Document of bibliographic reference 391225

BibliographicReference record

Type
Bibliographic resource
Type of document
Journal article
BibLvlCode
AS
Title
The biocontrol nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita infects and increases mortality of Monadenia fidelis, a non-target terrestrial gastropod species endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, in laboratory conditions
Abstract

Inundative biological control (biocontrol) efforts in pest management lead to the mass distribution of commercialized biocontrol agents. Many ‘biocontrol gone awry’ incidents have resulted in disastrous biodiversity impacts, leading to increased scrutiny of biocontrol efforts. The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is sold as a biocontrol agent on three continents and targets pest gastropods such as Deroceras reticulatum, the Grey Field Slug; P. hermaphrodita is not presently approved for use in the United States. Investigations into the potential for P. hermaphrodita to infect non-target gastropod species of conservation relevance, however, are limited. We examined the effects of three strains of P. hermaphrodita on mortality in Monadenia fidelis, the Pacific Sideband, a snail species endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, in laboratory conditions. Across a 71-day laboratory infectivity assay, snails exposed to each of the three nematode strains, each analyzed at two doses, experienced a mean 50% mortality by days 20–42. All nematode-treated snails were dead by the end of the study. By contrast, 30/30 water-control snails experienced no mortality. Nematodes killed smaller, juvenile-stage snails significantly faster than those in larger and more developmentally advanced hosts. Our results provide direct evidence that the biocontrol nematode P. hermaphrodita infects and kills M. fidelis, a non-target gastropod species endemic to the Pacific Northwest, in laboratory conditions. This study suggests that introduction of P. hermaphrodita to new ecosystems might negatively impact endemic gastropod biodiversity and advocates for further investigation of non-target effects, including in conditions closer to the natural environments of non-target species.

Bibliographic citation
Denver, D.; Howe, D.K.; Colton, A.J.; Richart, C.H.; Mc Donnell, R.J. (2024). The biocontrol nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita infects and increases mortality of Monadenia fidelis, a non-target terrestrial gastropod species endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, in laboratory conditions. PLoS One 19(3): e0298165. https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298165
Topic
Terrestrial
Is peer reviewed
true
Access rights
open access
Is accessible for free
true

Authors

author
Name
Dee Denver
author
Name
Dana Howe
author
Name
Andrew Colton
author
Name
Casey Richart
author
Name
Rory Mc Donnell

Links

referenced creativework
type
DOI
accessURL
https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298165

Document metadata

date created
2024-03-25
date modified
2024-03-25