PROGRESS TOWARD DEVELOPING A NOVEL IMMUNOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR QUANTIFYING PREDATION RATES ON THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER

• Author(s): Daane, Kent; Fournier, Valarie; Groves, Russell; Hagler, James; Henneberry, Thomas; Johnson, Marshall; Morgan, David;
• Abstract: We just completed the first year of a multi-year research project dedicated to quantifying predation rates on GWSS nymphs and adults and qualifying predation on eggs. There are enough protein/antibody complexes commercially available that each GWSS in a field cage can be marked with a specific protein. We marked two GWSS adults and two GWSS nymphs, each separately with a unique protein and released them into small field cages (N=60) placed in a citrus orchard for 8 hours. Each cage also contained a sentinel GWSS egg mass and an assemblage of six potential GWSS predators. The experiment contained a day and night treatment. Observed mortality for each GWSS life stage and predator species was determined by simply counting the number of survivors remaining in each cage after 8 hours. Results showed that GWSS adults were preyed upon three times more frequently than nymphs and mostly during the day light cycle. Ultimately, the gut contents of each predator will be analyzed by four protein-specific ELISAs to determine how many GWSS each individual predator consumed (note: we are currently conducting these assays). Additionally, the gut contents of each predator will be examined by a GWSS egg-specific sandwich ELISA to determine the frequency of predation on GWSS eggs.
• Publication Date: Dec 2005
• Journal: 2005 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium