Predator avoidance in phytophagous mites: response to present danger depends on alternative host quality |
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Authors: | Yasuyuki Choh Junji Takabayashi |
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Institution: | (1) Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsuka 509-3, Hirano, Kamitanakami, Otsu 520-2113, Japan;(2) CREST of Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Kawaguchi, Japan |
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Abstract: | We studied whether volatiles released by putative host plants affect the antipredator response of an herbivorous mite, Tetranychus urticae, when the patch was invaded by Phytoseiulus persimilis. Tetranychus urticae laid a lower number of eggs on tomato leaves than on lima bean leaves, suggesting that lima bean is a preferred host food
source for T. urticae. In addition, T. urticae preferred lima bean plant volatiles to tomato plant volatiles in a Y-tube olfactometer test. To investigate the antipredator
response of T. urticae, we examined the migration of T. urticae from a lima bean leaf disc to a neighbouring leaf disc (either a tomato or lima bean leaf disc) when ten predators were introduced
into the original lima bean disc. A Parafilm bridge allowed for migration between the leaf discs. No migrations occurred between
leaf discs when there were no predators introduced to the original leaf disc. However, when predators were introduced migrations
did occur. When the neighbouring leaf disc was upwind of the original disc, the migration rate of the mite from original lima
bean leaf disc to a neighbouring tomato leaf disc was significantly lower than that to a neighbouring lima bean leaf disc.
By contrast, when the neighbouring leaf disc was downwind of the original leaf disc, there was no difference in the migration
rates between lima bean leaf discs and tomato leaf discs. The number of T. urticae killed by P. persimilis for each treatment was not different, and this clearly shows that the danger was the same in all treatments regardless of
the decision made by T. urticae. From these results, we conclude that T. urticae change their antipredator response by evaluating the difference in host plant volatiles in the patch they inhabit. |
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Keywords: | Antipredator response Phytoseiulus persimilis Plant volatiles Predator– prey interaction Tetranychus urticae |
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