Abstract
With the prospect of warmer temperatures as a consequence of ongoing climate change, it is important to investigate how such increases will affect parasitoids and their top-down suppression of herbivory in agroecosystems. Here we studied how the performance and biocontrol efficiency of the willow “bodyguard” Perilitus brevicollis Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were affected at different constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25°C) when parasitizing a pest insect, the blue willow beetle (Phratora vulgatissima L., Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Parasitism did not reduce herbivory at all at 10°C, indicating poor biocontrol efficiency at low temperatures. At higher temperatures, however, parasitism reduced herbivory substantially, implying that biocontrol may be promoted by a warmer climate. Parasitoid performance (survival and development rate) generally increased with increasing temperature up to 20°C. The only exception was body size, which followed the temperature–size rule and decreased with increasing temperature. Our results indicate that a warmer climate may enhance the biocontrol of the blue willow beetle in environments that currently are cooler than the parasitoid’s optimal temperature for development.
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This study was funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas.
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Baffoe, K.O., Dalin, P., Nordlander, G. et al. Importance of temperature for the performance and biocontrol efficiency of the parasitoid Perilitus brevicollis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Salix . BioControl 57, 611–618 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9443-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9443-5