Ecological and genomic insights into leafhopper-parasitoid interactions in Canadian agroecosystems under a changing climate
6 affiliations
- 1Centre de Recherche et d’Innovation sur les Végétaux (CRIV), Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- 2Département de Phytologie, Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- 3Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- 4L’Institut EDS, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- 5Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- 6Laboratoire d’expertise et de diagnostic en phytoprotection, Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, Québec City, QC G1P 3W8, Canada
Abstract
As climate change reshapes northern agroecosystems, leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) are shifting their distributions, with implications for pest outbreaks and crop health. In Eastern Canada, we monitored strawberry farms from 2023 to 2024, collecting over 82,000 leafhoppers from 64 genera. Migratory species, Empoasca fabae and Macrosteles quadrilineatus , dominated captures, with sharp abundance increases above 16⍰°C and 14⍰°C, respectively, while local species declined under higher rainfall. A major finding was the first Canadian record of the corn pest Dalbulus maidis , a vector of multiple pathogens, likely introduced through long-distance dispersal. Insecticide applications generally failed to reduce leafhopper numbers, highlighting the limitations of current chemical control. Parasitism rates by Gonatopus wasps (Dryinidae), averaged ~3% but peaked in late summer at over 20%, primarily in M. quadrilineatus . Warmer temperatures and seasonal progression increased both parasitism probability and rates. Genomic analyses revealed at least three Gonatopus lineages, including the first complete mitochondrial genome for the genus from the New World, and confirmed multiple host species. We also recorded the first Canadian occurrence of G. clavipes . Our results demonstrate that parasitoids are active, climate-responsive, and capable of targeting dominant pest species. Together, these findings provide the first ecological and genomic baseline for leafhopper–parasitoid interactions in Canada. They point to the potential of conserving and enhancing native parasitoid populations as a foundation for climate-resilient, pesticide-free pest management strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{jacques2026ecological,
title = {{Ecological and genomic insights into leafhopper-parasitoid interactions in Canadian agroecosystems under a changing climate}},
author = {Jordanne Jacques and Abraão Almeida Santos and Joshua Molligan and Florent Sylvestre and Nicolas Plante and José Fernández-Triana and Joel H. Kits and Jean‐François Landry and Joseph Moisan-De Serres and Frédéric McCune and Valérie Fournier and Edel Pérez‐López},
journal = {Cell Reports Sustainability},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100824},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100824},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ecological and genomic insights into leafhopper-parasitoid interactions in Canadian agroecosystems under a changing climate
AU - Jordanne Jacques
AU - Abraão Almeida Santos
AU - Joshua Molligan
AU - Florent Sylvestre
AU - Nicolas Plante
AU - José Fernández-Triana
AU - Joel H. Kits
AU - Jean‐François Landry
AU - Joseph Moisan-De Serres
AU - Frédéric McCune
AU - Valérie Fournier
AU - Edel Pérez‐López
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Cell Reports Sustainability
DO - 10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100824
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100824
AB - As climate change reshapes northern agroecosystems, leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) are shifting their distributions, with implications for pest outbreaks and crop health. In Eastern Canada, we monitored strawberry farms from 2023 to 2024, collecting over 82,000 leafhoppers from 64 genera. Migratory species, Empoasca fabae and Macrosteles quadrilineatus , dominated captures, with sharp abundance increases above 16⍰°C and 14⍰°C, respectively, while local species declined under higher rainfall. A major finding was the first Canadian record of the corn pest Dalbulus maidis , a vector of multiple pathogens, likely introduced through long-distance dispersal. Insecticide applications generally failed to reduce leafhopper numbers, highlighting the limitations of current chemical control. Parasitism rates by Gonatopus wasps (Dryinidae), averaged ~3% but peaked in late summer at over 20%, primarily in M. quadrilineatus . Warmer temperatures and seasonal progression increased both parasitism probability and rates. Genomic analyses revealed at least three Gonatopus lineages, including the first complete mitochondrial genome for the genus from the New World, and confirmed multiple host species. We also recorded the first Canadian occurrence of G. clavipes . Our results demonstrate that parasitoids are active, climate-responsive, and capable of targeting dominant pest species. Together, these findings provide the first ecological and genomic baseline for leafhopper–parasitoid interactions in Canada. They point to the potential of conserving and enhancing native parasitoid populations as a foundation for climate-resilient, pesticide-free pest management strategies.
SN - 2949-7906
ER -