Pest Management Science (2020) 76, 1841-1846

Dominiek Vangansbeke, Marcus VA Duarte, Bruno Gobin, Luc Tirry, Felix Wäckers and Patrick De Clercq (2020)
Cold-born killers: exploiting temperature–size rule enhances predation capacity of a predatory mite
Pest Management Science 76 (5), 1841-1846
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
The temperature–size rule is a well-known example of phenotypic plasticity in ectothermic organisms. When exposed to colder temperatures, ectotherms develop more slowly, but mature at larger body sizes and vice versa at higher temperatures. We investigated whether a phytoseiid predatory mite can obtain a larger body size by rearing it at a low temperature and how the increased body size affected predatory performance on its natural prey. Therefore, we allowed the predatory mite Amblydromalus limonicus (Garman and McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to develop at either 15 or 25 °C.
RESULTS
A. limonicus reared at 15 °C had a 6% larger body size than those reared at 25 °C. Larger predators showed higher predation rates on first instars of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with 9.6 instars/female/day and 8.5 instars/female/day, for larger and standard-sized females, respectively. After three generations reared at 15 °C, body size did not increase any further. When reared for five generations at 15 °C, larger A. limonicus females demonstrated a better ability to subdue second-instar F. occidentalis.
CONCLUSION
Low juvenile rearing temperatures may result in phytoseiid predators with a predator/prey size benefit that could improve their biological control function.
(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): Luc Tirry, Felix L. Wäckers, Patrick De Clercq

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Frankliniella occidentalis
Amblydromalus limonicus (predator)	Frankliniella occidentalis