Male mate search for female emergence sites by a parasitic wasp

Goh, Michelle Z.; Morse, Douglass H.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.05.021

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This may be due to variation in distributions of females and resources in the landscape between the two species. Male insects are predicted to display an optimal mate-search strategy that increases their chance of encountering unmated females [5], [21], [22]. If females are rare or patchy in the landscape, then males may devote more time to searching in areas where females have previously emerged, with occasional longer distance movements in search of females elsewhere.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intense male competition arises from the low number of sexually receptive females relative to males at any point in time [19]–[21] and is a characteristic of thynnine wasps. Consequently, male insects may search in such a way as to increase their chance of encountering unmated females [21], [22]. However, the mate-searching behaviour adopted may be partially determined by the spatial distribution of females.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mate-Searching Behaviour of Common and Rare Wasps and the Implications for Pollen Movement of the Sexually Deceptive Orchids They Pollinate

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pollinator behaviour directly affects patterns of pollen movement and outcrossing rates in plants. In orchids pollinated by sexual deception of insects, patterns of pollen movement are primarily determined by the mate-searching behaviour of the deceived males. Here, using a capture-mark-recapture study (CMR) and dietary analysis, we compare mate-searching behaviour in relation to local abundance of two pollinator species and explore the implications for pollen movement in sexually deceptive Drakaea (Orchidaceae). Drakaea are pollinated solely by the sexual deception of male thynnine wasps. The rare Drakaea elastica and widespread D. livida occur sympatrically and are pollinated by the rare but locally common Zaspilothynnus gilesi, and the widespread and abundant Z. nigripes, respectively. Local abundance was significantly different with Z. nigripes twice as abundant as Z. gilesi. For the 653 marked wasps, there was no significant difference in median movement distance between Z. gilesi and Z. nigripes. However, the maximum movement distance was twice as high for Z. gilesi (556 m) compared with Z. nigripes (267 m). This is up to three times greater than previously reported for thynnines in CMR studies. Recapture rates were six times higher in Z. gilesi (57%) compared to Z. nigripes (9%). Pollen loads and wasp longevity were similar, suggesting that this difference in recapture rate arises due to differences in the number of males moving at a scale >500 m rather than through diet or mortality. Differences in the frequency of longer movements may arise due to variation in the spatial distribution of the wingless females. We predict that pollen movement will largely be restricted to within populations of Drakaea (<500 m), with few movements between populations (>500 m).

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mate-Searching Behaviour of Common and Rare Wasps and the Implications for Pollen Movement of the Sexually Deceptive Orchids They Pollinate

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, males of the braconid wasp Alabagrus texanus Cresson appear to learn spatial and temporal information that facilitates mate search. They integrate knowledge as to where a virgin female has recently emerged and are attracted to them by sex pheromone to adjust short‐term search patterns and avoid recently visited sites that are less likely to yield contact with a virgin female (Goh & Morse, ). Male halictine bees patrol for females among food plants and repeatedly return to ‘profitable’ plants, relating their position to local landmarks (Barrows, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning provides mating opportunities for males of a parasitoid wasp

Danci

Hrabar

Ikoma

et al. 2013

Entomologia Exp Applicata

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ability of insects to learn locations of future resources has rarely been studied. Here, we show that males of the solitary parasitoid wasp Pimpla disparis Viereck (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) learn locations of future mates. Male P. disparis reportedly arrest on parasitized pupae of wax moth, Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), when mate emergence is imminent. We tested the hypothesis that male P. disparis identify, memorize, and revisit the location(s) of parasitized host pupae as a strategy to attain mates. We colour-coded P. disparis males in the field and noticed that they revisit parasitized moth pupae on consecutive days, and arrest on those pupae with a near-emergence P. disparis parasitoid. In a laboratory experiment with two large corrugated cardboard cylinders (CCCs) as surrogate trees, each CCC bearing two parasitized moth pupae with a near-emergence P. disparis parasitoid or two pupae not parasitized, males on day 1 of the experiment visited parasitized pupae more often than pupae not parasitized. On day 2, when each CCC had been replaced and now carried pupae that were not parasitized, males returned to the same CCC, or the same micro-location on that CCC, which on day 1 had carried parasitized pupae. Field and laboratory data combined indicate that male P. disparis learn the location of future mates. With female P. disparis being haplodiploid and capable of reproducing without mating experience, the onus to find a mate is on males. They accomplish this by detecting parasitized pupae, learning their location, revisiting them frequently, and then arresting on them when the prospective mate nears emergence, taking a 50% chance that it is indeed a female.

show abstract

“…We ran these exposures for 15 min because in previous studies few male wasps visited the sites after this time (Adams & Morse, ). Following each trial, we moved to a site ~15 m away from the previous one because Goh and Morse () found that males, upon leaving, seldom returned quickly to a recent presentation site, despite the presence of recently emerged females. We considered a mating successful if the female assumed a receptive position, followed by male insertion of 5 s or more while rapidly vibrating his wings, until ceasing wing movements during withdrawal.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Weather permitting, we performed field tests on the day following emergence (at wasp age 1 day) from approximately 08:45 until 11:00 using the procedures of Adams and Morse (2014). Previous work has demonstrated that very little mating takes place outside of these hours (Adams & Morse, 2014;Goh & Morse, 2010).…”

Section: Mating Of Waspsmentioning

confidence: 99%

To mate or not to mate, and subsequent host search by a haplodiploid female parasitoid wasp

Chhan

Morse

2019

Ethology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mated females of haplodiploid species can vary the sex ratio of their offspring, but virgin or sperm‐depleted females can produce only males. Depending on the costs and benefits, the theory of constrained sex allocation states that female haplodiploids may vary in their propensity to mate, with important implications for the populations’ sex ratio. Unmated female parasitoid wasps Alabagrus texanus (Braconidae) have been observed to reject matings with males, even under highly confined spatial conditions. We performed field trials to determine whether unmated female A. texanus would mate. We then compared the preferences of the resulting unmated (constrained) and mated (unconstrained) female wasps for shelters constructed and occupied by their hosts, fern moth caterpillars Herpetogramma theseusalis (Crambidae) on fern fronds. We presented the wasps with pairs of shelters collected from the field that differed in size, as well as freshness, fern species, and presence or absence of caterpillars. Unconstrained females searched small shelters more frequently than did constrained females and tended to favor senesced (old) shelters over fresher ones. They did not differ in choice between shelters on marsh and sensitive ferns or between shelters containing caterpillars and empty shelters. The preference for small shelters by the unconstrained wasps may enhance their rate of contacting favorable hosts, but the foraging regime of the constrained females should expose them to caterpillars at sites infrequently searched by the unconstrained females.

show abstract

Male mate search for female emergence sites by a parasitic wasp

Cited by 13 publications

References 36 publications

Mate-Searching Behaviour of Common and Rare Wasps and the Implications for Pollen Movement of the Sexually Deceptive Orchids They Pollinate

Mate-Searching Behaviour of Common and Rare Wasps and the Implications for Pollen Movement of the Sexually Deceptive Orchids They Pollinate

Learning provides mating opportunities for males of a parasitoid wasp

To mate or not to mate, and subsequent host search by a haplodiploid female parasitoid wasp

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About