title: Intraguild interactions among specialised pollen feeders and generalist phytoseiids and their effect on citrus rust mite suppression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antagonistic interactions among predators with shared prey are thought to hamper their ability to suppress herbivores. Our aim was to quantify intraguild interactions in omnivorous predatory mite assemblages in the presence of pollen, and assess their effect on pest populations. We focused on the following naturally occurring phytoseiid species in Israeli citrus orchards and their ability to suppress a key pest, the citrus rust mite (CRM) Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Eriophyidae): the generalists Amblyseius swirskii and Typhlodromus athiasae and the specialised pollen feeders Iphiseius degenerans, Euseius scutalis, E. stipulatus and E. victoriensis. Evaluations were performed on two spatial scales, tree seedlings and leaf discs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On seedlings, experiments were conducted to quantify the interactions between predators in the presence of pollen and its effects on CRM suppression. On leaf discs, intraguild interactions were studied between pairs of phytoseiid species in the presence of pollen without CRM. On seedlings, the specialised pollen predators were more effective at suppressing CRM populations than the generalist predators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In most cases, the more aggressive intraguild predator was the specialised pollen feeder. Similarly, leaf-disc experiments suggest that in these interactions the specialised pollen feeders tend to be the intraguild predators more often than the intraguild prey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Centre, Agricultural Research Organisation, Ramat Yishay, Israel.|Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Yonatan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Centre, Agricultural Research Organisation, Ramat Yishay, Israel.
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.affiliation: Israel Cohen Institute for Biological Control, Plant Production and Marketing Board, Citrus Division, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Argov
authors.affiliation: Israel Cohen Institute for Biological Control, Plant Production and Marketing Board, Citrus Division, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Domeratzky
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Newe-Ya'ar Research Centre, Agricultural Research Organisation, Ramat Yishay, Israel.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palevsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060434:Herbivory; D007557:Israel; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008925:Mites / Q000254:growth & development; D009758:Nymph / Q000254:growth & development; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves; D011058:Pollen; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D036226:Seedlings
keywords: Amblyseius; Euseius; Iphiseius; Phyllocoptruta oleivora; Typhlodromus; intraguild predation