Predicting the host range of Nystalea ebalea: Secondary plant chemistry and host selection by a surrogate biological control agent of Schinus terebinthifolia |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Invasive Plant Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 3225 College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314, United States;2. Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States;3. Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, United States;1. Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Egyetem square 1, H-4032 Hungary;2. Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babe?-Bolyai University, Str. Clinicilor nr. 5–7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;3. MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Debrecen, Egyetem square 1, H-4032 Hungary;1. Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2601, USA;2. Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA;3. USDA, APHIS, CPHST, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542-1308, USA;1. Federal University of Sergipe, Department of Food Technology, PROCTA, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil;2. Federal Institute of Sertão Pernambucano, Department of Food Technology, Liquid Chromatography Laboratory, Jardim São Paulo – CEP, 56314-522, Petrolina, PE, Brazil;1. Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Trento, TN, Italy;2. Research and Innovation Center, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, TN, Italy;3. Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Newark, DE, USA;4. Center for Agriculture, Food and Environment (C3A), University of Trento, San Michele all’Adige, TN, Italy;5. Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA;1. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand;2. Centre for Biological Control, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, Eastern Cape, South Africa;3. Agriculture Victoria, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | The safety of weed biological control depends upon the selection and utilization of the target weed by the agent while causing minimal harm to non-target species. Selection of weed species by biological control agents is determined by the presence of behavioral cues, generally host secondary plant compounds that elicit oviposition and feeding responses. Non-target species that possess the same behavioral cues as found in the target weed may be at risk of damage by classical biological control agents. Here we conducted host range tests and examined secondary plant compounds of several test plant species. We studied the specialist herbivore Nystalea ebalea (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) a Neotropical species, present in Florida as a surrogate biological control agent of the weed, Brazilian peppertree Schinus terebinthifolia, invasive in Florida and Hawaii. We found that the larvae had the greatest survival when fed the target weed, the Neotropical species Spondias purpurea, the Florida native species Rhus copallinum, and the ornamental Pistacia chinensis. Reduced survival and general larval performance were found on the native species Metopium toxiferum and Toxicodendron radicans. Both the volatiles and the allergen urushiols were chemically characterized for all species but urushiol diversity and concentration best predicted host range of this herbivore species. These results provide insight into host selection and utilization by one oligophagous Schinus herbivore. Other potential biological control agents may also be sensitive to plants that contain urushiols and if so, they may pose minimal risk to these native species. |
| |
| Keywords: | Nutritional quality Biological control of weeds Herbivory Urushiols Toxic compounds Volatiles |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
