Mutual interference reduces offspring production in a brood- guarding bethylid wasp

Screenivas, A.G.; Hardy, Ian C.W.

Abstract

Parasitoids have the potential to suppress populations of their hosts and thus may play an 2 important role in influencing the temporal and spatial dynamics of pest arthropods. 3 Behavioural interactions between foraging females, collectively constituting ‘mutual 4 interference’, can reduce host suppression. We use laboratory microcosms to assess the 5 prevalence and consequences of mutual interference behaviour in a bethylid wasp, Goniozus 6 nephantidis (Muesebeck) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), which is known to brood guard and to 7 engage in agonistic contests for individual hosts and which is also an agent of biological pest 8 control. We hold host and parasitoid numbers constant and vary the degree of female-female 9 contact that can occur. Mutual interference is manifest in a considerable reduction in the 10 number of offspring produced when females are not fully isolated from each other, due to 11 effects operating at the early stages of offspring production. This mutual interference may 12 contribute towards the limited degree of host population suppression achieved when some 13 species of bethylids are deployed as agents of biological pest control and also has clear 14 potential to influence the efficiency of mass rearing of parasitoids prior to field release.

Citation

Screenivas, A., & Hardy, I. C. (2016). Mutual interference reduces offspring production in a brood- guarding bethylid wasp. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 159(2), 260-269. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12412

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 16, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Mar 17, 2016
• Publication Date: May 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 15, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 17, 2016
• Journal: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
• Print ISSN: 0013-8703
• Electronic ISSN: 1570-7458
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 159
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 260-269
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12412
• Keywords: parasitoid, laboratory microcosm, female offspring production, mass rearing, Goniozus nephantidis, Hymenoptera, Bethylidae
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/976994
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eea.12412/abstract
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Sreenivas, A.G. and Hardy, I. C.W. (2016), Mutual interference reduces offspring production in a brood-guarding bethylid wasp. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 159: 260–269, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12412. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.