Liu Zhenguo, Zhang Keshi, Zhang Zhi-Qiang
Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Non-grain Feed Resources (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Efficient Feeding, Department of Animal Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, People's Republic of China.
Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand.
Pest Manag Sci. 2025 Apr;81(4):1765-1770. doi: 10.1002/ps.8575. Epub 2024 Dec 5.
Phototactic behavior and oviposition site selection in phytoseiid predators are crucial for understanding their ecological interactions and optimizing their use in agricultural pest management. This study investigated the phototactic responses and oviposition preferences of seven phytoseiid species of proven or potential importance in biocontrol: Amblydromalus limonicus (Garman & McGregor), Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant), Amblyseius lentiginosus Denmark and Schicha, Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans), Neoseiulus womersleyi (Schicha), and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. We hypothesized that these phytoseiid predators use light as a cue, with their phototactic behavior aligning with their respective lifestyles.
By presenting adults of these species with two choices (i.e. light and dark) in acrylic arenas, we found that P. persimilis exhibited a significant preference for light. In contrast, other species showed no phototactic preference. The phototactic preferences were similar between genders of all six sexually reproducing species tested in this study. Furthermore, the oviposition site preferences varied significantly among species. Gravid females of As. herbicolus, N. cucumeris, N. womersleyi, and P. persimilis preferred dark sites for egg laying, whereas Ad. limonicus and As. lentiginosus showed no light preference, and N. barkeri preferred light for oviposition.
This study highlights the importance of light as an ecological factor influencing phytoseiid behavior and suggests that phototactic and oviposition preferences are adaptations to specific environmental niches. These findings have practical implications for enhancing the effectiveness of phytoseiids in pest management. Further research should investigate the mechanisms driving phototactic responses and light perception in these phytoseiid predators. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
植绥螨科捕食螨的趋光行为和产卵场所选择对于理解它们的生态相互作用以及在农业害虫管理中优化其应用至关重要。本研究调查了七种在生物防治中已证实或具有潜在重要性的植绥螨科物种的趋光反应和产卵偏好：柠檬钝绥螨（Garman & McGregor）、草栖钝绥螨（Chant）、斑点钝绥螨Denmark和Schicha、巴氏新小绥螨Hughes、黄瓜新小绥螨（Oudemans）、沃氏新小绥螨（Schicha）以及智利小植绥螨Athias-Henriot。我们假设这些植绥螨科捕食螨利用光作为线索，其趋光行为与其各自的生活方式一致。
通过在丙烯酸试验场中为这些物种的成虫提供两种选择（即光和暗），我们发现智利小植绥螨对光表现出显著偏好。相比之下，其他物种没有趋光偏好。在本研究中测试的所有六个有性生殖物种的性别之间，趋光偏好相似。此外，不同物种之间的产卵场所偏好差异显著。草栖钝绥螨、黄瓜新小绥螨、沃氏新小绥螨和智利小植绥螨的孕卵雌螨偏好黑暗场所产卵，而柠檬钝绥螨和斑点钝绥螨没有光偏好，巴氏新小绥螨偏好光环境产卵。
本研究强调了光作为影响植绥螨行为的生态因素的重要性，并表明趋光和产卵偏好是对特定环境生态位的适应。这些发现对提高植绥螨在害虫管理中的有效性具有实际意义。进一步的研究应调查这些植绥螨科捕食螨趋光反应和光感知的驱动机制。© 2024化学工业协会。
