Interactions Among Native and Non-Native Predatory Coccinellidae Influence Biological Control and Biodiversity.

Over the past 30 yr, multiple species of predatory Coccinellidae, prominently L. and (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) have spread to new continents, influencing biodiversity and biological control. Here we review the mechanisms underlying these ecological interactions, focusing on multi-year field studies of native and non-native coccinellids and those using molecular and quantitative ecological methods.

Mi-1.2, an R gene for aphid resistance in tomato, has direct negative effects on a zoophytophagous biocontrol agent, Orius insidiosus.

Mi-1.2 is a single dominant gene in tomato that confers race-specific resistance against certain phloem-feeding herbivores including aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, and root-knot nematodes. Few prior studies have considered the potential non-target effects of race-specific resistance genes (R genes), and this paper evaluates the compatibility of Mi-mediated resistance in tomato with a beneficial zoophytophagous predator, Orius insidiosus (Say).

Rise and fall of cotton aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations in southeastern cotton production systems.

The impact of natural enemies on cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), populations in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., production systems in the southeastern United States was evaluated over 3 yr in irrigated commercial cotton fields. Fungal epizootics caused by the entomopathogen Neozygites fresenii (Nowakowski) Batko reduced aphid numbers to subthreshold levels in 1999, 2000, and 2001 and occurred consistently in early to mid-July in all 3 yr.