Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation

Arundo donax is a non-native, invasive large-statured grass of riparian systems in the southwestern USA, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds of northern California and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In 2017, the shoot tip-galling wasp Tetramesa romana was released at nine si...

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Main Authors: Ellyn V. Bitume, D. Valle Rogers, Paul D. Pratt, John A. Goolsby, Patrick J. Moran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-05-01
Series:Biological Control
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000549
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author Ellyn V. Bitume
D. Valle Rogers
Paul D. Pratt
John A. Goolsby
Patrick J. Moran
author_facet Ellyn V. Bitume
D. Valle Rogers
Paul D. Pratt
John A. Goolsby
Patrick J. Moran
author_sort Ellyn V. Bitume
collection DOAJ
description Arundo donax is a non-native, invasive large-statured grass of riparian systems in the southwestern USA, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds of northern California and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In 2017, the shoot tip-galling wasp Tetramesa romana was released at nine sites, three in each region. Shoots in some release plots were manipulated prior to release by cutting to ground or pruning to 1 m height, while others were left uncut. One year later, exit holes made by emerging adult wasps were found at two of nine sites. Exit hole density per main shoot length was 16-fold higher on regrowth shoots in ground-cut plots than in uncut plots. An additional plot manipulation study at two other sites found that exit hole density per shoot length was 19-fold higher in plots that were double-cut (cut to ground and regrowth pruned) than in single-cut plots. By 2023, T. romana was established at eight sites spanning both river watersheds and their Delta with dispersal up to 6.5 km, based on dissection of shoots, multi-year counts of exit holes and galls, and trapping of adult T. romana with sticky traps. The abundance of T. romana may be limited in northern California by low annual heat unit accumulation. The results show that physical manipulation of host plants improves short-term establishment and demonstrate the importance of using multiple monitoring methods to determine long-term establishment.
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spelling doaj-art-4928f0d0dc9941fabf1d266d3fcf18792024-11-21T06:03:07ZengElsevierBiological Control1049-96442024-05-01192105489Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulationEllyn V. Bitume0D. Valle Rogers1Paul D. Pratt2John A. Goolsby3Patrick J. Moran4USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, HI, USA; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Albany, CA, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Albany, CA, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Albany, CA, USAUSDA-ARS Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit, Edinburg, TX, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit, Albany, CA, USA; Corresponding author at: USDA-ARS WRRC ISPH, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710, USA.Arundo donax is a non-native, invasive large-statured grass of riparian systems in the southwestern USA, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds of northern California and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In 2017, the shoot tip-galling wasp Tetramesa romana was released at nine sites, three in each region. Shoots in some release plots were manipulated prior to release by cutting to ground or pruning to 1 m height, while others were left uncut. One year later, exit holes made by emerging adult wasps were found at two of nine sites. Exit hole density per main shoot length was 16-fold higher on regrowth shoots in ground-cut plots than in uncut plots. An additional plot manipulation study at two other sites found that exit hole density per shoot length was 19-fold higher in plots that were double-cut (cut to ground and regrowth pruned) than in single-cut plots. By 2023, T. romana was established at eight sites spanning both river watersheds and their Delta with dispersal up to 6.5 km, based on dissection of shoots, multi-year counts of exit holes and galls, and trapping of adult T. romana with sticky traps. The abundance of T. romana may be limited in northern California by low annual heat unit accumulation. The results show that physical manipulation of host plants improves short-term establishment and demonstrate the importance of using multiple monitoring methods to determine long-term establishment.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000549Agent densityGalling waspGiant reedMechanical controlIntegrated weed management
spellingShingle Ellyn V. Bitume
D. Valle Rogers
Paul D. Pratt
John A. Goolsby
Patrick J. Moran
Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
Biological Control
Agent density
Galling wasp
Giant reed
Mechanical control
Integrated weed management
title Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
title_full Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
title_fullStr Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
title_full_unstemmed Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
title_short Establishment of the wasp Tetramesa romana for biological control of Arundo donax in northern California and the role of release plot manipulation
title_sort establishment of the wasp tetramesa romana for biological control of arundo donax in northern california and the role of release plot manipulation
topic Agent density
Galling wasp
Giant reed
Mechanical control
Integrated weed management
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000549
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