Weevil borne microbes contribute as much to the reduction of photosynthesis in water hyacinth as does herbivory

Venter, Nic; Hill, Martin P; Hutchinson, Sarah-Leigh; Ripley, Bradford S

Title: Weevil borne microbes contribute as much to the reduction of photosynthesis in water hyacinth as does herbivory
Creator: Venter, Nic
Creator: Hill, Martin P
Creator: Hutchinson, Sarah-Leigh
Creator: Ripley, Bradford S
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2013
Date: 2013
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423573
Identifier: vital:72073
Identifier: xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2012.10.011"
Description: Arthropods released for weed biocontrol can have effects other than simply removing biomass and frequently decrease photosynthetic rate more than can be attributed to the mere loss of photosynthetic surface area. Some of this effect may result because biological control agents facilitate the transfer and ingress of deleterious microbes into plant tissues on which they feed. We evaluated this facilitation effect using water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and a weevil (Neochetina eichhorniae) and compared the reductions in photosynthetic rates between leaves subject to herbivory by adult weevils sterilized with 3.5% chlorine bleach, to those that were unsterilized. The results showed that weevils carried both fungi and bacteria, transferred these to leaves on which they fed, and that microbes and biomass removal contributed almost equally to the 37% decrease in photosynthetic productivity. Hence, maximising the effectiveness of using arthropods that damage leaf surfaces for biocontrol requires the presence of microorganisms that are deleterious to plants.
Format: computer
Format: online resource
Format: application/pdf
Format: 1 online resource (5 pages)
Format: pdf
Publisher: Elsevier
Language: English
Relation: Biological Control
Relation: Venter, N., Hill, M.P., Hutchinson, S.L. and Ripley, B.S., 2013. Weevil borne microbes contribute as much to the reduction of photosynthesis in water hyacinth as does herbivory. Biological Control, 64(2), pp.138-142
Relation: Biological Control volume 64 number 2 p. 138 2013 1090-2112
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Elsevier Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions)
Rights: Closed Access

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Ripley, Bradford Sherman (Prof)

RU DST/NRF SARChI for Insects in Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems

Hill, Martin Patrick (Distinguished Professor)

RU Department of Botany

SDG 15. Life On Land

RU Department of Zoology and Entomology

SDG 14. Life Below Water

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