Frankliniella occidentalis Raw sequence reads
The western flower thrips (WFT) is a globally invasive and polyphagous pest, posing a significant threat to horticultural production by causing substantial economic losses through feeding on tender leaves, petals, pollen, and nectar of horticultural plants. In addition, WFT shares an ecological niche with the two-spotted spider mite, often co-infesting the same host and engaging in intense population competition. WFT supplements its nutritional needs by preying on the eggs of the two-spotted spider mite. To further investigate the feeding response and adaptation mechanisms of WFT to different diets, transcriptome sequencing was conducted to explore the short-term responses of WFT to various foods, including kidney bean pods, China red rose petals, flowers, leaves, and China red rose leaves infested by the two-spotted spider mite. Differential transcript levels of the F1 generation were examined, and genes and metabolic pathways associated with WFT feeding on different diets were identified.These results will lay a foundation for further study on the outbreak mechanism of WFT, enhancing the understanding of competition between WFT and the two-spotted spider mite, providing a theoretical basis for integrated pest management.