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Research Project: Biological Control of Invasive Weeds from Eurasia and Africa

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Title: Between a rock and an egg-crushing place: selection pressure from natural enemies and plant defenses on eggs of the viburnum leaf beetle in its native range

Author
item DESURMONT, GAYLORD - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item KERDELLANT, ELVEN - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item LAMBIN, NICOLAS - Universite De Bourgogne

Submitted to: Ecological Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/27/2020
Publication Date: 10/7/2020
Citation: Desurmont, G., Kerdellant, E., Lambin, N. 2020. Between a rock and an egg-crushing place: selection pressure from natural enemies and plant defenses on eggs of the viburnum leaf beetle in its native range. Ecological Entomology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12936.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12936

Interpretive Summary: The viburnum leaf beetle is a pest of Viburnum shrubs native to Eurasia and invasive in North America. Eggs of the beetle can be killed by plant defenses or by natural enemies (other insects). Here we studied the impact of plant defenses and natural enemies on eggs of the viburnum leaf beetle in Europe (42 field sites located in 11 countries). Results showed that plant defenses killed six times more eggs than natural enemies, and this result was consistent in all sites sampled. Natural enemies killed more eggs on heavily infested twigs, but their impact remained minimal.

Technical Abstract: The viburnum leaf beetle (VLB) is native to Eurasia and invasive in North America. It lays eggs inside young Viburnum twigs; eggs can be crushed by plant defenses (wounding response) and attacked by natural enemies (parasitoids). We evaluated plant defenses and parasitism rates in 42 field sites in 11 European countries. Plant defenses killed six times more eggs than natural enemies (25.4% vs 4.1%), independently of host plant species. Parasitism was positively density-dependent, indicating a higher risk of parasitism on heavily infested twigs, but this effect was confounded with host plant species. These results, combined with the known fact that VLB oviposition behavior is strongly aggregative, suggest that plant defenses have been the dominant selection force driving the evolution of VLB oviposition behavior.