Identifying plant DNA in the faeces of a generalist insect pest to inform trap cropping strategy

Monocropping elevates many insects to the status of economic pests. In these agroecosystems, non-crop habitats are sometimes deployed as trap crops to reduce pest damage. This environmentally friendly alternative to pesticides can be particularly fitting when dealing with native invaders that may be afforded legal protection or enjoy public sympathy as is the case for the ground wētā Hemiandrus sp. ‘promontorius’ (Orthoptera) in New Zealand. However, this approach requires knowledge of the insects’ diet to select the most appropriate plant species for trap cropping. Here, ingested plant DNA in the faeces of wētā was analysed to help develop strategies for mitigating its damage in New Zealand vineyards. DNA was extracted from faeces of wētā collected from six different vineyards over four seasons. Using a DNA metabarcoding approach, we amplified the rbcL gene region and sequenced the amplicons on an Illumina MiSeq platform. The identity of plants in the diet of this insect was determined by comparing the sequences generated with those available in the GenBank database and cross-checking the results with a database of plants known to be present in New Zealand. A total of 47 plant families and 79 genera were detected. Of the genera identified, Vitis, Poa, Festuca, Anthoxanthum, Anagallis, Camelina, Epilobium, Menyanthes, Pedicularis, Urtica, Garrya, Pinus and Tilia were the major ones (i.e. they were present in more than 50% of the faecal samples). The composition of the above plant taxa in faecal materials was significantly different between collection sites or dates, except for Menyanthes. The occurrence of the latter was significantly different between collection sites. These results indicate that effectively mitigating wētā damage to vines requires the use of a diverse mix of plant species for trap cropping as wētā seem to be highly generalist in their feeding behaviour even when plant diversity is relatively low.