Gregory J. Masters

Host-plant mediated effects of root herbivory on insect seed predators and their parasitoids

The effects of root herbivory on a tephritid seed predator (Terellia ruficauda) and its parasitoids were investigated. Soil fauna were manipulated by insecticide treatment; host plant (Cirsium palustre) phenology and the oviposition behaviour of both tephritid and parasitoids (Pteromalus elevatus and Torymus chloromerus) recorded. Although insecticide-treated (and hence reduced root herbivory) plants had larger flowerheads, population abundances of both tephritids and parasitoids were greater on thistle plants subjected to root herbivory. Percentage parasitism was similar in both treatments. Root herbivory is thought to enhance the nutrient quality of plants and this may have resulted in the tephritid preferentially feeding on thistles whose roots had been attacked. Parasitoids on these plants were probably affected by a combination of increased plant attractivity (as for the tephritids), smaller flowerheads aiding ovipositor entry and more tephritid hosts being present. This is the first study to show that root herbivores, through plant-mediated interactions, can affect seed herbivores and also, albeit indirectly through the host, natural enemy trophic levels.

Effects of host plant drought stress on the performance of the bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.): a mechanistic analysis

Abstract.  1. The growth (increase in height and leaf number) of four grass species was reduced by a −0.5 MPa drought stress, but the performance of an associated herbivore, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), was not affected consistently. The intrinsic rate of increase of R. padi was reduced by drought stress on three grass species, including Dactylis glomerata (L.), but was unaffected on Arrhenatherum elatius (L.). Therefore, there is no general relationship in the effect of plant drought on an insect herbivore, even among closely related host plant species.

Direct and indirect effects of climate change on St John's wort, Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae).

Abstract We report results from a continuing, long-term field experiment addressing biotic responses to climatic change in grasslands. We focus on effects of summer precipitation (enhanced rainfall, drought, control) and winter ground temperatures (warming, control) on growth, reproduction and herbivory in St Johns wort, Hypericum perforatum L. Both winter warming and summer rainfall regimes modified performance and interactions of H. perforatum, particularly those with herbivorous insects. Winter warming had positive effects, with earlier initiation of plant growth and reduced damage by gall-forming and sucking insects in spring, but also had strong negative effects on plant height, flowering, and reproduction. Summer drought reduced reproductive success, but even severe drought did not affect plant growth or flowering success directly. Rather, summer drought acted indirectly by modifying interactions with herbivorous insects via increased vulnerability of the plants to herbivory on flowers and capsules. Overall, the effects of summer precipitation were expressed mainly through interactions that altered the responses to increased winter temperatures, particularly as summer drought increased. The field site, in Oxfordshire, UK, is near the northern limit of distribution of the species, and the experiment tested probable responses of H. perforatum as climates shift towards those more typical of the current center of the distribution of the species. However, if climates do change according to the projected scenarios, then H. perforatum is unlikely to fare well near its northern boundary. Increased winter temperatures, particularly if accompanied by increased summer drought, will probably render this species even less abundant in England than at present.

Drought stress differentially affects leaf-mining species

Abstract 1. The impact of climate change on phytophages is difficult to predict, due in part to variation between species in their responses to factors such as drought stress. Here, the hypothesis that several species within the leaf‐mining feeding guild will respond in a consistent way to changes in rainfall patterns is tested, using a manipulative field experiment.

Euseius Finlandicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as a Potential Biocontrol Agent against Tetranychus Urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae): Life History and Feeding Habits on Three Different Types of Food

Life history and reproductive parameters of the generalist predatory mite Euseius (Amblyseius) finlandicus (Oudemans) were studied in the laboratory at 25 ± 1°C, with a 16L:8D photoperiod and 60 ± 15% RH, to investigate its response to different food sources: an eriophyid mite Aceria sp., tulip pollen Tulipa gesnerana L., and two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch. Total developmental time of the immature stages was the shortest on eriophyid mites, followed by pollen, and then spider mites. Fecundity was highest on pollen (43.69 eggs; 1.63 eggs/female/day), then eriophyid mites (39.73 eggs; 1.37 eggs/female/day) and lowest on spider mites (18.16 eggs; 0.80 eggs/female/day). Intrinsic rate of increase (rm), net reproductive rate (Ro) and finite rate of increase (λ) followed the same pattern [pollen (0.168, 27.96 and 1.183, respectively), eriophyid mites (0.153, 20.81 and 1.167), spider mites (0.110, 9.44 and 1.119)]. Mean generation time (days) was the shortest on pollen (19.90), followed by eriophyid mites (20.02), and then spider mites (20.59). Average spider mite larvae consumed by E. finlandicus during immature stages were 9.18 for males and 11.85 for females. Adult E. finlandicus females consumed an average of 166.38 spider mite protonymphs during adult stage compared to an average of 66.55 by males. The number of prey protonymphs consumed per day by females was highest in the oviposition period, lower in the pre-oviposition period and the lowest in the post-oviposition period. The eriophyid mite as a prey recorded the shortest developmental time, while pollen as food recorded the highest oviposition rate in E. finlandicus. The potential of this predator as a biocontrol agent against T. urticae is discussed.

Grassland leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) as indicators of habitat condition - a comparison of between-site and between-year differences in assemblage composition.

The Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers) show great potential as indicators of grassland habitat quality, which would make them useful as a conservation tool. However, they are known to have labile populations. The relative importance of site identity and the year of sampling in the composition of leafhopper assemblages on chalk grassland are assessed for two sets of sites sampled twice. The study included a total of 95 sites (one set of 54, the other of 41), and demonstrated that for both sets the vegetation community and geographical location had high explanatory value, while the influence of year was small. The conclusion is that, notwithstanding population fluctuations, the leafhopper assemblages are a good indicator of habitat quality, and represent a potentially valuable tool in grassland conservation and restoration.