Host plant and the predator Podisus nigrispinus: when the defense compounds of the plant affect the third trophic level

Abstract

Many herbivorous insects can overcome chemical plant defenses, using the plant's defensive products for their own good, as a defense against predators. Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae), recently introduced in Brazil, are rich in secondary compounds; however, there are reports that these plants have been suffering from population outbreaks of defoliating Lepidoptera in Brazil. The predator Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) has been used against herbivorous insects in eucalyptus plantations, but little is known about its establishment in the field. This study aims to investigate whether the effectiveness of this predator may be affected indirectly by compounds of eucalyptus plants, when compared to guava, Psidium guajava L., a Brazilian native species of Myrtaceae. Thus, we evaluated the performance of P. nigrispinus on larvae of Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) reared on eucalyptus (exotic species) or guava plants (native species). Podisus nigrispinus performance (reproduction and survival) was better on larvae fed on guava than on larvae fed on eucalyptus. It is possible that the negative effect on the predator's development occurred because of the plants’ secondary compounds appropriated by caterpillars, due to the short coevolutionary history between eucalyptus and the predator. The data suggest that the chemical compounds that could help the plant's defenses against herbivores may also affect their natural enemies, especially when the interaction between plant and natural enemy involves an exotic plant recently introduced into the insect's habitat.

Effects of imidacloprid-sodium chloride association on survival and reproduction of the stink bug Podisus nigrispinus

“…The use of biological control and integrated pest management programs in soybean fields, especially for the control of Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner, 1818) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and some other stink bugs have also had favorable results (Ramiro et al, 1986). Predatory stink bugs, e.g., Podisus nigrispinus, Hemiptera: Pentatomidae, naturally occur in the Neotropical region (in many crop fields, including soybean) and are considered very important natural enemies of defoliator caterpillars (Pires et al, 2006, Holtz et al, 2019.…”

Introduction: host plant choice and feeding ecology of insects

“…Many studies, including the one by Steward et al, have documented the direct effects of secondary metabolites in invasive plant hosts on the herbivore, and such effects could also be realized upstream in the next trophic level (Harvey & Fortuna, 2012;Bezemer et al, 2014). Holtz et al (2019) describe the detrimental impact of an invasive host on the performance of a native predator, Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), on caterpillars of the moth Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) -a pest on two Myrtaceae plant members, with one being native (guava) and the other being invasive (eucalyptus). This paper illustrates that the fitness of the predator was suppressed more following consumption of the herbivore that fed on the invasive plant than following consumption of the herbivore that fed on the native plant, clearly reiterating that the introduction of non-native species could disrupt existing co-evolutionary relationships across multiple trophic levels.…”

Interaction of tomato plants infected by the nematode Meloidogyne javanica on aboveground herbivore Tetranychus urticae and on behaviour of its predator Phytoseiulus macropilis

“…These effects involve the defense of plants against attack by herbivores. (Holtz, 2019). The attack of arthropods can affect the plant primary metabolism and resource allocation (Biere & Goverse, 2016) and at the same time can trigger different types of defenses against herbivores (Freeman & Beattie, 2008a) Thus, plants after being attacked by herbivores, show changes in their secondary metabolism (Schoonhoven et al, 2005a).…”