Host–parasitoid development and survival strategies in a non-pollinating fig wasp community

Yadav, Pratibha; Borges, Renée M.

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2017.04.001

Cited by 14 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…The cluster fig Ficus racemosa has served as an excellent model system for multitrophic interactions and wasp species dispersal (Ghara & Borges, ; Ranganathan, Ghara, & Borges, ; Venkateswaran, Shrivastava, Kumble, & Borges, ; Yadav & Borges, ). One pollinator species ( Ceratosolen fusciceps ), six non‐pollinating wasp species and three nematode genera Schistonchus (Aphelenchoididae), Teratodiplogaster (Diplogasteridae) and Pristionchus (Diplogasteridae) develop within globular enclosed fig inflorescences or brood sites called syconia (singular = syconium) (Ghara & Borges, ; Susoy et al, ; S. Gupta, Q. Tahseen & R. M. Borges, unpublished data).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐dependent fitness effects stabilize parasitic hitchhiking within a mutualism

Gupta

Borges

2019

Functional Ecology

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Mutualisms are often subject to perturbations by parasitism arising from third‐party interactions. How third‐party perturbations are dampened is a fundamental question pertaining to mutualism stability. Phoretic organisms that turn parasitic within a mutualism may destabilize it. If the fitness cost of such phoresy is high, then density‐dependent effects could be one mechanism to stabilize these interactions. We experimentally examined the fitness effects of a phoretic nematode community on a brood‐site pollination mutualism involving a pollinating fig wasp (the vehicle) and its associated fig species (the host for wasp and nematode development). We comprehensively investigated fitness impacts of phoresy on wasp lifespan, lifetime reproductive success, dispersal ability and predation risk as well as on host brood‐site volume and seed number. We employed a range of hitchhiker densities that encompassed natural and overloading levels for two nematode taxa (one plant‐ and one animal‐parasitic type). None of the plant host and vehicle fitness parameters were affected by wasps with low nematode transportation loads for either type of nematode. Furthermore, wasps arriving at their destinations carried lower densities of both animal‐ and plant‐parasitic nematodes compared to dispersing wasps, suggesting that there is selection on hitchhiker numbers during the dispersal process and that wasps loaded with a greater density of nematodes do not successfully disperse. Overloaded wasps had shorter flight durations, suggesting limited dispersal ability; on arrival at their destination, they suffered greater predation risk. Such overloaded wasps delivered impaired pollination services and produced fewer offspring resulting in lower lifetime fitness. Therefore, the direct and indirect effects of nematodes on their vehicles are strong. These effects also translated into impacts on host plant fitness, with the overloaded pollinators promoting the development of smaller brood sites with fewer seeds, thus reducing fig tree reproductive success. The effects of the animal parasites were greater than that of the plant parasite in this study. The third‐party interaction is therefore self‐limited and exhibits density dependence. The strong negative effects of overloading likely explain the low number of nematodes found in nature on dispersing and arriving fig wasps. Consequently, parasitic hitchhikers are unlikely to destabilize the mutualism. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐dependent fitness effects stabilize parasitic hitchhiking within a mutualism

Gupta

Borges

2019

Functional Ecology

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“…2 did not exhibit any preference between syconia containing either of its two galler hosts. While the two hosts may differ in their quality, with S. testacea probably being a higher‐quality host than S. fusca owing to its larger size (Ghara & Borges, ; Yadav & Borges, ), they also differ in their abundance, with S. fusca being more abundant than S. testacea within host syconia (Ghara et al ., ). A combined effect of these two factors may result in the absence of preference for syconia containing either galler host.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These syconia were generated by allowing only host gallers to oviposit into syconial bunches that were enclosed in mesh bags on fig trees, as described earlier. Specificity in parasitoid wasps for galler hosts is known for the F. racemosa system (Yadav & Borges, 2017a;Fig. 1), and this information guided the experiments.…”

Section: Acceptability Of Hosts With Different Oviposition Histories mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Apocrypta sp. 2 and A. westwoodi are synovigenic (eclosing with only a fraction of their eggs matured), long‐lived and feeding parasitoids that parasitise gallers with different species specificity (Ghara & Borges, ; Yadav & Borges, ). Apocrypta sp.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This fig species has served as an excellent model system for questions in evolutionary and functional ecology (e.g. Ghara et al, 2011;Yadav & Borges, 2017a, 2017bYadav et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Why resource history matters: age and oviposition history affect oviposition behaviour in exploiters of a mutualism

Yadav

Borges

2018

Ecological Entomology

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1. Acceptance of hosts for oviposition is often hardwired in short‐lived insects, but can be dynamic at the individual level due to variation in physiological state determinants such as ageing and prior oviposition. However, the effect of the oviposition history of resources together with time taken to accept less preferred hosts in ageing insects has rarely been investigated. 2. The time taken by parasitic fig wasps to accept resources with different oviposition histories was recorded in order to investigate the effect of wasp physiological state and resource oviposition history on oviposition behaviour. These wasps, which differ in life‐history traits, oviposit at specific developmental stages of enclosed fig inflorescences called syconia. 3. Behavioural assays were performed with naive wasps and wasps aged with and without prior oviposition experience. Syconia at the same developmental stage but differing in oviposition history were offered in no‐choice assays and the time taken to first oviposition attempt was recorded. 4. One short‐lived pro‐ovigenic galler species exhibited a decline with age in time taken to accept a syconium for oviposition. The exact timing of the transition from non‐acceptance to acceptance of less preferred syconia was determined in terms of the proportion of elapsed life span at the transition; this occurred at 25% of elapsed life span. 5. Longer‐lived parasitoids did not show any decline in specificity despite being aged for 50% of their life span. Therefore, host quality, trophic position, egg load and age may individually affect oviposition decisions or have interaction effects.

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History Matters: Oviposition Resource Acceptance in an Exploiter of a Nursery Pollination Mutualism

et al. 2017

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In the fig-fig wasp nursery pollination system, parasitic wasps, such as gallers and parasitoids that oviposit from the exterior into the fig syconium (globular, enclosed inflorescence) are expected to use a variety of chemical cues for successful location of their hidden hosts. Behavioral assays were performed with freshly eclosed naive galler wasps. Syconia with different oviposition histories, i.e. with or without prior oviposition, were presented to wasps in no-choice assays and the time taken to the first oviposition attempt was recorded. The wasps exhibited a preference for syconia previously exposed to conspecifics for oviposition over unexposed syconia. Additionally, syconia exposed to oviposition by heterospecific wasps were also preferred for oviposition over unexposed syconia indicating that wasps recognise and respond to interspecific cues. Wasps also aggregated for oviposition on syconia previously exposed to oviposition by conspecifics. We investigated chemical cues that wasps may employ in accepting an oviposition resource by analyzing syconial volatile profiles, chemical footprints left by wasps on syconia, and syconial surface hydrocarbons. The volatile profile of a syconium is influenced by the identity of wasps developing within and may be used to identify suitable host syconia at long range whereas close range preference seems to exploit wasp footprints that alter syconium surface hydrocarbon profiles. These cues act as indicators of the oviposition history of the syconium, thereby helping wasps in their oviposition decisions.

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Host–parasitoid development and survival strategies in a non-pollinating fig wasp community

Cited by 14 publications

References 50 publications

Density‐dependent fitness effects stabilize parasitic hitchhiking within a mutualism

Density‐dependent fitness effects stabilize parasitic hitchhiking within a mutualism

Why resource history matters: age and oviposition history affect oviposition behaviour in exploiters of a mutualism

History Matters: Oviposition Resource Acceptance in an Exploiter of a Nursery Pollination Mutualism

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