Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
SEQUESTRATION OF PLANT CHEMICAL DEFENSES BY SPOTTED LANTERNFLY FROM ITS PREFERRED HOST, TREE-OF-HEAVEN (AILANTHUS ALTISSIMA), AND EFFECTS ON PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
NEW
Funding Source
MCINTIRE-STENNIS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1024129
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
PEN04755
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2020
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2022
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Hoover, KE.
Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
208 MUELLER LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802
Performing Department
Entomology
Non Technical Summary
This project is designed to determine if spotted lanternfly stores toxins from its preferred host tree, rendering it unpalatable to natural enemies, including arthropods and birds. This information can be used to guide management practices by state and federal regulatory agencies, especially when considering options for biological control.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
21506201070100%
Knowledge Area
215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
0620 - Broadleaf forests of the North;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
Our goal is to determine whether spotted lanternfly sequesters bitter tasting quassinoids from tree of heaven at sufficient concentrations to deter predators, and, if they do, at which life stage(s) this occurs.
Project Methods
As spotted lanternfly reach each life stage (1-4 instars and adult), 3 to 20 individuals will be collected for each life stage based on the mass of insects (N=10 per life stage and treatment) and frozen until processed. Since adults begin their heaviest phloem feeding period in the first 4-6 weeks after adult emergence to reach sexual maturity, 30 sexually mature spotted lanternfly (15 males and 15 females) will also be sampled. Samples will be processed and analyzed using LC-MS/MS at the Huck Metabolomics Facility, along with 5 quassinoids from tree of heaven as calibration standards. LC-MS/MS results will be calculated separately for each life stage and for phloem from tree of heaven. We will test predators with piercing/sucking mouthparts and determine whether the proportion of spotted lanternfly preyed upon varies by host tree species or life stage of the prey. We will also test predators with chewing mouthparts using the same treatments.We will evaluate avian predation of spotted lanternfly using a field study with paired suet feeders in the late fall, one with ground spotted lanternfly and one without at each of 3 sites. We will also conduct a citizen science project. We will host a facebook page and ask residents who live in the quarantine zone to post reports of the bird species they observe feeding on spotted lanternfly, along with photos when available. We will also ask observers to report the closest tree of heaven to the location of the sighting if possible.