Is Poisonwood Vulnerable to Attack by

Brazilian Peppertree BioControl Agents?

J. P. Cuda1 and W.A. Overholt2

1Entomology & Nematology Dept., Gainesville, FL 32611-0620

2UF/IFAS Indian River REC, Ft. Pierce, FL

19th Annual Southwest Florida Invasive Species Workshop Florida Gulf Coast University, 22 January 2015

Acknowledgements • Nicole Benda

• Alissa Berro

• Catherine Buchanan

- McGrath

• Rodrigo Diaz

• Veronica Manrique

• Jennifer Possley

• Devon Powell

• FL Industrial & Phosphate

Research Institute

http://www.bookdrum.com/books/the-poisonwood-

bible/9780060786502/bookmarks-26-50.html?bookId=1578

http://www.corozal.bz/daily/y2013/d0406

Outline • Background on Poisonwood

• Host Shift Case Study

• Predicted Host Ranges

of Brazilian Peppertree

BioControl Candidates

• Questions? Comments?

Outline • Background on Poisonwood

• Host Shift Case Study

• Predicted Host Ranges

of Brazilian Peppertree

BioControl Candidates

• Questions? Comments?

Wunderlin and Hansen (2008)

Poisonwood Metopium toxiferum (L.) Krug & Urb.

Poisonwood Facts • ORIGIN- Native to Florida & Puerto Rico • FL DISTRIBUTION - Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties • DESCRIPTION- - Evergreen Shrub - Highly Toxic - Sympatric w/ Poison Ivy & Brazilian Peppertree - Important Food for Threatened White Crown Pigeon http://floridabirdingtrail.com/index.php/mobile/birds/whit

e-crowned_pigeon/

Wunderlin and Hansen (2008)

Outline • Background on Poisonwood

• Host Shift Case Study

• Predicted Host Ranges

of Brazilian Peppertree

BioControl Candidates

• Questions? Comments?

Native Poison Ivy Sawfly

Florida Entomologist (2012)

Host Shift Study Site

Host Shift Study Site

Arge humeralis (Hym: Argidae)

“Poison Ivy” Sawfly

Eggs on Poisonwood

Leaf Margin

Mature Larva

Pupal Case

Adult Female

Benda et al. (2012)

Host Acceptance Lab Study No-Choice Test

Wheeler et al. (2014)

Reason for Host Shift

Outline • Background on Poisonwood

• Host Shift Case Study

• Predicted Host Ranges

of Brazilian Peppertree

BioControl Candidates

• Questions? Comments?

Photo Credit: J. Possley, FTBC

BioControl Agent Risk Assessment

• Objective- Quantify Risk to Non-target Plants

• Methods- Host Range Tests

– Fundamental (or Physiological) Host Range-

All plants on Which Organism Completes Life

Cycle

• No-Choice Tests

– Realized (or Ecological) Host Range- Plant Spp.

Actually Used Under Field Conditions

• Multiple-Choice Tests

– Realized Host Range Always Narrower than

Fundamental Host Range or Subset

(Hinz et al. 2014)

Calophya latiforceps (Hemiptera: Calophyidae)

• Native to Brazil,

Adults

– Green & Yellow

• Nymphs

– Form Circular

Pit Galls

• Dorsal Surface

Sclerotized

• Discovered in

2010 Burckhardt et al. (2011)

Field Host Range of C. latiforceps

• Brazil

– Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi *

* Adults Reared Only from S. terebinthifolia

(Haplotypes B and K)

(Diaz et al. 2014)

Oviposition and Survival No- Choice Tests

• Gall initiation & development only on BP

• Calophya spp. will not attack phenolic toxin

producing Anacards (Aguilar-Ortigoza and Sosa 2004)

Brazilian Peppertree

Poisonwood

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

.

Apocnemidophorus pipitzi

(Col: Curculionidae)

Field Host Range of A. pipitzi

• Argentina – Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi

– S. molle L.

– Lithrea molleoides (Vell.) Engl.

• Brazil

– Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi * – S. longifolius (Lindl.) Speg.

* Adults Reared from S. terebinthifolia

(Sources: F. D. Bennett, unpubl.; C.W. O’Brien, unpubl.; McKay et al. 2009)

Field Host Phylogeny of A. pipitzi

sect.

Pseudoduvaua

molleiodes

molle

terebinthifolia

longifolius

polygamus

latifolius

velutinus

kauselii

montanus

patagonicus

Schinus

sgen. Euschinus

sgen.

Duvaua

sect. Euduvaua

Tainarys, irregularly deformed leaf

C. hermicitae group, pit gall

C. rubra group, pit gall

C. rubra group, closed gall

after Burckhardt (2004)

Apocnemidophorus pipitzi restricted to Schinus and Lithrea

(Note: Genus Lithrea not represented in US)

Lithrea

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Schinus molle L.

© 1999 John Randall

© 2000 Joe Di Tomaso

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Schinus polygamus (Cav.) Cabr.

Weevil Emergence No-Choice Host Range Tests

Brazilian Peppertree

Poisonwood

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Weevil Emergence Multiple Choice Minus Target Host Range Tests *

* Brazilian Peppertree

Hardee Peppertree

(Schinus polygamus)

Bonferroni (Dunn) MCP

p < 0.05

* Weevils Provided with Test Plant Leaves AND Stems for Oviposition & Development;

Brazilian peppertree (SCTE) tested separately

Poisonwood

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Larval survival

after 3 d

Larval survival

before pupation

Pupation

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/AC-PR/ACPR06.shtml

Figure 5: Percentage (± std) of larval survival and pupation of H. hubrichi

Significant differences, P < 0.05

Nystelea ebalea (Lep.: Notodontidae)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpilla001/6399879349/

N. ebalea Field Host Range

• Cuba, Mexico, Central & S. America – Anacardium occidentale L.

– Comocladia dentata Jacq.

– Spondias spp.

• Argentina and US (South Florida) – Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi

• Moth Established in Florida Since 1920 – Spondias purpurea L. (Collier & Monroe Co.)

– No Reported Attacks

(Sources: Todd 1973, McKay et al. 2009, Wheeler 2013)

Wheeler et al. (2014)

Survival & Development No-Choice Host Range Tests

Brazilian Peppertree Poisonwood

Summary • Poisonwood Important Native Anacard

Sympatric with Brazilian Peppertree in South

Florida

• Calophya Psyllid Example Shows Fundamental

Host Range Does NOT Include Poisonwood

• Apocnemidophorus Weevil Example Suggests

Predicted Field Host Range Does NOT Include

Poisonwood

• Anecdotal Evidence from Nystalea Example

Confirms Field Host Range Since 1920 Does

NOT Include Poisonwood

– No Reported Attacks on Poisonwood or

Purple Mombin (S. purpurea)

Conclusions • BioControl Agent Release Decisions by USDA

APHIS Focus Almost Exclusively on

“Fundamental Host Range” or No-choice Data

• “Realized Host Range” or Multiple Choice Data

Essentially Ignored

• Conservative Approach is Safe One

– No Evidence of Bioagents Attacking Plants Outside

Fundamental Host Range

• Using Fundamental Host Range as the Only

Criterion Overestimates Risks & Limits the

Available BioAgents

– E.g., USDA Probably Will Not Recommend

Releasing Weevil

(Hintz et al. 2014)

Thank You

Go Gators!!

Outline • Background on Poisonwood

• Host Shift Case Study

• Predicted Host Ranges

of Brazilian Peppertree

BioControl Candidates

• Questions? Comments?