Functional response of Stratiolaelaps scimitus to Bradysia odoriphaga
Author of the article:ZHOU Chun-Ying; ZHANG Qian;LI Yuan-Yuan;YAN Yi; XIE Li-Xia
Author's Workplace:Shandong Agriculture University, Taian 271018, China; Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing 210095, China
Key Words: Stratiolaelaps scimitus, Bradysia odoriphaga, bio-control, predatory functional responses, searching efficiency, intraspecies interference
Abstract:
[Objectives]
Leeks are a popular vegetable and Bradysia
odoriphaga has recently become an important root pest of leek crops.
Long-term excessive application of highly toxic chemical pesticides has
seriously affected peoples’ health and caused environmental pollution.
Evaluating potential biological control agents for B. odoriphaga is
therefore both timely and important. Stratiolaelaps Scimitus is a predator with the same habitat as B. odoriphaga. A predator's functional response is a key factor in the
population dynamics of predation and predation systems. Although previous
studies have shown that S. scimitus prefers feeding on larvae of B. odoriphaga, there is currently
no published information on the predatory functional response of S. scimitus to B. odoriphaga. [Methods] The functional response of S. scimitus to B. odoriphaga was
studied in a laboratory. [Results] The function responses of S. scimitus to B. odoriphaga approximated the Holling II equation. There
was intraspecies interference among S. scimitus and its search efficiency decreased as prey density
increased, which suggests that B.
odoriphaga has an obvious interference effect on S. scimitus. [Conclusion] S.
scimitus is a natural predator
of B. odoriphaga that has potential as a biological control for this pest.