Response of an Insect Predator to Prey Fed Multiple Allelochemicals Under Representative Thermal Regimes

Abstract

We examined the effects of three allelochemicals found in tomato (chlorogenic acid, rutin, and tomatine) and two thermal regimes (21Њ:10ЊC and 26Њ:15ЊC, representing spring and summer, respectively) on the performance of a generalist insect predator (Podisus maculiventris: Pentatomidae) fed prey containing those allelochemicals. The prey were Manduca sexta (Sphingidae) caterpillars, Solanaceae specialists with a preference for tomato. Whether an allelochemical had a negative, neutral, or positive effect on developmental time or mass gained by the predators depended on thermal regime and the combination of allelochemicals in the prey's diet. The effects of multiple allelochemicals were not always additive. For the most part, the allelochemicals had greater negative effects at the warmer thermal regime. Effects of allelochemicals also depended on the stage of the predator. Individually, chlorogenic acid and rutin prolonged developmental time of secondinstar nymphs. In contrast, only rutin and tomatine together affected developmental time of fourth-instar nymphs, and this combination of allelochemicals reduced developmental time. Tomatine substantially reduced mass gained by second-instar nymphs but had no effect on mass gained by fourth-instar nymphs. Rutin and tomatine together had no effect on second-instar nymphs but increased the mass of fourth-instar nymphs. There were no allelochemical by temperature interactions for second-instar nymphs, whereas allelochemical by temperature interactions influenced stadium duration, final dry mass, and relative growth rate of fourth-instar nymphs. Rutin and tomatine together eliminated the negative effect of chlorogenic acid on consumption of prey by the fourth-instar nymphs. Chlorogenic acid by itself and rutin and tomatine together increased the efficiency of conversion of ingested prey to nymphal biomass. Comparison with an earlier study revealed that the effects of these thermal and dietary conditions were distinctly different for prey and predators, which suggests that such conditions would promote developmental asynchrony between prey and predator populations.

Biology of Brontocoris tabidus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed with Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) larvae

“…3) showing that it varies with prey type and nutritional quality, as found for Podisus maculiventris by De Clercq et al (1998), suggesting that food quality can be more important than its quantity. This was also found by Stamp et al (1997) who showed that food quality can interfere with the feeding period and survival rate of Pentatomidae predators. Thus, it appears that M. domestica larvae have lower nutritive quality than other prey.…”

The Geometric Analysis of Nutrient–allelochemical Interactions: A Case Study Using Locusts

“…Adding further allelochemical dimensions is an important aim Osier 1998, Nelson andKursar 1999), as is varying abiotic factors such as temperature (Stamp 1990, Stamp and Horwath 1992, Stamp and Yang 1996. Higher level trophic effects could also be considered (Stamp et al 1997).…”

Prey species and prey diet affect growth of invertebrate predators

“…However, relatively few studies have examined the effects on predator growth of ingesting prey containing allelochemicals. Usually the effects were negative (Paradise & Stamp, 1990, 1993Stamp et al, 1991;Bozer et al, 1996;Traugott & Stamp, 1997), but not in all cases (Osier et al, 1996;Stamp et al, 1997). Secondly, studies on the effects of diet breadth of herbivorous prey have not contrasted the effects of specialist vs. generalist herbivores feeding on the same plant species.…”