Dataset Information

Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Interspecific competition in insect parasitoids is an important ecological phenomenon that has relevant implications for biological pest control. To date, interspecific intrinsic (=larval) competition has been intensively studied, while investigations on extrinsic (=adult) competition have often lagged behind. In this study we examined the role played by parasitoid reproductive traits and host clutch size on the outcome of extrinsic competition between Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev), two egg parasitoids of the pest Nezara viridula (L). Laboratory experiments were conducted by allowing both parasitoid species to exploit an egg mass made of 10, 20, 30, or 40 hosts through single or simultaneous releases. Furthermore, under field conditions, egg masses consisting of 10 or 40 hosts were exposed in a tomato crop in order to validate laboratory investigation.

Results

The results show that the egg mass size is an important predictor of extrinsic competition in our study system as a higher proportion of T. basalis emerged from large egg masses, while O. telenomicida dominated in small egg masses. Analysis of reproductive traits of parasitoid species indicates that T. basalis has superior abilities in host exploitation compared with O. telenomicida.

Conclusions

We found that contrasting reproductive traits of two competing egg parasitoid species facilitate coexistence on a shared stink bug host. This work also highlights the importance to consider extrinsic competitive interactions between parasitoid species in a biological control perspective. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

SUBMITTER: Cusumano A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9541709 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective.

Cusumano Antonino A Peri Ezio E Alınç Tuğcan T Colazza Stefano S

Pest management science 20220526 8

<h4>Background</h4>Interspecific competition in insect parasitoids is an important ecological phenomenon that has relevant implications for biological pest control. To date, interspecific intrinsic (=larval) competition has been intensively studied, while investigations on extrinsic (=adult) competition have often lagged behind. In this study we examined the role played by parasitoid reproductive traits and host clutch size on the outcome of extrinsic competition between Trissolcus basalis (Woll ...[more]

PMID: 35513347

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Project description:Bacterial communities are often exposed to temporal variations in resource availability, which exceed bacterial generation times and thereby affect bacterial coexistence. Bacterial population dynamics are also shaped by bacteriophages, which are a main cause of bacterial mortality. Several strategies are proposed in the literature to describe infections by phages, such as "Killing the Winner", "Piggyback the loser" (PtL) or "Piggyback the Winner" (PtW). The two temperate phage strategies PtL and PtW are defined by a change from lytic to lysogenic infection when the host density changes, from high to low or from low to high, respectively. To date, the occurrence of different phage strategies and their response to environmental variability is poorly understood. In our study, we developed a microbial trophic network model using ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and performed 'in silico' experiments. To model the switch from the lysogenic to the lytic cycle, we modified the lysis rate of infected bacteria and their growth was turned on or off using a density-dependent switching point. We addressed whether and how the different phage strategies facilitate bacteria coexistence competing for limiting resources. We also studied the impact of a fluctuating resource inflow to evaluate the response of the different phage strategies to environmental variability. Our results show that the viral shunt (i.e. nutrient release after bacterial lysis) leads to an enrichment of the system. This enrichment enables bacterial coexistence at lower resource concentrations. We were able to show that an established, purely lytic model leads to stable bacterial coexistence despite fluctuating resources. Both temperate phage models differ in their coexistence patterns. The model of PtW yields stable bacterial coexistence at a limited range of resource supply and is most sensitive to resource fluctuations. Interestingly, the purely lytic phage strategy and PtW both result in stable bacteria coexistence at oligotrophic conditions. The PtL model facilitates stable bacterial coexistence over a large range of stable and fluctuating resource inflow. An increase in bacterial growth rate results in a higher resilience to resource variability for the PtL and the lytic infection model. We propose that both temperate phage strategies represent different mechanisms of phages coping with environmental variability. Our study demonstrates how phage strategies can maintain bacterial coexistence in constant and fluctuating environments.

Dataset Information

Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective.

Background

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective.

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