BioControl (2015) 60, 827-837

Xiaofei Xiong, J.P. Michaud, Zhen Li, Pengxiang Wu, Yanna Chu, Qingwen Zhang and Xiaoxia Liu (2015)
Chronic, predator-induced stress alters development and reproductive performance of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera
BioControl 60 (6), 827-837
Abstract: Predators can significantly impact potential prey without consuming them, generating potential ramifications for biological control. In this study, we examined the cumulative impacts of adult Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on development and reproduction of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), over three generations. Development became faster in each of the three generations and pupae became heavier than controls, although survival declined in the third generation. Predator stress increased wing deformations in the first generation, but not thereafter, and female fecundity became higher than controls in the third generation. We concluded that predator stress increased larval consumption to eventually result in both faster development and larger adult size when food was abundant. The results demonstrated that H. armigera could respond to exposure from a non-consumptive predator by shifting aspects of developmental timing and increasing reproductive effort, with both individual- and population-level consequences. The adaptive significances of these changes are discussed. This study advances our understanding of the potential for non-lethal predators to impact prey life histories.
(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): J.P. Michaud, Xiao-Xia Liu

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Helicoverpa armigera	Cotton (Gossypium)	China (NE)
Harmonia axyridis (predator)	Helicoverpa armigera