Journal of Economic Entomology (2018) 111, 680-688

Xuan Cheng, Paul A. Umina and Ary A. Hoffmann (2018)
Influence of previous host plants on the reproductive success of a polyphagous mite pest, Halotydeus destructor (Trombidiformes: Penthaleidae)
Journal of Economic Entomology 111 (2), 680-688
Abstract: In the evolution of phytophagous arthropods, adaptation to a single type of host plant is generally assumed to lead to a reduction in fitness on other host plant types, resulting in increasing host specialization. While this process is normally considered to be genetically based, short-term effects acting within one generation (plasticity) or across two generations (cross-generation variation) could also play a role. Here, we test these effects in the redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor (Tucker) (Prostigmata: Penthaleidae), a major agricultural pest of multiple crop plants. Field populations of mites were collected from grasses, legumes, and broad-leaf weeds and placed into enclosures with different plant types. The survival, net reproductive output (Ro), and feeding damage of each mite population were assessed across two generations. The interaction between the origin of mites and plant type had a significant effect on parental survival, Ro, offspring development, and feeding damage. Mites collected from legumes showed higher parental survival on all host types; however, Ro, offspring development and feeding damage were all higher when mites were placed onto the same plant type from which they were collected. These patterns point to the ability of H. destructor to perform well on host plants even in the absence of genetically differentiated host races, but also the likelihood of performance trade-offs when populations are forced to rapidly change hosts within and across sequential generations.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Ary A. Hoffmann, Paul A. Umina

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Halotydeus destructor