Omnivore-herbivore interactions: thrips and whiteflies compete via the shared host plant

Phytophagy is a common feature among pure herbivorous insects and omnivores that utilise both plant and prey as food resources; nevertheless, experimental evidence for factors affecting their interactions is restricted to intraguild predation and predator-mediated competition. We herein focused on p...

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Veröffentlicht in:Scientific reports 2018-03, Vol.8 (1), p.3996-12, Article 3996
Hauptverfasser: Pappas, Maria L., Tavlaki, Georgia, Triantafyllou, Anneta, Broufas, George
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Phytophagy is a common feature among pure herbivorous insects and omnivores that utilise both plant and prey as food resources; nevertheless, experimental evidence for factors affecting their interactions is restricted to intraguild predation and predator-mediated competition. We herein focused on plant-mediated effects that could result from plant defence activation or quality alteration and compared the performance of an omnivore, the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis , and a pure herbivore, the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum , on cucumber plants previously infested with either species. Furthermore, we recorded their behavioural responses when given a choice among infested and clean plants. Whiteflies laid less eggs on plants previously exposed to thrips but more on whitefly-infested plants. Thrips survival was negatively affected on whitefly-infested than on thrips-infested or clean plants. Notably, whiteflies developed significantly faster on plants infested with conspecifics. In accordance, whiteflies avoided thrips-infested plants and preferred whitefly-infested over clean plants. Thrips showed no preference for either infested or clean plants. Our study is a first report on the role of plant-mediated effects in shaping omnivore-herbivore interactions. Considering the factors driving such interactions we will likely better understand the ecology of the more complex relationships among plants and pest organisms.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-22353-2