Predatory functional response and fitness parameters of Orius strigicollis Poppius when fed Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum as determined by age-stage, two-sex life table

Shakeel Ur Rehman; Xingmiao Zhou; Shahzaib Ali; Muhammad Asim Rasheed; Yasir Islam; Muhammad Hafeez; Muhammad Aamir Sohail; Haris Khurram

doi:10.7717/peerj.9540

Predatory functional response and fitness parameters of Orius strigicollis Poppius when fed Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum as determined by age-stage, two-sex life table

PeerJ. 2020 Jul 28:8:e9540. doi: 10.7717/peerj.9540. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Shakeel Ur Rehman¹, Xingmiao Zhou¹, Shahzaib Ali¹, Muhammad Asim Rasheed¹, Yasir Islam¹, Muhammad Hafeez², Muhammad Aamir Sohail³, Haris Khurram⁴

Affiliations

¹ Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
² State Key Laboratory Breeding Base for Zhejiang Sustainable Pest and Disease Control, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China.
³ The Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
⁴ Department of Sciences and Humanities, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Chiniot-Faisalabad Campus, Chiniot, Pakistan.

Abstract

Background: The polyphagous predatory bug O. strigicollis is an active predator used to control thrips and aphids. The whitefly species Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum are voracious pests of different economic agricultural crops and vegetables.

Method: In this study, the Holling disc equation and the age-stage, two-sex life table technique were used to investigate the functional response and biological traits of third instar nymphs and adult female O. strigicollis when presented third instar nymphs of both whitefly species as prey.

Results: The results showed a type II functional response for each life stage of O. strigicollis when fed each whitefly species. The calculated prey handling time for different O. strigicollis life stages were shorter when fed T. vaporariorum than when fed B. tabaci nymphs. In contrast, the nymphal development of O. strigicollis was significantly shorter when fed B. tabaci than T. vaporariorum nymphs. Additionally, the total pre-oviposition period of adult females was statistically shorter when fed B. tabaci nymphs than T. vaporariorum nymphs. Furthermore, the survival rates and total fecundity of O. strigicollis were higher when fed B. tabaci than T. vaporariorum. There were no significant differences in any population parameters of O. strigicollis when fed either whitefly species. These results show that O. strigicollis could survive and maintain its populations on both species of whitefly and could therefore serve as a biological control agent in integrated pest management (IPM).

Keywords: Biological control; Fitness traits; Functional response; Orius strigicollis (anthocoridae); Predation; Whitefly species.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31872023), and The National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFD0201000). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.