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Metabolomics of aging assessed in individual parasitoid wasps (2016)
Journal Article
Kapranas, A., Snart, C. J., Williams, H. E. L., Hardy, I. C., & Barrett, D. A. (2016). Metabolomics of aging assessed in individual parasitoid wasps. Scientific Reports, 6(1), Article 34848. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep34848

Metabolomics studies of low-biomass organisms, such as small insects, have previously relied on the pooling of biological samples to overcome detection limits, particularly using NMR. We show that the differentiation of metabolite profiles of individ... Read More about Metabolomics of aging assessed in individual parasitoid wasps.

Reproductive efficiency of the bethylid wasp Cephalonomia tarsalis: the influences of spatial structure and host density (2016)
Journal Article
Eliopoulos, P. A., Kapranas, A., Givropoulou, E., & Hardy, I. C. (in press). Reproductive efficiency of the bethylid wasp Cephalonomia tarsalis: the influences of spatial structure and host density. Bulletin of Entomological Research, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007485316000651

The parasitoid wasp Cephalonomia tarsalis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) is commonly present in stored product facilities. While beneficial, it does not provide a high 24 degree of biological pest control against its host, the saw-toothed beetle... Read More about Reproductive efficiency of the bethylid wasp Cephalonomia tarsalis: the influences of spatial structure and host density.

Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates (2016)
Journal Article
Wilkinson, R. D., Kapranas, A., & Hardy, I. C. (2016). Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 408, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.08.008

Optimal sex allocation theory is one of the most intricately developed areas of evolutionary ecology. Under a range of conditions, particularly under population sub-division, selection favours sex being allocated to offspring non-randomly, generating... Read More about Detecting non-binomial sex allocation when developmental mortality operates.

Sex ratios, virginity, and local resource enhancement in a quasisocial parasitoid (2016)
Journal Article
Kapranas, A., Hardy, I. C., Tang, X., Gardner, A., & Li, B. (2016). Sex ratios, virginity, and local resource enhancement in a quasisocial parasitoid. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 159(2), 243-251. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12418

Sclerodermus harmandi (Buysson) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) is an economically beneficial 2 species of parasitoid wasp that has an unusual level of sociality: groups of female foundresses 3 reproduce on a single host and exhibit cooperative post-ovipos... Read More about Sex ratios, virginity, and local resource enhancement in a quasisocial parasitoid.

Partially-constrained sex allocation and the indirect effects of assisted reproductive technologies on the human sex ratio (2016)
Journal Article
Hardy, I. C., & Maalouf, W. E. (in press). Partially-constrained sex allocation and the indirect effects of assisted reproductive technologies on the human sex ratio. Journal of Biosocial Science, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932016000146

Infertility affects around 15% of human couples and in many countries approximately 1–4% of babies are born following Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Several ART techniques are used and these differentially affect the sex ratio of offspring... Read More about Partially-constrained sex allocation and the indirect effects of assisted reproductive technologies on the human sex ratio.

Mutual interference reduces offspring production in a brood- guarding bethylid wasp (2016)
Journal Article
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

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 constit... Read More about Mutual interference reduces offspring production in a brood- guarding bethylid wasp.

Impact of neonicotinoid seed treatment of cotton on the cotton leafhopper, Amrasca devastans(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), and its natural enemies (2015)
Journal Article
Saeed, R., Razaq, M., & Hardy, I. C. (2016). Impact of neonicotinoid seed treatment of cotton on the cotton leafhopper, Amrasca devastans(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), and its natural enemies. Pest Management Science, 72(6), 1260-1267. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.4146

BACKGROUND Neonicotinoid seed treatments suppress populations of pest insects efficiently and can enhance crop growth, but they may have negative effects on beneficial arthropods. We evaluated the effects of either imidacloprid or thiamethoxam on th... Read More about Impact of neonicotinoid seed treatment of cotton on the cotton leafhopper, Amrasca devastans(Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), and its natural enemies.

Entometabolomics: applications of modern analytical techniques to insect studies (2015)
Journal Article
Snart, C. J., Hardy, I. C., & Barrett, D. A. (2015). Entometabolomics: applications of modern analytical techniques to insect studies. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 155(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.12281

Metabolomic analyses can reveal associations between an organism's metabolome and further aspects of its phenotypic state, an attractive prospect for many life-sciences researchers. The metabolomic approach has been employed in some, but not many, in... Read More about Entometabolomics: applications of modern analytical techniques to insect studies.

Multi-trait mimicry of ants by a parasitoid wasp (2015)
Journal Article
Malcicka, M., Bezemer, T. M., Visser, B., Bloemberg, M., Snart, C. J., Hardy, I. C., & Harvey, J. A. (in press). Multi-trait mimicry of ants by a parasitoid wasp. Scientific Reports, 5, Article 8043. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08043

Many animals avoid attack from predators through toxicity or the emission of repellent chemicals. Defensive mimicry has evolved in many species to deceive shared predators, for instance through colouration and other morphological adaptations, but mim... Read More about Multi-trait mimicry of ants by a parasitoid wasp.

The importance of alternative host plants as reservoirs of the cotton leaf hopper, Amrasca devastans, and its natural enemies (2014)
Journal Article
Saeed, R., Razaq, M., & Hardy, I. C. (2015). The importance of alternative host plants as reservoirs of the cotton leaf hopper, Amrasca devastans, and its natural enemies. Journal of Pest Science, 88(3), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-014-0638-7

Many agricultural pests can be harboured by alternative host plants but these can also harbour the pests’ natural enemies. We evaluated the capacity of non-cotton plant species (both naturally growing and cultivated) to function as alternative hosts... Read More about The importance of alternative host plants as reservoirs of the cotton leaf hopper, Amrasca devastans, and its natural enemies.

Mutually beneficial host exploitation and ultra-biased sex ratios in quasisocial parasitoids (2014)
Journal Article
Tang, X., Meng, L., Kapranas, A., Xu, F., Hardy, I. C., & Li, B. (in press). Mutually beneficial host exploitation and ultra-biased sex ratios in quasisocial parasitoids. Nature Communications, 5, Article 4942. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5942

Selfish interests usually preclude resource sharing, but under some conditions collective actions enhance per capita gains. Such Allee effects underlay early explanations of social evolution but current understanding focusses on kin selection (inclus... Read More about Mutually beneficial host exploitation and ultra-biased sex ratios in quasisocial parasitoids.

Factors affecting diet, habitat selection and breeding success of the African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus in a fragmented landscape (2014)
Journal Article
Swatridge, C. J., Monadjem, A., Steyn, D. J., Batchelor, G. R., & Hardy, I. C. (in press). Factors affecting diet, habitat selection and breeding success of the African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus in a fragmented landscape. Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, 85(1), https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2014.896832

This study aimed to identify variables that affect habitat selection and nesting success of the African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus, the largest forest raptor, in north-eastern South Africa. A preference for nesting in the Northern Mistbelt... Read More about Factors affecting diet, habitat selection and breeding success of the African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus in a fragmented landscape.

Higher aggression towards closer relatives by soldier larvae in a polyembryonic wasp (2014)
Journal Article
Dunn, J., Dunn, D. W., Strand, M. R., & Hardy, I. C. (2014). Higher aggression towards closer relatives by soldier larvae in a polyembryonic wasp. Biology Letters, 10(5), Article 20140229. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0229

In the polyembryonic wasp Copidosoma floridanum, females commonly lay one male and one female egg in a lepidopteran host. Both sexes proliferate clonally within the growing host larva. Distinct larval castes develop from each wasp egg, the majority b... Read More about Higher aggression towards closer relatives by soldier larvae in a polyembryonic wasp.

One hundred years of parasitoids (2014)
Journal Article
Kapranas, A., & Hardy, I. C. (2014). One hundred years of parasitoids. Biocontrol News and Information, 35(1), Article 1N-4N

Development of microsatellite markers and detection of genetic variation between Goniozus wasp populations (2014)
Journal Article
Khidr, S. K., Hardy, I. C., Zaviezo, T., & Mayes, S. (2014). Development of microsatellite markers and detection of genetic variation between Goniozus wasp populations. Journal of Insect Science, 14(43), https://doi.org/10.1673/031.014.43

Molecular genetic markers reveal differences between genotypes according to the presence of alleles (the same or different) at target loci. Microsatellite markers are especially useful codominant markers that have been used in a wide range of studies... Read More about Development of microsatellite markers and detection of genetic variation between Goniozus wasp populations.

A female-emitted pheromone component is associated with reduced male courtship in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia endius (2013)
Journal Article
Mowles, S. L., King, B. H., Linforth, R. S., & Hardy, I. C. (2013). A female-emitted pheromone component is associated with reduced male courtship in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia endius. PLoS ONE, 8(11), Article e82010. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082010

During courtship interactions, the courted individual may not always be prepared to mate. For example, mating or courtship may be detrimental to its fitness and resistance is expected under these circumstances. As such, various resistance strategies... Read More about A female-emitted pheromone component is associated with reduced male courtship in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia endius.

Consequences of resource competition for sex allocation and discriminative behaviors in a hyperparasitoid wasp (2013)
Journal Article
Visser, B., Le Lann, C., Snaas, H., Hardy, I. C., & Harvey, J. A. (2014). Consequences of resource competition for sex allocation and discriminative behaviors in a hyperparasitoid wasp. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 68(1), 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1627-1

Population-wide mating patterns can select for equal parental investment in both sexes, but limiting resources, such as mates or developmental substrates, can increase competition leading to biased sex ratios in favor of either sex. Such competition... Read More about Consequences of resource competition for sex allocation and discriminative behaviors in a hyperparasitoid wasp.

Subjective and objective components of resource value additively increase aggression in parasitoid contests (2013)
Journal Article
Stockermans, B. . C., & Hardy, I. C. W. (2013). Subjective and objective components of resource value additively increase aggression in parasitoid contests. Biology Letters, 9(4), 20130391-20130391. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0391

Two major categories of factors are predicted to influence behaviour in dyadic contests; differences in the abilities of the contestants to acquire and retain resources (resource holding potential), and the value of the contested resource (resource v... Read More about Subjective and objective components of resource value additively increase aggression in parasitoid contests.

Parasitoid developmental mortality in the field: patterns, causes and consequences for sex ratio and virginity (2010)
Journal Article
Kapranas, A., Hardy, I. C., Morse, J. G., & Luck, R. F. (in press). Parasitoid developmental mortality in the field: patterns, causes and consequences for sex ratio and virginity. Journal of Animal Ecology, 80, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01767.x

1. Sex ratio theory predicts that developmental mortality can affect sex ratio optima under Local Mate Competition and also lead to ‘virgin’ broods containing only females with no sibling-mating opportunities on maturity. 2. Estimates of development... Read More about Parasitoid developmental mortality in the field: patterns, causes and consequences for sex ratio and virginity.

Encountering competitors reduces clutch size and increases offspring size in a parasitoid with female–female fighting (2007)
Journal Article
Goubault, M., Mack, A. F., & Hardy, I. C. (2007). Encountering competitors reduces clutch size and increases offspring size in a parasitoid with female–female fighting. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1625), 2571-2577. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0867

Understanding the size of clutches produced by only one parent may require a game-theoretic approach: clutch size may affect offspring fitness in terms of future competitive ability. If larger clutches generate smaller offspring and larger adults are... Read More about Encountering competitors reduces clutch size and increases offspring size in a parasitoid with female–female fighting.