Tritrophic interactions between parasitoids and cereal aphids are mediated by nitrogen fertilizer

• Published in: Insect science Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 813 - 820
• Main Authors: Aqueel, Muhammad A., Raza, Abu-bakar M., Balal, Rashad M., Shahid, Muhammad A., Mustafa, Irfan, Javaid, Muhammad M., Leather, Simon R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Blackwell Pub 01.12.2015; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Animals; Aphididae; Aphidius colemani; Aphidius rhopalosiphi; Aphids - parasitology; cereal aphid parasitoids; Edible Grain - metabolism; Female; Fertilizers; Food Chain; Host-Parasite Interactions - drug effects; Insects; Longevity; Male; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Nitrogen - pharmacology; nitrogen fertilization; Rhopalosiphum padi; Sex Ratio; Sitobion avenae; tritrophic interactions; Wasps - drug effects; Wasps - growth & development; 介导; 寄生蜂; 施氮量; 氮肥; 相互作用; 禾谷缢管蚜; 营养层; 麦蚜; cereal aphid parasitoids; nitrogen fertilization; tritrophic interactions
• ISSN: 1672-9609; 1744-7917
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12123

Host plant nutritional quality can directly and indirectly affect the third trophic levels. The aphid–parasitoid relationship provides an ideal system to investigate tritrophic interactions (as the parasitoids are completely dependent for their development upon their hosts) and assess the bottom up forces operating at different concentrations of nitrogen applications. The effects of varying nitrogen fertilizer on the performance of Aphidius colemani (V.) reared on Sitobion avenae (F.) and Aphidius rhopalosiphi (D.) reared on Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) were measured. Parasitism and percent emergence of parasitoids were positively affected by nitrogen fertilizer treatments while developmental duration (egg, larval, and pupal stages) was not affected by increasing nitrogen inputs. In males and females of both parasitoid species, adult longevity increased with the increasing nitrogen fertilizer. Hind tibia length and mummy weight of both parasitoid species increased with nitrogen fertilizer concentrations, as a result of larger aphids. This study showed that nitrogen application to the soil can have important consequences for aboveground multitrophic interactions.