The pest-specific effects of glyphosate on functional response of a wolf spider

Although glyphosate is widely used for weed pest control, it might have negative side effects on natural enemies. Wolf spiders are one of the most representative predators found on soybean crops in Uruguay, preying on a wide variety of potential pests. However, the sublethal effects that pesticides might have on this group have been poorly explored for South American species. Herein, we explored the sublethal effects of glyphosate on the functional response of the wolf spider Hogna cf. bivittata against three potential pest insects, namely ant (Acromyrmex sp.), caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis), and cricket (Miogryllus sp.). We contaminated residually adult females of the species Hogna cf. bivittata with glyphosate (Roundup (R)) and compared their functional response against non-contaminated spiders. We did not observe any mortality during the study. We found that overall Hogna cf. bivittata showed a functional response type II against crickets and caterpillars but no functional response to ants. Contaminated spiders killed less ants and caterpillars in comparison to the control group, probably as a consequence of the irritating effects of glyphosate. We did not observe differences in functional response to crickets at the evaluated densities, probably as a consequence of the low capture rate against this prey. Although glyphosate does not specifically target spiders, it might have negative sublethal effects on native predators such as Hogna cf. bivittata. Further studies should explore effect of glyphosate on other native predators from South American crops. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Glyphosate may have negative sublethal effects on native predators such as wolf spiders, affecting their functional responses to potential pests. Contaminated spiders killed fewer ants and caterpillars compared to non-contaminated spiders, likely due to the irritating effects of glyphosate. Further studies are necessary to explore the impact of glyphosate on other native predators in South American crops.