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Odour-mediated responses of a predatory mirid bug and its prey, the two-spotted spider mite

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Abstract

It has been shown that many natural enemies of herbivorous arthropods use herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to locate their prey. Herbivores can also exploit cues emitted by plants infested with heterospecifics or conspecifics. A study was conducted to test whether green bean HIPVs as well as odours emitted directly by spider mites influenced the orientation behaviour of the predatory mirid bug, Macrolophus caliginosus and its prey, Tetranychus urticae in a Y-tube olfactometer. Our results show that both spider mites and M. caliginosus preferred spider mite infested green bean plants to uninfested plants. For M. caliginosus this response was mediated by HIPVs whereas for T. urticae it was mediated through a composite response to both HIPVs and odours emitted directly by the conspecifics (and their associated products). The results may be of use in practical biocontrol situations, through e.g., plant breeding for improved HIPV production, conditioning of mass-reared predators to appropriate cues, and employment of “push–pull-strategies” by using HIPVs.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF). The authors thank Dr. S.H. Goldansaz and Dr. J. Mohaghegh for encouragement. In addition, we are grateful to Dr. Arne Janssen (Section Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands) for his valuable comments to the first submitted version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, 31587-11167, Iran

    Hamid R. S. Moayeri & Ahmad Ashouri

  2. Department of Integrated Pest Management, Research Centre Flakkebjerg, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, DK-4200, Slagelse, Denmark

    Henrik F. Brødsgaard & Annie Enkegaard

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  1. Hamid R. S. Moayeri
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  2. Ahmad Ashouri
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  4. Annie Enkegaard
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Correspondence to Annie Enkegaard.

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Moayeri, H.R.S., Ashouri, A., Brødsgaard, H.F. et al. Odour-mediated responses of a predatory mirid bug and its prey, the two-spotted spider mite. Exp Appl Acarol 40, 27–36 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-006-9020-7

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