Smargiassi Stefania, Masoni Alberto, Frizzi Filippo, Balzani Paride, Desiato Elisa, Benelli Giovanni, Canale Angelo, Santini Giacomo
Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, Italy.
National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy.
Insects. 2023 Jun 7;14(6):532. doi: 10.3390/insects14060532.
Alternative methods to achieve sustainable agricultural production while reducing the use of chemical pesticides, such as biological control, are increasingly needed. The exploitation of trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs), in which pests modify their behavior in response to some cues (e.g., pheromones and other semiochemicals) to avoid predation risk, may be a possible strategy. In this study, we tested the effect of TMIIs of two Mediterranean ant species, and , on the oviposition behaviour of (Diptera: Tephritidae), one of the world's most economically damaging pests, which attacks fruits. For each ant species, we performed choice experiments using ant-scented and control plums, counting the time spent by medflies on fruits and the number of pupae emerging from them. Results of both ant species tests showed a significantly shorter time spent by ovipositing medflies on ant-exposed plums and a lower number of pupae, when compared to the control group. Our findings highlighted that the semiochemicals released by ants on plums triggered an avoidance behaviour by medfly females, leading to lower oviposition rates. This study contributes to the understanding of indirect ant-pest interactions in Mediterranean agricultural settings and points out the potential of utilising ant-borne semiochemicals in sustainable IPM strategies.
在减少化学农药使用的同时实现可持续农业生产的替代方法，如生物防治，需求日益增加。利用性状介导的间接相互作用（TMIIs），即害虫根据某些线索（如信息素和其他化学信号）改变其行为以避免被捕食风险，可能是一种可行的策略。在本研究中，我们测试了两种地中海蚂蚁物种（[具体物种1]和[具体物种2]）的TMIIs对地中海实蝇（双翅目：实蝇科）产卵行为的影响，地中海实蝇是世界上最具经济破坏力的害虫之一，会攻击果实。对于每种蚂蚁物种，我们使用带有蚂蚁气味的李子和对照李子进行了选择实验，统计了地中海实蝇在果实上花费的时间以及从果实中羽化出的蛹的数量。两种蚂蚁物种的测试结果均显示，与对照组相比，在地中海实蝇暴露于蚂蚁的李子上产卵的时间显著缩短，蛹的数量也更少。我们的研究结果突出表明，蚂蚁在李子上释放的化学信号引发了地中海实蝇雌虫的回避行为，导致产卵率降低。本研究有助于理解地中海农业环境中蚂蚁与害虫之间的间接相互作用，并指出在可持续的综合虫害管理策略中利用蚂蚁携带的化学信号的潜力。
