| Title: | Field distribution patterns of pests are asymmetrically affected by the presence of other herbivores |
| Author(s): | Paz Neto AA; Melo JWS; Lima DB; Gondim Junior MGC; Janssen A; |
| Address: | "Departamento de Agronomia - Entomologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmaos, 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil. Departamento de Fitotecnia, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Evolutionary and Population Biology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands" |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S0007485320000103 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1475-2670 (Electronic) 0007-4853 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Because plant phenotypes can change in response to attacks by herbivores in highly variable ways, the distribution of herbivores depends on the occurrence of other herbivore species on the same plant. We carried out a field study to evaluate the co-occurrence of three coconut pests, the mites Aceria guerreronis (Acari: Eriophyidae), Steneotarsonemus concavuscutum (Acari: Tarsonemidae) and the moth Atheloca bondari (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The eriophyid mite Ac. guerreronis is the most important coconut pest around the world, whereas S. concavuscutum and At. bondari are economically important only in some areas along the Brazilian coast. A previous study suggested that the necrosis caused by Ac. guerreronis facilitates the infestation of At. bondari larvae. Because all three species infest the area under the perianths on coconuts and S. concavuscutum also causes necrosis that could facilitate At. bondari, we evaluated the co-occurrence of all three species. We found that the occurrence of At. bondari was positively associated with Ac. guerreronis, but negatively associated with S. concavuscutum. In addition, the two mite species showed negative co-occurrence. Atheloca bondari was found on nuts of all ages, but more on nuts that had fallen than on those on the trees, suggesting that nuts infested by At. bondari tend to fall more frequently. We discuss the status of At. bondari as a pest and discuss experiments to test the causes of these co-occurrence patterns" |
| Keywords: | Animals Brazil Cocos/*parasitology Fruit/parasitology Herbivory Larva/physiology Mites/*physiology Moths/growth & development/*physiology Plant Diseases/parasitology Cocos nucifera facilitative occurrence indirect interaction mite-insect-plant association; |
| Notes: | "MedlinePaz Neto, A A Melo, J W S Lima, D B Gondim Junior, M G C Janssen, A eng England 2020/04/08 Bull Entomol Res. 2020 Oct; 110(5):611-619. doi: 10.1017/S0007485320000103. Epub 2020 Apr 7" |
