NDLI: Cascading effects of a specialist parasitoid on plant biomass in a Citrus agroecosystem

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Matsumoto, Takashi Itioka, Takao Nishida, Takayoshi
Copyright Year	2003
Abstract	We studied a specialist parasitoid (Coccobius fulvus Compere et Annecke; Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), its host (the arrowhead scale, Unaspis yanonensis Kuwana; Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and the host plant (Citrus unshiu Marc; Rutaceae) to examine the indirect effects, via host–parasitoid interactions, of the parasitoid on plant biomass. We compared plant biomass and herbivore abundance in a system of two trophic levels (plants and herbivores) with a system of three trophic levels (plants, herbivores and parasitoids) using enclosure experiments in an agricultural setting. Each of eight young Citrus trees was infested with 40 scales and placed in an enclosure. We introduced three female parasitoids into half of the enclosures and monitored temporal changes in scale density and cumulative parasitism for the subsequent 11 months. Plant biomass was then compared between treatment groups (parasitoids added) and controls (parasitoids excluded). During the experiment, cumulative parasitism increased rapidly in the parasitoid-addition enclosures to a maximum of 89%, and the number of live scales in the control enclosures was approximately 10-fold that in the treatment enclosures. At the end of the experiment, plant biomass was threefold higher in the parasitoid-addition enclosures than in the control enclosures. These results have two implications for terrestrial communities. First, specialist parasitoids, which are the principal natural enemies of most herbivorous insects, can trigger trophic cascades in the same way that generalist predators can. Second, cascading effects can be detected by observing changes in plant biomass. The latter finding is contrary to recent conclusions about top-down cascades (i.e. that trophic cascades are less likely to be observed when plant biomass, rather than plant damage, is considered as the plant-response variable).
Starting Page	651
Ending Page	659
Page Count	9
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09123814
Journal	Ecological Research
Volume Number	18
Issue Number	6
e-ISSN	14401703
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2003-01-01
Publisher Place	Tokyo
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	indirect effects specialist parasitoid top-down effects trophic cascade Unaspis yanonensis Behavioural Sciences Ecology Evolutionary Biology Forestry Plant Sciences Zoology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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