Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models

Passiflora foetida is a climbing vine, native to the Neotropical Region that is causing major economic and ecological damage in Australia, where it is rapidly spreading. Traditional control options, such as cutting, manual uprooting, and herbicide applications are only effective for local management...

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Main Authors: Eugenia Minghetti, Pablo M. Dellapé, Mariano Maestro, Sara I. Montemayor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-04-01
Series:Biological Control
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000239
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author Eugenia Minghetti
Pablo M. Dellapé
Mariano Maestro
Sara I. Montemayor
author_facet Eugenia Minghetti
Pablo M. Dellapé
Mariano Maestro
Sara I. Montemayor
author_sort Eugenia Minghetti
collection DOAJ
description Passiflora foetida is a climbing vine, native to the Neotropical Region that is causing major economic and ecological damage in Australia, where it is rapidly spreading. Traditional control options, such as cutting, manual uprooting, and herbicide applications are only effective for local management. Currently, the plant bug Engytatus passionarius is the most promising biological control agent. Specificity tests performed in its native range in Argentina suggest it is highly specific to the plant, and it has not been observed in the field associated with other plants. As climate determines the establishment of insects, knowing if the environmental conditions suit their requirements is key to introducing a species in a region. Also, an overlap between the climatic niches of species is an indicator of similar requirements. To explore the possibilities of a successful establishment of E. passionarius in Australia, ecological niche models (ENM) were built for the plant bug and for the vine and their overlap was measured. The ENM projected to Australia recognized suitable environmental conditions for the establishment of E. passionarius in several regions where P. foetida is present, both for current and future scenarios. Moreover, the niche of the plant bug is almost completely overlapped with that of the vine. All the aforementioned evidence seems to indicate that E. passionarius has a good chance to become an effective biological control agent of P. foetida.
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publishDate 2024-04-01
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spelling doaj-art-c6510f0ef3f044b7bd9f00bbdc3fc55a2024-11-21T06:03:03ZengElsevierBiological Control1049-96442024-04-01191105461Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche modelsEugenia Minghetti0Pablo M. Dellapé1Mariano Maestro2Sara I. Montemayor3División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas – CONICET, La Plata, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDivisión Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas – CONICET, La Plata, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaFuEDEI (Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas), Bolívar 1559, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires 1686, ArgentinaDivisión Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas – CONICET, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Corresponding author at: División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.Passiflora foetida is a climbing vine, native to the Neotropical Region that is causing major economic and ecological damage in Australia, where it is rapidly spreading. Traditional control options, such as cutting, manual uprooting, and herbicide applications are only effective for local management. Currently, the plant bug Engytatus passionarius is the most promising biological control agent. Specificity tests performed in its native range in Argentina suggest it is highly specific to the plant, and it has not been observed in the field associated with other plants. As climate determines the establishment of insects, knowing if the environmental conditions suit their requirements is key to introducing a species in a region. Also, an overlap between the climatic niches of species is an indicator of similar requirements. To explore the possibilities of a successful establishment of E. passionarius in Australia, ecological niche models (ENM) were built for the plant bug and for the vine and their overlap was measured. The ENM projected to Australia recognized suitable environmental conditions for the establishment of E. passionarius in several regions where P. foetida is present, both for current and future scenarios. Moreover, the niche of the plant bug is almost completely overlapped with that of the vine. All the aforementioned evidence seems to indicate that E. passionarius has a good chance to become an effective biological control agent of P. foetida.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000239Plant bugClimatic nicheENMMVEInvasive plantSticky-plant specialisation
spellingShingle Eugenia Minghetti
Pablo M. Dellapé
Mariano Maestro
Sara I. Montemayor
Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
Biological Control
Plant bug
Climatic niche
ENM
MVE
Invasive plant
Sticky-plant specialisation
title Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
title_full Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
title_fullStr Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
title_short Evaluating the climatic suitability of Engytatus passionarius Minghetti et al. (Heteroptera, Miridae) as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower Passiflora foetida L. in Australia through ecological niche models
title_sort evaluating the climatic suitability of engytatus passionarius minghetti et al heteroptera miridae as a biological control agent of the invasive stinking passion flower passiflora foetida l in australia through ecological niche models
topic Plant bug
Climatic niche
ENM
MVE
Invasive plant
Sticky-plant specialisation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1049964424000239
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