Host phylogeny and specialisation in parasitoids

The host range of insect parasitoids and herbivores is influenced by both preference-related traits which mediate host choice behaviour, and performance-related traits which mediate the physiological suitability of the consumer-resource interaction. In a previous study, we characterised the influence of preference- and performance-related traits on the host range of the aphid parasitoid Binodoxys communis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and herein we build upon those data sets by mapping a series of these traits onto the phylogeny of the (aphid) host species. We found a strong effect of host phylogeny on overall parasitoid reproduction on the 20 host species tested, but no effect of the phylogeny of host plants of the aphids. We found an effect of aphid phylogeny on host acceptance and sting rates (related to preference) from behavioural observations and for pupal survivorship (related to performance), showing that both classes of traits show phylogenetic conservatism with respect to host species.     

华北棉区主要害虫抗药性监测与治理技术示范

【目的】华北地区转基因Bt棉大面积种植后,刺吸式口器害虫已成为棉花主要害虫。本研究旨在监测明确棉花主要害虫对田间常用杀虫剂抗性水平变化,以指导田间合理用药。【方法】2013-2015年分别采用叶片药膜法和点滴法系统监测了河北省邱县、山东省滨州市、河南省西华县棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera、棉蚜Aphis gossypii、绿盲蝽Apolygus lucorum对常用杀虫药剂的抗性动态变化情况。【结果】棉铃虫对辛硫磷、高效氯氟氰菊酯抗性呈上升趋势,抗性倍数都在20倍以上,对甲氨基阿维菌素苯甲酸盐从敏感状态转为中等水平抗性,抗性倍数在10倍以上。棉蚜对杀虫剂抗性水平都比较高,特别是对氧化乐果、高效氯氰菊酯、吡虫啉都已产生了高水平抗性,抗性倍数都在100倍以上。绿盲蝽对吡虫啉从敏感状态转为中等水平抗性,抗性倍数在10倍以上,对马拉硫磷、灭多威等药剂抗性倍数还维持在10倍以下,对高效氯氟氰菊酯只监测到滨州种群产生了中等水平的抗性,抗性倍数达到了95倍。在明确棉花害虫抗药性水平的基础上,对山东滨州棉花害虫实施了以轮换用药为主的抗性治理示范,示范区比农户自防对照区减少3次用药,增加棉花产量7.53%,节本增收109.16元,取得了较好的示范效果和经济效益。【结论】当前华北棉区主要害虫抗性水平上升,急需开展以轮换用药为主的抗性治理措施。     

Development of methods to evaluate susceptibility of soybean aphid to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam at lethal and sublethal concentrations

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Homoptera: Aphididae), is a recent introduction (2000) from Asia and has become a serious soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Fabaceae)] pest in North America. Seed treatments using the neonicotinoid insecticides, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, have been suggested as a method of control, and the use of these insecticides is becoming widespread. As a consequence, there is increased potential to select for resistance to these compounds. In the case of soybean aphids, baseline susceptibility to neonicotinoid insecticides and standardized methods for bioassay are lacking. A bioassay technique that uses excised soybean leaves immersed in an insecticide solution was developed to determine systemic insecticidal activity at lethal and sublethal concentrations. Mortality and population growth inhibition were evaluated after 7 days. Life table parameters were calculated by exposing 1‐day‐old aphids to three concentrations of thiamethoxam. Aphid mortality and nymph production were recorded daily until the entire cohort collapsed. Soybean aphid age‐specific survivorship, fecundity, net reproductive rate, longevity, intrinsic rate of increase, discrete daily growth rate, and life expectancy were all significantly reduced at higher thiamethoxam concentrations. Soybean aphid response to both insecticides was similar, and both compounds were very toxic with LC₅₀s of 31.3 and 16.9 ng ml^?1 and EC₅₀s of 6.3 and 5.4 ng ml^?1 for imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, respectively. These results indicate that the methods developed in this study had negligible impact on the life table estimates measured and can be used to develop a baseline of susceptibility as a benchmark for subsequent resistance monitoring. Given the rapid and widespread adoption of this new insecticide class, vigilant monitoring for changes in susceptibility will be essential to its long‐term sustainability.     

运用α-氰代酯荧光底物检测抗性棉蚜羧酸酯酶代谢活性

为了研究抗性和敏感棉蚜Aphis gossypii品系对菊酯类药剂代谢的差异, 本实验合成了溴氰菊酯和高效氯氰菊酯报告荧光底物, 应用这两种底物水解后生成具有荧光化合物的特性,测定了不同品系棉蚜羧酸酯酶的代谢活性。结果表明: 氧化乐果棉蚜抗性和敏感品系羧酸酯酶对溴氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为10.0和3.4 pmol/min·mg; 对高效氯氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为4.0和2.4 pmol/min·mg, 抗性品系羧酸酯酶对溴氰菊酯和高效氯氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为敏感品系的2.9和1.7倍; 溴氰菊酯棉蚜抗性和敏感品系羧酸酯酶对溴氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为7.6和6.2 pmol/min·mg; 对高效氯氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为9.3和5.2 pmol/min·mg, 抗性品系羧酸酯酶对溴氰菊酯和高效氯氰菊酯报告荧光底物的代谢活性分别为敏感品系的1.2和1.8倍。这种衍生的报告荧光底物能够用来检测抗性棉蚜羧酸酯酶的水解活性, 表明羧酸酯酶可能参与棉蚜对溴氰菊酯和氧化乐果抗性的形成。     

热应激和吡虫啉对大豆蚜hsp70和hsc70基因mRNA表达的影响

【目的】昆虫在高温或农药的胁迫下,通过高效表达热休克蛋白(HSP)等建立应激自我保护机制。本研究为从转录组水平上认识大豆蚜Aphis glycines在热应激和吡虫啉胁迫下hsp70和hsc70 mRNA表达分子机制,进而寻找自我保护应激反应中的薄弱环节,为大豆蚜的生物防治提供理论基础。【方法】采用同源克隆、RACE技术和实时荧光定量PCR等方法研究不同热激时间和热激后不同恢复时间及不同吡虫啉浓度对大豆蚜4龄若虫hsp70和hsc70的表达影响。【结果】37℃热激后,大豆蚜4龄若虫中hsp70表达量先上调,1 h时升至对照组的10.36倍（P<0.05）,然后逐渐下降。同样热激后恢复时间的长短对大豆蚜若蚜中hsp70的表达具有显著影响。热激处理后,大豆蚜若蚜中hsp70立即大量表达,表达量为对照组的8.78倍（P<0.05）,随后表达量下降至对照组水平,而hsc70的表达量并没有显著变化（P>0.05）。大豆蚜若蚜受吡虫啉的胁迫时,其hsp70和hsc70的表达量受吡虫啉的浓度及胁迫的时间的影响,呈现先升高后下降的趋势,具有明显的短期效应。【结论】吡虫啉诱导大豆蚜hsp70和hsc70表达量的上调;而热胁迫对hsp70和hsc70 mRNA具有不同的表达模式,高温可以诱导hsp70的表达,但对hsc70没有明显的诱导作用。     

Parasitoids use herbivore-induced information to adapt patch exploitation behaviour

Abstract.  1. Optimal foraging models ultimately predict that female parasitoids should exploit rich host patches for longer than poorer ones. At the proximate level, mechanistic models and experimental studies show that parasitoids use both chemicals produced by their hosts and direct encounters with their hosts to estimate patch quality. Although it has been extensively studied in the context of host location, the use of herbivore-induced plant response by insect parasitoids has never been considered in the context of patch time allocation.
2. In this study, the respective roles of herbivore-induced plant response and direct contact with hosts on the foraging behaviour of Lysiphlebus testaceipes females on an aphid patch were quantified. For this, the level of herbivore-induced plant response and the number of aphids on the leaf bearing the patch were manipulated independently. Different levels of plant response were obtained by varying the duration of infestation on another leaf.
3. Parasitoid residence time and number of attacks increased with both the level of plant response and the number of aphids.
4. These results suggest that L. testaceipes females use the combination of herbivore-induced response of plants and direct encounters with hosts to assess patch quality and adjust their patch use behaviour.     

苍耳等48种植物提取物的杀虫活性

采用浸虫法测定了48种植物的丙酮提取物对小菜蛾（Plutella xylostella L．）的杀虫活性,并研究了苍耳（Xanthium sibiricum Patrin．）不同溶剂提取物对小菜蛾和棉蚜（Aphis gossypii Glover）的触杀作用以及苍耳丙酮提取物不同溶剂萃取物对小菜蛾的触杀作用。结果表明,在供试的48种植物中,500g·L^-1黄花蒿（Artemisia annua L）、泽漆（Euphorbia helioscopia L．）、夏至草[Lagopsis supina（Steph．ex Willd．）Ik．-Gal．ex Knorr．]、苍耳及律草[Humulus scandens（Lour．）Merr．]的丙酮提取物对小菜蛾的杀虫活性较强。在苍耳的不同溶剂提取物中,苍耳丙酮提取物的杀虫活性最强,乙醇和乙酸乙酯提取物的杀虫活性次之。另外,50g·L^-1苍耳丙酮提取物的氯仿萃取物对小菜蛾的杀虫活性最强,24h和48h的校正死亡率分别为88．33％和91．67％。     

The development and multiple uses of a standardised bioassay method to select hypocrealean fungi for biological control of aphids

A technically standardised bioassay method was designed, evaluated and used to assess virulence and host range of hypocrealean fungi against aphids. A track mounted sprayer was used to apply conidia because hand held versions of the same sprayer can be used for field applications, thereby allowing the outcome from laboratory experiments to predict activity in the field accurately. Eighteen fungal isolates were assessed in single concentration bioassays against the black bean aphid Aphis fabae Scopoli. Isolates comprised commercially available mycoinsecticides (based on Beauveria bassiana and Lecanicillium longisporum) and isolates of B. bassiana, Lecanicillium spp., Paecilomyces fumosoroseus and Metarhizium anisopliae. Aphid mortality was in excess of 80% for 15 isolates, and HRI 1.72 (L. longipsorum), Z11 (P. fumosoroseus), Mycotech strain GHA (B. bassiana) and ARSEF 2879 (B. bassiana) were studied further. Multiple concentration bioassays identified HRI 1.72 as the most virulent isolate against A. fabae with significantly smaller LC₅₀ and LT₅₀ values compared to other isolates. A precise LC₅₀ value (2.95 × 10² conidia ml⁻¹) was calculated for HRI 1.72 using a second multiple concentration assay with smaller concentrations of conidia. The four isolates were applied at a single concentration (1 × 10⁸ conidia ml⁻¹) against Myzus persicae, A. fabae, Acyrthosiphon pisum, Metopolophium dirhodum, Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi. A ranking of aphid susceptibility was obtained, such that S. avenae > M. persicae, A. pisum, A. fabae > R. padi. Results indicate the importance of standardising bioassay methods to reduce bioassay variability without compromising the ability to use the bioassay to investigate fungus–host interactions under varying abiotic and biotic conditions.     

Life history parameters of the coccinellid beetle, Oenopia conglobata contaminata, an important predator of the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea)

The predatory beetle, Oenopia conglobata contaminata, is associated with the common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae, the major pistachio pest in Iran. Successful development and reproduction on both A. pistaciae and Aphis gossypii (the major weed aphid in the pistachio orchards) indicated they were suitable prey for O. conglobata contaminata. Under ample prey supply, larval development on A. pistaciae was shorter and mortality was lower compared to those reared on A. gossypii. Furthermore, this ladybird attacks and destroys a large number of psyllid nymphs during the whole of its larval period (620±17 fourth stage nymphs) and also in its adult stage (191±7.5 4^th stage nymphs daily). The optimum temperature for development was 30°C, the theoretical threshold for development was 13°C and thermal requirements from egg to adult was estimated as 196 degree-days (°D). Fecundity for the first 21 days of adult life was 387 and 355 eggs when females fed on A. pistaciae and A. gossypii nymphs, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) at 27.5°C was 0.19 and 0.18 when ladybirds were fed on psyllid and aphid nymphs, respectively. In a laboratory choice experiment, the adult ladybirds showed a strong preference for A. pistaciae compared to A. gossypii. This was in agreement with our field observation that O. conglobata contaminata is almost always found on psyllid colonies, even when aphids were plentiful on weeds in the pistachio orchards. The influence of the predator on psyllid seasonal population under natural condition was not studied in this investigation and this subject must be measured in subsequent trials.     

叶色草蛉的生物学研究Ⅱ.种群干扰和搜索行为(英文)

研究了叶色草蛉对棉蚜的搜索行为及其自身的种群干扰行为。结果表明:1)在两处地点的4种试验容器即培养皿、养虫器、内置障碍物的养虫器和内置盆栽棉花的笼罩中,草蛉幼虫的捕食效率因猎物的密度而变化。其捕食常数(Q)和干扰系数(m)随密度的增加而增大,但随空间异质性的增加而减小;2)在笼罩的棉株上,一龄和二龄草蛉幼虫每天的食蚜量分别为13.6头和29.4头。幼虫较多地在上部叶片上捕食棉蚜;3)在笼罩的棉株上,无论是一龄幼虫还是二龄幼虫草蛉都更多地停留在下部的棉叶上,且在上部叶片和下部叶片上的草蛉幼虫的百分率存在明显差异