Grabarczyk Erin E, Cottrell Ted E, Schmidt Jason M, Tillman P Glynn
Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA 31793, USA.
Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698, USA.
Insects. 2023 Jul 1;14(7):595. doi: 10.3390/insects14070595.
In many agroecosystems, brown marmorated stink bugs () (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are polyphagous pests that cause significant economic losses to numerous crops every year. Insectivorous birds may provide a means of sustainable predation of invasive pests, such as . In forest margins surrounding peach, pecan, and interplanted peach-pecan orchards, we monitored populations with pheromone-baited traps, mist-netted birds, and collected avian fecal samples for molecular gut content analysis. We screened 257 fecal samples from 19 bird species for the presence of DNA to determine whether birds provide the biological control of this pest. Overall, we found evidence that four birds from three species consumed , including Northern cardinal (), Tufted titmouse (), and Carolina wren (). captured in traps increased over time but did not vary by orchard type. Although incidence of predation was low, this may be an underestimate as a result of our current avian fecal sampling methodology. Because birds are members of the broader food web, future studies are needed to understand avian ecosystem services, especially in terms of pest control, including and other pest species.
在许多农业生态系统中，褐边绿刺蝽（半翅目：蝽科）是多食性害虫，每年给众多农作物造成重大经济损失。食虫鸟类可能提供一种可持续捕食入侵害虫（如褐边绿刺蝽）的方法。在桃树、山核桃树以及桃 - 山核桃间作果园周边的林缘地带，我们用诱虫器监测褐边绿刺蝽种群数量，用捕雾网捕获鸟类，并采集鸟类粪便样本进行分子肠道内容物分析。我们从19种鸟类的257份粪便样本中筛选褐边绿刺蝽DNA的存在情况，以确定鸟类是否对这种害虫起到生物防治作用。总体而言，我们发现有证据表明来自三个物种的四种鸟类捕食了褐边绿刺蝽，包括北美主红雀、簇山雀和卡罗来纳鹪鹩。诱虫器捕获的褐边绿刺蝽数量随时间增加，但不因果园类型而异。尽管捕食发生率较低，但由于我们目前的鸟类粪便采样方法，这可能是一个低估结果。由于鸟类是更广泛食物网的成员，未来需要开展研究以了解鸟类的生态系统服务，特别是在害虫控制方面，包括褐边绿刺蝽和其他害虫物种。
