Oviposition strategy as a means of local adaptation to plant defence in native and invasive populations of the viburnum leaf beetle

Herbivores have been hypothesized to adapt locally to variation in plant defences and such adaptation could facilitate novel associations in the context of biological invasions. Here, we show that in the native range of the viburnum leaf beetle (VLB, Pyrrhalta viburni ), two populations of geographically isolated hosts— Viburnum opulus and Viburnum tinus —have divergent defences against VLB oviposition: negative versus positive density-dependent egg-crushing wound responses, respectively. Populations of beetles coexisting with each host show an adaptive behavioural response: aggregative versus non-aggregative oviposition on V. opulus and V. tinus , respectively. In parallel, we show that in North America, where VLB is invasive, defences of three novel hosts are negatively density-dependent, and beetles' oviposition behaviour is aggregative. Thus, local adaptation to plant defences has the potential to facilitate the invasion of herbivores onto novel hosts.

Download Full-text

First Insights into the Chemical Ecology of an Invasive Pest: Olfactory Preferences of the Viburnum Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Environmental Entomology ◽

10.1093/ee/nvaa007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 364-369

Author(s):

Gaylord A Desurmont ◽

Stéphanie P G Morelon ◽

Betty Benrey

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Chemical Ecology ◽

Leaf Beetle ◽

Invasive Pest ◽

Future Research ◽

Viburnum Opulus ◽

Olfactory Preferences ◽

Pyrrhalta Viburni ◽

Consistent Treatment ◽

Managed Landscapes

Abstract The viburnum leaf beetle (VLB), Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull), is an invasive chrysomelid in North America where it infests native Viburnum shrubs in woody areas and managed landscapes. Despite its invasive and destructive nature, little is known about the chemical ecology of this beetle, and efficient chemical lures for monitoring and trapping this insect have yet to be developed. Using two of the main host plants of VLB in its native range, Viburnum opulus L. (Caprifoliaceae) and V. lantana L., we examined the olfactory preferences of adult females of VLB under laboratory conditions and measured volatile emissions of Viburnum twigs with and without VLB damage. VLB females had a clear preference for V. opulus and V. lantana twigs compared to blank odor sources. In addition, twigs with foliar damage and fresh egg masses were found to be more attractive than noninfested twigs in V. opulus when VLB infestation was recent, but not when twigs had been infested for several weeks. Chemical analyses revealed consistent treatment-specific blends of compounds, which may be used for the elaboration of attractive lures. Future research should focus on the identification of these compounds and on exploring the olfactory preferences of VLB with Viburnum species present in North America.

Download Full-text

Influence of prey size and environmental factors on predation by Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on viburnum leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/n07-021 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 140 (2) ◽

pp. 192-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gaylord A. Desurmont ◽

Paul A. Weston

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

Plant Species ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Handling Time ◽

Leaf Beetle ◽

Podisus Maculiventris ◽

Viburnum Opulus ◽

Host Plant Species ◽

Search Area ◽

Rate Of Increase

AbstractExperiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to determine the influence of the relative sizes of predator and prey, temperature, presence of refugia, size of the search area, and host-plant species on the predation performance of Podisus maculiventris (Say) nymphs against viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull), a new landscape pest in North America that feeds on the foliage of species of Viburnum L. (Caprifoliaceae). Predator handling time was positively correlated with body mass of the prey for all instars of P. maculiventris, but the rate of increase of handling time relative to prey mass decreased as predator age increased. Temperature was positively correlated with predation rates, but the presence of refugia did not have an impact on predation. The influence of host-plant species and size of the search area was tested on southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum L.) and American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus L. var. americanum Aiton). There was a significant interaction between plant species and size of the search area, the species effect becoming significant as leaf surface area increased. In the case of southern arrowwood a negative correlation between size of the search area and predation rate was also detected. The identification of these factors adds valuable knowledge for using P. maculiventris as a biological-control agent against P. viburni.

Download Full-text

Density-dependent polyphenism and geographic variation in size among two populations of lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera)

Ecological Entomology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01118.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 644-651 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

JASON E. JANNOT ◽

ALEXANDER E. KO ◽

DUSTIN L. HERRMANN ◽

LAURA SKINNER ◽

EMILY BUTZEN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Geographic Variation ◽

Density Dependent ◽

Two Populations

Download Full-text

Viburnum Leaf Beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Encyclopedia of Entomology ◽

10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_3976 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 4105-4107

Author(s):

John B. Heppner ◽

John L. Capinera ◽

Jamie Ellis ◽

Andrey N. Alekseev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leaf Beetle ◽

Pyrrhalta Viburni

Download Full-text

The legacy of the extinct Neotropical megafauna on plants and biomes

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-27749-9 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Vinicius L. Dantas ◽

Juli G. Pausas

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Plant Defence ◽

Leaf Size ◽

Plant Evolution ◽

Vegetation Patterns ◽

Plant Defences ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Plant Trait ◽

Historical Distribution

AbstractLarge mammal herbivores are important drivers of plant evolution and vegetation patterns, but the extent to which plant trait and ecosystem geography currently reflect the historical distribution of extinct megafauna is unknown. We address this question for South and Central America (Neotropical biogeographic realm) by compiling data on plant defence traits, climate, soil, and fire, as well as on the historical distribution of extinct megafauna and extant mammal herbivores. We show that historical mammal herbivory, especially by extinct megafauna, and soil fertility explain substantial variability in wood density, leaf size, spines and latex. We also identified three distinct regions (‘‘antiherbiomes’’), differing in plant defences, environmental conditions, and megafauna history. These patterns largely matched those observed in African ecosystems, where abundant megafauna still roams, and suggest that some ecoregions experienced savanna-to-forest shifts following megafauna extinctions. Here, we show that extinct megafauna left a significant imprint on current ecosystem biogeography.

Download Full-text

The limits to parapatric speciation 3: evolution of strong reproductive isolation in presence of gene flow despite limited ecological differentiation

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2019.0532 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 375 (1806) ◽

pp. 20190532 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alexandre Blanckaert ◽

Claudia Bank ◽

Joachim Hermisson

Keyword(s):

Gene Flow ◽

Reproductive Isolation ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Theme Issue ◽

Genetic Barrier ◽

Incipient Species ◽

Postzygotic Reproductive Isolation ◽

Minimal Configuration ◽

Parapatric Speciation ◽

Two Populations

Gene flow tends to impede the accumulation of genetic divergence. Here, we determine the limits for the evolution of postzygotic reproductive isolation in a model of two populations that are connected by gene flow. We consider two selective mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of a genetic barrier: local adaptation leads to divergence among incipient species due to selection against migrants, and Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) reinforce the genetic barrier through selection against hybrids. In particular, we are interested in the maximum strength of the barrier under a limited amount of local adaptation, a challenge that many incipient species may initially face. We first confirm that with classical two-locus DMIs, the maximum amount of local adaptation is indeed a limit to the strength of a genetic barrier. However, with three or more loci and cryptic epistasis, this limit holds no longer. In particular, we identify a minimal configuration of three epistatically interacting mutations that is sufficient to confer strong reproductive isolation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards the completion of speciation: the evolution of reproductive isolation beyond the first barriers’.

Download Full-text

POPULATION DYNAMICS OF THE CEREAL LEAF BEETLE, OULEMA MELANOPUS (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE): A MODEL FOR AGE SPECIFIC MORTALITY

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent104797-6 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 104 (6) ◽

pp. 797-814 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Robert G. Helgesen ◽

Dean L. Haynes

Keyword(s):

Pupal Stage ◽

Leaf Beetle ◽

Fourth Instar ◽

Egg Survival ◽

Density Dependent ◽

Cereal Leaf Beetle ◽

Density Dependent Mortality ◽

Oulema Melanopus ◽

First Instar ◽

Dependent Mortality

AbstractThe cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus (L.), has rapidly increased its numbers and range since it was discovered in Michigan in 1962. We have shown in this report that intraspecific density-dependent mortality is the major constraint on survivorship. We have attempted to quantify survival within a generation from the egg stage to the adult.Larval mortality varies among populations. Density-dependent mortality, caused by intraspecific competition, accounts for most of the variation of within-generation survival of the cereal leaf beetle in wheat and oats. Mortality in the first instar on oats and the fourth instar on wheat and oats is a linear function of the logarithm of total egg density. Establishment of the first instar on oats appears to become more difficult as density increases because leaf surface disturbance and interference with larger larva increases. Competition for food accounts for the increase in mortality of the fourth instar in both wheat and oats as density increases. Egg survival, survival of the first instar on wheat and in the second, third, and pupal stage in both crops are constants with respect to density. These constants can be expected to change with respect to other environmental parameters however, e.g. host variety, planting date, rainfall, etc.

Download Full-text

Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485309990265 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 367-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

O.L. Kvedaras ◽

M. An ◽

Y.S. Choi ◽

G.M. Gurr

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Field Experiment ◽

Recent Work ◽

Natural Enemies ◽

Natural Enemy ◽

Untreated Control ◽

Plant Defence ◽

Plant Defences ◽

Pest Infestation ◽

Arthropod Pests

AbstractSilicon (Si) is known to have a role in constitutive plant defence against arthropod pests, and recent work has illustrated involvement in induced plant defences. The present tri-trophic study tested the hypothesis that Si increases natural enemy attraction to pest-infested plants and improves biological control. Cucumber plants treated with potassium silicate (Si+) and untreated control plants (Si−) were maintained in separately vented glasshouse compartments. Y-tube olfactometer studies showed that adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to Si+ plants upon which Helicoverpa armigera larvae had fed compared with Si−, pest-infested plants. Predators were not significantly more attracted to Si+ plants when comparing uninfested cucumbers. In a field experiment, we placed H. armigera-infested and uninfested Si+ and Si− cucumber plants in a lucerne stand. Removal rates of H. armigera egg baits showed predation was greater for Si+ infested plants than for other treatments. Results suggest that Si applied to plants with a subsequent pest infestation increases the plants' attractiveness to natural enemies; an effect that was reflected in elevated biological control in the field.

Download Full-text