TY - JOUR

T1 - Heat waves affect prey and predators differently via developmental plasticity

T2 - who may benefit most from global warming?

AU - Tscholl, Thomas

AU - Nachman, Gösta

AU - Spangl, Bernhard

AU - Walzer, Andreas

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - BACKGROUND: Climate warming is considered to affect the characteristics of heat waves by increasing their duration, frequency and intensity, which can have dramatic consequences for ectothermic arthropods. However, arthropods may respond to heat waves via plastic modifications, which could differently affect a predator and its prey. We examined this assumption using prominent counterparts in biological control, the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis and its prey, the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Individuals of both species were separately exposed to mild and extreme heat waves during their juvenile development. RESULTS: Both species developed faster during extreme heat waves, but the proportional increase of the developmental rates was higher in the prey. Independent of sex, P. persimilis reached smaller size at maturity under extreme heat waves, whereas the body size modifications were sex-dependent in T. urticae: males became smaller, but females were able to maintain their size. CONCLUSIONS: An accelerated development may result in the reduction of the exposure time of susceptible juvenile stages to heat waves and prey stages to predators. Plastic size adjustments caused a shift in the female predator–prey body size ratio in favor of the prey, which may lead to higher heat resistance and reduced predation risk for prey females under extreme heat waves. In conclusion, our findings indicate that species-specific shifts in age and size at maturity may result in lower suppression efficacy of the predator P. persimilis against its prey T. urticae with severe consequences for biological control of spider mites, if global warming continues.

AB - BACKGROUND: Climate warming is considered to affect the characteristics of heat waves by increasing their duration, frequency and intensity, which can have dramatic consequences for ectothermic arthropods. However, arthropods may respond to heat waves via plastic modifications, which could differently affect a predator and its prey. We examined this assumption using prominent counterparts in biological control, the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis and its prey, the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Individuals of both species were separately exposed to mild and extreme heat waves during their juvenile development. RESULTS: Both species developed faster during extreme heat waves, but the proportional increase of the developmental rates was higher in the prey. Independent of sex, P. persimilis reached smaller size at maturity under extreme heat waves, whereas the body size modifications were sex-dependent in T. urticae: males became smaller, but females were able to maintain their size. CONCLUSIONS: An accelerated development may result in the reduction of the exposure time of susceptible juvenile stages to heat waves and prey stages to predators. Plastic size adjustments caused a shift in the female predator–prey body size ratio in favor of the prey, which may lead to higher heat resistance and reduced predation risk for prey females under extreme heat waves. In conclusion, our findings indicate that species-specific shifts in age and size at maturity may result in lower suppression efficacy of the predator P. persimilis against its prey T. urticae with severe consequences for biological control of spider mites, if global warming continues.

KW - Climate change

KW - Heat stress

KW - Phytoseiidae

KW - Predator–prey interactions

KW - Tetranychidae

KW - Within-generational plasticity

U2 - 10.1002/ps.6722

DO - 10.1002/ps.6722

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34786827

AN - SCOPUS:85120031628

VL - 78

SP - 1099

EP - 1108

JO - Pest Management Science

JF - Pest Management Science

SN - 1526-498X

IS - 3

ER -