Interaction between Tetranychus ludeni and Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) on bean plants affects their biological performance.

Ecological interactions among organisms play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of agricultural ecosystems, contributing to equilibrium and functional biodiversity within agroecosystems. In this study, we hypothesized that the presence of T. urticae detrimentally affect the population growth of T. ludeni on the host plant. The experimental design involved analyzing a multifaceted ecological dynamic related to four biological attributes: oviposition, olfactory cues, web effects, and mite interaction. Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Our results showed that T. urticae does not significantly influence the oviposition rate of T. ludeni. However, T. ludeni prefers its conspecifics over heterospecifics, avoiding the presence of the web produced by T. urticae. Additionally, our findings indicate that T. ludeni has a low population growth in plants with T. urticae, whereas T. urticae is favored by the presence of T. ludeni. Since both spider mite species may damage crop production by piercing plant cells with their mouthparts, our results suggest that their interaction may have broader implications for herbivorous mite ecology in agroecosystems, particularly because the population of T. urticae seems to be favored by interacting with T. ludeni. Therefore, these findings are significant for pest control strategies, as the presence of both spider mite species in the same agricultural ecosystem may result in one outnumbering the other instead of self-regulating each other.