Ecology of Arachnida alien to Europe

The ecology of selected species of spiders (Araneae), harvestmen (Opiliones), and the neglected tropical order Schizomida, alien to Europe, is discussed. Their geographic origins and pathways of introduction, by transportation with goods, are similar to other predatory terrestrial arthropods. Occurrence in buildings (synanthropy) is a prerequisite for range expansion in many arachnid species. Thelytokous parthenogenesis facilitated spread of a few spider, harvestman and schizomid species outside their native range. Both prey generalists and specialists (woodlice-eating Dysdera crocata and ant-eating Zodarion rubidum) are among species successfully expanding their range. Alien arachnids include individual species belonging to many different families. We stress the absence of true invasiveness of alien arachnids in Europe. Some unusual adverse effects of alien arachnids were recorded, such as pollution of buildings and clogged car fuel system ventilation tubes. Frequency of painful biting and threat to native biota are low.     

板蓝根田节肢动物群落的结构与多样性研究

为了解河南省板蓝根田节肢动物群落的结构组成及物种多样性,该研究采用5点随机取样,通过网捕法和目测法调查并记录了板蓝根植株及地面上的节肢动物种类和数量。结果表明:河南省板蓝根田节肢动物群落物种丰富,共采集到2 613头,隶属于2纲10目39科61种。其中,植食性种类和捕食性种类均为24种(各占39.34%),寄生性种类4种(占6.56%),中性种类9种(占14.75%)。蜘蛛的种类占群落总种数的比例最高(为21.31%),表明田间的蜘蛛种类最丰富。鳞翅目物种的个体数量远大于其他的目,占群落个体数的43.78%。菜青虫和小菜蛾的相对丰盛度最高,分别为0.184 8和0.162 6,说明二者是河南省板蓝根田的优势害虫。捕食性集团的均匀度指数最高,寄生性集团的优势度指数最高,其中小菜蛾幼虫的寄生性天敌菜蛾盘绒茧蜂的数量最大。     

Alien arthropod predators and parasitoids: an ecological approach

Invasive alien species (IAS) coupled with climate change have been referred to as a “deadly duo”. Until recently research on invasion biology has centred mainly on alien plants and vertebrates, despite the numerical dominance of alien arthropods. Arthropods are the largest group of IAS worldwide and many can play a beneficial role, particularly in controlling insect and mite pests. Indeed, 1590 terrestrial arthropod species have been identified as alien to Europe but only a fraction has been shown to cause either an ecological or economical impact, yet knowledge is severely limited by a paucity of data. The IOBC/WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” developed the theme of this special issue to begin to address the limitations in understanding of this important research area. It represents a timely synthesis of current ecological knowledge and research on alien arthropod predators and parasitoids.     

Predatory arthropod community composition in apple orchards: Orchard management,landscape structure and sampling method

Studies on predatory arthropods in agricultural areas seldom include Diptera other than hoverflies, partly because common sampling methods are less effective for capturing species that easily fly off when disturbed. To study the effect from this bias when describing the predator community, we compared traditional beat sampling of branches and suction sampling for describing the community of predatory arthropods in Swedish apple orchards, both organic orchards and orchards using integrated pest management (IPM). Our results indicate that the proportion of both predatory dipterans and parasitic hymenopterans increase dramatically when using suction sampling (Diptera: 32% vs. 20%, Hymenoptera: 25% vs. 7%). In fact, predatory dipterans were the most abundant predatory group when using suction sampling, in contrast to beat sampling where spiders were the most abundant group. One group of predatory flies that was particularly rich in both species and individuals in the surveyed apple orchards was dance flies in the family Hybotidae. Even though the bias of sampling method was evident, it was encouraging that the method choice did not affect the conclusions concerning management on predatory arthropod communities. With both methods, dipteran and coleopteran predators were more abundant in organic apple orchards whereas opilionids were more abundant in orchards managed according to IPM. The inclusion of landscape variables further indicated effects of landscape diversity and of deciduous forest cover, but the response varied in sign between predatory groups. Whereas both Coleoptera and Heteroptera were more abundant in orchards surrounded by more complex landscapes (high landscape diversity and/or high deciduous forest cover), spiders, opilionids and dipterans were rather less abundant in these orchards. To conclude, our study points to the potential importance of predatory dipterans in apple orchards, and we highly recommend future studies of arthropod predators in apple and other crops to actively include predatory Diptera.     

North American arthropods at risk due to widespread Fraxinus mortality caused by the Alien Emerald ash borer

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (EAB), an alien invasive wood-boring buprestid beetle, is causing large-scale decline and mortality of the most widely distributed species of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees endemic to eastern North America. We determined which arthropod species that are associated with ash may become threatened, endangered, and co-extinct with the demise of ash as a dominant tree species. A literature survey revealed that 43 native arthropod species in six taxonomic groups (Arachnida: Acari; Hexapoda: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera) are known to be associated only with ash trees for either feeding or breeding purposes, and thus face high risk of endangerment. Most of these species are gall-formers followed by folivores, subcortical phloem/xylem feeders, sap feeders, and seed predators. Another 30 arthropod species are associated with 1–2 host plants in addition to ash, and herbivory on these hosts may increase as these arthropods shift from declining ash trees. Extirpation of arthropods dependent upon ash may unleash multiple extinctions of affiliated species with which they may be inextricably linked. The demise of North American ash species due to EAB is expected to lead to biotic loss with cascading ecological impacts and altered processes within forested ecosystems.     

Arthropods associated with the crown of Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) palm trees in three different environments from Brazilian Cerrado

Canopy arthropods, mainly from palm trees, are little known in the Brazilian Cerrado. In order to describe the arthropod community structure associated with the crown of Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae), we sampled 150 palm trees in six "veredas" of the Federal District, Brazil, in wild, rural and periurban areas in the rainy season. The arthropods within abandoned bird nests, mammal refuges, leaves and organic matter were manually collected, preserved in ethanol 70% and separated by order, family, morphospecies and feeding guilds. Stem height and diameter of the palm crowns were measured and leaves and bird nests were counted. We collected 3,862 arthropods, from 15 orders, 45 families and 135 morphospecies. The most abundant orders were Coleoptera (28.6%), Blattodea (21.8%), Collembola (11.4%) and Hemiptera (10.2%). The families Blaberidae, Entomobryidae, Reduviidae, Oniscidae, Staphylinidae, Carabidae and Formicidae, represented 82.1% of all individuals collected. The majority of morphospecies was not abundant, 71 (52.6%) were represented by less than 1 individual/tree. Coleopterans accounted for the highest number of morphospecies (43.7%) followed by Araneae (20.0%). The analysis of the arthropod feeding guilds showed prevalence of predatory/hematophagous ones (36.0%). Arthropod richness and abundance presented smaller values for periurban environment. The number of bird nests presented positive correlation with abundance and richness; this was not found when considering the measurements of the palm trees. The importance of M. flexuosa for the maintenance of the arthropod fauna of the "veredas" in Cerrado biome is discussed.     

Comparative footprint of alien, agricultural and restored vegetation on surface-active arthropods

Both invasive alien trees and agricultural conversion have major impacts on biodiversity. We studied here the comparative impact of these two types of land transformation on a wide range of surface-active arthropod species using pitfall traps, with evergreen sclerophyllous natural vegetation (fynbos) as the control. The study was in the Cape Floristic Region, a global biodiversity hotspot, where alien trees are of major concern and where vineyards replace natural fynbos vegetation. Surface-active arthropods were selected as they are species rich, relatively immobile, and occur in high abundance. We hypothesized that the impact of the two types of land cover transformation would produce similar qualitative and quantitative effects on the arthropods. We also compared the results in the transformed and natural areas with those in areas cleared of alien trees. Arthropod species richness in cleared areas was higher than in vineyards and more similar to that in natural fynbos, while alien trees had the lowest. Overall abundance scores were highest in cleared areas, closely followed by fynbos, then vineyards and lowest in alien trees. Several species were restricted to each vegetation type, including alien trees. In terms of assemblage composition, all vegetation types were significantly different, although fynbos and vineyards grouped, suggesting that vineyards have less impact on the arthropod community than do alien trees. When rare species were excluded, vineyards and cleared sites grouped, indicating some recovery but only involving those species that were common and habitat tolerant. Our results suggest that vineyards retain a greater complement of indigenous species than alien trees, but that clearing of these aliens soon encourages establishment of indigenous species. Although there were significant differences in soil moisture and litter depth within and between vegetation types, we did not record them as significantly affecting species richness or abundance, even in alien vegetation, an encouraging sign for restoration.     

Effects of Tree Genotypic Diversity and Species Diversity on the Arthropod Community Associated with Big‐leaf Mahogany

Despite potential interactive effects of plant species and genotypic diversity (SD and GD, respectively) on consumers, studies have usually examined these effects separately. We evaluated the individual and combined effects of tree SD and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) GD on the arthropod community associated with mahogany. We conducted this study within the context of a tree diversity experiment consisting of 74 plots with 64 saplings/plot. We sampled 24 of these plots, classified as monocultures of mahogany or polycultures of four species (including mahogany). Within each plot type, mahogany was represented by either one or four maternal families. We surveyed arthropods on mahogany and estimated total arthropod abundance and species richness, as well as abundance and richness separately for herbivorous and predatory arthropods. Overall tree SD and mahogany GD had positive effects on total arthropod species richness and abundance on mahogany, and also exerted interactive effects on total species richness (but not abundance). Analyses conducted by trophic level group showed contrasting patterns; SD positively influenced herbivore species richness but not abundance, and did not affect either predator richness or abundance. GD influenced predator species richness but not abundance, and did not influence herbivore abundance or richness. There were interactive effects of GD and SD only for predator species richness. These results provide evidence that intra‐ and inter‐specific plant diversity exert interactive controls on associated consumer communities, and that the relative importance of SD and GD may vary among higher trophic levels, presumably due to differences in the underlying mechanisms or consumer traits.     

植被类型对盐沼湿地空气生境节肢动物功能群的影响

2007年4-11月,在长江口崇明东滩盐沼湿地的芦苇带、海三棱藨草带和互花米草带设置固定样地,每月小潮期对空气生境的节肢动物进行了扫网取样调查。在此基础上,分析研究了盐沼湿地空气生境节肢动物功能群特征以及植被类型的影响,特别是对互花米草的生态效应进行了进一步讨论。调查期间共获得节肢动物标本3778头,分属2纲11目37科49种。根据不同种类的营养特征将其划分为植食性、捕食寄生性和腐食性三大功能群。其中,植食性功能群的种类、数量最为丰富,涉及1纲6目19科25种,物种数占总数的51.0%,个体数占总数的86.2%;捕食寄生性功能群次之,涉及2纲7目15科21种,物种数占总数的42.9%,个体数占总数的7.8%;腐食性功能群种类、数量最少,涉及1纲1目3科3种,物种数占总数的6.1%,个体数占总数的6.0%。不同植被带捕食寄生性功能群与植食性功能群均具有一定的"天敌跟随"特征,但主要表现在物种数上,而在个体数上的对应关系并不明显。不同植被带功能群的组成、多样性及月际变化特征存在一定差异,但是植被类型对功能群的影响并不显著。与已有研究结果不同,研究中外来种互花米草对空气生境的节肢动物并未表现出显著的负面影响,相应节肢动物功能群的物种数、个体数、多样性、月际变化等特征与其他植被带并没有显著差异。就植食性功能群而言,尽管互花米草带植食性功能群的个体数明显低于其它植被带,但是物种数并没有减少,相应的作用机理还有待进一步研究。     

Acquisition of Cry1Ac Protein by Non-Target Arthropods in Bt Soybean Fields

Soybean tissue and arthropods were collected in Bt soybean fields in China at different times during the growing season to investigate the exposure of arthropods to the plant-produced Cry1Ac toxin and the transmission of the toxin within the food web. Samples from 52 arthropod species/taxa belonging to 42 families in 10 orders were analysed for their Cry1Ac content using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among the 22 species/taxa for which three samples were analysed, toxin concentration was highest in the grasshopper Atractomorpha sinensis and represented about 50% of the concentration in soybean leaves. Other species/taxa did not contain detectable toxin or contained a concentration that was between 1 and 10% of that detected in leaves. These Cry1Ac-positive arthropods included a number of mesophyll-feeding Hemiptera, a cicadellid, a curculionid beetle and, among the predators, a thomisid spider and an unidentified predatory bug belonging to the Anthocoridae. Within an arthropod species/taxon, the Cry1Ac content sometimes varied between life stages (nymphs/larvae vs. adults) and sampling dates (before, during, and after flowering). Our study is the first to provide information on Cry1Ac-expression levels in soybean plants and Cry1Ac concentrations in non-target arthropods in Chinese soybean fields. The data will be useful for assessing the risk of non-target arthropod exposure to Cry1Ac in soybean.     

Parasite fauna of the water vole (Arvicola terrestris) and its nests in the south of Western Siberia

Fauna of parasitic and free-living arthropods associated the water vole Arvicola terestris and its nests in various landscape zones and subzones of the south of Western Siberia has been studied. Total abundance of gamasid mites and ticks (Gamasoidea, Ixodidae), fleas and nidicolous arthropods in nests is high, and the set of nidicolous and parasite species is quite diverse, but everywhere the parasite fauna is characterized by a small amount of species reaching a high abundance: Laelaps muris on the voles, Haemogamasus ambulans in nests, Ixodes apronophorus and Megpbotris walkeri both on the voles and nests. Parasitic arthropods living on the voles or in their nests are characterized by higher and stables indices of infection, while these parameters for free-living arthropods were variable. The list of mesostigmatic mites parasitizing the water vole and its nests in the south of Western Siberia (Adamovich, Krylov, 2001) has been considerably supplemented. In total, the fauna of parsitiform mites (Acari: Mesostigmata and Ixodiddes) and fleas (Siphonaptera) associated with the water vole in the south of Western Siberia is represented by 97 arthropod species of 19 families, including 74 species of mesostigmatic mites (Gamasoidea), 6 species of ticks (Ixodidae) and 17 species of fleas.     

Arthropod carrion influences plant choice,oviposition, and cannibalism by a specialist predator on a sticky plant

1. Dead arthropods, entrapped by trichomes on plant surfaces, are an underappreciated form of plant-provided food. Specialist predatory arthropods able to manoeuvre on plants covered in trichomes facultatively scavenge on the alternative food resource, increasing their abundance and reducing plant damage by herbivores. 2. This protective mutualism dependent on arthropod carrion has been demonstrated in several plant species, but the mechanisms driving the increase in predator abundance have not been identified. Through a series of greenhouse and laboratory experiments, the effect of arthropod carrion on predator behaviour was assessed. 3. The predator Jalysus wickhami preferred Nicotiana tabacum plants augmented with arthropod carrion, spending significantly more time and laying more eggs on those plants than plants without arthropod carrion. 4. Under low J. wickhami densities, arthropod carrion did not reduce egg cannibalism by adults. Under high densities, egg cannibalism by J. wickhami adults was reduced in the presence of arthropod carrion, but cannibalism by fifth instars was not. 5. Arthropod carrion may be utilised by a wide range of predatory arthropods that facultatively scavenge, and this research demonstrates its potential for influencing arthropod–plant and arthropod–arthropod interactions.     

Alien spider introductions to Europe supported by global trade

Global trade is permanently ongoing and increases its volume every year. In this study, the occurrence of 87 unintentionally introduced spider species alien to Europe is analysed. The analysis includes (1) the introduction potential of six different origin areas of the world according to trade volume, area size, and geographical distance; (2) the body size of native and alien species; and (3) occurrence in or at buildings (synanthropic) or in natural habitats. We found the eastern Palearctic as the most influencing origin area with 44 introduced spider species to Europe. The eastern Palearctic and the Indomalayan provided a significantly higher number of introductions than expected, whereas the Nearctic, Neotropical, and Afrotropical provided a significantly lower number of introduced species than expected. This can be explained with their lower trade volume, smaller area, larger geographical distance to Europe, and stronger climate differences to Europe. Comparing the body size of introduced and native European spider species of the same family, we found for Theridiidae significantly larger alien spiders and for all other tested families a trend to a larger body size of alien species compared to the native spiders. The family affiliation of alien spiders is the most important factor for synanthropic occurrence in Europe. On the base of a very conservative estimation of spider species introductions to Europe combined with possible effects of climate change, we predict for the near future a permanent increase in the number of alien spider species in Europe.     

The incidence of bacterial endosymbionts in terrestrial arthropods

Intracellular endosymbiotic bacteria are found in many terrestrial arthropods and have a profound influence on host biology. A basic question about these symbionts is why they infect the hosts that they do, but estimating symbiont incidence (the proportion of potential host species that are actually infected) is complicated by dynamic or low prevalence infections. We develop a maximum-likelihood approach to estimating incidence, and testing hypotheses about its variation. We apply our method to a database of screens for bacterial symbionts, containing more than 3600 distinct arthropod species and more than 150 000 individual arthropods. After accounting for sampling bias, we estimate that 52% (CIs: 48–57) of arthropod species are infected with Wolbachia, 24% (CIs: 20–42) with Rickettsia and 13% (CIs: 13–55) with Cardinium. We then show that these differences stem from the significantly reduced incidence of Rickettsia and Cardinium in most hexapod orders, which might be explained by evolutionary differences in the arthropod immune response. Finally, we test the prediction that symbiont incidence should be higher in speciose host clades. But while some groups do show a trend for more infection in species-rich families, the correlations are generally weak and inconsistent. These results argue against a major role for parasitic symbionts in driving arthropod diversification.     

Alien arthropod predators and parasitoids: interactions with the environment

Many species of entomophagous arthropods have been introduced either intentionally (through the practice of biological control) or unintentionally to new regions. We examine interactions of these aliens with their new environments in the context of rapid global change linked to human activity. We consider effects of such interactions on establishment and spread of the alien species and effects on indigenous biota and ecosystems. Major elements of global change that affect alien-environment interactions include landscape modifications by humans (e.g., cultivation, habitat loss and fragmentation) and increases in atmospheric CO₂ and other gases resulting in climate change and other effects (e.g., changes in food quality for herbivores that affect higher trophic levels as well). Alien arthropod predators can alter landscapes for their benefit, to the detriment of indigenous species. A brief review also of blood-feeding alien arthropods makes clear that interactions with the environment critically influence invasions of zoophagous arthropods in general.     

昆虫共生细菌Rickettsia的研究进展

Rickettsia是传播和引起人类与其他脊椎动物疾病的胞内共生菌。引起脊椎动物疾病的这些Rickettsia, 其部分生活史是在节肢动物体内完成的;而另外许多Rickettsia, 其整个生活史都是在宿主节肢动物体内完成。为了叙述方便, 把前者称为脊椎动物Rickettsia, 后者称为节肢动物Rickettsia。过去的研究主要集中在医学上具有重大意义的脊椎动物Rickettsia, 而关于节肢动物Rickettsia的生物学特性等研究则相对较少。近年来, 研究者们加大了对昆虫Rickettsia的研究, 发现昆虫Rickettsia广泛分布于昆虫中, 且有两种存在形式。其可以通过垂直卵传的方式在世代间传递, 也可以通过寄生蜂和寄主植物达到在昆虫之间传播的目的。昆虫Rickettsia可通过诱导孤雌生殖、 诱导杀雄等方式影响宿主的生殖行为。其对不同宿主昆虫可产生对宿主有利或有害的作用;可增强宿主昆虫抵御高温和寄生蜂的能力, 与宿主昆虫对药剂的敏感性相关。最后, 昆虫Rickettsia具有一个简化的基因组, 且存在进一步减小的可能性。     

Biochemical and evolutionary aspects of arthropod predation on ferns

Summary The widely held assumption that very few arthropods feed on ferns was questioned following field observations of arthropod damage on ferns in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The extent and type of damage was recorded and it was found that in a measured locality, ferns were no less attacked than the angiospermous flora. As chemistry and arthropod host relationships have been shown to be so closely intertwined, plants collected in the field were analysed for both condensed tannins and cyanogenic glycosides, compounds known to be effective deterrents in temperate climates. Although all ferns tested contained tannins these did not appear to inhibit predation. Cyanogenic glycosides were present in only 3% of the fern species analysed, and it is, therefore, unlikely that they play a significant role as defensive compounds in the ferns examined.A literature search revealed a large number of ferns cited as being arthropod hosts. Approximately 420 named species of arthropods have been recorded, the majority of which are from the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Hemiptera. Both evolutionary primitive (sawflies) and advanced (moths) arthropods are reported to be present on ferns suggesting possible coevolution of arthropods and ferns both before and after the radiation of angiosperms.     

Plant species loss decreases arthropod diversity and shifts trophic structure

Plant diversity is predicted to be positively linked to the diversity of herbivores and predators in a foodweb. Yet, the relationship between plant and animal diversity is explained by a variety of competing hypotheses, with mixed empirical results for each hypothesis. We sampled arthropods for over a decade in an experiment that manipulated the number of grassland plant species. We found that herbivore and predator species richness were strongly, positively related to plant species richness, and that these relationships were caused by different mechanisms at herbivore and predator trophic levels. Even more dramatic was the threefold increase, from low- to high-plant species richness, in abundances of predatory and parasitoid arthropods relative to their herbivorous prey. Our results demonstrate that, over the long term, the loss of plant species propagates through food webs, greatly decreasing arthropod species richness, shifting a predator-dominated trophic structure to being herbivore dominated, and likely impacting ecosystem functioning and services.     

ARTHROPODS THAT PREY ON VERTEBRATES

1. Many arthropods are predators of vertebrates: four orders of the class arachnida, six orders of insecta, five orders of crustacea and one order of chilopoda include species that have been reported to eat vertebrates. At the population level, some arthropods are responsible for significant mortality among some vertebrates.
2. Arthropods are well equipped for this type of predation; many are larger than vertebrates (approximately 20% of the vertebrate fauna of eastern North America is less than 10 cm in length), they may hunt in social groups and many have toxins or other adaptations that increase predatory efficiency.
3. Several arthropod predators and vertebrates may be involved in cross predation, the species eating each other. The switch in the role of predator and prey occurs during 'ontogenetic reversal' as the vertebrate grows from small and vulnerable to large and predaceous. Cross predation decreases the future risk for one's self or offspring.
4. The opportunity for arthropod predation on vertebrates exists in many communities, but a review of some food webs catalogued by Cohen (1978) indicates that this particular link may be easily overlooked. Some arthropods should be investigated as potential predators of vertebrates.
5. The information available from the analysis of feeding interactions in a community should be an important link between field and theoretical ecology; however, most food webs are probably underestimates of the complexity that is commonplace.     

The effect of an invasive alien vine, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vincetoxicum rossicum</Emphasis> (Asclepiadaceae), on arthropod populations in Ontario old fields

Vincetoxicum rossicum is an invasive alien vine introduced from Europe in the late 1800s that is now an emerging pest in upstate New York and eastern Ontario. The plant can form dense, monotypic stands in woodlots and old fields, and may be displacing native vegetation. As a consequence, V. rossicum may be displacing arthropod fauna associated with native vegetation. In June and August 2002, we sampled V. rossicum and three other old field plants (Asclepias syriaca, Solidago altissima, and mixed graminoids) for arthropods using pitfall traps and by sampling individual plants. A total of 7868 arthropods were counted on plants and 18,195 individuals were trapped; these were sorted by feeding guild. Overall, stands of V. rossicum supported the lowest abundance of both stem- and ground-dwelling individuals, as well as the lowest number of arthropods in most phytophagous guilds. Some feeding guilds are entirely absent: V. rossicum stands are completely devoid of gall-makers and miners, and support few pollinators. This study suggests that arthropod diversity will decline if V. rossicum displaces native old-field plants.