Modeling the Resistance Evolution to Insecticides Driven by Lepidopteran Species Competition in Cotton, Soybean, and Corn Crops

Author(s)

Malaquias, Jose B. ; Ferreira, Claudia P. ; Ramalho, Francisco de S. ; Godoy, Wesley A. C. ; Pachu, Jessica K. S. ; Omoto, Celso ; Neto, Dyrson de O. A. ; Padovez, Fernando E. O. ; Silva, Luciana Barboza

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOLOGY-BASEL; v. 11, n. 9, p. 14-pg., 2022-09-01.

Abstract

Simple Summary Lepidopteran species commonly interact in the same niches in multiple crops. Interspecific competition has been neglected as a pressure selection agent in insecticide resistance studies. Our results showed that competition may act as an agent to speed up the evolution of diamide resistance in Spodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa armigera. Intra- and interspecific competition is considered a fundamental phenomenon in ecology. It acts as one of the most powerful selective forces that drives ecological diversity, the spatiotemporal distribution of organisms, fitness, and evolutionary aspects. Spodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa armigera are devastating pests and can co-occur in systems consisting of multiple agricultural crops and compete for food resources. Insecticide resistance in populations of these species has been a major threat to the sustainability of agroecosystems. No study to date has shown the effect of intra- and interspecific competition as a selective pressure agent on the evolution of insecticide resistance in lepidopteran pests in an experimental and theoretical way. Our study developed a parameterized computational model with experimental results for S. frugiperda and H. armigera competition. We simulated the behavior of heterozygous individuals with a competition capacity 100% equal to homozygous individuals resistant (100 RR) or susceptible to insecticides (00 RR), and intermediate between them (50 RR). Competition involving strains of these insect species can accelerate the evolution of their resistance to insecticides in agricultural crops. We found that competitive processes can result in a high probability of competitive exclusion for individuals with the susceptibility allele of these lepidopteran species. The results of this study are of paramount importance for understanding the impact of ecological factor competition on the evolution of insecticide resistance in lepidopteran pests, which until now has been neglected in these types of evolutionary dynamics studies. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/20435-5 - Modeling with game theory of behavioral / adaptive strategies of Spodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa armigera in Bt crops with spatio-temporal co-occurrence
• Grantee: José Bruno Malaquias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 20/13998-3 - A spatial game-based approach for designing sustainable management of fall armyworm
• Grantee: José Bruno Malaquias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 17/05953-7 - Ecological Modeling of the Resistance Evolution of Spodoptera frugiperda on Bt Cotton Mediated by Seed Contamination and Temperature Increasing
• Grantee: José Bruno Malaquias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 15/20380-8 - Ecological modelling of the larval dispersion of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Bt cotton: implications for evolution and resistance management
• Grantee: José Bruno Malaquias
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/16609-7 - A multi - and interdisciplinary approach to understand spatio-temporal patterns of insect pests and design landscapes for sustainable pest management in tropical agricultural systems
• Grantee: Wesley Augusto Conde Godoy
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants