Pest Management Science (2015) 71, 1346-1353

María Concepción Velasco-Hernández, Ricardo Ramirez-Romero, Carla Sánchez-Hernández, Antonio Biondi, Alejandro Muñoz-Urias and Nicolas Desneux (2015)
Foraging behaviour of the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus under intraguild predation risk by Macrolophus pygmaeus
Pest Management Science 71 (9), 1346-1353
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
Intraguild predation (IGP), predation between species that use a common resource, can affect the populations of a pest, of the pest's natural enemy (IG prey) and of the predator of the pest's natural enemy (IG predator). In this study, we determined whether the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (IG prey), modifies its foraging behaviour under the risk of IGP by Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) (IG predator). Parasitoid behaviour was analysed using two bioassays (choice and no-choice) with the following treatments: (i) control, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs; and (ii) PEP, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs and previously exposed to the IG predator; and (iii) PP, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs, with both, the IG predator and the IG prey present.
RESULTS
In both bioassays, we found that E. eremicus did not significantly modify the number of ovipositions, time of residence, duration of oviposition or behavioural sequence. However, in the no-choice bioassay, the number of attacks was higher and their duration shorter in the PEP treatment than in the control.
CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that the parasitoid may detect IGP risk to a certain extent, but it did not significantly modify its foraging behaviour, suggesting that simultaneous release of the two natural enemies can be successfully employed.
(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): Ricardo Ramirez-Romero, Nicolas Desneux, Antonio Biondi

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Eretmocerus eremicus (parasitoid)
Macrolophus pygmaeus (predator)