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20 March 2017 Parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Adjusts Reproductive Strategy When Competing for Hosts
Rashmi Kant, Maria A. Minor
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Abstract

Parasitoid fitness depends on its ability to manipulate reproductive strategies when in competition. This study investigated the parasitism and sex allocation strategies of the parasitic wasp Diaeretiella rapae McIntosh at a range of host (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) and conspecific densities. The results suggest that D. rapae females adjust their progeny production and progeny sex ratio with changing competition. When foraging alone, female D. rapae parasitize larger number of B. brassicae nymphs when the number of available hosts is increased, but the overall proportion of parasitized hosts decreases with increase in host density. The proportion of female offspring also decreases with elevated host density. Increase in the number of female D. rapae foraging together increased total parasitism, but reduced relative contribution of each individual female. The number of female progeny decreased when multiple females competed for the same host. However, foraging experience in the presence of one or more conspecifics increased the parasitism rate and proportion of female progeny. Competing females were more active during oviposition and had shorter lives. The study suggests that both host and foundress (female parasitoid) densities have significant effect on progeny production, sex allocation, and longevity of foraging females.

© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Rashmi Kant and Maria A. Minor "Parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Adjusts Reproductive Strategy When Competing for Hosts," Environmental Entomology 46(3), 521-527, (20 March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvx057
Received: 22 December 2016; Accepted: 10 February 2017; Published: 20 March 2017
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KEYWORDS
competition
foundress density
host density
oviposition
reproductive fitness
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