Response to comments on "Invasive harlequin ladybird carries biological weapons against native competitors"

Comments by de Jong et al., Solter et al., and Sloggett question the ecological relevance of the abundant microsporidia found in the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis. We contend that there is abundant evidence that native ladybirds feed on H. axyridis eggs and that interspecific microsporidial tr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2013-09, Vol.341 (6152), p.1342-1342
Main Authors: Vilcinskas, Andreas, Stoecker, Kilian, Schmidtberg, Henrike, Röhrich, Christian R, Vogel, Heiko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological & chemical weapons
Biological weapons
Coleoptera - parasitology
Coleoptera - physiology
Ecology
Eggs
Food Chain
Harmonia axyridis
Introduced Species
Microsporidia
Nosema - physiology
Parasites
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Summary:Comments by de Jong et al., Solter et al., and Sloggett question the ecological relevance of the abundant microsporidia found in the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis. We contend that there is abundant evidence that native ladybirds feed on H. axyridis eggs and that interspecific microsporidial transfer is a common phenomenon, supporting the proposed role of these parasites as biological weapons.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1242484