Identifying key environmental factors driving variations in predation risks of the invasive Bactrocera Dorsalis on a tropical island

In tropical regions, insects often face an elevated risk of predation due to warm temperatures and ecological interactions. However, the specific factors that impact the predation risk faced by resident prey on large tropical islands are still unknown. Furthermore, tropical islands are highly susceptible to invasive species, yet limited knowledge exists about the predator diversity and predation risks these invasives encounter, which are crucial for assessing their successful invasion possibility. To address these knowledge gaps, we conducted a study across 16 locations on Hainan Island, a tropical island in the South China Sea, to examine how environmental factors specific to tropical islands influence predator diversity and the predation risks of Bactrocera dorsalis pupae, an invasive agricultural pest.在热带区域，昆虫常因气温偏高与生态交互作用面临更高的捕食风险。然而，大型热带岛屿上本地猎物所面临的捕食风险的具体影响因子仍未明确。此外，热带岛屿极易受到入侵物种的侵扰，但目前对于这些入侵物种所面临的捕食者多样性与捕食风险的认知仍十分有限——而这两类信息对于评估其入侵成功的可能性至关重要。为填补这些认知空白，本研究于南海热带岛屿海南岛的16个采样点开展实验，旨在探究热带岛屿特有的环境因子如何影响捕食者多样性，以及入侵性农业害虫橘小实蝇（Bactrocera dorsalis）蛹的捕食风险。