Parasitic Hymenoptera and Biological Control

Narendran, T. C.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-1377-3_1

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Although we did not identify the individuals to species level, both abundance and family richness of parasitoid Hymenoptera are good predictors of the richness of other taxa [ 55 ]. The occurrence of these families within the farm, while indicating relatively high overall biodiversity, may also be contributing to long-term sustainability due to the potential regulation of phytophagous insect assemblages, since parasitoids can keep pest populations at low densities [ 56 ] while generating responses at a radius of hundreds of meters [ 57 ]. However, the high incidence of Hypsipyla grandella (Zeller) attacking mainly Cedrela in the Judibana plantation during the early stages [ 20 ], which is one of the main pests of Cedrela and Swietenia in Venezuela [ 58 ], may indicate the absence of a suitable population of their native parasitoids.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomofauna Associated with Agroforestry Systems of Timber Species and Cacao in the Southern Region of the Maracaibo Lake Basin (Mérida, Venezuela)

Mazón

Sánchez-Angarita

Díaz

et al. 2018

Insects

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Agroforestry systems are environment-friendly production systems which help to preserve biodiversity while providing people with a way of earning a living. Cacao is a historically important crop in Venezuela that traditionally has been produced in agroforestry systems. However, few studies have evaluated how different trees used in those systems affect the dynamics and abundance of insects. The present study evaluated the entomofauna assemblages associated with different combinations of four timber-yielding trees and four Criollo cacao cultivars established in a lowland tropical ecosystem in Venezuela. A randomized block design with two replicates was used, each block having 16 plots which included all 16 possible combinations of four native timber trees (Cordia thaisiana, Cedrela odorata, Swietenia macrophylla, and Tabebuia rosea) and four Criollo cacao cultivars (Porcelana, Guasare, Lobatera and Criollo Merideño). Insects were collected with yellow pan traps and sorted to order. Coleoptera and parasitoid Hymenoptera were determined to the family level. In total, 49,538 individuals of seven orders were collected, with Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Hemiptera being the most abundant, although only Lepidoptera and Coleoptera abundances were significantly influenced by the timber tree species. Twenty-three families of parasitoid Hymenoptera and 26 of Coleoptera were found. Significant differences in insects’ assemblages were found both in parasitoid Hymenoptera and Coleoptera families associated to every shade tree, with the families Eulophidae and Lycidae being indicators for Cordia, and Chalcididae for Swietenia. The entomofauna relationship with the cacao cultivar was barely significant, although Scydmaenidae and Scarabaeidae were indicators for Lobatera and Merideño, respectively. No significant effects were found for interaction with cacao cultivars and native trees. We concluded that the particular insect assemblages found in Cedrela odorata and Cordia thaisiana, together with their high growing rates, make these two species an optimal choice for cacao agroforestry systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entomofauna Associated with Agroforestry Systems of Timber Species and Cacao in the Southern Region of the Maracaibo Lake Basin (Mérida, Venezuela)

Mazón

Sánchez-Angarita

Díaz

et al. 2018

Insects

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“…Another important group of flower-visiting insects are hymenopteran parasitoids. Parasitic Hymenoptera represent a key factor in regulating natural insect populations, and form an important component in biocontrol programs of insect pests (Narendran, 2001 ). Like bees, in their adult stage, parasitoid wasps feed on carbohydrate-rich food such as floral nectar to cover their energetic and nutritional needs (Jervis et al, 1993 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sweet Scents: Nectar Specialist Yeasts Enhance Nectar Attraction of a Generalist Aphid Parasitoid Without Affecting Survival

et al. 2018

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Floral nectar is commonly inhabited by microorganisms, mostly yeasts and bacteria, which can have a strong impact on nectar chemistry and scent. Yet, little is known about the effects of nectar microbes on the behavior and survival of insects belonging to the third trophic level such as parasitoids. Here, we used five nectar-inhabiting yeast species to test the hypothesis that yeast species that almost solely occur in nectar, and therefore substantially rely on floral visitors for dispersal, produce volatile compounds that enhance insect attraction without compromising insect life history parameters, such as survival. Experiments were performed using two nectar specialist yeasts (Metschnikowia gruessii and M. reukaufii) and three generalist species (Aureobasidium pullulans, Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Sporobolomyces roseus). Saccharomyces cerevisiae was included as a reference yeast. We compared olfactory responses of the generalist aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) when exposed to these microorganisms inoculated in synthetic nectar. Nectar-inhabiting yeasts had a significant impact on nectar chemistry and produced distinct volatile blends, some of which were attractive, while others were neutral or repellent. Among the different yeast species tested, the nectar specialists M. gruessii and M. reukaufii were the only species that produced a highly attractive nectar to parasitoid females, which simultaneously had no adverse effects on longevity and survival of adults. By contrast, parasitoids that fed on nectars fermented with the reference strain, A. pullulans, H. uvarum or S. roseus showed shortest longevity and lowest survival. Additionally, nectars fermented by A. pullulans or S. roseus were consumed significantly less, suggesting a lack of important nutrients or undesirable changes in the nectar chemical profiles. Altogether our results indicate that nectar-inhabiting yeasts play an important, but so far largely overlooked, role in plant-insect interactions by modulating the chemical composition of nectar, and may have important ecological consequences for plant pollination and biological control of herbivorous insects.

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“…They can also be predators of arachnid egg sacs (Austin, ) and, even more rarely, facultatively herbivorous (Gauld et al ., ). They play a crucial role in most terrestrial ecosystems by regulating the abundance of other species, including pests in agriculture and forestry (Narendran, ). Despite the fact that there are probably many more ichneumonid wasps than vertebrates (about 68 600 species; IUCN, ) the group has received only limited attention from systematists and evolutionary biologists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid capture data unravel a rapid radiation of pimpliform parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimpliformes)

Klopfstein

Spasojevic

Broad

et al. 2018

Systematic Entomology

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The parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae is among the most diverse groups of organisms, with conservative estimates suggesting that it contains more species than all vertebrates together. However, ichneumonids are also among the most severely understudied groups, and our understanding of their evolution is hampered by the lack of a robust higher-level phylogeny of this group. Based on newly generated transcriptome sequence data, which were filtered according to several criteria of phylogenetic informativeness, we developed target DNA enrichment baits to capture 93 genes across species of Ichneumonidae. The baits were applied to DNA of 55 ichneumonids, with a focus on Pimpliformes, an informal group containing nine subfamilies. Phylogenetic trees were inferred under maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches, at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels. We found maximum support for the monophyly of Pimpliformes but low resolution and very short branches close to its base, strongly suggesting a rapid radiation. Two genera and one genus-group were consistently recovered in unexpected parts of the tree, prompting changes in their higher-level classification: Pseudorhyssa Merrill, currently classified in the subfamily Poemeniinae, is transferred to the tribe Delomeristini within Pimplinae, and Hemiphanes Förster is moved from Orthocentrinae to Cryptinae. Likewise, the tribe Theroniini is resurrected for the Theronia group of genera (stat. rev.). Phylogenetic analyses, in which we gradually increased the numbers of genes, revealed that the initially steep increase in mean clade support slows down at around 40 genes, and consideration of up to 93 genes still left various nodes in the inferred phylogenetic tree poorly resolved. It remains to be shown whether more extensive gene or taxon sampling can resolve the early evolution of the pimpliform subfamilies.

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Parasitic Hymenoptera and Biological Control

Cited by 13 publications

References 12 publications

Entomofauna Associated with Agroforestry Systems of Timber Species and Cacao in the Southern Region of the Maracaibo Lake Basin (Mérida, Venezuela)

Entomofauna Associated with Agroforestry Systems of Timber Species and Cacao in the Southern Region of the Maracaibo Lake Basin (Mérida, Venezuela)

Sweet Scents: Nectar Specialist Yeasts Enhance Nectar Attraction of a Generalist Aphid Parasitoid Without Affecting Survival

Hybrid capture data unravel a rapid radiation of pimpliform parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimpliformes)

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