Light intensity influences feeding and fecundity of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) through the responses of host Cucumis sativus leaves

We investigated feeding and fecundity of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), on leaves of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seedlings that had been acclimatized to different light intensities. Based on these data, we analyzed the relationships between mite performance (feeding and fecundity) and leaf properties. The cucumber seedlings were grown in controlled-environment chambers under different light intensities at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 50, 100, 150, 300, or 450 µmol m− 2 s− 1 until the first true leaves had expanded. Adult females were released on the adaxial surfaces of excised leaf samples from the seedlings of each treatment group and held under standardized light intensity (200 µmol m− 2 s− 1). Fecundity and leaf damage area increased and decreased, respectively, as the acclimatization light intensity increased, indicating indirect effects of light intensity on feeding and fecundity through changes in the host leaf properties. Leaf mass per area (LMA) and photosynthetic capacity, which increased as the acclimatization light intensity increased, was positively related to the fecundity, but was negatively related to the leaf damage area. The higher LMA and photosynthetic capacity results in an increased amount of mesophyll per unit leaf area. This would allow the mites to feed efficiently from a limited area, which may explain the increased fecundity on these leaves.