Attract and distract: Manipulation of a food-mediated protective mutualism enhances natural pest control

Wäckers, Félix; Alberola, J.; Garcia‐Marí, F.; Pekas, Apostolos

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2017.05.037

Cited by 44 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Our results suggest that the provisioning of artificial sugars impacted ant activity, depending on the ant species, and helped reduce the mealybug population density dramatically. These results in combination with those of other studies by Carabalí‐Banguero et al, Nagy et al and Wäckers et al indicate that this method can be a simple, sustainable and effective alternative for managing honeydew‐producing pests by disrupting their mutualism with ants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vine mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in table‐grape vineyards in Eastern Spain

Beltrà

Navarro-Campos

Calabuig

et al. 2017

Pest Management Science

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vine mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in table‐grape vineyards in Eastern Spain

Beltrà

Navarro-Campos

Calabuig

et al. 2017

Pest Management Science

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“…We hypothesize this was due to three components: (i) honeydew decreased foraging behavior and efficiency of the predator, (ii) honeydew decreased predation capacity of predators by dirtying mouthparts, and (iii) honeydew's low nutritional value for the predator and its high concentration of sorbitol decreased the predator's fecundity and rate of development. In addition, we have found ants harvesting psyllid honeydew in the field, which might also lead to the disruption of biological control of pear psylla by natural enemies . Indeed, previous work has demonstrated honeydew can limit biological control by entrapping natural enemies, coating mouthparts and reducing foraging efficiency, or by releasing alarm pheromone to help prey escape .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In addition, we have found ants harvesting psyllid honeydew in the field, which might also lead to the disruption of biological control of pear psylla by natural enemies. 24 Indeed, previous work has demonstrated honeydew can limit biological control by entrapping natural enemies, coating mouthparts and reducing foraging efficiency, or by releasing alarm pheromone to help prey escape. 15,36 However, honeydew has mostly been demonstrated to enhance biological control efficacy by increasing the longevity and fecundity of natural enemies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, honeydew may indirectly release herbivores from top‐down control by benefiting hyperparasitoids or intraguild predators, substituting for prey in natural enemy diets, and reducing foraging efficiency by dirtying predators' mouthparts . While the value of honeydew for parasitoids is relatively well‐explored, relatively little is known about honeydew's nutritional benefits to predators other than ants . To gain a more comprehensive understanding of how honeydew impacts biological control, we must better understand when and where these resources are helpful versus harmful to predators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15,23 While the value of honeydew for parasitoids is relatively well-explored, relatively little is known about honeydew's nutritional benefits to predators other than ants. 15,24 To gain a more comprehensive understanding of how honeydew impacts biological control, we must better understand when and where these resources are helpful versus harmful to predators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A sticky situation: honeydew of the pear psylla disrupts feeding by its predator Orius sauteri

Zhang

et al. 2019

Pest Management Science

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Background Honeydew is valuable food source for predators that can build predator numbers and strengthen biological control. Honeydew excreted by hemipterans often supplements the diets of their predators and parasitoids. However, dense sticky honeydew also creates a difficult foraging environment, potentially limiting predator efficiency. Results We examined the benefits and costs of honeydew excreted by the pear psylla (Cacopsylla chinensis [Yang and Li]) for its key predator in much of Asia, the anthocorid bug Orius sauteri (Poppius). We found these predators spent more time foraging and laid more eggs in the presence of psyllid honeydew compared to the control. However, predators more often foraged among psylla without honeydew than those coated in honeydew. This suggests that while O. sauteri recognized honeydew as a useful cue to prey presence, the predators were more likely to attack pear psylla lacking the sugary excretion. In foraging trials, honeydew consistently reduced the number of psyllids killed by the predator, suggesting it limited O. sauteri mobility or reduced the nutritional value of psyllids as prey. We also found slowed development, reduced longevity, and reduced fecundity of O. sauteri reared on moth eggs (Sitotroga cerealella [Olivier]) coated in honeydew compared to those reared on moth eggs alone. Conclusion Altogether, our results suggest that psyllid honeydew could serve as a prey‐location and oviposition cue for O. sauteri. However, honeydew also limited predator foraging with the potential to limit biological control. More generally, honeydew might form an important type of defense for stationary feeders like psyllids. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

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Behavioural changes in the city: The common black garden ant defends aphids more aggressively in urban environments

Gaber,

Ruland,

Jeschke

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Urbanisation alters biodiversity patterns and threatens to disrupt mutualistic interactions. Aside from pollination, however, little is known about how mutualisms change in cities. Our study aimed to assess how urbanisation affects the protective mutualism between ants and aphids, investigating potential behavioural changes in mutualistic ants and their implications for aphids in urban environments. To do so, we studied the protective mutualism between the pink tansy aphid (Metopeurum fuscoviride) and the black garden ant (Lasius niger) along an urbanisation gradient in Berlin, Germany. In nine locations along this gradient, we measured aphid colony dynamics and proxies for parasitism, quantified the investment of ants in tending aphids and conducted behavioural assays to test the aggressiveness of ant responses to a simulated attack on the aphids. We found that aphid colonies flourished and were equally tended by ants across the urbanisation gradient, with a consistent positive density dependence between aphid and ant numbers. However, ants from more urbanised sites responded more aggressively to the simulated attack. Our findings suggest that this protective mutualism is not only maintained in the city, but that ants might even rely more on it and defend it more aggressively, as other food resources may become scarce and more unpredictable with urbanisation. We thereby provide unique insights into this type of mutualism in the city, further diversifying the growing body of work on mutualisms across urbanisation gradients.

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Attract and distract: Manipulation of a food-mediated protective mutualism enhances natural pest control

Cited by 44 publications

References 42 publications

Association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vine mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in table‐grape vineyards in Eastern Spain

Association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the vine mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in table‐grape vineyards in Eastern Spain

A sticky situation: honeydew of the pear psylla disrupts feeding by its predator Orius sauteri

Behavioural changes in the city: The common black garden ant defends aphids more aggressively in urban environments

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