Effects of leaf beetle damage on stem wood production in coppicing willow

1 The effect of defoliation by larvae of the leaf beetle Phratora vulgatissima on current‐year stem wood production of resprouting Salix viminalis was investigated for two years. Adjacent subplots with varying levels of defoliation within one large willow plantation in south Sweden were studied in the two years. 2 High defoliation levels reduced stem wood production by an average of 32 and 39% in the two years, respectively. 3 Medium defoliation levels reduced stem wood production by 16% in one year. In the other year, the stem wood production of medium‐defoliated stools did not differ significantly from stools exposed to low defoliation, i.e. there was full compensatory growth. 4 The main difference between the year with compensatory growth and the one without was that overall productivity was higher in the year with compensation. This finding forms the basis for a mechanistic model by which compensation could be accomplished. We propose that the major contribution to full compensation comes from an increased growth among intermediate‐sized shoots of medium‐defoliated stools relative to the corresponding shoots in stools exposed to low defoliation.     

Descriptions of a broad-nosed weevil (Eudiagogini: Curculionidae) and false ladybird beetle (Nilionini: Nilionidae) in Dominican amber

A broad-nosed weevil, Promecops tumidirostris n. sp. (Eudiagogini: Curculionidae), and a false ladybird beetle, Nilio dominicana n. sp. (Nilionini: Nilionidae), are described from Dominican amber. P. tumidirostris can be distinguished from extant species by the greatly swollen apical portion of its rostrum, large eyes almost meeting on top of its head and a V-shaped suture separating the first and second abdominal sternites. N. dominicana differs from extant species by its small size and 18 elytral striae with small interstrial punctures. Neither tribe is represented in Hispaniola today, supporting earlier studies showing a greater biodiversity in the region during the mid-Tertiary than at present.     

Geographical dispersion of ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) based on climatic and biological characters in the Palearctic habitats

1. The accidentally introduced ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) is a most promising biological control agent for common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), which herbivore has already emerged in several areas of the Palearctic region.
2. The aim of our study was to model the expansion of O. communa and the number of generations in the various Palearctic regions. Furthermore, our objective was to determine the effect of the prevailing wind on the direction of its spread and to ascertain the relationship between the green biomass production of ragweed and individual numbers of this leaf beetle.
3. According to our meta-analytical findings, the advancement of O. communa is continuous in the Palearctic areas. This phytophagous insect invades new habitats, which are occupied by A. artemisiifolia, and spreads quickly. The stable populations of O. communa seem to be strictly linked to the presence of its primary host, A. artemisiifolia.
4. We show that the rapid spread of this insect is due to the combination of wind direction and topography features, which was reinforced by our analysis. O. communa possesses uniformly multivoltine populations in its Palearctic habitats. So, insects possessing facultative diapause are able to colonize northern areas depending on the presence of their host, which statement is based on the processing of 143 East- and 68 West-Palearctic records
5. According to our investigations, the mass appearance of this phytophagous insect coincided with the assimilation peak of its main host, common ragweed.

     

化学防治对不同类型棉田害虫和捕食性天敌群落多样性的影响

分析比较了化学防治对8种不同类型棉田害虫、捕食性天敌群落多样性的影响。研究结果表明,化学防治对棉田害虫、捕食性天敌群落的多样性指数、均匀性指数、丰富度及个体数的变化有较大的影响,尤其对捕食性天敌群落的影响显著。但这种作用依不同类型棉田或棉花不同生育阶段而异：化学防治对套作棉田害虫、捕食性天敌群落的影响较小,而对单作棉田和豆间棉棉田害虫、捕食性天敌群落的影响较大;晚播棉田害虫与捕食性天敌群落较早播棉田受化学防治的影响更大;化学防治对免耕棉田害虫、天敌群落的影响更大,非免耕棉田害虫、捕食性天敌群落受其干扰较小;春套棉边害虫、捕食性天敌群落与其它棉田类型相比,受化学防治的影响较少;棉花害虫在棉花生育前期对化学防治较棉花生育后期敏感,而捕食性天敌在棉花整个生育期均对化学防治敏感。     

The relative importance of herbivory and carnivory on the distribution of energy in a stochastic tri-trophic food web

A three-state, discrete-time Markov chain is used to model the dynamics of energy flow in a tri-trophic food web. The distribution of energy in the three trophic levels is related to the rates of flow between the trophic levels and calculated for the entire range of possible flow values. These distributions are then analysed for stability and used to test the idea that plants are resource-limited and herbivores are predation-limited. Low rates of death and decomposition, when coupled with low rates of herbivory and carnivory, tend to destabilize this food web. Food webs with higher rates of death and decomposition are relatively more stable regardless of rates of herbivory and carnivory. Plants are more prone to resource-limitation and herbivores are, in general, limited by their predators, which supports Hairston et al. (Am. Nat. 94 (1960) 421). The rate of decomposition often mediates the roles of top-down and bottom-up control of energy flow in the food web.     

Host plant variation in plant-mediated indirect effects: moth boring-induced susceptibility of willows to a specialist leaf beetle

Abstract.  1. We examined the plant-mediated indirect effects of the stem-boring moth Endoclita excrescens (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) on the leaf beetle Plagiodera versicolora (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in three willow species, Salix gilgiana , S. eriocarpa , and S. serissaefolia.
2. When the stem-boring moth larvae damaged stems in the previous year, willows were stimulated to produce vigorously growing lateral shoots on these stems. These new lateral shoots were significantly longer and the upper leaves had significantly higher nitrogen and water content than current-year shoots on unbored stems, although the carbon content and leaf dry mass were not different between lateral and current-year shoots.
3. In the field, leaf beetle larvae and adults had significantly greater densities on lateral shoots of bored stems than on current-year shoots of unbored stems. A laboratory experiment showed that female beetles had significantly greater mass and fecundity when fed on leaves of newly-emerged lateral shoots. Thus, the stem-boring moth had a positive effect on the temporally and spatially separated leaf beetle by increasing resource availability by inducing compensatory regrowth.
4. The strength of the indirect effects on the density and performance of the leaf beetle differed among willow species, because there was interspecific variation in host quality and herbivore-induced changes in plant traits. In particular, we suggest that the differences in magnitude of the changes among willow species in shoot length and leaf nitrogen content greatly affected the strength of the plant-regrowth mediated indirect effect, coupled with host-plant preference of the leaf beetle.     

A quantitative genetic analysis of leaf beetle larval performance on two natural hosts: including a mixed diet

Published quantitative genetic studies of larval performance on different host plants have always compared performance on one host species or genotype vs. performance on another species or genotype. The fact that some insects may feed on more than one plant species during their development has been neglected. We executed a quantitative genetic analysis of performance with larvae of the leaf beetle Oreinaelongata, raised on each of two sympatric host plants or on a mixture of them. Growth rate was higher for larvae feeding on Adenostylesalliariae, intermediate on the mixed diet and lowest on Cirsium spinosissimum. Development time was shortest on A. alliariae, intermediate on mixed diet and longest on C. spinosissimum. Survival was higher on the mixed diet than on both pure hosts. Genetic variation was present for all three performance traits but a genotype by host interaction was found only for growth rate. However, the reaction norms for growth rate are unlikely to evolve towards an optimal shape because of a lack of heritability of growth rate in each single environment. We found no negative genetic correlations for performance traits among hosts. Therefore, our results do not support a hypothesis predicting the existence of between‐host trade‐offs in performance when both hosts are sympatric with an insect population. We conclude that the evolution of host specialized genotypes is unlikely in the study population.     

Classical biological control of the cereal leaf beetle,Oulema melanopus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), in Washington State and rôle of field insectaries,a review

The cereal leaf beetle (CLB) Oulema melanopus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was considered a high risk to Washington State’s cereal grain production when the pest was found there in 1999. Biological control agents, which had proven successful in the Midwest, were introduced beginning in 2000. The parasitoids were released into field insectaries that were modified for the region and set up at CLB hotspots across the state. The egg parasitoid, Anaphes flavipes (Förster) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), failed to establish. The larval parasitoid, Tetrastichus julis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), established successfully at all insectaries. Assays of commercial grain fields showed the parasitoid dispersing widely beyond the insectaries. A proactive Extension programme enabled farmers to benefit from the biocontrol without applying insecticides to manage the CLB. A modified insectary, consisting of oat strips seeded between commercial fields of winter and spring wheat, demonstrated potential as a way for farmers to increase parasitoid populations on their land. Within 5 years of first overwintering, T. julis had established across the state and was effectively suppressing CLB.     

Occurrence and impact of the parasitic mite Linobia coccinellae on its host beetle Chrysomela populi: implications for its potential as a biological control agent

Due to social demands with regard to sustainability and ecological considerations, an aim of current research in short-rotation coppices (SRC) is to find effective candidates for biological control of pest species. The great red poplar leaf beetle, Chrysomela populi L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most harmful pests in the SRC. The endoparasitic mite Linobia coccinellae (Scopoli) (Acari: Astigmata, Hemisarcoptidae) lives under the elytra of C. populi and feeds on the beetles' hemolymph. The population dynamics of the mites and their impact on the fecundity and longevity of female beetles were examined in two experiments. To study the occurrence of the mites, beetles were collected from two poplar SRC sites in Germany on three dates. Infestation rates of collected male and female C. populi individuals increased over the course of the year and reached 78–97% in the last survey. Females were parasitized more often than males at any time. For the second part of the study, beetles were reared under laboratory conditions to study the development of the mites and their impact on the hosts. For this purpose, half of the females were actively seeded with five adult females of L. coccinellae and the other half was used as a control. There was no significant impact on longevity or reproductive traits of the beetles. Despite the high rates of infestation, it appears that the mites do not have a serious effect on female beetles. Thus L. coccinellae, by itself, is not an effective biological control agent against C. populi. However, it remains to be investigated whether the mites increase the beetles' susceptibility to other biotic and abiotic factors, and so may contribute to an integrated pest management regime with multiple antagonists.