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Host plants mediate omnivore-herbivore interactions and influence prey suppression


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dc.creatorEubanks, Micky D.
dc.creatorDenno, Robert F.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-19T21:41:13Z
dc.date.available2019-12-19T21:41:13Z
dc.date.created2000
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[0936:HPMOHI]2.0.CO;2en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/0012-9658%282000%29081%5B0936%3AHPMOHI%5D2.0.CO%3B2en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11200/49672
dc.description.abstractWe conducted laboratory and field experiments to determine the effects of plant quality and prey abundance on the intensity of interactions involving an omnivorous insect, its two herbivorous prey, and their shared host plant. We found that variation in plant quality, prey abundance, and presence of alternative prey altered the functional response of the omnivorous big-eyed bug, Geocoris punctipes (Heteroptera: Geocoridae). The presence of high-quality plant parts (lima bean pods) reduced the number of prey (pea aphids and corn earworm eggs) consumed by big-eyed bugs. The results of our caged, field experiments mirrored those of the functional-response experiment. Populations of pea aphids were larger when caged with big-eyed bugs on bean plants with pods than on plants without pods. Pads, therefore, had an indirect, positive effect on the survivorship of herbivorous insects that feed on lima beans. Because pods reduced the number of prey consumed by big-eyed bugs, and caged prey populations were larger on plants with pads, we hypothesized that herbivore populations would be larger in fields of beans with many pods than in fields of beans with few pods. To test this hypothesis, we established 20 x 30 m field plots of lima beans with many pods and with few pods. The results of this experiment forced us to reject our hypothesis: populations of herbivores were much smaller in plots of beans with many pods than in plots of beans with few pods. In an earlier study, we found that pods had a powerful, direct, positive effect on big-eyed bugs. Big-eyed bug populations were larger in plots of beans with many pods in the present study. It appears that the positive direct effects of pods on big-eyed bugs overwhelm the positive indirect effects of pods on herbivore population size, and that pod feeding by big-eyed bugs ultimately results in smaller herbivore populations. Plant quality, therefore, mediates the effect of this omnivore on prey suppression.en_US
dc.formatPDFen_US
dc.relation.ispartofEcologyen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries1939-9170en_US
dc.rights© 2000. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en_US
dc.subjectAcyrthosiphum pisumen_US
dc.subjectbig-eyed bugsen_US
dc.subjectcorn earwormen_US
dc.subjectGeocoris punctipesen_US
dc.subjectHelicoverpa zeaen_US
dc.subjectlima beansen_US
dc.subjectomnivore persistenceen_US
dc.subjectomnivorous insect-herbivorous prey interactionsen_US
dc.subjectpea aphiden_US
dc.subjectPhaseolus lunatusen_US
dc.subjecttrophic cascadesen_US
dc.titleHost plants mediate omnivore-herbivore interactions and influence prey suppressionen_US
dc.typeCollectionen_US
dc.type.genreJournal Article, Academic Journalen_US
dc.citation.volume81en_US
dc.citation.issue4en_US
dc.citation.spage936en_US
dc.citation.epage947en_US
dc.description.statusPublisheden_US
dc.description.peerreviewYesen_US

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