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Bottom-Up Effects of Dietary Cadmium Exposure on Asian Corn Borer Ostrinia furnacalis and Its Egg Parasitoid Trichogramma ostriniae: Bioaccumulation and Biocontrol Risks

delete2026-08-11
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OA
AI
J
Jie Wang *
C
Chengxing Wang
Y
Yan Li
N
Nicolas Desneux
S
Su Wang
B
Bin Tang *
DOI:10.3390/insects17080828delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Cadmium (Cd) is a pervasive heavy metal pollutant in agricultural ecosystems, posing toxic threats to crop productivity, food safety, and the efficacy of biological control programs. The Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis is a destructive lepidopteran pest of maize in East Asia, while Trichogramma ostriniae serves as the most widely applied egg parasitoid for the sustainable management of this pest in integrated pest management (IPM) programs. However, the cascading effects of sublethal Cd stress transmitted from herbivorous hosts to egg parasitoids remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the sublethal effects of dietary Cd exposure (5.0 mg/kg) on the development and Cd bioaccumulation of ACB, and subsequently evaluated the parasitism performance of the egg parasitoid T. ostriniae reared on Cd-contaminated host eggs. Results showed that chronic Cd exposure did not significantly affect larval weight, male pupal weight, or female pupal weight of ACB, but significantly increased female adult body weight, indicating stage-specific stimulatory effects. Cd concentrations in larvae, female pupae, and female adults of ACB were markedly elevated following dietary exposure, with the highest Cd loads detected in female pupae (41.23 mg/kg). However, maternal Cd transfer to eggs did not result in a statistically significant increase in egg Cd concentration. Notably, parasitism by T. ostriniae on Cd-contaminated ACB eggs significantly increased the number of eggs parasitized, although offspring emergence rate and female progeny ratio remained unaffected. This study fills the research gap regarding the trophic transfer of Cd between ACB and T. ostriniae, clarifies the complex bottom-up effects of Cd pollution on host–parasitoid interactions, and provides empirical references for the rational deployment of T. ostriniae as a biocontrol agent in Cd-contaminated maize fields.
Keywords:
heavy metal pollution
cadmium
<i>Ostrinia furnacalis</i>
biological control
bottom-up effect

Journal

Insects cover
Insects
IF:
2.9
Papers:
2.3K
Citations:
1.7W

Organization

H
hangzhou normal university
Scholars:
1.2W
Papers: 7.7K
Citations: 8
B
beijing academy of agriculture and forestry sciences
Scholars:
540
Papers: 162
Citations: 0
S
Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Scholars:
4.3K
Papers: 2.4K
Citations: 5
U
universite cote d'azur and inrae
Scholars:
3
Papers: 2
Citations: 0
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