1999; Sivinski et al. 2000, 2001). These tephritids are mostly native species of no economic importance that breed in fruits of a variety of uncultivated trees. The fruit of such trees serve as sources of parasitoids that

can move and attack the target pest on its non-commercial and commercial hosts. We term such trees “parasitoid reservoir plants”, some of Selleckchem 3MA which serve as hosts for several non-pest fly species that are parasitized by 1–3 species of generalist parasitoids (see Tables 2, 3). For example, the native non-pest fruit fly Anastrepha alveata Stone develops in the fruit of the native reservoir plant Ximenia americana (Olacaceae). This fly is a host for three generalist native braconids, Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Utetes anastrephae (Viereck), and Opius hirtus Fischer (Lopez et al. 1999),

the first two of which are the dominant species in the natural enemy guild attacking the pestiferous A. obliqua. Pest-based parasitoid reservoir plants Useful parasitoids are sometimes Avapritinib in vitro produced in fruit flies that are pests in other regions but not locally. For example, in the mango production region of Veracruz, Mexico, neither A. ludens (a key pest of citrus) nor Anastrepha striata Schiner (a pest of guava [Psidium guajava]) are of concern because neither citrus nor guava are grown commercially in the region. Both species of tephritids are attacked by parasitoids that also attack A. obliqua, the major fruit fly pest of mangoes. Therefore under these particular circumstances citrus and guava serve as natural enemy reservoir plants, termed here “pest-based parasitoid reservoir plants”. In

small-fruited pest-based parasitoid reservoir plants (e.g., P. guajava, Psidium guineense Sw.) tephritids are parasitized at moderate to high rates (30–75 %) by five native and two exotic species of generalist parasitoids (Tables 2, 3; Lopez et al. 1999; Sivinski et al. 2000). In citrus-producing regions, A. obliqua and A. ludens switch biological control roles, with tropical plums (Spondias spp.) infested with A. obliqua becoming a pest-based reservoir for parasitoids of A. ludens in smaller diameter citrus Ketotifen or non-commercial fruit which helps reduce populations present in larger commercially grown citrus. Vulnerabilities of fruit trees useful to biological control and conservation Habitat loss is a major threat to species persistence (Fischer and Lindenmayer 2007; Mortelliti et al. 2010). In terms of trees useful to biological control and conservation, the effects of habitat loss can be examined at the levels of both the landscape and of the individual tree. At the landscape-scale, deforestation and PI3K Inhibitor Library research buy forest fragmentation pose major threats while on the scale of individual trees, selective logging endangers parasitoid reservoirs.