A Molecular Approach for Detecting Stage-Specific Predation onLygus hesperus(Hemiptera: Miridae)

Abstract

A molecular gut analysis technique is described to identify predators of Lygus hesperus (Knight), a significant pest of many crops. The technique is unique because it can pinpoint which life stage of the pest was consumed. Sentinel egg masses designed to mimic the endophytic egg-laying behavior of L. hesperus were marked with rabbit serum, while third instar and adult L. hesperus were marked with chicken and rat sera, respectively. Then, the variously labeled L. hesperus life stages were introduced into field cages that enclosed the native arthropod population inhabiting an individual cotton plant. After a 6-h exposure period, the predator assemblage, including the introduced and native L. hesperus population, in each cage were counted and had their gut contents examined for the presence of the variously marked L. hesperus life stages by a suite of serum-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The whole-plant sampling scheme revealed that Geocoris punticpes (Say) and Geocoris pallens Stal (Hemiptera: Geocoridae) and members of the spider complex were the numerically dominant predator taxa in the cotton field. The gut content analyses also showed that these two taxa appeared to be the most prolific predators of the L. hesperus nymph stage. Other key findings include that Collops vittatus (Say) (Coleoptera: Melyridae) and Solenopsis xyloni McCook (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) appear to be adept at finding and feeding on the cryptic L. hesperus egg stage, and that L. hesperus, albeit at low frequencies, engaged in cannibalism. The methods described here could be adapted for studying life stage-specific feeding preferences for a wide variety of arthropod taxa.

Lygus rugulipennis on chrysanthemum: Supplemental prey effects and an evaluation of trap plants

“…Presumably, L. rugulipennis nymphs use pollen and nectar of chrysanthemum flowers which might be food sources of higher quality than leaves for nymphal survival, although we found no differences in terms of development time. Besides plant quality, also cannibalism among nymphs might have determined the number of nymphs developing to the adult stage since cannibalism has been observed by Hagler et al (2020) for L. hesperus at low levels. Although L. rugulipennis develops better on chrysanthemum plants at the flowering stage, they are also able to reproduce successfully on small, vegetative chrysanthemum plants without any additional food source.…”

Changes in arthropod communities mediate the effects of landscape composition and farm management on pest control ecosystem services in organically managed strawberry crops

“…(Hemiptera), Neuroptera, Formicidae (Hymenoptera) and Araneae (Bolda et al., 2019; Hagler, 2011). The categories represent functional groups identified by previous lygus bug predation studies (Hagler et al., 2020; Hagler et al., 2020; Leigh & Gonzalez, 1976; Perkins & Watson, 1972; Wilson & Gutierrez, 1980; Zink & Rosenheim, 2008). The lygus bug complex in this region primarily consists of Lygus hesperus , and also includes small proportions of L. elisus and L. lineolaris (Hagler, Nieto, et al., 2020).…”

Biology, Ecology, and Pest Management of the Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) in Southern Row Crops

“…Molecular tools are also useful for the study of predator-prey interactions between Lygus species and their consumers. Hagler et al [ 206 ] reported a molecular gut analysis technique called universal food immunomarking technique (UFIT) for tagging L. hesperus nymphs and adult stages using a protein marker. This UFIT technique combined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) identified the different stage-specific predators of Lygus species, and this information could contribute to IPM strategies against this pest.…”