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Contrasting population growth parameters of the aphidophagous Scymnus nubilus and the coccidophagous Nephus reunioni

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Abstract

Compared to coccidophagous ladybirds, aphidophagous ladybirds develop and live faster. They also produce more eggs at a faster rate. As we wanted to know how these traits influence population dynamics, we have determined the population growth parameters for the aphidophagous Scymnus nubilus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and the coccidophagous Nephus reunioni Fürsch (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) fed Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) and Planococccus citri (Risso) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) respectively under controlled laboratory conditions. Net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of natural increase, and finite rate of increase were all significantly higher, and generation time and doubling time were both significantly shorter in S. nubilus compared to N. reunioni. The reproductive output of the aphidophagous species rapidly reaches a peak and then sharply declines while it is regularly distributed throughout adult life in the coccidophagous predator. A significant difference in late survival was found, with S. nubilus exhibiting higher survival. Adaptation to the consumption of aphids and coccids occurred in several species during the co-evolutionary history of ladybird beetles and their prey. Thus, comparing other species would be valuable to confirm the differences reported here.

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Acknowledgments

IB was funded by a PhD grant from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (POCI 2010 and FSE) and by Programa Pessoa 2007/2008 France. AOS was funded by Programa Pessoa 2007/2008 France. JLH was funded by a grant from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EGIDE/Project Pessoa PAI 2007/2008#14714PG). JLH’s work has been done in the laboratory “Evolution et Diversité biologique”, which is part of the “Laboratoire d’Excellence (LABEX) TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41)”. The authors express their gratitude to Rafael Arruda for assistance in the laboratory work, to Direcção Regional do Desenvolvimento Agrário for growing maize and to José Carlos Franco for collecting and shipping N. reunioni. This study was also supported by a grant from the research project “PRO-BIO: Profiling Reliable Organisms as Bioindicators: an integrated approach for island systems” financed by FLAD (Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIRN, Department of Biology, University of the Azores, Rua da Mãe de Deus, 13-A, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

    I. Borges & A. O. Soares

  2. Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Azorean Biodiversity Group (GBA, CITA-A), Universidade dos Açores, Rua Capitão João d`Ávila, São Pedro, 9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira, Portugal

    I. Borges & A. O. Soares

  3. Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Platform for Enhancing Ecological Research and Sustainability (PEERS), Universidade dos Açores, Rua Capitão João d`Ávila, São Pedro, 9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira, Portugal

    I. Borges & A. O. Soares

  4. Université de Toulouse-ENFA, UMR CNRS 5174 « Évolution et diversité biologique », BP 22687, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France

    J.-L. Hemptinne

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  1. I. Borges
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Correspondence to I. Borges.

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Borges, I., Hemptinne, JL. & Soares, A.O. Contrasting population growth parameters of the aphidophagous Scymnus nubilus and the coccidophagous Nephus reunioni . BioControl 58, 351–357 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9490-y

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