Department
Biology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2013
Abstract
Population cycles in forest Lepidoptera often result from recurring density-dependent epizootics of entomopathogens. While these systems are typically dominated by a single pathogen species, insects are often infected by multiple pathogens, yet little is known how pathogens interact to affect host dynamics. The apparent invasion of northeastern North America by the fungal entomopathogen Entomophaga maimaiga some time prior to 1989 provides a unique opportunity to evaluate such interactions. Prior to the arrival of E. maimaga, the oscillatory dynamics of host gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, populations were apparently driven by epizootics of a nucleopolyhedrovirus. Subsequent to its emergence, E. maimaiga has caused extensive mortality in host populations, but little is known about how it has altered multigenerational dynamics of the gypsy moth and its virus. Here we compared demographic data collected in gypsy moth populations prior to vs. after E. maimaiga's invasion. We found that the recently invading fungal pathogen virtually always causes greater levels of mortality in hosts than does the virus, but fungal mortality is largely density independent. Moreover, the presence of the fungus has apparently not altered the gypsy moth–virus density-dependent interactions that were shown to drive periodic oscillations in hosts before the arrival of the fungus.
Publication Title
Ecology
Publisher Statement
© 2013 the Authors, the Ecological Society of America, published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI
10.1890/12-1329.1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Liebhold, Andrew M., Plymale, Ruth, Elkinton, Joseph S., and Hajek, Ann E. "Emergent Fungal Entomopathogen Does Not Alter Density Dependence in a Viral Competitor," Ecology, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 94:6 (2013) Jul 30, 1217-1222. doi: 10.1890/12-1329.1
Included in
Forest Sciences Commons, Fungi Commons, Plant Pathology Commons