BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

The experiment was carried out from February 2020 to November 2021 in two Clementine mandarin orchards from Valencian Community (Spain). The orchards were located in Borriol (40°00'45.5"N 0°05'56.3"W 110 m. a.s.l) and Moncófar (39°48'12.1"N 0°09'58.7"W 15 m. a.s.l) and were 1.4 and 1.1 ha, respectively. Both orchards were selected because they had a medium abundance of D. aberiae. Eight replicated blocks were evenly distributed across the two orchards. Each block was divided into paired 4x4 tree plots, one receiving the “ant-allowed” treatment and the other receiving the “ant-excluded” treatment. In ant-excluded plots, sticky barriers were applied to trunks of trees to prevent ants accessing up to the canopy. To do this, the tree trunk was wrapped with Parafilm® 10-30 cm above ground. The wrapped zone was coated with Tad All-Weather® adhesive. The four central trees of each plot were sampled monthly. From each tree, 40 leaves (ten leaves per cardinal direction) and 20 fruits (five fruit per cardinal direction) were visually inspected, and the number of mealybugs, ants and potential predators were identified and counted. The number of ants crossing (both up and down) an imaginary line surrounding the trunk at 30 cm above ground were counted for two minutes. Ants were identified to species and predators identification varied among groups from order (e.g. Araneae) to species (e.g. Rodolia cardinalis). All observations were made between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., as ant activity in citrus canopies is stable over this period., This dataset is associated to the published paper “Exclusion of Mediterranean ant species enhances biological control of the invasive mealybug Delottococcus aberiae in citrus”. In this paper, the effect of tending ants on the biological control of D. aberiae is evaluated. To do this, we compared: i) the density of D. aberiae, ii) the density of its natural enemies and iii) the damage produced by the mealybug in trees with (control) and without ants (ants excluded with sticky barriers) in two citrus orchards across two consecutive years.

The invasive mealybug Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) has become a key pest in Mediterranean citrus. This mealybug species excretes honeydew that can be consumed by ants, which may give rise to mutualistic relationships and increase the invasibility of this exotic pest. Here, we studied the interaction between D. aberiae and ants in 16 citrus orchards located in the main citrus-growing area of Spain (Valencia) during two consecutive years. The aim of the present research was to study the interactions between D. aberiae and ant species in Spanish citrus orchards to determine whether these interactions can accelerate the invasion by this mealybug species. For this, 16 citrus orchards were sampled during two consecutive years to: i) identify the ant species that attend D. aberiae; ii) determine the level and density-dependence of ant-attendance; and finally, iii) evaluate the correlation between ant activity and D. aberiae density. The data set includes information on the abundance of mealybugs, ants, and predators in different parts of citrus trees from the orchards sampled in spring, summer, and autumn of 2020 and 2021., This dataset is associated to the published paper “Native ants facilitate the invasion by Delottococcus aberiae in Mediterranean citrus”. In this paper, the mutualistic relationship between Mediterranean ants and the invasive mealybug Delottococcus aberiae in citrus orchards from eastern Spain is described.

This collection brings together the different datasets used to generate the paper "Do hyperparasitoids disrupt the biological control of Pseudococcus longispinus in persimmon?". In this paper, we tested whether hyperparasitoids disrupt the biological control of P. longispinus in Mediterranean persimmon. For this purpose, we sampled 16 orchards over two consecutive years. In these orchards, we first identified the primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids that attack P. longispinus in persimmon and measured the rates of parasitism and hyperparasitism. Then, we evaluated whether parasitism and/or hyperparasitism rates affect the population growth rate of P. longispinus. Finally, we determined whether hyperparasitoids emerged from mealybug hosts of similar size than females of the primary parasitoids. These and other biological traits of the primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids were analyzed to better understand their coexistence and their effects on P. longispinus. The collection includes two files that contains data used for the different sections explained in detail in the methodology of the paper. It also includes a README file explaining the structure of the data., This dataset is associated to the published paper “Do hyperparasitoids disrupt the biological control of Pseudococcus longispinus in persimmon?”. We tested whether hyperparasitoids hinder the biological control of P. longispinus in Mediterranean persimmon. For this aim, we sampled 16 orchards across two consecutive years and measured the impact of primary parasitoids and hyperparasitoids on P. longispinus. The collection includes several files that contains data used for the different sections explained in detail in the methodology of the paper.

This collection brings together the different datasets that have been used to generate the paper "Mealybugs in Mediterranean persimmon: fruit infestation, seasonal trend and effect of climate change". The aims of this work were to: i) determine the spatio-temporal dynamics of mealybug species in the main persimmon producing area of the Mediterranean basin; ii) determine seasonal trend, phenology, and fruit infestation of the main mealybug species; and, iii) predict the effect of climate change on mealybug phenology. To achieve the third aim, the thermal constant necessary to complete a generation for the main mealybug species identified was estimated under field conditions. The collection includes different data folders. Each folder contains datasets used for the different sections explained in detail in the methodology of the paper. Each folder includes README files explaining the methodology for collecting the data and the structure of the datasets., This dataset is associated to the published paper “Mealybugs in Mediterranean persimmon: fruit infestation, seasonal trend and effect of climate change”. We identified the main mealybug species in Mediterranean persimmon, determined their phenology, and developed tools to predict damage at harvest. To do this, we sampled 17 orchards from the main persimmon producing area in Spain over two consecutive years. The collection includes several files that contains data used for the different sections explained in detail in the methodology of the paper.

This study was carried out in 17 persimmon orchards from western Mediterranean basin, the main persimmon producing area from the Mediterranean Basin. Nine trees were sampled per plot in spring (between May 10 and 22), summer (between July 14 and July 27) and early-autumn (between September 27 and October 10) across two consecutive years (2020 and 2021). For each tree, sampling season and year, 120 leaves (30 per cardinal direction), 40 fruits (10 per cardinal direction) and the surface of the trunk (from the base to a 50 cm height) were surveyed. All mealybugs and ants were identified down to species level and counted, as well as the number of the long-tailed mealybug P. longispinus per developmental stage (instar). Additionally, the number of parasitized P. longispinus was recorded from all the individuals surveyed, and we also registered the abundance of potential predators of P. longispinus. The data set contains a CSV file that includes the raw data collected in the study (i.e., per sampling unit). A legend is included to facilitate the interpretation of the data., These data collect the abundance of mealybugs and their associated ants in persimmon orchards in the western Mediterranean. Additionally, parasitism of the most abundant mealybug species, P. longispinus, is recorded, along with the abundance of its potential predators. The study was conducted in 17 persimmon plots in the Valencian Community, the main producing area of this crop in the Mediterranean basin, during the years 2020 and 2021.

The study was conducted in 17 persimmon and 16 citrus orchards in Eastern Spain. In each orchard, nine trees were sampled across three seasons: late spring, mid-summer, and mid-autumn. For each tree and sampling date, we counted and identified the mealybugs present in 120 leaves (30 per cardinal direction), 40 fruits (10 per cardinal direction), and the trunk surface (from ground level to 50 cm height). All observed mealybugs were identified up to the species level. The number of parasitized mealybugs was recorded. Local and landscape heterogeneity were characterized based on the vegetation cover within the plots and the proportion of land use types in the landscape surrounding the plots, respectively. On each sampling date and plot, we assessed the ground cover of spontaneous vegetation, assigning values between 0 and 6 based on the percentage of ground covered by vegetation. We characterized the landscape around sampled plots using Geographic Information System of Agricultural Plots (SIGPAC) for 2020 and 2021. To calculate the surrounding land use proportions for each plot, we assigned varying weights to landscape patches based on their proximity to the sampling location using two different Gaussian decay functions., This dataset is associated to the published paper “Habitat heterogeneity reduces abundance of invasive mealybugs in subtropical fruit crops”. This study tested whether habitat heterogeneity at local and landscape scales reduces the abundance of invasive mealybug species in subtropical crops from Spain. The dataset gathers information on the abundance of mealybugs and their parasitism. In addition, data related to the habitat is collected at both local and landscape levels.