The information that female insects perceive and use during oviposition site selection is complex and varies by species and ecological niche. Even in relatively unexploited niches, females interact directly and indirectly with conspecifics at oviposition sites. These interactions can take the form of host marking and re-assessment of prior oviposition sites during the decision-making process. Considerable research has focused on the niche breadth and host preference of the polyphagous invasive pest
The broad variation in host use among polyphagous insects is well documented but still poorly understood. In numerous pest insects, the proximate mechanisms responsible for variation in oviposition preference among host plants remain to be elucidated. The invasive crop pest,
- PAR ID:
- 10419900
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Entomology
- Volume:
- 147
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0931-2048
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 432-437
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), but little information exists on how conspecific signals modulate oviposition behavior. We investigated three layers of social information that femaleD. suzukii may use in oviposition site selection—(1) pre-existing egg density, (2) pre-existing larval occupation, and (3) host marking by adults. We found that the presence of larvae and host marking, but not egg density, influenced oviposition behavior and that the two factors interacted over time. Adult marking appeared to deter oviposition only in the presence of an unmarked substrate. These results are the first behavioral evidence for a host marking pheromone in a species ofDrosophila . These findings may also help elucidateD. suzukii infestation and preference patterns within crop fields and natural areas. -
Abstract The invasive spotted-wing drosophila,
Drosophila suzukii, is a major pest of fruit crops worldwide. Management ofD. suzukii relies heavily on chemical control in both organic and conventional systems, and there is a need to develop more sustainable management practices. We evaluated the efficacy of three colors of plastic mulches at reducing populations ofD. suzukii in fall-bearing raspberry and assessed the mulches’ impacts on canopy microclimate factors relevant toD. suzukii . Black, white, and metallic plastic mulches reduced adultD. suzukii populations by 42–51% and larval populations by 52–72% compared to the grower standard. The mulches did not change canopy temperature or relative humidity, but metallic mulches increased canopy light intensity compared to the black mulch. Radiance in the visible spectrum (401–680 nm) was higher for the white and metallic mulch plots, but the black mulch plots did not differ from the control. In the UV spectrum (380–400 nm), all three plastic mulches had higher radiance than the control plots. Future studies will determine whether changes in radiance are associated with the observed reduction inD. suzukii populations. Plastic mulches are a promising cultural practice for managingD. suzukii since they can reduce adult and larval populations and could be incorporated into an integrated pest management program in both organic and conventional systems. -
Abstract Spotted wing drosophila,
Drosophila suzukii , is an invasive pest that primarily attacks fresh, soft‐skinned fruit. Although others have reported successful integration of markedpiggyBac elements into theD. suzukii genome, with a very respectable transgenesis rate of ∼16%, here we take this work a step further by creatingD. suzukii jumpstarter strains. These were generated through integration of a fluorescent‐markedMinos element carrying aheat shock protein 70 ‐drivenpiggyBac transposase gene. We demonstrate that there is a dramatic increase in transformation rates when germline transformation is performed in atransposase ‐expressing background. For example, we achieved transformation rates as high as 80% when microinjectingpiggyBac ‐based plasmids into embryos derived from one of theseD. suzukii jumpstarter strains. We also investigate the effect of insert size on transformation efficiency by testing the ability of the most efficient jumpstarter strain to catalyze integration of differently‐sizedpiggyBac elements. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of a jumpstarter strain to remobilize an already‐integratedpiggyBac element to a new location, demonstrating that our jumpstarter strains could be used in conjunction with apiggyBac ‐based donor strain for genome‐wide mutagenesis ofD. suzukii . -
Abstract Stress and vigor are endpoints on a continuum of the suitability of plants for insect herbivores. Senescence‐feeding insects, such as the chrysanthemum lace bug,
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Drosophila suzukii (D. suzukii) (Matsumura, 1931; Diptera: Drosophilidae), also known as spotted wing Drosophila , is a worldwide pest of fruits with soft skins such as blueberries and cherries. Originally from Asia, D. suzukii is now present in the Americas and Europe and has become a significant economic pest. Growers largely rely on insecticides for the control of D. suzukii . Genetic strategies offer a species-specific environmentally friendly way for suppression of D. suzukii populations. We previously developed a transgenic strain of D. suzukii that produced only males on a diet that did not contain tetracycline. The strain carried a single copy of the FL19 construct on chromosome 3. Repeated releases of an excess of FL19 males led to suppression of D. suzukii populations in laboratory cage trials. Females died as a consequence of overexpression of the tetracycline transactivator (tTA) and tTA-activated expression of the head involution defective proapoptotic gene. The aim of this study was to generate additional male-only strains that carried two copies of the FL19 transgene through crossing the original line with a piggyBac jumpstarter strain. Males that carried either two chromosome 3 or a singleX-linked transgene were identified through stronger expression of the red fluorescent protein marker gene. The brighter fluorescence of the X-linked lines was likely due to dosage compensation of the red fluorescent protein gene. In total, four X-linked lines and eleven lines with two copies on chromosome 3 were obtained, of which five were further examined. All but one of the strains produced only males on a diet without tetracycline. When crossed with wild type virgin females, all of the five two copy autosomal strains examined produced only males. However, the single copy X-linked lines did not show dominant female lethality. Five of the autosomal lines were further evaluated for productivity (egg to adult) and male competition. Based on these results, the most promising lines have been selected for future population suppression experiments with strains from different geographical locations.more » « less