Effect of Drosophila suzukii on Blueberry VOC’s: Chemical Cues for a Pupal Parasitoid, Trichopria anastrephae

While the majority of Drosophila species lays eggs onto fermented fruits, females of Drosophila suzukii pierce the skin and lay eggs into ripening fruits using their serrated ovipositors. The changes of oviposition site preference must have accompanied this niche exploitation. In this study, we established an oviposition assay to investigate the effects of commensal microbes deposited by conspecific and heterospecific individuals and showed that the presence of microbes on the oviposition substrate enhances egg laying of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila biarmipes , but discourages that of D. suzukii . This result suggests that a drastic change has taken place in the lineage leading to D. suzukii in how females respond to chemical cues produced by microbes. We also found that hardness of the substrate, resembling that of either ripening or damaged and fermenting fruits, affects the response to microbial growth, indicating that mechanosensory stimuli interact with chemosensory-guided decisions to select or avoid oviposition sites.

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Effect of Drosophila suzukii on blueberry VOCs: chemical cues for a pupal parasitoid, Trichopria anastrephae

10.21203/rs.3.rs-320923/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gerardo de la Vega ◽

Federico Triñanes ◽

Andres González

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Response ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Chemical Characterization ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Parasitic Wasps ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Control Programs ◽

Host Fruit ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

Volatile Cues

Abstract Biocontrol agents such as parasitic wasps use long-range volatiles and host-associated cues from lower trophic levels to find their hosts. Although, this chemical landscape may be altered by the invasion of exotic insect species. The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is a highly polyphagous fruit pest native to eastern Asia and recently arrived in South America. The aim of our study was to characterize the effect of SWD attack on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of blueberries, a common host fruit, and to correlate these odor changes with the olfactory-mediated behavioral response of resident populations of Trichopria anastrephae parasitoids. Using fruit VOC chemical characterization followed by multivariate analyses of the odor blends of SWD-attacked blueberries, we showed that the development of SWD immature stages inside the fruit generates a different odor profile than control fruits (physically damaged and free of damage). These differences can be explained by the diversity, frequency and amounts of fruit VOCs. The behavioral response of female parasitic wasps showed that T. anastrephae has an innate attraction to volatile cues from infested host fruits, which may lead to successful location of their insect host. Since resident parasitoids are able locate this novel potential host, biological control programs using local populations may be plausible as a SWD control strategy.

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Drosophila suzukii avoidance of microbes in oviposition choice

10.1101/2020.09.05.284166 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Airi Sato ◽

Kentaro M. Tanaka ◽

Joanne Y. Yew ◽

Aya Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Microbial Growth ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Oviposition Site ◽

Site Preference ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Oviposition Choice ◽

Oviposition Site Preference ◽

Oviposition Substrate ◽

Oviposition Sites

AbstractWhile the majority of Drosophila species lay eggs onto fermented fruits, females of D. suzukii pierce the skin and lay eggs into ripening fruits using their serrated ovipositors. The changes of oviposition site preference must have accompanied this niche exploitation. In this study, we established an oviposition assay to investigate the effects of commensal microbes deposited by conspecific and heterospecific individuals, and showed that presence of microbes on the oviposition substrate enhances egg-laying of D. melanogaster and D. biarmipes, but discourages that of D. suzukii. This result suggests that a drastic change has taken place in the lineage leading to D. suzukii in how females respond to chemical cues produced by microbes. We also found that hardness of the substrate affects the response to microbial growth, indicating that mechanosensory stimuli interact with chemosensory invoked decisions to select or avoid oviposition sites.

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The attractant, but not the trap design, affects the capture of Drosophila suzukii in berry crops

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485320000401 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Samuel Cruz-Esteban ◽

Edith Garay-Serrano ◽

Christian Rodríguez ◽

Julio C. Rojas

Keyword(s):

Chemical Cues ◽

Insect Pests ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Trap Design ◽

Apple Cider ◽

Berry Crops ◽

Soft Fruit ◽

Determining Factor

Abstract Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is recognized as an invasive pest in Europe and North America. In Mexico, it is one of the main insect pests of soft-skinned fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, plums, and guava. Previous studies have shown that D. suzukii uses visual and chemical cues during host plant searching. This knowledge has been used to develop traps and attractants for monitoring D. suzukii. In this study, five trap designs were evaluated to monitor D. suzukii under field conditions. Traps were baited with SuzukiiTrap®, Z-Kinol, an attractant based on acetoin and methionol, or apple cider vinegar (ACV) enriched with 10% ethanol (EtOH) with the synergistic action of carbon dioxide (CO2). Our results suggested that the attractant was the determining factor in capturing D. suzukii, while trap design seemed to play a modest role. We found that traps baited with Z-Kinol captured the highest number of D. suzukii compared to that caught by traps baited with SuzukiiTrap®, or ACV + EtOH + CO2. The highest catch numbers occurred in blackberry, followed by strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. Traps captured more females than males. The results obtained may be useful for monitoring D. suzukii populations in Mexico and elsewhere, particularly in states where soft fruit crops are a component of agricultural activities.

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Releases of Trichopria drosophilae on cherry, in three locations at different altitudes in South Tyrol (northeastern Italy) and its potential to parasitize Drosophila suzukii

Laimburg Journal ◽

10.23796/lj/2020.006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Martina Falagiarda ◽

Silvia Schmidt

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Population Regulation ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Pupal Parasitoid ◽

South Tyrol ◽

Surrounding Environment ◽

Northeastern Italy ◽

Different Altitudes ◽

Production Losses

In recent years, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: drosophilidae) caused serious damages in cherries and small fruits cultivations in South Tyrol, making it difficult for growers to continue their activities without production losses. Biological control of the pest could play an important role in its population regulation, by lowering the pest pressure at the beginning of the season. This study aims to evaluate the potential of Trichopria drosophilae Perkins (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae), an indigenous pupal parasitoid of drosophilids, in parasitizing D. suzukii in cherry orchards situated at different altitudes and characterized by different agronomic peculiarities. The release trials showed the ability of the parasitoid to find and parasitize artificially exposed pupae of D. suzukii in two out of three localities, up to 915 m. The results highlight the importance for the released species of an adequate surrounding environment for its spread and establishment.

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