scholarly journals Context-Dependence and the Development of Push-Pull Approaches for Integrated Management of Drosophila suzukii

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen T. Alkema ◽  
Marcel Dicke ◽  
Bregje Wertheim

Sustainable pest control requires a systems approach, based on a thorough ecological understanding of an agro-ecosystem. Such fundamental understanding provides a basis for developing strategies to manipulate the pest’s behaviour, distribution, and population dynamics, to be employed for crop protection. This review focuses on the fundamental knowledge required for the development of an effective push-pull approach. Push-pull is a strategy to repel a pest from a crop, while attracting it toward an external location. It often relies on infochemicals (e.g., pheromones or allelochemicals) that are relevant in the ecology of the pest insect and can be exploited as lure or repellent. Importantly, responsiveness of insects to infochemicals is dependent on both the insect’s internal physiological state and external environmental conditions. This context-dependency reflects the integration of cues from different sensory modalities, the effect of mating and/or feeding status, as well as diurnal or seasonal rhythms. Furthermore, when the costs of responding to an infochemical outweigh the benefits, resistance can rapidly evolve. Here, we argue that profound knowledge on context-dependence is important for the development and implementation of push-pull approaches. We illustrate this by discussing the relevant fundamental knowledge on the invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii as an example.

2022 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-238
Author(s):  
Tom W. Pope ◽  
Joe M. Roberts

Vine weevil, also known as black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, has been one of the most economically important pest species of global horticultural crops for the past five decades. This period has seen many changes in crop protection practices, including wide-scale adoption of biological controls such as entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi in place of conventional synthetic insecticides. Despite the experimental efficacy of these controls, growers continue to report significant crop losses associated with vine weevil infestation. We argue that simply switching from synthetic insecticides to biological controls, rather than using these controls as part of an integrated management program, is a key factor in the continued importance of this pest. An improved understanding of vine weevil biology and ecology is at the center of the development of truly integrated pest management programs. To this end, we identify opportunities created through recent vine weevil research and highlight key knowledge gaps in which further research may contribute to improved future management approaches.


2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Young ◽  
Tristan A.F. Long

AbstractThe characteristics of the juvenile developmental environment of an individual can have many important consequences for their adult reproductive success as it may shape the development and expression of phenotypes that are relevant to the later operation of sexual selection. Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an economically important invasive pest species that lays its eggs in many types of soft fruits and potentially experiences large intrapopulation spatial and temporal variation in its nutritional developmental environments. Here, we examine whether the larval nutritional developmental environment influences D. suzukii mate choice, egg production, and offspring performance. Using D. suzukii raised on diets differing in their nutritional quality, we examined mating preferences, fecundity, and offspring survivorship in “no-choice,” “female choice,” and “male choice” reproductive contexts. We found evidence for both adaptive and nonadaptive mate choice behaviours associated with the phenotypes of D. suzukii that had developed in different nutritional environments. These results reveal the complex nature of the relationship between the developmental environment and individual reproductive success in D. suzukii, which has important potential implications for future management plans involving this species.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia M. Durkin ◽  
Mahul Chakraborty ◽  
Antoine Abrieux ◽  
Kyle M. Lewald ◽  
Alice Gadau ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTStudying how novel phenotypes originate and evolve is fundamental to the field of evolutionary biology as it allows us to understand how organismal diversity is generated and maintained. However, determining the basis of novel phenotypes is challenging as it involves orchestrated changes at multiple biological levels. Here, we aim to overcome this challenge by using a comparative species framework combining behavioral, gene expression, and genomic analyses to understand the evolutionary novel egg-laying substrate-choice behavior of the invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii. First, we used egg-laying behavioral assays to understand the evolution of ripe fruit oviposition preference in D. suzukii as compared to closely related species D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes, as well as D. melanogaster. We show that D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes lay eggs on both ripe and rotten fruits, suggesting that the transition to ripe fruit preference was gradual. Secondly, using two-choice oviposition assays, we studied how D. suzukii, D. subpulchrella, D. biarmipes and D. melanogaster differentially process key sensory cues distinguishing ripe from rotten fruit during egg-laying. We found that D. suzukii’s preference for ripe fruit is in part mediated through a species-specific preference for stiff substrates. Lastly, we sequenced and annotated a high-quality genome for D. subpulchrella. Using comparative genomic approaches, we identified candidate genes involved in D. suzukii’s ability to seek out and target ripe fruits. Our results provide detail to the stepwise evolution of pest activity in D. suzukii, indicating important cues used by this species when finding a host, and the molecular mechanisms potentially underlying their adaptation to a new ecological niche.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 923
Author(s):  
Katerina Nikolouli ◽  
Fabiana Sassù ◽  
Spyridon Ntougias ◽  
Christian Stauffer ◽  
Carlos Cáceres ◽  
...  

The Spotted-Wing Drosophila fly, Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive pest species infesting major agricultural soft fruits. Drosophila suzukii management is currently based on insecticide applications that bear major concerns regarding their efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an efficient and friendly to the environment pest control method that has been suggested for the D. suzukii population control. Successful SIT applications require mass-rearing of the strain to produce competitive and of high biological quality males that will be sterilized and consequently released in the wild. Recent studies have suggested that insect gut symbionts can be used as a protein source for Ceratitis capitata larval diet and replace the expensive brewer’s yeast. In this study, we exploited Enterobacter sp. AA26 as partial and full replacement of inactive brewer’s yeast in the D. suzukii larval diet and assessed several fitness parameters. Enterobacter sp. AA26 dry biomass proved to be an inadequate nutritional source in the absence of brewer’s yeast and resulted in significant decrease in pupal weight, survival under food and water starvation, fecundity, and adult recovery.


Author(s):  
Sylvia M Durkin ◽  
Mahul Chakraborty ◽  
Antoine Abrieux ◽  
Kyle M Lewald ◽  
Alice Gadau ◽  
...  

Abstract Studying how novel phenotypes originate and evolve is fundamental to the field of evolutionary biology as it allows us to understand how organismal diversity is generated and maintained. However, determining the basis of novel phenotypes is challenging as it involves orchestrated changes at multiple biological levels. Here, we aim to overcome this challenge by using a comparative species framework combining behavioral, gene expression, and genomic analyses to understand the evolutionary novel egg-laying substrate-choice behavior of the invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii. First, we used egg-laying behavioral assays to understand the evolution of ripe fruit oviposition preference in D. suzukii as compared to closely related species D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes, as well as D. melanogaster. We show that D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes lay eggs on both ripe and rotten fruits, suggesting that the transition to ripe fruit preference was gradual. Secondly, using two-choice oviposition assays, we studied how D. suzukii, D. subpulchrella, D. biarmipes and D. melanogaster differentially process key sensory cues distinguishing ripe from rotten fruit during egg-laying. We found that D. suzukii’s preference for ripe fruit is in part mediated through a species-specific preference for stiff substrates. Lastly, we sequenced and annotated a high-quality genome for D. subpulchrella. Using comparative genomic approaches, we identified candidate genes involved in D. suzukii’s ability to seek out and target ripe fruits. Our results provide detail to the stepwise evolution of pest activity in D. suzukii, indicating important cues used by this species when finding a host, and the molecular mechanisms potentially underlying their adaptation to a new ecological niche.


2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève Lanouette ◽  
Jacques Brodeur ◽  
François Fournier ◽  
Veronique Martel ◽  
Annabelle Firlej

AbstractThe sterile insect technique is a new approach for the integrated management of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), an invasive pest in North America. We evaluated, under laboratory conditions, the mating capacities and success of male D. suzukii, irradiated at a dose of 120 Gy, with and without competition. We also explored the tendency of females to remate depending if their first mate was irradiated or not. We observed that irradiated males have the same mating capacity as control males, copulating with, respectively, 6.4 ± 1.9 females versus 6.9 ± 2.0 females in a 24-hour period. Irradiated males won the competition 37.5% of times, which is not significantly different from competiveness of control males. Female remating can be considered infrequent and not significantly influenced by male treatment: 7.4% of the females first mated with control males and 18.8% of the females first mated with irradiated males remated when given the opportunity two days and four days after the first mating. Latency before mating and mating duration were not significantly influenced by male treatment, but by presence of male competition. Overall, irradiated males thus seem to be as performant as control males, which is an important condition for a successful sterile insect technique programme.


Author(s):  
Sarah Petermann ◽  
Sabine Otto ◽  
Gerrit Eichner ◽  
Marc F. Schetelig

AbstractNative to Southeast Asia, the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, rapidly invaded America and Europe in the past 20 years. As a crop pest of soft-skinned fruits with a wide range of host plants, it threatens the fruit industry worldwide, causing enormous economic losses. To control this invasive pest species, an understanding of its population dynamics and structure is necessary. Here, we report the population genetics and development of SWD in Germany from 2017–19 using microsatellite markers over 11 different sample sites. It is the first study that examines SWD’s genetic changes over 3 years compared to multiple international SWD laboratory strains. Results show that SWD populations in Germany are highly homogenous without differences between populations or years, which indicates that populations are well adapted, migrate freely, and multiple invasions from outside Germany either did not take place or are negligible. Such high genetic variability and migration between populations could allow for a fast establishment of the pest species. This is especially problematic with regard to the ongoing spread of this invasive species and could bear a potential for developing pesticide resistance, which could increase the impact of the SWD further in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-272
Author(s):  
Onat Başbay ◽  
Mudar Salimeh ◽  
Eddie John

We review the continuing and extensive spread of Papilio demoleus in south-eastern Turkey and in regions of Turkey and Syria adjacent to the north-eastern Mediterranean. Since the authors documented the arrival of this attractive but potentially destructive papilionid species at coastal areas of Syria in 2019, regular monitoring has confirmed successful overwintering there, as well as in Turkey. As previously indicated, P. demoleus is widely recognized as an invasive pest species in Citrus-growing areas of the world and hence its arrival is of potential economic importance to a region in which citrus is widely grown.


2021 ◽  
Vol 485 ◽  
pp. 118942
Author(s):  
Alberto Maceda-Veiga ◽  
Sergio Albacete ◽  
Miguel Carles-Tolrá ◽  
Juli Pujade-Villar ◽  
Jan Máca ◽  
...  

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