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Chronic, predator-induced stress alters development and reproductive performance of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera

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Abstract

Predators can significantly impact potential prey without consuming them, generating potential ramifications for biological control. In this study, we examined the cumulative impacts of adult Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on development and reproduction of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), over three generations. Development became faster in each of the three generations and pupae became heavier than controls, although survival declined in the third generation. Predator stress increased wing deformations in the first generation, but not thereafter, and female fecundity became higher than controls in the third generation. We concluded that predator stress increased larval consumption to eventually result in both faster development and larger adult size when food was abundant. The results demonstrated that H. armigera could respond to exposure from a non-consumptive predator by shifting aspects of developmental timing and increasing reproductive effort, with both individual- and population-level consequences. The adaptive significances of these changes are discussed. This study advances our understanding of the potential for non-lethal predators to impact prey life histories.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National “Twelfth Five-Year” Plan for Science & Technology Support of China (2012BAD19B05). The authors thank the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences for allowing the collection of lady beetles in their experimental fields, Fan Zhang for technical assistance with predator rearing, and Qingpo Yang for help with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan Xilu, Beijing, 100193, China

    Xiaofei Xiong, Zhen Li, Pengxiang Wu, Qingwen Zhang & Xiaoxia Liu

  2. Department of Entomology, Agricultural Research Center, Kansas State University, Hays, KS, 67601, USA

    J. P. Michaud

  3. Bee Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Yanna Chu

Authors
  1. Xiaofei Xiong
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  2. J. P. Michaud
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  3. Zhen Li
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  4. Pengxiang Wu
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  6. Qingwen Zhang
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  7. Xiaoxia Liu
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Correspondence to Xiaoxia Liu.

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Handling Editor: Marta Montserrat.

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Xiong, X., Michaud, J.P., Li, Z. et al. Chronic, predator-induced stress alters development and reproductive performance of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera . BioControl 60, 827–837 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-015-9689-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-015-9689-9

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