June 2, 2016
Scientists are calling on people
who are out in their garden this summer to take part in The Ladybird Challenge
and help discover how far an alien ladybird species in the UK is affecting
other insects, including a wasp parasite.
Researchers from the University
of Stirling are working in partnership with the Centre for Ecology and
Hydrology and the UK Ladybird Survey to find out whether the natural balance
between the seven-spot ladybird and the parasitic wasp has
been disrupted by the arrival of another ladybird species in the UK - the
harlequin ladybird.
PhD researcher Katie Murray from
the University's Faculty of Natural Sciences, said: "Harlequin ladybirds
continue to cause large population declines for lots of native ladybirds, but
we believe the impact is even more widespread. We need the public to help us
find out whether the parasitic wasp has also been affected.
"We're asking volunteers to
help find seven-spot ladybirds in their gardens and parks and check if they
have a wasp cocoon. Cocoons are easy to spot - they are nearly the same size as
the ladybird and are found between its legs."
Intrepid ladybird spotters are
encouraged to count how many ladybirds they find and how many have cocoons.
Records from these everyday eco-warriors will allow researchers to look at the
occurrence of the wasp in the UK and whether it is less common in areas where
harlequin ladybirds dominate.
Dr Matt Tinsley, senior lecturer
at the University, added: "The wasp has an amazing lifecycle: it lays an
egg in an adult ladybird, which hatches into a grub that eats the ladybird from
the inside. The grub eventually squeezes out of the still-living ladybird and
spins a cocoon between its legs. The ladybird is turned into a 'zombie
bodyguard' protecting the cocoon from predators until the wasp emerges. Without
the ladybird, the wasp would not be able to complete its lifecycle."
Helen Roy, of the Centre for
Ecology and Hydrology and coordinator of the UK Ladybird Survey, said:
"People across the UK have been instrumental in tracking the spread of the
harlequin ladybird and providing records of native ladybirds too.
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