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Prey consumption by phytoseiid spider mite predators as affected by diurnal temperature variations

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Abstract

The consumption rate of an ectothermic predator is highly temperature-dependent and is a key driver of pest-predator population interactions. Not only average daily temperature, but also diurnal temperature variations may affect prey consumption and life history traits of ectotherms. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of temperature alternations on body size, predation capacity and oviposition rate of the predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae) when presented with eggs of their natural prey, the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). For both predators, mean daily temperature as well as temperature alternation had a substantial impact on the number of prey consumed. At lower average temperatures, more eggs were killed under an alternating temperature regime (20 °C/5 °C and 25 °C/10 °C) than at the corresponding mean constant temperatures (15 and 20 °C). At higher average temperatures (>25 °C), however, the opposite was observed with higher numbers of prey killed at constant temperatures than at alternating temperatures. At 25 °C, temperature variation had no effect on the predation capacity. A similar trend as for the predation rates was observed for the oviposition rates of the phytoseiids. Body size of N. californicus was affected both by average daily temperature and temperature variation, with smaller adult females emerging at alternating temperatures than at constant temperatures, whereas for P. persimilis, temperature variation had no impact on its body size. Our results demonstrate that temperature variations are likely to affect biological control of T. urticae by the studied phytoseiid predators.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by project number 090931 from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Dominiek Vangansbeke, Duc Tung Nguyen, Luc Tirry & Patrick De Clercq

  2. PCS-Ornamental Plant Research, Schaessestraat 18, 9070, Destelbergen, Belgium

    Joachim Audenaert, Ruth Verhoeven & Bruno Gobin

  3. Entomology Department, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Duc Tung Nguyen

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  1. Dominiek Vangansbeke
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  2. Duc Tung Nguyen
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  3. Joachim Audenaert
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  6. Luc Tirry
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Correspondence to Dominiek Vangansbeke.

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Vangansbeke, D., Nguyen, D.T., Audenaert, J. et al. Prey consumption by phytoseiid spider mite predators as affected by diurnal temperature variations. BioControl 60, 595–603 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-015-9677-0

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