Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-21T18:52:51.316Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The impact of floral resources and omnivory on a four trophic level food web

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2008

M. Jonsson ,
S.D. Wratten ,
K.A. Robinson  and
S.A. Sam
M. Jonsson*
Affiliation:
Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
S.D. Wratten
Affiliation:
Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
K.A. Robinson
Affiliation:
Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
S.A. Sam
Affiliation:
Bio-Protection Research Centre, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +64-3-325 3864 E-mail: jonssom2@lincoln.ac.nz
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Omnivory is common among arthropods, but little is known about how availability of plant resources and prey affects interactions between species operating at the third and fourth trophic level. We used laboratory and field cage experiments to investigate how the provision of flowers affects an omnivorous lacewing, Micromus tasmaniae (Hemerobiidae) and its parasitoid Anacharis zealandica (Figitidae). The adult lacewing is a true omnivore that feeds on both floral resources and aphids, whereas the parasitoid is a life-history omnivore, feeding on lacewing larvae in the larval stage and floral nectar as an adult. We showed that the effect of floral resources (buckwheat) on lacewing oviposition depends on prey (aphid) density, having a positive effect only at low prey density and that buckwheat substantially increases the longevity of the adult parasitoid. In field cages, we tested how provision of flowering buckwheat affects the dynamics of a four trophic level system, comprising parasitoids, lacewings, pea aphids and alfalfa. We found that provision of buckwheat decreased the density of lacewings in the first phase of the experiment when the density of aphids was high. This effect was probably caused by increased rate of parasitism by the parasitoid, which benefits from the presence of buckwheat. Towards the end of the experiment when the aphid populations had declined to low levels, the effect of buckwheat on lacewing density became positive, probably because lacewings were starving in the no-buckwheat treatment. Although presence of buckwheat flowers did not affect aphid populations in the field cages, these findings highlight the need to consider multitrophic interactions when proposing provision of floral resources as a technique for sustainable pest management.

Keywords

food web complexityomnivoryfloral resourcesbiological controlfourth trophic level
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 99 , Issue 3 , June 2009 , pp. 275 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agrawal, A.A., Kobayashi, C. & Thaler, J.S. (1999) Influence of prey availability and induced host-plant resistance on omnivory by western flower thrips. Ecology 80, 518–523.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Araj, S.A., Wratten, S.D., Lister, A.J. & Buckley, H.L. (2008) Floral diversity, parasitoids and hyperparasitoids – A laboratory approach. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 588–597.Google Scholar
Baggen, L.R., Gurr, G.M. & Meats, A. (1999) Flowers in tri-trophic systems: mechanisms allowing selective exploitation by insect natural enemies for conservation biological control. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 91, 155–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berndt, L.A. & Wratten, S.D. (2005) Effects of alyssum flowers on the longevity, fecundity, and sex ratio of the leaf roller parasitoid Dolichogenidea tasmanica. Biological Control 32, 65–69.Google Scholar
Coll, M. & Guershon, M. (2002) Omnivory in terrestrial arthropods: mixing plant and prey diets. Annual Review of Entomology 47, 267–297.Google Scholar
Crum, D.A., Weiser, L.A. & Stamp, N.E. (1998) Effects of prey scarcity and plant material as a dietary supplement on an insect predator. Oikos 81, 549–557.Google Scholar
Ellis, J.A., Walter, A.D., Tooker, J.F., Ginzel, M.D., Reagel, P.F., Lacey, E.S., Bennet, A.B., Grossman, E.M. & Hanks, L.M. (2005) Conservation biological control in urban landscapes: Manipulating parasitoids of bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) with flowering forbs. Biological Control 34, 99–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eubanks, M.D. & Denno, R.F. (1999) The ecological consequences of variation in plants and prey for an omnivorous insect. Ecology 80, 1253–1266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eubanks, M.D. & Denno, R.F. (2000) Host plants mediate omnivore-herbivore interactions and influence prey suppression. Ecology 81, 936–947.Google Scholar
Eubanks, M.D. & Styrsky, J.D. (2005) Effects of plant feeding on the performance of omnivorous ‘predators’. pp. 148–177in Wäckers, F.L., van Rijn, P.C.J. & Bruin, J. (Eds) Plant-Provided Food for Carnivorous Insects: A Protective Mutualism and its Applications. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Faria, C.A., Wäckers, F.L. & Turlings, T.C.J. (2008) The nutritional value of aphid honeydew for non-aphid parasitoids. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 286–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flanders, S.E. (1950) Regulation of ovulation and egg disposal in the parasitic Hymenoptera. The Canadian Entomologist 82, 134–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fouly, A.H., Abou-Setta, M.M. & Childers, C.C. (1995) Effects of diet on the biology and life tables of Typhlodromalus peregrinus (Acari: Phytoseidae). Environmental Entomology 24, 870–878.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurr, G.M., Wratten, S.D. & Altieri, M.A. (Eds) (2004) Ecological Engineering for Pest Management: Advances in Habitat Manipulation for Arthropods. 232 pp. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickman, J.M. & Wratten, S.D. (1996) Use of Phacelia tanacetifolia flower strips to enhance biological control of aphids by hoverfly larvae in cereal fields. Journal of Economic Entomology 89, 832–840.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jervis, M.A. & Kidd, N.A.C. (1986) Host-feeding strategies in hymenopteran parasitoids. Biological Reviews 61, 395–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jervis, M.A. & Kidd, N.A.C. (1996) Phytophagy. pp. 375–394in Jervis, M.A. & Kidd, N.A.C. (Eds) Insect Natural Enemies. London, Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiman, Z.B. & Yeargan, K.V. (1985) Development and reproduction of the predator Orius insidiosus (hemiptera: Anthocoridae) reared on diets of selected plant material and arthropod prey. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 78, 464–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landis, D.A., Wratten, S.D. & Gurr, G.M. (2000) Habitat management to conserve natural enemies of arthropod pests in agriculture. Annual Review of Entomology 45, 175–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lavandero, B., Wratten, S., Shishebor, P. & Worner, S. (2005) Enhancing the effectiveness of the parasitoid Diadegma semiclausum (Helen): Movement after use of nectar in the field. Biological Control 34, 152–158.Google Scholar
Lavandero, B.I., Wratten, S.D., Didham, R.K. & Gurr, G.M. (2006) Increasing floral diversity for selective enhancement of biological control agents: a double-edged sward? Basic and Applied Ecology 7, 236–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leathwick, D.M. (1989) Applied ecology of the Tasmanian Lacewing Micromus tasmaniae Walker (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). PhD thesis, Lincoln College, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Lee, J. & Heimpel, G.E. (2008) Floral resources impact longevity and oviposition rate of a parasitoid in the field. Journal of Animal Ecology 77, 565–572.Google Scholar
Limburg, D.D. & Rosenheim, J.A. (2001) Extrafloral nectar consumption and its influence on survival and development of an omnivorous predator, larval Chrysoperla plorabunda (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Environmental Entomology 30, 595–604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lingren, P.D. & Lukefahr, M.J. (1977) Effects of nectariless cotton on caged populations of Compolestis sonorensis. Environmental Entomology 6, 586–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundgren, J.G. & Wiedenmann, R.N. (2004) Nutritional suitability of corn pollen for the predator Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Journal of Insect Physiology 50, 567–575.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noble, M.D. (1958) A simplified clip cage for aphid investigations. Canadian Entomologist 90, 760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pimm, S.L. & Lawton, J.H. (1978) On feeding on more than one trophic level. Nature 275, 542–544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polis, G.A. & Holt, R.D. (1992) Intraguild predation: the dynamics of complex trophic interactions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 7, 151–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Polis, G.A. & Strong, D.R. (1996) Food web complexity and community dynamics. American Naturalist 147, 813–846.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pontin, D.R., Wade, M.R., Kehrli, P. & Wratten, S.D. (2006) Attractiveness of single and multiple species flower patches to beneficial insects in agroecosystems. Annals of Applied Biology 148, 39–47.Google Scholar
Robinson, K.A., Jonsson, M., Wratten, S.D., Wade, M.R. & Buckley, H.L. (2008) Implications of floral resources for predation by an omnivorous lacewing. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 172–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenheim, J.A. (1998) Higher-order predators and the regulation of insect herbivore populations. Annual Review of Entomology 43, 421–447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tooker, J.F. & Hanks, L.M. (2000) Flowering plant hosts of adult Hymenopteran parasitoids of central Illinois. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 93, 580–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tylianakis, J.M., Didham, R.K. & Wratten, S.D. (2004) Improved fitness of aphid parasitoids receiving resource subsidies. Ecology 85, 658–666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Rijn, P.C.J. & Sabelis, M.W. (2005) Impact of plant-provided food on herbivore-carnivore dynamics. pp. 223–266in Wäckers, F.L., van Rijn, P.C.J. & Bruin, J. (Eds) Plant-Provided Food for Carnivorous Insects: A Protective Mutualism and its Applications. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wäckers, F.L. (2000) Do oligosaccharides reduce the suitability of honeydew for predators and parasitoids? Further facet to the function of insect-synthesized honeydew sugars. Oikos 90, 197–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wäckers, F.L. & van Rijn, P.C.J. (2005) Food for protection: an introduction. pp. 1–14in Wäckers, F.L., van Rijn, P.C.J. & Bruin, J. (Eds) Plant-Provided Food for Carnivorous Insects: A Protective Mutualism and its Applications. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Wäckers, F.L., van Rijn, P.C.J. & Heimpel, G.E. (2008) Honeydew as a food source for natural enemies. Biological Control 45, 176–184.Google Scholar
Wade, M.R. & Wratten, S.D. (2007) Excised or intact inflorescences? Methodological effects on parasitoid wasp longevity. Biological Control 40, 347–354.Google Scholar
Wanner, H., Gu, H. & Dorn, S. (2006) Nutritional value of floral nectar sources for flight in the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata. Physiological Entomology 31, 127–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wei, Q. & Walde, S.J. (1997) The functional response of Typhlodromus pyri to its prey, Panonychus ulmi: The effect of pollen. Experimental and Applied Acarology 21, 677–684.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, A.J., Wratten, S.D., Berry, N.A. & Weigmann, U. (1995) Habitat manipulation to enhance biological control of Brassica pests by hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 88, 1171–1176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar