The ecology of predatory hoverflies as ecosystem-service providers in agricultural systems

Rodríguez-Gasol, Neus; Alins, Georgina; Veronesi, Emiliano R.; Wratten, Steve D.

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104405

Cited by 47 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 209 publications

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“…The temporal occurrence of the adults throughout the year and the immature stages of hoverflies only in the warmest months observed in this study is concordant with the finding of Villa et al (2016) and Greco (1995), and could be due to facultative reproductive diapause of females in the winter, as was observed in some species (Rodríguez Gasol et al, 2020). The wild plants surrounding the crops will probably favor overwintering hoverflies by providing both undisturbed habitat and more overwintering sites (Rodríguez Gasol et al, 2020). Therefore, the temporal alternation of the flowering between M. chamomilla and G. galinsoga would offer resources to hoverfly adults to remain in this horticultural system throughout the year.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Adults are pollinators, feeding on nectar and pollen, meanwhile syrphid larvae are biological control agents of agricultural pests. As such, hoverflies provide significant pollination services to wild flowers and crops (Dunn et al, 2020;Rodríguez-Gasol et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parasitoid pressure can decrease hoverfly larval rate of predation on prey, and consequently could limit the biological control provided by them (Tinkeu & Hance, 1997;Hazell et al, 2005). However, the impact of parasitoids on hoverfly populations has not been widely studied, and in general, is highly variable ranging from nil to more than 50% of parasitization rates (Rodríguez-Gasol et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatio-temporal variation of predatory hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and their relationship with aphids in organic horticultural crops in La Plata, Buenos Aires

Lucas

.Passareli

Maza

et al. 2020

Rev. Soc. Entomol. Arg.

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Population variations of predatory hoverflies in agroecosystems depend mainly on the resources that crops and wild vegetation provides them as well as death caused by natural enemies. We identified I) aphidophagous hoverfly species in lettuce and broccoli crops in Buenos Aires, II) the seasonal variations of the immature stages and their larval parasitism, and III) the wild plants, surrounding the crops, visited by adults. Fortnightly, 30 leaves were randomly selected in both crops during 2018-2019 and immature stages of syrphids and aphids per leaf were recorded. Adults were manually collected in patches of the wild plants (during 10 min of direct observations), and plants visited by adults were determined. The hoverflies were Allograpta exotica Wiedemann and Toxomerus duplicatus Wiedemann. Only A. exotica was recorded in crops. The dominant aphids were Myzus persicae (Sulzer) in lettuce and Brevycorine brassicae (L.) in broccoli. Parasitism rates ranged between 8 and 100% and the species were Diplazon laetatorius (Fabricius), in both crops, and Pachyneuron aff. nelsoni only in broccoli. Galinsoga parviflora Cav. and Matricaria chamomilla L. were the wild plants most often visited by hoverflies. This work provides basic information for the control of aphids by hoverflies in the framework of conservation biological control

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatio-temporal variation of predatory hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and their relationship with aphids in organic horticultural crops in La Plata, Buenos Aires

Lucas

.Passareli

Maza

et al. 2020

Rev. Soc. Entomol. Arg.

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“…Approximately one‐third of the ~6000 hoverfly species are predatory, i.e. their larvae develop consuming soft‐bodied insects that in many cases are important crop pests, mainly aphids, but also thrips, mealy bugs, spider mites or psyllids 2 . Many of these predatory hoverflies are highly migratory species, extending their range over vast areas, often spanning thousands of kilometres 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…their larvae develop consuming soft-bodied insects that in many cases are important crop pests, mainly aphids, but also thrips, mealy bugs, spider mites or psyllids. 2 Many of these predatory hoverflies are highly migratory species, extending their range over vast areas, often spanning thousands of kilometres. 6 The role of aphidophagous hoverflies is widely acknowledged in conservation biological control programs where significant research efforts have been undertaken to understand the factors that favour their presence in the crop habitat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aphidophagous hoverflies reduce foxglove aphid infestations and improve seed set and fruit yield in sweet pepper

Moerkens

Boonen

Wäckers

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND Larvae of many hoverfly species prey upon aphids, whereas the adults, by relying on nectar and pollen, contribute to the pollination of many plant species. Despite their great potential for pest control and pollination, important gaps still exist regarding the efficacy of hoverflies in regulating infestations of major aphid pests in augmentative biological control programs. Here, we tested the potential of the commercially available hoverflies Eupeodes corollae and Sphaerophoria rueppellii to regulate populations of the foxglove aphid Aulacorthum solani in sweet pepper. RESULTS In a semi‐field experiment, aphid numbers were 93.2% and 78.4% lower in the E. corollae and S. rueppellii treatments, respectively, compared to the control. Fruit yield was increased by 390% and 361% and seed set by 395% and 399% for E. corollae and S. rueppellii. In a separate laboratory trial, we found that under conditions of limited prey, hoverfly larvae did not complete development, but that larvae of S. rueppellii survived significantly longer than larvae of E. corollae. CONCLUSION We have shown for the first time that E. corollae and S. rueppellii can reduce infestations of foxglove aphid in sweet pepper. The limited amount of prey, related to the small size of the A. solani colonies, means that hoverfly larvae were often not able to complete development. In practice, repeated releases of hoverflies, possibly in combination with other natural enemies, might be used to achieve effective suppression of A. solani infestations. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry

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Do Nearctic hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) engage in long‐distance migration? An assessment of evidence and mechanisms

Clem

Hobson

Harmon‐Threatt

2022

Ecological Monographs

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Long‐distance insect migration is poorly understood despite its tremendous ecological and economic importance. As a group, Nearctic hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae), which are crucial pollinators as adults and biological control agents as larvae, are almost entirely unrecognized as migratory despite examples of highly migratory behavior among several Palearctic species. Here, we examined evidence and mechanisms of migration for four hover fly species (Allograpta obliqua, Eupeodes americanus, Syrphus rectus, and Syrphus ribesii) common throughout eastern North America using stable hydrogen isotope (δ2H) measurements of chitinous tissue, morphological assessments, abundance estimations, and cold‐tolerance assays. Although further studies are needed, nonlocal isotopic values obtained from hover fly specimens collected in central Illinois support the existence of long‐distance fall migratory behavior in Eu. americanus, and to a lesser extent S. ribesii and S. rectus. Elevated abundance of Eu. americanus during the expected autumn migratory period further supports the existence of such behavior. Moreover, high phenotypic plasticity of morphology associated with dispersal coupled with significant differences between local and nonlocal specimens suggest that Eu. americanus exhibits a unique suite of morphological traits that decrease costs associated with long‐distance flight. Finally, compared with the ostensibly nonmigratory A. obliqua, Eu. americanus was less cold tolerant, a factor that may be associated with migratory behavior. Collectively, our findings imply that fall migration occurs in Nearctic hover flies, but we consider the methodological limitations of our study in addition to potential ecological and economic consequences of these novel findings.

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The ecology of predatory hoverflies as ecosystem-service providers in agricultural systems

Cited by 47 publications

References 209 publications

Spatio-temporal variation of predatory hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and their relationship with aphids in organic horticultural crops in La Plata, Buenos Aires

Spatio-temporal variation of predatory hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) and their relationship with aphids in organic horticultural crops in La Plata, Buenos Aires

Aphidophagous hoverflies reduce foxglove aphid infestations and improve seed set and fruit yield in sweet pepper

Do Nearctic hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) engage in long‐distance migration? An assessment of evidence and mechanisms

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