sex, size declines in the following order: N. neobaraki > N. baraki > N. paspalivorus. Moreover, for each species, females are larger than males and males are larger than larvae. Strikingly, however, females did not kill males and larvae of their own species. We propose that niche competition between related phytoseiid species is not only determined by intraguild predation on heterospecific larvae, but also by imposing great mortality on males from the intraguild prey because phytoseiid females being pseudo-arrhenotokous require insemination to produce offspring of both sexes.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace76407
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher Springer
publisherStr Springer
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace764072023-12-08T19:36:04Z Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites Sourassou, N.F. Hanna, R. Negloh, K. Breeuwer, J.A. Sabelis, M. biological control eriophyidae phytoseiidae crossbreeding coconuts ecology Studies on intraguild interactions between phytoseiid species have shown that intraguild predation occurs and is most commonly manifested as adult females of one species feeding on juveniles of another. Whether such intraguild interactions can also occur between adult females of one species and adult males of another, is not known. Herein, we report on intraguild interactions between adults of the two sexes in cross-pairing experiments involving three related phytoseiid species (Neoseiulus paspalivorus, N. baraki and N. neobaraki) that are potential candidates for controlling the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis, a serious pest of coconut palms in tropical countries. For comparative reasons, the experiments were repeated with larvae instead of males, and with only males or only females of two different species together. In the presence of an ample supply of prey, females of N. neobaraki never fed on individuals of their own species, yet appeared to be very aggressive against males, as well as larvae of the other two phytoseiid species. They also fed on females of N. paspalivorus, but rarely on females of N. baraki. Males of N. neobaraki did not suffer mortality when together with females of either of the two other phytoseiid species. Males of N. baraki did not suffer predation from females of N. paspalivorus, but males of N. paspalivorus suffered some mortality (15 %) from N. baraki females. Larvae of each of the three species were vulnerable to intraguild predation by heterospecific adult females, except for N. neobaraki larvae when together with N. baraki females. The absence or presence of intraguild predation is largely explained by the size ratios of the individuals that were put together: large individuals feed on smaller ones, but never the reverse. For each sex, size declines in the following order: N. neobaraki > N. baraki > N. paspalivorus. Moreover, for each species, females are larger than males and males are larger than larvae. Strikingly, however, females did not kill males and larvae of their own species. We propose that niche competition between related phytoseiid species is not only determined by intraguild predation on heterospecific larvae, but also by imposing great mortality on males from the intraguild prey because phytoseiid females being pseudo-arrhenotokous require insemination to produce offspring of both sexes. 2013-10 2016-08-12T06:27:23Z 2016-08-12T06:27:23Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76407 en Limited Access Springer Sourassou, N.F., Hanna, R., Negloh, K., Breeuwer, J.A., & Sabelis, M. (2013). Females as intraguild predators of males in cross-pairing experiments with phytoseiid mites. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 61(2), 173-182.
spellingShingle biological control
eriophyidae
phytoseiidae
crossbreeding
coconuts
ecology
Sourassou, N.F.
Hanna, R.
Negloh, K.
Breeuwer, J.A.
Sabelis, M.
Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title_full Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title_fullStr Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title_full_unstemmed Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title_short Females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
title_sort females as intraguild predators of males in crosspairing experiments with phytoseiid mites
topic biological control
eriophyidae
phytoseiidae
crossbreeding
coconuts
ecology
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76407
work_keys_str_mv AT sourassounf femalesasintraguildpredatorsofmalesincrosspairingexperimentswithphytoseiidmites
AT hannar femalesasintraguildpredatorsofmalesincrosspairingexperimentswithphytoseiidmites
AT neglohk femalesasintraguildpredatorsofmalesincrosspairingexperimentswithphytoseiidmites
AT breeuwerja femalesasintraguildpredatorsofmalesincrosspairingexperimentswithphytoseiidmites
AT sabelism femalesasintraguildpredatorsofmalesincrosspairingexperimentswithphytoseiidmites