Species association among predaceous and phytophagous apple mites (Acari: Eriophyidae, Phytoseiidae, Stigmaeidae, Tetranychidae)

Predator–predator, predator–prey, and prey–prey associations among nine species of mites were studied in a plot of 100 Red Delicious apple (Malus pumila Miller) trees from 1990 to 1997. In 1990, seven-year-old trees were inoculated with Panonychus ulmi (Koch), Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) or both, and sprayed with azinphosmethyl (alone or plus endosulfan), or nothing. The species Zetzellia mali (Ewing) (Acari: Stigmaeidae), Amblyseius andersoni Chant (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Eotetranychus sp., Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten) (Acari: Tetranychidae), and Aculus schlechtendali Nalepa (Acari: Eriophyidae) were already present or immigrated into plots, and Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) and Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acari: Phytoseiidae) were introduced. Yule's V association index was used to measure positive, neutral, or negative interspecific associations for each species pair, because of its robustness with spatially autocorrelated data. We found that pesticide and release treatments did not greatly affect the association results, but there were strong seasonal differences. Predator–predator associations were the strongest and most consistent, showing negative associations in the early and mid seasons, and neutral ones in late season. Negative associations of T. pyri with other predators were the strongest, which is consistent with evidence that this mite can detect other predators on a leaf. Predator–prey seasonal associations were mixed, with some positive and others negative, with most significant associations occurring in the mid season. One prey–prey interaction was positive, again in mid season, most likely because of similar habitat preferences.