Impact of temperature shifts on prey consumption and prey preference of the predatory mite Amblyseius andersoni (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Abstract

In practical agricultural systems, multiple pest species often coexist, posing a significant challenge for pest control. Polyphagous predatory mites, especially Phytoseiidae, play a dominant role in biological control, owing to their ability to suppress multiple pests. Currently, there is a lack of information on the effect of temperature shifts on prey preference of polyphagous predatory mites. In this study, we examined the prey consumption and prey preference of Amblyseius andersoni (Chant) on two important agricultural pests, the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) and the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande), at five different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C). The preference for T. urticae larvae weakened with increasing temperature; the maximum at 15 °C (Manly's preference index β = 0.8952) and the minimum at 30 °C (β = 0.6584). The prey consumption of T. urticae was the lowest at 35 °C (5.93 per day) and the highest at 25 °C (9.23 per day); the highest and the lowest prey consumption of F. occidentalis were observed at 30 °C (1.73 per day) and 15 °C (0.33 per day), respectively. Moreover, we found that the prey preference of A. andersoni on the two prey may be related to the antipredator behavior of F. occidentalis, but not to the relative ratios of prey. Our study highlights the importance of temperature conditions when using generalist natural enemies to control multiple pests.