Response to comments on "Invasive harlequin ladybird carries biological weapons against native competitors".
Comments by de Jong et al., Solter et al., and Sloggett question the ecological relevance of the abundant microsporidia found in the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis. We contend that there is abundant evidence that native ladybirds feed on H. axyridis eggs and that interspecific microsporidial transfer is a common phenomenon, supporting the proposed role of these parasites as biological weapons.
Institute of Phytopathology and Applied Zoology, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, D-35392 Giessen, Germany. andreas.vilcinskas@agrar.uni-giessen.de
Andreas
A
Vilcinskas
Kilian
K
Stoecker
Henrike
H
Schmidtberg
Christian R
CR
Röhrich
Heiko
H
Vogel
D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology*; D020387:Food Chain; D058865:Introduced Species; D016818:Nosema / Q000502:physiology*