Although several species of the genus Cotesia are used in biological control programs against insect caterpillars throughout the world, little is known of their oviposition behavior. We describe here the types and distribution of antennal sensilla in Cotesia plutellae, a larval parasitoid of Plutella xylostella, and we analyze its oviposition behavior. Seven types of sensilla were found on both males and females. Only sensilla trichodea type II, with a putative contact chemoreceptive function, was significantly more abundant in females than in males, and its morphology and position on antennomeres were linked to the antennation behavior used by females during host search. We conclude that gustatory stimulus following antennal contact is probably the key stimulus inducing oviposition behavior. The sensilla type assumed to be implied in oviposition behavior was present in C. plutellae but not in two closely related species (C. glomerata and C. rubecula), which is discussed.

International audienceA major challenge of current ecological research is to determine the responses of plant and animal communities and ecosystem processes to future environmental conditions. Ecosystems respond to climate change in complex ways, and the outcome may significantly depend on biodiversity. We studied the relative effects of enhanced drought and of plant species mixture on soil biota and on litter decomposition in a Mediterranean oak forest. We experimentally reduced precipitation, accounting for seasonal precipitation variability, and created a single-species litter (Quercus pubescens), a two-species litter mixture (Q. pubescens + Acer monspessulanum) and a three-species litter mixture (Q. pubescens + A. monspessulanum + Cotinus coggygria).In general, drier conditions affected decomposers negatively, directly by reducing fungal biomass and detritivorous mesofauna, and also indirectly by increasing the predation pressure on detritivorous mesofauna by predatory mesofauna. This is reflected under drier conditions in that Collembola abundance decreased more strongly than Acari abundance. One Collembola group (i.e. Neelipleona) even disappeared completely. Increased drought strongly decreased litter decomposition rates. Mixed litter with two and three plant species positively affected soil biota communities and led to a more efficient litter decomposition process, probably through a greater litter quality. Faster decomposition in mixed litter can thus compensate slower decomposition rates under drier condition. Synthesis. Our results highlight that, within our study system, drier climate strongly impacts on soil biodiversity and hence litter decomposition. Species-rich litter may mitigate such a decline in decomposition rates. Diverse plant communities should hence be maintained to reduce shifts in ecosystem functioning under climate change

Summary1. Over a century of agricultural abandonment across the Mediterranean region has favoured the installation of the pioneer expansionist species Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Miller). This species synthesizes a wide range of secondary metabolites that are partially released during needle decomposition, and which can thus affect the 'brown food chain'. Litter decomposition is a key process connecting ecosystem structure and function, and involving microbial and faunal components. 2. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of chemical compounds from Aleppo pine needles on the litter decomposition process along a gradient of Mediterranean forest secondary succession. Using in situ litterbags, we compared the dynamics of decomposers, particularly the relative contributions of fungal and mesofauna biomass to litter mass loss (calculations based on the measured decomposer biomass, published fungal growth efficiency and mesofauna feeding rate), against the dynamics of secondary metabolites associated with decomposed needles in three successional stages (early, middle and late, i.e. pinewoods that were aged 10, 30 and over 60 years old). 3. Our first key finding was that fungi accounted for the largest portion of overall litter mass loss (60-79%) and detritivorous mesofauna contributed to 8-12%. In the early stage of succession, fungal biomass after 6 months of decomposition was lower than in middle and late stages, and may be responsible for the delay in litter colonization by mesofauna. We linked this result to a clearly longer residence time for phenolic compounds in young pine forest, leading to an overall slowdown in the decomposition process. 4. Synthesis. Litter phenolic content emerged as a key functional trait for predicting litter decomposition, delaying the colonization of litter by decomposers in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Another key finding is that the relative contributions of fungi and detritivores to needle mass loss were different between the successional stages. From the food-web perspective, the organic matter available for higher trophic levels thus remains unchanged beyond 30 years after pine colonization.