Premium
Effects of starvation on the search path characteristics of Orius majusculus (Reuter) (Het., Anthocoridae)
Author(s) -
Hénaut Y.,
Alauzet C.,
Lambin M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0418.2002.00694.x
Subject(s) - biology , anthocoridae , predation , predator , horticulture , thrips , thripidae , botany , zoology , ecology
Orius majusculus (Reuter) is a polyphagous predator bug used to control western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). As physiological factors may be highly influential upon the predatory behaviour of Orius spp. we studied the possible impact of starvation on the search path of this bug. Orius majusculus was maintained on a diet of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lep., Pyralidae) eggs in laboratory. Adults were collected immediately after the imaginal moult and were individually placed in Petri dishes with abundant food. Each adult was randomly assigned to one of the following five treatments: immediate observation or starved for 2, 6, 9 or 12 h prior to observation. The observation procedure consisted of placing a single O. majusculus adult at the centre of an empty arena. The displacement of each insect was recorded with a video camera until it had reached the limits of the arena. The recorded paths were digitized and the digitized search path was used to calculate the mean walking speed, the number of stops per second, the duration of stops and the diffusion rate. The results clearly show that, in comparison with unstarved bugs, insects that experienced 6 h of prey deprivation walked more slowly, stopped more frequently and for longer periods, and had a lower rate of diffusion away from the release point. In contrast, all search path variables returned to the levels measured in unstarved bugs in the group that experienced the longest period of starvation (12 h), whereas groups of O. majusculus that had experienced 2 or 9 h of prey deprivation presented intermediate values for all the variables tested. Starvation produced evident changes in the search path characteristics that we assume to be related to physiological states of hunger and energy availability. These behavioural changes related to physiological state could have consequences for the use of this pirate bug in biological control.