Abstract
1. Context and need for work The effects and extent of the impacts of
agricultural insect pests in and around cropping systems is a rich field
of study. However, little research exists on the presence and
consequence of pest insects in undisturbed landscapes distant from crop
hosts. Research in such areas may yield novel or key insights on pest
behavior or ecology that is not evident from agroecosystem-based
studies. 2. Approach and methods Using the invasive fruit pest
Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) as a case study, we investigated
the presence and resource use patterns of this agricultural pest in wild
blackberries growing within the southern Appalachian Mountain range of
North Carolina over two years. 3. Main results We found D.
suzukii throughout the sampled range with higher levels of infestation
(D. suzukii eggs/g fruit) in all ripeness stages in natural areas
as compared to cultivated blackberry samples, but especially in
under-ripe fruit. 4. Main results We also explored a direct comparison
of oviposition preference between wild and cultivated fruit and found
higher oviposition in wild berries when equal weights of fruit were
offered, but oviposition was higher in cultivated berries when fruit
number was equal. 5. Synthesis and applications D. suzukii were
wide-spread in previously unsampled remote, forest habitats. Forest
populations laid more eggs in unripe wild-grown blackberries throughout
the year than populations infesting cultivated berries. This suggests
D. suzukii may change its oviposition and foraging behavior in
relation to fruit type. Additionally, as D. suzukii exploits a
common forest fruit prior to ripeness, further research is needed to
explore how this affects wild food web dynamics and spillover to
regional agroecosystems.