Insects (2020) 11 (4 - 255)

Marta Montoro, Per M. Jensen and Lene Sigsgaard (2020)
Stable isotope enrichment (Delta-15N) in the predatory flower bug (Orius majusculus) predicts fitness-related differences between diets
Insects 11 (4 - 255)
Abstract: Mass rearing of insects, used both as biological control agents and for food and feed, is receiving increasing attention. Efforts are being made to improve diets that are currently in use, and to identify alternative diets, as is the case with the predatory flower bug (Orius majusculus) and other heteropteran predators, due to the high costs of their current diet, the eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth (E. kuehniella). The assessment of alternative diets may include measurements of the predator's fitness-related traits (development time, weight, etc.), and biochemical analyses such as lipid and protein content in the diet and the insects. However, assessing diet quality via the predator's fitness-related traits is laborious, and biochemical composition is often difficult to relate to the measured traits. Isotope analysis, previously used for diet reconstruction studies, can also serve as a tool for the assessment of diet quality. Here, the variation in discrimination factors or isotope enrichment (Delta-15N and Delta-13C) indicates the difference in isotopic ratio between the insect and its diet. In this study, we investigated the link between Delta-15N and diet quality in the predatory bug Orius majusculus. Three groups of bugs were fed different diets: Ephestia kuehniella eggs, protein-rich Drosophila melanogaster and lipid-rich D. melanogaster. The isotopic enrichment and fitness-related measurements were assessed for each group. Results show a relation between Delta-15N and fitness-related measurements, which conform to the idea that lower Delta-15N indicates a higher diet quality.
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Database assignments for author(s): Per M. Jensen, Lene Sigsgaard

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Orius majusculus (predator)