Abstract
Lygodium microphyllum is one of the most noxious invasive plants in Florida, USA, smothering native vegetation in cypress swamps, pine flatwoods, and Everglades tree islands and altering fire regimes. The eriophyid mite Floracarus perrepae was introduced from Australia to help control L. microphyllum infestations. While F. perrepae exhibits high population growth rates in its native range, its population dynamics in Florida are unknown, particularly the dynamics that occur within the leaf roll galls the mite induces on the margins of leaves. Here, we monitored a shade house colony of F. perrepae in south Florida for 2 years to identify seasonal patterns and potential climate drivers of within-gall mite density. Gall dissections of mite-infested colony plants were performed monthly. Mite density within galls exhibited two cycles per year: a strong cycle that boomed in spring and busted in summer, and a weak cycle that moderately increased mite density in fall and declined in winter. Climate variables, particularly those related to wind speed, were positively associated with higher mite density. Our study sheds light on the within-gall dynamics of F. perrepae and suggests that the highest within-gall mite densities occur in the spring and fall.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Abdel-Kader, A. Carmona, K. Ducassi, C. Martinez, J. Murphy, and A. Pitcher for providing technical assistance. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the South Florida Water Management District and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. We thank Editor J. Bruin and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback on the manuscript. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the USDA. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
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David, A.S., Jones, I.M. & Lake, E.C. Wind speed predicts population dynamics of the eriophyid mite Floracarus perrepae on invasive Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum) in a shade house colony. Exp Appl Acarol 78, 263–272 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00391-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-019-00391-3