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Alkaloids provide evidence of intraguild predation on native coccinellids by Harmonia axyridis in the field

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Abstract

Over a period of less than 5 years, Belgium was thoroughly invaded by the multicolored Asian coccinellid, Harmonia axyridis. At the same time, a decline of some native coccinellid species was observed in tree habitats. One hypothesis about the cause of this decline was that it might have been due to intraguild predation (IGP) by H. axyridis. In natural conditions, IGP between coccinellids can be tracked by using defensive compounds. Exogenous alkaloids in H. axyridis were therefore examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), using individuals sampled from lime trees that were also occupied by other species of coccinellids. Harmonia axyridis was the dominant species at all life stages, in terms of both numbers of sites occupied and local abundance. The GC–MS analysis of H. axyridis larvae revealed traces of exogenous alkaloids from 19 of the 20 sites and, in nine of those 19 sites, more than 30% of the larvae analyzed contained exogenous alkaloids. Three alkaloids were detected: adaline from Adalia spp., calvine from Calvia spp. and propyleine from Propylea quatuordecimpunctata. Predation by H. axyridis on two different coccinellid species was also detected in the same larva, reinforcing the status of H. axyridis as a top predator. A generalized linear model indicated that IGP frequency was positively influenced by two variables: the abundance of extraguild and intraguild prey; and the interaction between these two variables. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that IGP by H. axyridis on native coccinellids in tree habitats has led to the decline of several of these species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Laurent Grumiau for his valuable technical assistance in the GC–MS analyses. We would also like to thank Helen Roy for proofreading the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. This research was supported by the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (grant FRFC 2.4615.06), and by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France (ANR, project BioInv-4I).

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  1. Gilles San Martin

    Present address: Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Behavioural Ecology and Conservation group Croix du Sud 4, Universite catholique de Louvain, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques, Département Sciences du vivant, Unité Protection des plantes et écotoxicologie, Rue de Liroux, 2, B-5030, Gembloux, Belgium

    Louis Hautier

  2. Evolution Biologique et Ecologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Gilles San Martin, Pierre Callier & Jean-Christophe de Biseau

  3. Lutte biologique et Ecologie spatiale, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 160/12, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Louis Hautier & Jean-Claude Grégoire

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  1. Louis Hautier
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Correspondence to Louis Hautier.

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Hautier, L., San Martin, G., Callier, P. et al. Alkaloids provide evidence of intraguild predation on native coccinellids by Harmonia axyridis in the field. Biol Invasions 13, 1805–1814 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9935-0

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