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The quantitative assessment of arthropod predation rates by electrophoresis
Author(s) -
FITZGERALD JEAN D.,
SOLOMON M. G.,
MURRAY R. A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1986.tb03206.x
Subject(s) - panonychus ulmi , biology , predation , esterase , tetranychus urticae , polyacrylamide , ecology , botany , pest analysis , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , enzyme
SUMMARY The development of an electrophoretic technique for the quantitative assessment of specific prey material in the gut of a predator is described. Panonychus ulmi and Tetranychus urticae were used as test prey species. Samples prepared from these mites were electrophoresed on polyacrylamide concentration gradient slab gels, which were then treated to reveal esterase activity. The relationship of intensity of a stained band with sample concentration and staining time was not linear for some esterases. Possible causes of this non‐linearity were identified but could not readily be eliminated. However, quantitative assessment of prey material is possible after the preparation of a calibration curve.