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Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents

BACKGROUND: Key natural enemy-pest interactions can be mapped in agricultural food webs by analysing predator gut content for the presence of a focal pest species. For this, PCR-based approaches are the most widely used methods providing the incidence of consumption of a focal pest in field sampled...

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Autores principales: Fülöp, Dávid, Szita, Éva, Gerstenbrand, Regina, Tholt, Gergely, Samu, Ferenc
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: PeerJ Inc. 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6814063/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31660259
http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7680
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author Fülöp, Dávid
Szita, Éva
Gerstenbrand, Regina
Tholt, Gergely
Samu, Ferenc
author_facet Fülöp, Dávid
Szita, Éva
Gerstenbrand, Regina
Tholt, Gergely
Samu, Ferenc
author_sort Fülöp, Dávid
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Key natural enemy-pest interactions can be mapped in agricultural food webs by analysing predator gut content for the presence of a focal pest species. For this, PCR-based approaches are the most widely used methods providing the incidence of consumption of a focal pest in field sampled predators. To interpret such data the rate of prey DNA decay in the predators’ gut, described by DNA detectability half-life (t(1/2)), is needed. DNA decay may depend on the presence of alternative prey in the gut of generalist predators, but this effect has not been investigated in one of the major predatory arthropod groups, spiders. METHODS: In a laboratory feeding experiment, we determined t(1/2) of the key cereal pest virus vector leafhopper Psammotettix alienus in the digestive tracts of its natural enemy, the spider Tibellus oblongus. We followed the fate of prey DNA in spiders which received only the focal prey as food, or as an alternative prey treatment they also received a meal of fruit flies after leafhopper consumption. After these feeding treatments, spiders were starved for variable time intervals prior to testing for leafhopper DNA in order to establish t(1/2). RESULTS: We created a PCR protocol that detects P. alienus DNA in its spider predator. The protocol was further calibrated to the digestion speed of the spider by establishing DNA decay rate. Detectability limit was reached at 14 days, where c. 10% of the animals tested positive. The calculated t(1/2) = 5 days value of P. alienus DNA did not differ statistically between the treatment groups which received only the leafhopper prey or which also received fruit fly. The PCR protocol was validated in a field with known P. alienus infestation. In this applicability trial, we showed that 12.5% of field collected spiders were positive for the leafhopper DNA. We conclude that in our model system the presence of alternative prey did not influence the t(1/2) estimate of a pest species, which makes laboratory protocols more straightforward for the calibration of future field data.
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spelling pubmed-68140632019-10-28 Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents Fülöp, Dávid Szita, Éva Gerstenbrand, Regina Tholt, Gergely Samu, Ferenc PeerJ Agricultural Science BACKGROUND: Key natural enemy-pest interactions can be mapped in agricultural food webs by analysing predator gut content for the presence of a focal pest species. For this, PCR-based approaches are the most widely used methods providing the incidence of consumption of a focal pest in field sampled predators. To interpret such data the rate of prey DNA decay in the predators’ gut, described by DNA detectability half-life (t(1/2)), is needed. DNA decay may depend on the presence of alternative prey in the gut of generalist predators, but this effect has not been investigated in one of the major predatory arthropod groups, spiders. METHODS: In a laboratory feeding experiment, we determined t(1/2) of the key cereal pest virus vector leafhopper Psammotettix alienus in the digestive tracts of its natural enemy, the spider Tibellus oblongus. We followed the fate of prey DNA in spiders which received only the focal prey as food, or as an alternative prey treatment they also received a meal of fruit flies after leafhopper consumption. After these feeding treatments, spiders were starved for variable time intervals prior to testing for leafhopper DNA in order to establish t(1/2). RESULTS: We created a PCR protocol that detects P. alienus DNA in its spider predator. The protocol was further calibrated to the digestion speed of the spider by establishing DNA decay rate. Detectability limit was reached at 14 days, where c. 10% of the animals tested positive. The calculated t(1/2) = 5 days value of P. alienus DNA did not differ statistically between the treatment groups which received only the leafhopper prey or which also received fruit fly. The PCR protocol was validated in a field with known P. alienus infestation. In this applicability trial, we showed that 12.5% of field collected spiders were positive for the leafhopper DNA. We conclude that in our model system the presence of alternative prey did not influence the t(1/2) estimate of a pest species, which makes laboratory protocols more straightforward for the calibration of future field data. PeerJ Inc. 2019-10-22 /pmc/articles/PMC6814063/ /pubmed/31660259 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7680 Text en ©2019 Fülöp 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, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
spellingShingle Agricultural Science
Fülöp, Dávid
Szita, Éva
Gerstenbrand, Regina
Tholt, Gergely
Samu, Ferenc
Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title_full Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title_fullStr Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title_full_unstemmed Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title_short Consuming alternative prey does not influence the DNA detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
title_sort consuming alternative prey does not influence the dna detectability half-life of pest prey in spider gut contents
topic Agricultural Science
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6814063/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31660259
http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7680
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