Cargando…

Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed

Anthropogenic disturbance is driving global biodiversity loss, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a dietary specialist of milkweed. In response, ornamental milkweed plantings are increasingly common in urbanized landscapes, and recent evidence indicates they have conservation value...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Mach, Bernadette M., Long, William, Daniels, Jaret C., Dale, Adam G.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10370756/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37494406
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288407
_version_ 1785078003791822848
author Mach, Bernadette M.
Long, William
Daniels, Jaret C.
Dale, Adam G.
author_facet Mach, Bernadette M.
Long, William
Daniels, Jaret C.
Dale, Adam G.
author_sort Mach, Bernadette M.
collection PubMed
description Anthropogenic disturbance is driving global biodiversity loss, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a dietary specialist of milkweed. In response, ornamental milkweed plantings are increasingly common in urbanized landscapes, and recent evidence indicates they have conservation value for monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, sap-feeding insect herbivores, including the oleander aphid (Aphis nerii), frequently reach high densities on plants in nursery settings and urbanized landscapes. Aphid-infested milkweed may inhibit monarch conservation efforts by reducing host plant quality and inducing plant defenses. To test this, we evaluated the effects of oleander aphid infestation on monarch oviposition, larval performance, and plant traits using tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), the most common commercially available milkweed species in the southern U.S. We quantified monarch oviposition preference, larval herbivory, larval weight, and plant characteristics on aphid-free and aphid-infested milkweed. Monarch butterflies deposited three times more eggs on aphid-free versus aphid-infested milkweed. Similarly, larvae fed aphid-free milkweed consumed and weighed twice as much as larvae fed aphid-infested milkweed. Aphid-free milkweed had higher total dry leaf biomass and nitrogen content than aphid-infested milkweed. Our results indicate that oleander aphid infestations can have indirect negative impacts on urban monarch conservation efforts and highlight the need for effective Lepidoptera-friendly integrated pest management tactics for ornamental plants.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-10370756
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2023
publisher Public Library of Science
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-103707562023-07-27 Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed Mach, Bernadette M. Long, William Daniels, Jaret C. Dale, Adam G. PLoS One Research Article Anthropogenic disturbance is driving global biodiversity loss, including the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a dietary specialist of milkweed. In response, ornamental milkweed plantings are increasingly common in urbanized landscapes, and recent evidence indicates they have conservation value for monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, sap-feeding insect herbivores, including the oleander aphid (Aphis nerii), frequently reach high densities on plants in nursery settings and urbanized landscapes. Aphid-infested milkweed may inhibit monarch conservation efforts by reducing host plant quality and inducing plant defenses. To test this, we evaluated the effects of oleander aphid infestation on monarch oviposition, larval performance, and plant traits using tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), the most common commercially available milkweed species in the southern U.S. We quantified monarch oviposition preference, larval herbivory, larval weight, and plant characteristics on aphid-free and aphid-infested milkweed. Monarch butterflies deposited three times more eggs on aphid-free versus aphid-infested milkweed. Similarly, larvae fed aphid-free milkweed consumed and weighed twice as much as larvae fed aphid-infested milkweed. Aphid-free milkweed had higher total dry leaf biomass and nitrogen content than aphid-infested milkweed. Our results indicate that oleander aphid infestations can have indirect negative impacts on urban monarch conservation efforts and highlight the need for effective Lepidoptera-friendly integrated pest management tactics for ornamental plants. Public Library of Science 2023-07-26 /pmc/articles/PMC10370756/ /pubmed/37494406 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288407 Text en © 2023 Mach et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Mach, Bernadette M.
Long, William
Daniels, Jaret C.
Dale, Adam G.
Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title_full Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title_fullStr Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title_full_unstemmed Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title_short Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
title_sort aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10370756/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37494406
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288407
work_keys_str_mv AT machbernadettem aphidinfestationsreducemonarchbutterflycolonizationherbivoryandgrowthonornamentalmilkweed
AT longwilliam aphidinfestationsreducemonarchbutterflycolonizationherbivoryandgrowthonornamentalmilkweed
AT danielsjaretc aphidinfestationsreducemonarchbutterflycolonizationherbivoryandgrowthonornamentalmilkweed
AT daleadamg aphidinfestationsreducemonarchbutterflycolonizationherbivoryandgrowthonornamentalmilkweed