Differences in host selection and performance between B and Q putative species of Bemisia tabaci on three host plants |
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Authors: | Shaoli Wang Qingjun Wu Huipeng Pan Baiming Liu Youjun Zhang |
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Institution: | Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, , Beijing, 100081 China |
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Abstract: | B and Q are two putative species of the Bemisia tabaci complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and are among the most invasive and destructive pests of crops and horticultural plants worldwide. In China, Q predominates and is displacing B. Although researchers have proposed that the higher capacity of Q to utilize host plants plays an important role in its replacement of B, there are few relevant field surveys and experimental studies. The difference in host assessment between B and Q in multiple‐choice rather than in no‐choice situations may be essential to understanding the displacement. Here, we compared settling and oviposition preferences, and adult and nymph performance, for the putative species B and Q of the B. tabaci complex on three common host species: poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima Wild. ex Klotsch (Euphorbiaceae)], cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae)], and cabbage Brassica oleracea L. (Brassicaceae)]. Although the preferred hosts for settling and oviposition were the same as those that supported maximum fitness (adult longevity, fecundity, and nymph survivorship), these hosts differed between B and Q. When given a choice, B preferred to settle and oviposit on cabbage over poinsettia and cotton, whereas Q preferred to settle and oviposit on poinsettia and cotton over cabbage. In a no‐choice experiment, adult longevity, fecundity, and nymphal survival for B were greater on cabbage than on poinsettia and cotton, but the opposite was true for Q. |
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Keywords: | oviposition preference host suitability competitive displacement Hemiptera Aleyrodidae
Brassica oleracea
Euphorbia pulcherrima
Gossypium hirsutum
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