Parasitoids are important organisms in the regulation of insect herbivores in natural, urban, and agricultural ecosystems. The impact of pollutants acting on parasitoids has not been extensively reviewed. This prompted us to propose a falsifiable null hypothesis (pollutants have no effects on parasitoids) and two alternative hypotheses (pollution negatively or positively affects parasitoids) to assess in the available literature the effects of pollutants acting on parasitoids. We found 26 studies examining 39 biological systems that met our criteria for inclusion. Of these studies, 18 of the 39 biological systems (46.2%) supported the null hypothesis while 18 (46.2%) supported the first alternative hypothesis in which pollutants exhibited negative effects on parasitoids. Only a small percentage of the studies (7.6%, 3 of 39) supported the second alternative hypothesis suggesting that pollutants had positive effects on parasitoids. We provide a synthesis of the available data by pollution type, summarize trends for different pollutants, and suggest future areas of research.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1897/08-440.1 | DOI Listing |
Environ Entomol
December 2024
Departamento de Proteção Vegetal, Universidade Estadual Paulista 'Júlio de Mesquita Filho' (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Avenida Universitária, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil.
The growing expansion of eucalyptus plantations in Brazil and the impact of exotic pests, such as Gonipterus platensis, demand effective, and sustainable biological control strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the pathogenicity of 10 Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) isolates to neonate Gonipterus platensis larvae, commonly known as the eucalyptus weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with the specific focus of evaluating their potential to manage this pest while preserving its egg parasitoid, Anaphes nitens. To achieve this, the genomic DNA of the 10 Bt isolates was extracted using the thermal lysis method for molecular characterization of their Cry and Vip proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Fungi (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India.
The interaction between plants and microorganisms plays a major role in plant growth promotion and disease management. While most microorganisms directly influence plant health, some indirectly support growth through pest and disease suppression. Endophytic entomopathogenic fungi are diverse, easily localized, and have long-lasting effects on insect pests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Insect Sci
December 2024
Department of Plant Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Neipu, Pingtung, Taiwan.
The horizontal transmission of endosymbionts between hosts and parasitoids plays a crucial role in biological control, yet its mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigates the dynamics of horizontal transfer of (Ccep) from the rice moth, , to its parasitoid, . Through PCR detection and phylogenetic analysis, we demonstrated the presence of identical Ccep strains in both host and parasitoid populations, providing evidence for natural horizontal transmission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemosphere
December 2024
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan. Electronic address:
Trichogramma chilonis (Ishii) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), a widely used egg parasitoid of lepidopteran pests in various crops, has developed very high levels of resistance when treated with chlorantraniliprole under laboratory conditions. This study assessed and characterized its mode of inheritance, degree of dominance, realized heritability (h), and cross-resistance. Toxicity bioassays were performed on T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPestic Biochem Physiol
December 2024
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, Na Sádkách 1780, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Electronic address:
The complexities of non-target effects of registered pesticides on biocontrol agents (BCAs) hinder the optimization of integrated pest management programs in agriculture. The wealth of literature on BCA-pesticide compatibility allows for the investigation of factors influencing BCA susceptibility and the generalized impacts of different pesticides. We conducted a meta-analysis using 2088 observations from 122 published articles to assess non-target effects on two phytoseiid species (Neoseiulus californicus and Phytoseiulus persimilis), a parasitoid (Encarsia formosa), and two microbial BCAs (Trichoderma harzianum and Metarhizium anisopliae).
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