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Insects
Special Issues
Trophic Resources for Parasitoids in Agroecosystems
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Trophic Resources for Parasitoids in Agroecosystems

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 5300

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Blas Lavandero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Control Biológico, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Interests: aphid parasitoids; insect–insect interactions; conservation biological control; dispersal of natural enemies
Prof. Dr. Bruno Jaloux

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, 49045 Angers, France
Interests: aphid parasitoids; trophic resource; foraging strategy; conservation biological control; intercropping
Dr. Ainara Peñalver-Cruz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, 49045 Angers, France
Interests: biological control; applied ecology; landscape ecology and biodiversity; entomology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural land use and its disruption of natural landscapes threaten the provision of ecosystem services such as biological control by natural enemies because of habitat simplification and management intensification. Maintaining diversified surrounding non-crop habitat may improve biological control of crop pests by benefiting natural enemies (predators and parasitoids).

Farm-scale management practices such as flower strips, beetle banks, intercropping or inter-row vegetation have proven to bolster enemy abundance and richness, contributing to increased pest control. The enhancement of plant biodiversity, through enrichment of the farm matrix, could increase the abundance and/or diversity of natural enemies by creating complex habitats that provide shelter (overwintering and insecticide applications), or by providing trophic resources such as nectar, alternative hosts/prey and pollen, but the extent to which it can subsidize the direct suppressive effects on pests needs to be measured across different spatial and landscape scales. In particular, plant-derived food such as floral and extrafloral nectar is an important sugar source for adult parasitoids, and its availability can impact longevity, fecundity and host exploitation efficiency. Honeydew produced by phloem sap-feeding insects may be the most available food source for parasitoids of phloem sap feeders in the field. Therefore, it is key to understand all trophic resources used by natural enemies.

In the following SI, we will focus on which and where these trophic resources are present, and how they affect biological control of pests by parasitoid insects.

Prof. Dr. Blas Lavandero
Prof. Dr. Bruno Jaloux
Dr. Ainara Peñalver-Cruz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aphid parasitoids
  • insect–insect interactions
  • trophic resource
  • foraging strategy
  • conservation biological control
  • agroecosystems

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2083 KiB  
Article
Trophic Interactions of Ceutorhynchinae spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with Their Host Plants (Brassicaceae) and Their Parasitoids in the Agroecosystem of Quebec, Canada
by Claudine Desroches, Joseph Moisan-De Serres, Émilien Rodrigue, Geneviève Labrie and Éric Lucas
Insects 2023, 14(7), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14070607 - 05 Jul 2023
Viewed by 791
Abstract
The genus Ceutorhynchus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is composed of canola pests, natural enemies of Brassicaceae, and other species associated with non-crop and non-weed plants. This study aimed to establish trophic associations of Ceutorhynchus with their host plants and with their parasitoids in the [...] Read more.
The genus Ceutorhynchus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is composed of canola pests, natural enemies of Brassicaceae, and other species associated with non-crop and non-weed plants. This study aimed to establish trophic associations of Ceutorhynchus with their host plants and with their parasitoids in the agricultural landscape, in order to assess the actual beneficial or noxious ecological roles of the insects. Trophic associations were established by identifying Ceutorhynchus species and their parasitoids emerging from collected Brassicaceae plants in areas adjacent to canola fields and other crops in 2019 and 2020. Five Ceutorhynchus species were collected and identified as hosts of parasitoids in the families Pteromalidae and Eulophidae. Two functional groups were characterized: natural enemies of weeds and agricultural pests. The exotic wormseed wallflower, Erysimum cheiranthoides was identified as a new host plant of the invasive canola pest Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham), and the native tower rockcress, Arabis glabra, as a new host plant of the native Ceutorhynchus neglectus Blatchley. Association between the exotic Ceutorhynchus typhae (Herbst) and a parasitoid of the genus Elachertodomyia is reported for the first time. Finally, Ceutorhynchus neglectus and C. typhae hosted the exotic parasitoid Trichomalus perfectus, an important natural enemy of C. obstrictus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trophic Resources for Parasitoids in Agroecosystems)
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11 pages, 1221 KiB  
Article
Honeydew Is a Food Source and a Contact Kairomone for Aphelinus mali
by Ainara Peñalver-Cruz, Pascale Satour, Bruno Jaloux and Blas Lavandero
Insects 2023, 14(5), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14050426 - 29 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1565
Abstract
Many parasitoids need to feed on sugar sources at the adult stage. Although nectar has been proven to be a source of higher nutritional quality compared to honeydew excreted by phloem feeders, the latter can provide the necessary carbohydrates for parasitoids and increase [...] Read more.
Many parasitoids need to feed on sugar sources at the adult stage. Although nectar has been proven to be a source of higher nutritional quality compared to honeydew excreted by phloem feeders, the latter can provide the necessary carbohydrates for parasitoids and increase their longevity, fecundity and host searching time. Honeydew is not only a trophic resource for parasitoids, but it can also constitute an olfactory stimulus involved in host searching. In this study, we combined longevity measurements in the laboratory, olfactometry and feeding history inference of individuals caught in the field to test the hypothesis that honeydew excreted by the aphid Eriosoma lanigerum could serve as a trophic resource for its parasitoid Aphelinus mali as well as a kairomone used by the parasitoid to discover its hosts. Results indicate that honeydew increased longevity of A. mali females if water was provided. Water could be necessary to feed on this food source because of its viscosity and its coating by wax. The presence of honeydew allowed longer stinging events by A. mali on E. lanigerum. However, no preference towards honeydew was observed, when given the choice. The role of honeydew excreted by E. lanigerum on A. mali feeding and searching behavior to increase its efficiency as a biological control agent is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trophic Resources for Parasitoids in Agroecosystems)
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11 pages, 952 KiB  
Article
Conservation Biological Control of Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella): Effects of Two Aromatic Plants, Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and French Marigolds (Tagetes patula)
by Ludivine Laffon, Armin Bischoff, Hélène Gautier, Florent Gilles, Laurent Gomez, Françoise Lescourret and Pierre Franck
Insects 2022, 13(10), 908; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13100908 - 06 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2183
Abstract
The addition of flowering companion plants within or around crop fields is a promising strategy to strengthen pest regulation by their natural enemies. Aromatic plants are frequently used as companion plants, but their effects on natural enemies remain unclear under field conditions. Here, [...] Read more.
The addition of flowering companion plants within or around crop fields is a promising strategy to strengthen pest regulation by their natural enemies. Aromatic plants are frequently used as companion plants, but their effects on natural enemies remain unclear under field conditions. Here, we evaluated the effects of two aromatic plant species on the parasitism of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and the recruitment of predatory arthropods (spiders, earwigs) in a factorial field experiment. Apple trees were intercropped with basil (Ocimum basilicum), French marigolds (Tagetes patula), or ryegrass (Lolium perenne). The association between apple trees and O. basilicum increases codling moth parasitism, but does not affect arthropod predator abundances. Furthermore, we find a general negative effect of T. patula on arthropod diversities and abundances, including the pest and its natural enemies. Finally, changes in the parasitism rate and arthropod community structure due to the aromatic plants do not reduce codling moth density or associated apple damage. Further experiments are needed to determine the mechanisms involved in aromatic plant effects on pest repellence and on natural enemy recruitment (volatile organic compound composition, floral resource supply, or pest density dependence). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trophic Resources for Parasitoids in Agroecosystems)
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