Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella Calmariensis and Myzus Lythri, Feeding on Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum

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Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella Calmariensis and Myzus Lythri, Feeding on Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum University of Kentucky UKnowledge Entomology Faculty Publications Entomology 1-1-2007 Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella calmariensis and Myzus lythri, Feeding on Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and Two Insect Predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea Bethzayda Matos Iowa State University John J. Obrycki University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits oy u. Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub Part of the Entomology Commons Repository Citation Matos, Bethzayda and Obrycki, John J., "Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella calmariensis and Myzus lythri, Feeding on Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and Two Insect Predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea" (2007). Entomology Faculty Publications. 66. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/66 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Entomology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Entomology Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Trophic Interactions Between Two Herbivorous Insects, Galerucella calmariensis and Myzus lythri, Feeding on Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and Two Insect Predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea Notes/Citation Information Published in Journal of Insect Science, v. 7, no. 1, p. 1-8. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Digital Object Identifier (DOI) http://dx.doi.org/10.1673/031.007.3001 This article is available at UKnowledge: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/66 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org ISSN: 1536-2442 Trophic interactions between two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis and Myzus lythri, feeding on purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and two insect predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea Bethzayda Matos and John J. Obrycki1 Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011 1 Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40546 Abstract The effects of two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis Duftschmid and Myzus lythri L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), feeding on purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L. (Myrtiflorae: Lythraceae), were measured in the presence of two insect predators, Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). A greenhouse cage experiment examined the direct effects of these predators on these herbivores, and indirect effects of predation on aboveground biomass, defoliation, number of leaves, and internode length. Eight treatment combinations with G. calmariensis, M. lythri, H. axyridis and C. carnea were applied to caged L. salicaria. The experiment ended when G. calmariensis adults were observed, 11 to 13 days after release of first instar G. calmariensis. G. calmariensis larvae alone removed significant amounts of leaf tissue and reduced the number of L. salicaria leaves. Predators did not reduce levels of defoliation by G. calmariensis. C. carnea had no effect on G. calmariensis survival, but H. axyridis reduced G. calmariensis survival in the presence of M. lythri. Both predators reduced the survival of M. lythri. This short duration greenhouse study did not demonstrate that predator-prey interactions altered herbivore effects on L. salicaria. Keywords: trophic cascade, biological control of weeds, predator-prey interactions Correspondence: [email protected], [email protected] Received: 16 May 2006 | Accepted: 26 October 2006 | Published: 10 May 2007 Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed. ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 7, Number 30 Cite this paper as: Matos B, Obrycki JJ. 2007. Trophic interactions between two herbivorous insects, Galerucella calmariensis and Myzus lythri, feeding on purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, and two insect predators, Harmonia axyridis and Chrysoperla carnea. 8pp. Journal of Insect Science 7:30, available online: insectscience.org/7.30 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 7 | Article 30 1 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org ISSN: 1536-2442 Introduction In biological control, interactions are considered when multiple natural enemy species are Purple loostrife, Lythrum salicaria L. introduced into a new habitat. Multiple agents are (Myrtiflorae: Lythraceae) is an invasive weed with believed to increase cumulative stress on weeds high fecundity that displaces native vegetation (Myers 1985). Competing insects, located in the (Thompson et al. 1987; Balough and Bookhout same areas of the plant, increase destruction of 1989; Blossey et al. 2001). In the early 1990s, two the plant, thus reducing plant growth (Harris species of herbivorous insects, Galerucella 1981). calmariensis L. and Galerucella pusilla Duftschmid (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were G. calmariensis larvae and M. lythri adults and introduced in North America to reduce L. nymphs are suitable prey for preimaginal salicaria density (Hight et al. 1995). Since 1994, development of the predatory insects, more than 1.4 million individual Galerucella spp. Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: have been released in Iowa wetlands (J.J. Chrysopidae), and Harmonia axyridis Pallas Obrycki, unpublished data). In a field cage study, (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) (Matos and Obrycki Cortilet (1998) demonstrated that the percentage 2006). M. lythri was highly suitable prey for H. defoliation and terminal bud damage of L. axyridis and C. carnea (survival of 80% and 61%, salicaria increased with increasing G. respectively), whereas G. calmariensis was highly calmariensis larval density. After 47 days, 50 G. suitable prey for C. carnea (survival of 76%), but calmariensis larvae caused 25% defoliation and less suitable for H. axyridis (survival of 27%) more than 20 terminal buds per stem were (Matos and Obrycki 2006). damaged (Cortilet 1998). In a second cage study, ten L. salicaria plants were enclosed with 45 G. Predator-prey interactions have the potential to pusilla eggs in individual cages for 35 days be detrimental to suppression of L. salicaria resulting in 14% defoliation (Wiebe 2001). through trophic cascades. A trophic cascade Additionally, Katovich et al. (1999) released 50 occurs when top predators have an indirect Galerucella spp. adults and larvae on caged L. influence on the abundance of plant species via salicaria plants for two months, resulting in an their effect on the number of herbivores present average of 86% defoliation. (Schmitz et al. 2000). A field study in Sweden, demonstrated that defoliation of L. salicaria by G. Myzus lythri (Schrank) (Homoptera: Aphididae), calmariensis is higher when fewer insect first recorded in the U.S. in the 1930s (Gillette predators are present (Hamback et al. 2000). and Palmer 1934), was observed feeding on L. These results indicated that G. calmariensis salicaria in Indiana in 1992 (Voegtlin 1995). In a abundance is affected by predation by lady beetles greenhouse study, significantly lower dry weight (Hamback et al. 2000). In North American of roots and shoots were observed for plants wetlands infested with L. salicaria, predation has infested with M. lythri, compared to plants been reported on Galerucella spp. eggs and larvae without aphids (Voegtlin 1995). (Sebolt and Landis 2004; Wiebe and Obrycki 2004). Previous studies have shown negative effects on L. salicaria when either M. lythri (Voegtlin 1995) or The objectives of this study were twofold; to G. calmariensis were the only herbivorous species determine if two herbivorous species (G. (Cortilet 1998; Wiebe 2001; Katovich et al. 1999; calmariensis and M. lythri) have an additive Landis et al. 2003; Denoth and Myers 2005). negative effect on selected plant measurements, However, to our knowledge no studies have and, second, whether the presence of insect examined interactions of G. calmariensis and M. predators that consume the herbivores reduce the lythri on L. salicaria. A previous discussion of the effects of herbivory on L. salicaria, causing an potential for biological control of L. salicaria indirect effect on the plant. predicted that combinations of insect herbivores would have a greater negative effect on L. salicaria than single herbivorous species (Malecki Materials and Methods et al. 1993). Interspecific interactions of these Insect cultures herbivores on L. salicaria allow one to test G. calmariensis adults and M. lythri adults and whether an additive effect reduces L. salicaria nymphs were reared on L. salicaria plants; pea biomass, or if interspecific competition between aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) the herbivores inhibits reduction of L. salicaria. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) were reared on fava Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 7 | Article 30 2 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org ISSN: 1536-2442 Table 1. Eight predator-prey combination treatments. Treatments
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