Experimental and Applied Acarology (1995) 19, 189-197

Richard Karban, Gregory English-Loeb, M. Andrew Walker and Jennifer Thaler (1995)
Abundance of phytoseiid mites on Vitis species: effects of leaf hairs, domatia, prey abundance and plant phylogeny
Experimental and Applied Acarology 19 (4), 189-197
Abstract: We observed the number of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae: Typhlodromus caudiglans) on the foliage of 20 North American species of grapes (Vitis spp) plus the domesticated EuropeanVitis vinifera, all grown in a common garden. We found relatively few phytophagous mites. The numbers of phytophagous mites were not correlated with the plant characteristics that we measured. We found approximately five times as many predatory mites as phytophagous mites and the numbers of these phytoseiid predators were not affected by the availability of prey. Similarly, numbers of phytoseiids were unaffected by plant gender and, hence, the availability of pollen, another source of food. The numbers of phytoseiids were not clustered according to the taxonomic grouping of the tested plant species. Leaf surface characteristics explained over 25% of the variance in the numbers of phytoseiids. Numbers of phytoseiids were positively associated with the density of vein hairs, the density of bristles in leaf axils, and the presence of leaf domatia. These results suggest that sheltered habitats rather than food availability may limit the numbers of phytoseiid mites on grapevines.
(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): Jennifer S. Thaler

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Anthoseius caudiglans (predator)