Phytoseiid mites on unsprayed apple trees in Oregon, and other western states (USA): distributions, life-style types and relevance to commercial orchards

In unsprayed apple trees in eastern Oregon, Galendromus flumenis (Chant), Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt), Typhlodromus caudiglans Schuster and Metaseiulus citri (Garman and McGregor) were common phytoseiid mites; common plant-feeding mites were the eriophyid, Aculus schlechtendali Nalepa, the brown mite, Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten) and Eotetranychus spp.; apple rust mites seemed to be the primary prey for phytoseiids; the spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch and Panonychus ulmi (Koch) were scarce except for a few local outbreaks; the stigmaeid Zetzellia mali (Ewing) was at 10% of sites and its densities were inversely related to phytoseiid densities; phytoseiids were absent at some sites, particularly at high elevations where winters are severe. In seven Oregon ecoregions, G. flumenis was often at lower elevations in valleys with moderate winters; T. caudiglans was often at higher elevations; G. occidentalis was often at intermediate elevations, in young trees, and near where pesticides were used; it dominated in unsprayed trees only in almost treeless, sage-covered areas; M. citri was usually in older apple trees near agriculture. In mixed phytoseiid populations, M. citri, a generalist, and G. occidentalis, a specialist, occurred more often than expected; G. occidentalis was mostly found with T. caudiglans, a generalist; G. flumenis, a generalist, occurred less with others, possibly because it competes with both specialists and generalists. Analyses of species' distributions with multiple regression and genetic models gave explanatory r2s of 0.019-0.318. Of 29 variables, altitude of site, intensity of agricultural management, tree age, plant types, and Z. mali levels helped explain phytoseiid species presence. In the western USA, G. flumenis dominated in middle-southern latitudes; T. caudiglans dominated in the north near the Canadian border; G. occidentalis dominated in middle latitudes in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming; M. citri was at a few sites in these four states. Distributional and independent variable data were used to predict species presence at sites in Oregon with a 70% success rate. We discuss phytoseiid life-style types, community dynamics, presence in organic/conventional orchards, and trends as more selective IPM methods are used in apple orchards.