Environmental Entomology (2007) 36, 1415-1420

J. Todd Kabaluk and Jerry D. Ericsson (2007)
Environmental and behavioral constraints on the infection of wireworms by Metarhizium anisopliae
Environmental Entomology 36 (6), 1415-1420
Abstract: Environmental and behavioral factors that affect the infection of wireworms [Agriotes obscurus L. (Coleoptera: Elateridae)] by a unique isolate of Metarhizium anisopliae Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) were studied. After wireworms were placed in soil containing 10⁶ M. anisopliae conidia/g and incubated at 6, 12, or 18°C, significant disease development and wireworm mortality occurred only in those wireworms incubated at 18°C. At this temperature, mortality was found to be dependant on the time exposed to the contaminated soil, and a minimum exposure time of 48 h was required to cause significant levels of mortality. Despite the restrictive effect of cooler temperatures on disease development and mortality, infected wireworms did not choose temperatures that inhibited disease development when given the opportunity to do so in a separate experiment. Finally, wireworms were repelled by M. anisopliae-contaminated soil at a rate that increased with the soil conidia concentration, but the rate of emigration was reduced when a food source was present. The results of this study indicate that factors including temperature, time exposed to M. anisopliae, conidia soil concentration, and food availability will affect mortality rates of wireworms and are likely to affect field performance of M. anisopliae as a biological control.
(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): James Todd Kabaluk, Jerry D. Ericsson

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Agriotes obscurus
Metarhizium anisopliae (entomopathogen)	Agriotes obscurus