Foraging behaviour of the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus under intraguild predation risk by Macrolophus pygmaeus.
BACKGROUND
Intraguild predation (IGP), predation between species that use a common resource, can affect the populations of a pest, of the pest's natural enemy (IG prey) and of the predator of the pest's natural enemy (IG predator). In this study, we determined whether the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) (IG prey), modifies its foraging behaviour under the risk of IGP by Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) (IG predator). Parasitoid behaviour was analysed using two bioassays (choice and no-choice) with the following treatments: (i) control, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs; and (ii) PEP, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs and previously exposed to the IG predator; and (iii) PP, tomato leaf infested with whitefly nymphs, with both, the IG predator and the IG prey present.


RESULTS
In both bioassays, we found that E. eremicus did not significantly modify the number of ovipositions, time of residence, duration of oviposition or behavioural sequence. However, in the no-choice bioassay, the number of attacks was higher and their duration shorter in the PEP treatment than in the control.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that the parasitoid may detect IGP risk to a certain extent, but it did not significantly modify its foraging behaviour, suggesting that simultaneous release of the two natural enemies can be successfully employed.
Departamento de Producción Agrícola, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
María Concepción
MC
Velasco-Hernández
Departamento de Producción Agrícola, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Ricardo
R
Ramirez-Romero
Departamento de Producción Agrícola, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Carla
C
Sánchez-Hernández
French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), UMR1355, Sophia-Antipolis, France.|Department of Agri-food and Environmental Systems Management, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Antonio
A
Biondi
Departamento de Producción Agrícola, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Alejandro
A
Muñoz-Urias
French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), UMR1355, Sophia-Antipolis, France.
Nicolas
N
Desneux
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D005260:Female; D020387:Food Chain; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D020062:Heteroptera / Q000502:physiology*; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000502:physiology; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000469:parasitology; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*
Bemisia tabaci; behavioural ecology; biocontrol; generalist predator