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Browsing by Author "Kring, Timothy J."

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    Establishment and Distribution of Laricobius spp. (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a Predator of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Within the Urban Environment in Two Localities in Southwest Virginia
    Foley, Jeremiah R.; McAvoy, Thomas J.; Dorman, Seth; Bekelja, Kyle; Kring, Timothy J.; Salom, Scott M. (Oxford University Press, 2019-09-30)
    Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand, is a highly destructive non-native pest lethal to eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière, and Carolina hemlock, T. caroliniana Engelmann. Fifty years following the first observation of HWA in eastern North America, a predatory beetle, Laricobius nigrinus Fender, was evaluated, approved, and released as a biological control agent. Efforts were made to mass rear L. nigrinus with the goal of redistributing the beetles on public lands, typically in forest ecosystems, as a secondary option to silvicultural and chemical controls. The majority of L. nigrinus releases has occurred on public lands. Herein, we report the observation of L. nigrinus within the urban environment outside of known release locations. Two towns, Blacksburg and Radford, were divided into 0.40 km2 grids. A total of 27 and 19 grids were randomly selected from each town, respectively. Hemlocks were present in 44 and 42% of the grids surveyed in Blacksburg and Radford, respectively. In Blacksburg and Radford, 86 and 100% of the grids with hemlocks were infested with HWA, and of those infested hemlocks, Laricobius spp. was present in 100 and 75% of grids, respectively. A total of 154 Laricobius spp. (98% L. nigrinus and 2% Laricobius rubidus) adults were collected between each town. While it is unclear the level of control L. nigrinus has on reducing HWA's impact, the establishment of this biological control agent in the urban environment is an additional level of predation, that would otherwise not be present, for homeowners with HWA-infested trees.
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    Interactions Among Native and Non-Native Predatory Coccinellidae Influence Biological Control and Biodiversity
    Li, Hongran; Li, Baoping; Lovei, Gabor L.; Kring, Timothy J.; Obrycki, John J. (2021-03)
    Over the past 30 yr, multiple species of predatory Coccinellidae, prominently Coccinella septempunctata L. and Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) have spread to new continents, influencing biodiversity and biological control. Here we review the mechanisms underlying these ecological interactions, focusing on multi-year field studies of native and non-native coccinellids and those using molecular and quantitative ecological methods. Field data from Asia show that H. axyridis, C. septempunctata, and Propylea japonica (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are regularly among the most abundant predatory species but their rank varies by habitat. Studies of these species in their native Asian range, primarily related to their range in mainland China, document different patterns of seasonal abundance, species specific associations with prey, and habitat separation. Intraguild predation is well documented both in Asia and in newly invaded areas, and H. axyridis benefits most from this interaction. Harmonia axyridis also seems to rely more on cannibalism in times of prey scarcity than other species, and relatively sparse data indicate a lower predation pressure on it from natural enemies of coccinellids. Declines in the abundance of native coccinellids following the spread and increase of non-native species, documented in several multi-year studies on several continents, is a major concern for native biodiversity and the persistence of native coccinellid species. We suggest that future studies focus more attention on the community ecology of these invasive species in their native habitats.
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    Mi-1.2, an R gene for aphid resistance in tomato, has direct negative effects on a zoophytophagous biocontrol agent, Orius insidiosus
    Pallipparambil, Godshen R.; Sayler, Ronald J.; Shapiro, Jeffrey P.; Thomas, Jean M. G.; Kring, Timothy J.; Goggin, Fiona L. (2015-02)
    Mi-1.2 is a single dominant gene in tomato that confers race-specific resistance against certain phloem-feeding herbivores including aphids, whiteflies, psyllids, and root-knot nematodes. Few prior studies have considered the potential non-target effects of race-specific resistance genes (R genes), and this paper evaluates the compatibility of Mi-mediated resistance in tomato with a beneficial zoophytophagous predator, Orius insidiosus (Say). In addition to preying on aphids and other pests, this piercing-sucking insect also feeds from the xylem, epidermis, and/or mesophyll, and oviposits within plant tissues. Comparison of O. insidiosus confined to isogenic tomato plants with and without Mi-1.2 revealed that immatures of O. insidiosus had lower survival on resistant plants even when the immatures were provisioned with prey that did not feed on the host plant. Molecular gut content analysis confirmed that adults and immatures of O. insidiosus feed on both resistant (Mi-1.2+) and susceptible (Mi-1.2-) genotypes, and bioassays suggest that resistance does not affect oviposition rates, plant sampling, or prey acceptance by O. insidiosus adults. These results demonstrate a direct negative impact of R-gene-mediated host plant resistance on a non-target beneficial species, and reveal that Mi-mediated resistance can impact organisms that do not feed on phloem sap. Through laser capture microdissection and RT-PCR, Mi-1.2 transcripts were detected in the epidermis and mesophyll as well as the phloem of tomato plants, consistent with our observations that Mi-mediated resistance is active outside the phloem. These results suggest that the mode of action and potential ecological impacts of Mi-mediated resistance are broader than previously assumed.