Continental-scale suppression of an invasive pest by a host-specific parasitoid underlines both environmental and economic benefits of arthropod biological control

PeerJ

article

Kris A.G. Wyckhuys¹  Prapit Wongtiem⁶  Aunu Rauf⁷  Anchana Thancharoen⁸  George E. Heimpel⁹  Nhung T.T. Le^1,10  Muhammad Zainal Fanani⁷  Geoff M. Gurr¹  Jonathan G. Lundgren^1,12  Dharani D. Burra^1,13  Leo K. Palao^1,13  Glenn Hyman^1,13  Ignazio Graziosi^1,14  Vi X. Le^1,10  Matthew J.W. Cock^1,16  Teja Tscharntke^1,17  Steve D. Wratten¹  Liem V. Nguyen^1,10  Minsheng You¹  Yanhui Lu⁵  Johannes W. Ketelaar^1,19  Georg Goergen^2,20  Peter Neuenschwander^2,20 

[1] Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University;School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland;Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University;CGIAR Program on Roots, Tubers and Banana, International Center for Tropical Agriculture;Institute of Plant Protection, China Academy of Agricultural Sciences;Rayong Field Crops Research Center, Thai Department of Agriculture;Bogor Agricultural University;Kasetsart University;University of Minnesota;Plant Protection Research Institute;Charles Sturt University;Ecdysis Foundation;International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT;University of Kentucky;World Agroforestry Center ICRAF;CABI;University of Goettingen;Lincoln University;Food and Agriculture Organization;International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

关键词: Ecosystem services;    Ecological intensification;    Insect biological control;    Tropical agro-ecosystems;    Sustainable agriculture;    Invasion biology;    Ecological safety;    Insect parasitism;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5796

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Biological control, a globally-important ecosystem service, can provide long-term and broad-scale suppression of invasive pests, weeds and pathogens in natural, urban and agricultural environments. Following (few) historic cases that led to sizeable environmental up-sets, the discipline of arthropod biological control has—over the past decades—evolved and matured. Now, by deliberately taking into account the ecological risks associated with the planned introduction of insect natural enemies, immense environmental and societal benefits can be gained. In this study, we document and analyze a successful case of biological control against the cassava mealybug, Phenacoccus manihoti (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) which invaded Southeast Asia in 2008, where it caused substantial crop losses and triggered two- to three-fold surges in agricultural commodity prices. In 2009, the host-specific parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was released in Thailand and subsequently introduced into neighboring Asian countries. Drawing upon continental-scale insect surveys, multi-year population studies and (field-level) experimental assays, we show how A. lopezi attained intermediate to high parasitism rates across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Driving mealybug populations below non-damaging levels over a broad geographical area, A. lopezi allowed yield recoveries up to 10.0 t/ha and provided biological control services worth several hundred dollars per ha (at local farm-gate prices) in Asia’s four-million ha cassava crop. Our work provides lessons to invasion science and crop protection worldwide. Furthermore, it accentuates the importance of scientifically-guided biological control for insect pest management, and highlights its potentially large socio-economic benefits to agricultural sustainability in the face of a debilitating invasive pest. In times of unrelenting insect invasions, surging pesticide use and accelerating biodiversity loss across the globe, this study demonstrates how biological control—as a pure public good endeavor—constitutes a powerful, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible solution for invasive species mitigation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY