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Sharing a predator: can an invasive alien pest affect the predation on a local pest?

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Invasive species can strongly affect biotic interactions in ecosystems, interacting both directly and indirectly with local species. In European tomato greenhouses, the invasive alien pest Tuta absoluta may impact the population dynamics of other pests like whiteflies. Besides inducing damages to the host plant and competing for resources with local pests, this alien species may exert a predator-mediated interaction on local pests sharing common natural enemies. Biocontrol agents usually used against whiteflies may also prey upon T. absoluta and this could alter the dynamics of local pest populations. We evaluated possible resource competition and predator-mediated interactions in a system involving one mirid predator Macrolophus pygmaeus and two pests, T. absoluta and a local whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, on greenhouse tomatoes. Results showed that both resource competition and predator-mediated interactions occurred simultaneously. In the presence of the shared predator, there was a short-term positive effect of T. absoluta on B. tabaci [up to 5.9-fold increase of B. tabaci juveniles (egg + larvae) after four weeks]. However, in the long-term there was a negative predator-mediated interaction of T. absoluta on B. tabaci, i.e., after ten weeks the density of B. tabaci was 7.3-fold lower in the presence of the invasive pest. We emphasize the critical role of generalist predators in managing both local and invasive alien pest populations and that the strength and direction of predator-mediated indirect interactions can depend on the time scale considered.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Antonio Biondi (University of Catania, Italy), George Heimpel, Emily Mohl and James Eckberg (University of Minnesota, USA) for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript, Anaïs Chailleux, Hélène Kazuro and Cécile Thomas for their assistance throughout the experiments and Jacques Frandon (Biotop, InVivo AgroSolutions) for providing some biological materials. This work was supported by funds from Plant Health and Environment and Environment and Agronomy Departments of INRA and from the French ministry of agriculture (CASDAR Project 10063) to ND.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR7625, Laboratoire Ecologie et Evolution, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6), 7 Quai Saint Bernard, 75005, Paris, France

    Anaïs Bompard

  2. CNRS, Université de Toulouse (UPS), ENFA, Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France

    Coline C. Jaworski

  3. French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), UMR1355-ISA, 400 route des chappes, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France

    Philippe Bearez & Nicolas Desneux

Authors
  1. Anaïs Bompard
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  2. Coline C. Jaworski
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  3. Philippe Bearez
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  4. Nicolas Desneux
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicolas Desneux.

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A. Bompard and C. C. Jaworski contributed equally to the study.

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Bompard, A., Jaworski, C.C., Bearez, P. et al. Sharing a predator: can an invasive alien pest affect the predation on a local pest?. Popul Ecol 55, 433–440 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-013-0371-8

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