State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Environ Entomol. 2024 Jun 13;53(3):374-382. doi: 10.1093/ee/nvae016.
Alternanthera philoxeroides (Amaranthaceae), commonly known as alligator weed, is a globally invasive and detrimental perennial weed. Agasicles hygrophila serves as an important biocontrol agent for alligator weeds. However, during mid-summer, when temperatures increase, A. hygrophila populations experience a significant decline, leading to ineffective weed control. This study has examined the impact of periodic heat events on the reproduction and survival of A. hygrophila females and males using various mating combinations and durations of temperature treatments. The results demonstrated significant effects on all of the studied parameters across mating combinations when compared with the control. Under the same temperature combination, the fecundity and survival rates of females, as well as the egg-hatching rate, decreased significantly with increasing repeated heat exposure. Furthermore, the egg-hatching rate varied significantly among different temperatures and time-interval combinations. In addition, the females displayed greater sensitivity to heat stress than males in terms of fecundity. These findings enhance our understanding of A. hygrophila population dynamics during summer and provide insights into the release of biocontrol agents in diverse regions with varying climates.
空心莲子草（苋科），俗称喜旱莲子草，是一种全球性的入侵性有害多年生杂草。水旱草萤叶甲是空心莲子草的重要生物防治剂。然而，在仲夏期间，随着温度的升高，水旱草萤叶甲的种群数量会显著下降，导致对杂草的控制效果不佳。本研究通过不同的交配组合和温度处理时间，研究了周期性热事件对水旱草萤叶甲雌雄个体繁殖和生存的影响。与对照组相比，所有研究参数在交配组合上都有显著影响。在相同的温度组合下，随着重复热暴露的增加，雌性的繁殖力和存活率以及卵孵化率显著下降。此外，不同温度和时间间隔组合的卵孵化率也有显著差异。此外，在繁殖力方面，雌性比雄性对热胁迫更敏感。这些发现提高了我们对水旱草萤叶甲夏季种群动态的认识，并为在不同气候条件的不同地区释放生物防治剂提供了见解。
