Clutch size as an optimal foraging problem for insects

Skinner, Samuel W.

doi:10.1007/bf00300141

Cited by 125 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The results of Singer (1982) and Pilson and Rausher (1988), as well as theoretical work by a number of authors (Iwasa et al, 1984;Parker and Courtney, 1984;Courtney, 1986;Skinner, 1985;Chamov and Skinner, 1988), suggest that selectivity will increase and clutch size will decrease with increasing egg load. In addition, we examined the influence of egg load on prealighting search behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Egg load influences search intensity, host selectivity, and clutch size inBattus philenor butterflies

Odendaal

Rausher

1990

J Insect Behav

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Numerous studies have documented the influence of environmental factors such as host plant species and host quality on the oviposition behavior of female insects. This paper shows that an internal physiological factor, the number of mature eggs a female carries (egg load), correlates with host selectivity and clutch size in unmanipulated natural populations of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor. In addition, search intensity and host selectivity differed among females whose egg loads were manipulated experimentally before they were released and followed in the field. Females with many eggs searched more intensely for hosts and were less selective when they encountered them.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Egg load influences search intensity, host selectivity, and clutch size inBattus philenor butterflies

Odendaal

Rausher

1990

J Insect Behav

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“…However, the observed clutch size frequently fell well below predictions of the SHM model. Follow up work by Skinner (1985), that included handling time per host and travel time between hosts, predicted clutch sizes often less but never greater than the SHM model.…”

Section: Optimal Clutch Sizementioning

confidence: 92%

“…Determine whether parasitoids adjust clutch size under different levels of competition and use these data to determine density of parasitoids at release. Charnov & Skinner (1984, 1985; van Alphen & Visser (1990) Optimal sex ratio To increase the proportion of females. Important both for mass production of parasitoids and in classical, inoculative, and conservation biological control programmes.…”

Section: Hypothetical Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Using optimality models to improve the efficacy of parasitoids in biological control programmes

Wajnberg

Roitberg

Boivin

2015

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Biological control of insect pests relies on the ability of natural enemies to limit pest populations. The behaviours expressed by natural enemies against their prey or hosts are modulated by a number of factors and a better understanding of these factors is key to obtaining more efficacious pest control. We propose here that optimality models based upon a behavioural ecology approach can provide a framework that should enable optimisation of biological control practices. We limit our discussion to parasitoid natural enemies and review the factors known to influence the behaviour of these insects. The most important areas that have been studied extensively in the behavioural ecology of insect parasitoids are addressed here: (1) residence time in a host patch, (2) clutch size, (3) sex ratio, (4) host and patch marking, and (5) diet choice. We discuss the implications of the incorporation of these optimality models into efficacious biological control practices and suggest areas where a better knowledge of the behavioural ecology of these insects could improve the efficacy of parasitoid-based pest control.

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“…Note that when either x < 0 and y > 0 or x > 0 and y < 0, both body mass and brood size increase with host mass. This joint increase is predicted by some other models (Skinner 1985, Mayhew and Glaizot 2001, Sakai and Harada 2001; but none of these adequately depicts the general relationships of interest here), and the pattern is often observed empirically (e.g. Opp and Luck 1986, Hardy et al 1992, Mayhew and Hardy 1998.…”

Section: Sensitivity To Parameter Magnitudesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Skinner (1985) recognized a time trade-off between present and future reproduction that leads to larger offspring with larger hosts only when comparing between populations, where the expected size of the next host to be found is population-specific. This results in more eggs per host but more resources available per individual offspring in populations having larger hosts overall.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing the Size-Number Tradeoff in Clonal Broods

Crowley¹,

Saeki²

2009

TOECOLJ

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Abstract:The trade-off between the number of offspring in a brood and the sizes of those offspring has been documented in a diverse array of species. Here we consider the factors that might account for the way that the trade-off achieves a particular size-number balance for female offspring. In particular, we determine whether bet hedging, along with traits influencing the expected short-term reproductive success of the brood, could select for a brood size and body mass that maximize long-term fitness. We also evaluate whether the optima based on these characteristics agree qualitatively with documented responses to brood resource levels. To develop a model incorporating these phenomena and keep it as simple and general as possible, we consider an organism that produces clonal broods, eliminating the complexities associated with parent-offspring and sibling conflict. We use the polyembryonic parasitoid wasp Copidosoma bakeri as the focal example. We find that bet hedging effects and key reproductive traits (the number of searching females, their host-finding efficiency, and survival prospects) are often sufficient to produce an optimal size-number balance and can account for the frequent tendency of both brood size and body mass to increase with brood resources (host size). Under some conditions, however, balancing the trade-off requires an additional minimum body-size constraint. Future empirical work and spatially explicit models must better establish the parameter magnitudes and functional relationships so that a deeper understanding and more precise predictions are obtained.

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Clutch size as an optimal foraging problem for insects

Cited by 125 publications

References 42 publications

Egg load influences search intensity, host selectivity, and clutch size inBattus philenor butterflies

Egg load influences search intensity, host selectivity, and clutch size inBattus philenor butterflies

Using optimality models to improve the efficacy of parasitoids in biological control programmes

Balancing the Size-Number Tradeoff in Clonal Broods

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