<p class="Body"><strong>Indirect effects in predator-prey interaction: development and predation rates by immature <em>Neoseiulus cucumeris</em> increased by odour from its prey (<em>Tyrophagus putrescentiae</em>) </strong></p>

Abstract

Predator-prey interactions have long been of great interest to ecologists. Although the direct consumptive effects have received extensive research, indirect influences of odour derived from their conspecifics and prey on predators have largely been underestimated and overlooked. In this study, the indirect effects of predator-prey interactions were determined with predatory mites Neoseiulus cucumeris and its factitious prey Tyrophagus putrescentiae. The responses of immature N. cucumeris to mixed odour with their conspecifics and prey were determined in a laboratory experiment. Our results showed that the mixed odour with their conspecifics did not demonstrate any obvious influences on the survival rates, developmental periods, predation rates and activities of the predatory mites. Intriguingly, the predators prolonged their protonymphal stage and consumed more prey eggs when exposed to mixed odour with their prey. Our results indicated that the mixed odour with their conspecifics was weak and its influence was insignificant for this species, but the prey odour showed a signifcant influence on the growth and consumption rates of immature predators, which highlighted that the indirect influences of predator-prey interactions on the predator were substantial and cannot be neglected.

Predation stress experienced as immature mites extends their lifespan

“…In this study, we examined the effects of predation stress experienced during different life stages of the prey to demonstrate the differences in effects generated by exposure to predation stress in early versus in late life. The prey-predator system (Tyrophagus putrescentiae and Neoseiulus cucumeris) was used in this study because both species are easy to culture in the laboratory (Gu et al 2020;Lee et al 2020). T. putrescentiae is a common pest of stored food and young plants in greenhouses (Fan and Zhang 2007), while its predator N. cucumeris is a common biological control agent against various pest mites and small insects (Zhang 2003;McMurtry et al 2013;Knapp et al 2018).…”