Streams and rural abandonment are related to the summer activity of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii in protected European forests

Abstract Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a serious invasive pest impacting the production of multiple fruit crops, including soft and stone fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Effective control is challenging and reliant on integrated pest management which includes the use of an ever decreasing number of approved insecticides. New means to reduce the impact of this pest that can be integrated into control strategies are urgently required. In many production regions, including the UK, soft fruit are typically grown inside tunnels clad with polyethylene based materials. These can be modified to filter specific wavebands of light. We investigated whether targeted spectral modifications to cladding materials that disrupt insect vision could reduce the incidence of D. suzukii. We present a novel approach that starts from a neuroscientific investigation of insect sensory systems and ends with infield testing of new cladding materials inspired by the biological data. We show D. suzukii are predominantly sensitive to wavelengths below 405 nm (ultraviolet) and above 565 nm (orange & red) and that targeted blocking of lower wavebands (up to 430 nm) using light restricting materials reduces pest populations up to 73% in field trials.

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Genetically Encoded CRISPR components Yield Efficient Gene Editing in the Invasive Pest,Drosophila suzukii

10.1101/2021.03.15.435483 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nikolay P. Kandul ◽

Esther J. Belikoff ◽

Junru Liu ◽

Anna Buchman ◽

Fang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Population Control ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Guide Rnas ◽

Cas9 Nuclease ◽

Efficient Gene ◽

Transgenic Lines ◽

Repeated Applications ◽

Very High ◽

Genetic Strategies

AbstractOriginally from Asia,Drosophila suzukii(Matsumura, 1931, Diptera:Drosophilidae) is presently a global pest of economically important soft-skinned fruits. Also commonly known as spotted wingDrosophila(SWD), it is largely controlled through repeated applications of broad-spectrum insecticides. There is a pressing need for a better understanding of SWD biology and for developing alternative environmentally-friendly methods of control. The RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease has revolutionized functional genomics and is an integral component of several recently developed genetic strategies for population control of insects. Here we have developed transgenic strains that encode three different terminators and four different promoters to express Cas9 in both the soma and/or germline of SWD. The Cas9 lines were evaluated through genetic crossing to transgenic lines that encode single guide RNAs targeting the conserved X-linkedyellowbody andwhiteeye genes. We find that several Cas9/gRNA lines display very high editing capacity. Going forward, these tools will be instrumental for evaluating gene function in SWD and may provide tools useful for the development of new genetic strategies for control of this invasive species.

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Identification of entomopathogenic bacteria associated with the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii in infested areas of Germany

Journal of Invertebrate Pathology ◽

10.1016/j.jip.2020.107389 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 173 ◽

pp. 107389 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nils Hiebert ◽

Tessa Carrau ◽

Merle Bartling ◽

Andreas Vilcinskas ◽

Kwang-Zin Lee

Keyword(s):

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Entomopathogenic Bacteria

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Performance of Trichopria drosophilae (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae), a Generalist Parasitoid of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), at Low Temperature

Journal of Insect Science ◽

10.1093/jisesa/ieaa039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Fernanda Colombari ◽

Lorenzo Tonina ◽

Andrea Battisti ◽

Nicola Mori

Keyword(s):

Low Temperature ◽

Food Supply ◽

Early Spring ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Lower Range ◽

Adult Females ◽

Emergence Rate ◽

Pupal Mortality ◽

High Elevations

Abstract Survival and parasitism activity of Trichopria drosophilae Perkins adults, a cosmopolitan parasitoid of Drosophila spp., were studied under laboratory conditions using five constant temperatures at the lower range known for this enemy, from 4 to 20°C in 4°C increments. Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, an invasive pest of small fruits, was used as a host. Commercially available adult parasitoids were provided with 1) food and D. suzukii pupae; 2) food and no D. suzukii pupae; 3) no food and no pupae. The results show that adult females of T. drosophilae lived longer than males, and both generally benefitted from food supply. The highest level of survival was observed between 8 and 12°C for fed insects, irrespective of whether they were offered host pupae or not. The absence of food led to the highest mortality, but the parasitoid demonstrated considerably resistance to prolonged starvation. Successful parasitism increased steadily with temperature and reached the highest value at 20°C. Conversely, D. suzukii emergence rate was high after exposure of pupae to parasitoids at 4°C, while pupal mortality increased strongly with temperature until 12°C. The findings indicate that T. drosophilae is well adapted to the relatively cold conditions experienced in early spring and in autumn or at high elevations, when the host pupae could be largely available. The long lifespan of the adults and the ability to parasitize the host at low temperature make T. drosophilae potentially useful for the biocontrol of D. suzukii.

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Discrimination between Asian populations of the parasitoid wasp Ganaspis cf. brasiliensis using a simple MALDI-TOF MS-based method for use with insects

Biology Methods and Protocols ◽

10.1093/biomethods/bpz002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michael A Reeve ◽

M Lukas Seehausen

Keyword(s):

Reference Sample ◽

Principal Component ◽

Parasitoid Wasp ◽

Test Sample ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Maldi Tof Ms ◽

Chinese Populations ◽

Maldi Tof ◽

Tof Ms

Abstract The fruit fly Drosophila suzukii has recently become an invasive pest insect of significant economic impact in Europe and the USA. In contrast to other Drosophila species, D. suzukii is able to infest intact fruit by means of a saw-like ovipositor, which allows females to deposit eggs beneath the skin of the fruit. Classical biological control using the parasitoid wasp Ganaspis cf. brasiliensis is currently being researched as an environmentally sustainable option for the control of D. suzukii. In particular, the host specificity of this parasitoid has been assessed for populations from different regions in China and Japan. In order to study the relationship between the differences in specificity and molecular variations, we have adapted a matrix-assisted laser-desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based method, originally developed for use with plant material, to discriminate between example populations of G. cf. brasiliensis. We have employed a combination of principal component analysis and blind-tested comparison between reference sample MALDI-TOF MS spectra and test sample spectra to discriminate, on the basis of the acid-soluble insect protein spectra generated, between four populations of G. cf. brasiliensis (originally collected from Tokyo and Hasuike in Japan and Dali and Ximing in China). MALDI-TOF MS analysis is able to discriminate with 100% accuracy between populations G. cf. brasiliensis. The Chinese populations were observed to be similar, but the Tokyo population is slightly different and the Hasuike population is significantly different from the other populations. The Tokyo population appears more closely related to the Chinese populations than the Hasuike population, even though both originate from Japan.

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Evolutionary Insights into Taste Perception of the Invasive Pest Drosophila suzukii

G3 Genes|Genome|Genetics ◽

10.1534/g3.116.036467 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

pp. 4185-4196 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Cristina M Crava ◽

Sukanya Ramasamy ◽

Lino Ometto ◽

Gianfranco Anfora ◽

Omar Rota-Stabelli

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Taste Receptor ◽

Drosophila Species ◽

Taste Perception ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Close Relative ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Genomic Changes ◽

Functional Studies ◽

Chemosensory Perception

Abstract Chemosensory perception allows insects to interact with the environment by perceiving odorant or tastant molecules; genes encoding chemoreceptors are the molecular interface between the environment and the insect, and play a central role in mediating its chemosensory behavior. Here, we explore how the evolution of these genes in the emerging pest Drosophila suzukii correlates with the peculiar ecology of this species. We annotated approximately 130 genes coding for gustatory receptors (GRs) and divergent ionotropic receptors (dIRs) in D. suzukii and in its close relative D. biarmipes. We then analyzed the evolution, in terms of size, of each gene family as well of the molecular evolution of the genes in a 14 Drosophila species phylogenetic framework. We show that the overall evolution of GRs parallels that of dIRs not only in D. suzukii, but also in all other analyzed Drosophila. Our results reveal an unprecedented burst of gene family size in the lineage leading to the suzukii subgroup, as well as genomic changes that characterize D. suzukii, particularly duplications and strong signs of positive selection in the putative bitter-taste receptor GR59d. Expression studies of duplicate genes in D. suzukii support a spatio-temporal subfunctionalization of the duplicate isoforms. Our results suggest that D. suzukii is not characterized by gene loss, as observed in other specialist Drosophila species, but rather by a dramatic acceleration of gene gains, compatible with a highly generalist feeding behavior. Overall, our analyses provide candidate taste receptors specific for D. suzukii that may correlate with its specific behavior, and which may be tested in functional studies to ultimately enhance its control in the field.

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Correction: Wolbachia in European Populations of the Invasive Pest Drosophila suzukii: Regional Variation in Infection Frequencies

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0150050 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. e0150050 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Julien Cattel ◽

Rupinder Kaur ◽

Patricia Gibert ◽

Julien Martinez ◽

Antoine Fraimout ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Regional Variation ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

European Populations

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Biological Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis in Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Journal of Economic Entomology ◽

10.1093/jee/tow062 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 1071-1078 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

J Cossentine ◽

M Robertson ◽

D Xu

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽

North America ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

First Instar ◽

Soft Fruit ◽

Pupal Mortality ◽

Adult Drosophila

Abstract Whole-culture extracts of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner strains were assayed against larval and adult Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), an important invasive pest of many thin-skinned soft fruit crops in North America. Of the 22 serovars tested versus larval D. suzukii , strains of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis , kurstaki , thompsoni , bolivia , and pakistani caused high (75 to 100%) first-instar mortalities. Pupal mortality, measured as a failure of adults to emerge, varied with serovar. The first D. suzukii instar was the most susceptible of the three larval instars to B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1. Larval D. suzukii are shielded from crop treatments, as they develop under the skin of infested fruit, and adults would be a more vulnerable target for an efficacious strain of B. thuringiensis . Only one of the 21 B. thuringiensis serovars, var. thuringiensis , prepared as oral suspensions in sucrose for adult D. suzukii ingestion resulted in significant, albeit low mortality within 7 d. It is not a candidate for use in pest management, as it produces β -exotoxin that is toxic to vertebrates.

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