Microorganisms from aphid honeydew attract and enhance the efficacy of natural enemies
نویسندگان
چکیده
Aphids are one of the most serious pests of crops worldwide, causing major yield and economic losses. To control aphids, natural enemies could be an option but their efficacy is sometimes limited by their dispersal in natural environment. Here we report the first isolation of a bacterium from the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum honeydew, Staphylococcus sciuri, which acts as a kairomone enhancing the efficiency of aphid natural enemies. Our findings represent the first case of a host-associated bacterium driving prey location and ovipositional preference for the natural enemy. We show that this bacterium has a key role in tritrophic interactions because it is the direct source of volatiles used to locate prey. Some specific semiochemicals produced by S. sciuri were also identified as significant attractants and ovipositional stimulants. The use of this host-associated bacterium could certainly provide a novel approach to control aphids in field and greenhouse systems.
منابع مشابه
The nutritional value of aphid honeydew for parasitoids of lepidopteran pests
Intake of sugar-rich foods by adult parasitoids is crucial for their reproductive success. This is an aspect of parasitoid biology that warrants special attention in the biological control of pests. Facilitating access to suitable foods might help optimize the efficacy of parasitoids as biological control agents. In situations where nectar is not readily available, homopteran honeydew can be a ...
متن کاملAphid Alarm Pheromone as a Cue for Ants to Locate Aphid Partners
The mutualistic relationships that occur between myrmecophilous aphids and ants are based on the rich food supply that honeydew represents for ants and on the protection they provide against aphid natural enemies. While aphid predators and parasitoids actively forage for oviposition sites by using aphid semiochemicals, scouts of aphid-tending ant species would also benefit from locating honeyde...
متن کاملImpact of Linepithema humile and Tapinoma sessile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on three natural enemies of Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
1049-9644/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier Inc. A doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2010.05.013 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Silve Ants frequently protect honeydew-excreting hemipterans from their natural enemies in exchange for food, and these interactions can have a negative impact on biological control. Invasive ant species, such as the Argentine ant, Linepithe...
متن کاملIndian Bt Cotton Varieties Do Not Affect the Performance of Cotton Aphids
Cotton varieties expressing Cry proteins derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are grown worldwide for the management of pest Lepidoptera. To prevent non-target pest outbreaks and to retain the biological control function provided by predators and parasitoids, the potential risk that Bt crops may pose to non-target arthropods is addressed prior to their commercialization. ...
متن کامل