Proximal mechanisms of the sex ratio and clutch size responses of the wasp Nasonia vitripennis to parasitized hosts

King, B. H.; Skinner, Samuel W.

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(05)80602-5

Cited by 46 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Drilling a hole into the host puparium with the ovipositor will then provide females with more information about host suitability (e.g., health status, age, species, previous envenomation and parasitization of the host). Females respond to cues inside a host puparium (King and Skinner 1991), obviously sensed by chemical receptors on the tip of the inserted ovipositor (as has been shown for several other parasitoid species (Quicke 1997, pp. 189-190).…”

Section: Study Organismsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Intraspecific variability in associative learning in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis

et al. 2014

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The ability to learn is key to behavioral adaptation to changing environments. Yet, learning rate and memory retention can vary greatly across or even within species. While interspecific differences have been attributed to ecological context or life history constraints, intraspecific variability in learning behavior is rarely studied and more often, ignored: inferences of the cognitive abilities of a species are most of the time made from experiments using individuals of a single population. Here, we show that learning of host-associated cues in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) shows considerable interpopulation variability, which is at least partly, genetically determined. The strengths of the learning response differed predictably between populations and also varied with the rewarding stimulus. We tested memory retention in a genetically diverse strain and in an iso-female line, bearing a low genetic variability. In addition, we compared our findings with published studies on a third strain using a meta-analytical approach. Our findings suggest that all three strains differ in memory formation from each other. We conclude that, even though the associative learning of host cues is most likely under strong natural selection in parasitoid wasps, considerable genetic variability is maintained at the population as well as at the species level in N. vitripennis.

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Section: Study Organismsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Intraspecific variability in associative learning in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis

et al. 2014

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“…The third possible reason is that cues for discriminating between self‐ and conspecific superparasitism can differ between when accepting superparasitism and when performing ovicidal probing. King and Skinner () found that the cues used by N. vitripennis females for discriminating between unparasitized and parasitized hosts differ between when deciding the clutch size and when performing sex allocation of progenies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐/conspecific discrimination and superparasitism strategy in the ovicidal parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)

Ito

Yamada

2014

Insect Science

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Superparasitism in solitary parasitoids results in fatal competition between the immature parasitoids, and consequently only one individual can emerge. In the semisolitary ovicidal parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae), 2 adults can emerge under superparasitism with a short interval (<24 h) between the first and second ovipositions. We determined the female parasitoid's behavioral responses under self- and conspecific superparasitism bouts with first-to-second oviposition intervals of ≤2 h. The self- and conspecific superparasitizing frequencies increased up to an oviposition interval of 0.75 h, with the former remaining lower than the latter, particularly for oviposition intervals of ≤0.25 h, suggesting the existence of self-/conspecific discrimination. The superparasitizing frequency plateaued for oviposition intervals of ≥0.75 h, with no difference between self- and conspecific superparasitism. The ovicidal-probing frequency did not differ under self- and conspecific superparasitism, and was usually <20%. The females exhibited no preference for the oviposition side (i.e., ovipositing on the side with or without the first progeny) and almost always laid female eggs for any oviposition interval under self- and conspecific superparasitism. The sex ratio was not affected by the type of superparasitism, oviposition sides, or the occurrence of ovicidal probing. These observed results about the oviposition side, ovicidal probing, and sex ratios differed from the predictions obtained assuming that the females behave optimally. Possible reasons for the discrepancies are discussed: likely candidates include the high cost of selecting oviposition sides and ovicidal probing, and, for the sex ratio, the low frequency of encountering suitable hosts before superparasitism bouts.

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“…This assessment process is precise as clutch sizes and progeny production (adult wasps plus larvae in diapause) by N. vitripennis typically do not vary by Ͼ10% (Rivers and Denlinger 1995). The details of how females measure host quality have not been deciphered, but most features of host suitability appear to require probing of ßy tissues with the ovipositor before brood sizes and sex ratios are determined (King and Skinner 1991). Consistent with this view is the observation that though puparia produced from small maggot masses by L. illustris, P. terraenovae, and S. bullata were most suitable for parasitism by N. vitripennis, wasp females were not able to distinguish between puparia of different host quality before drilling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oviposition Restraint and Developmental Alterations in the Ectoparasitic Wasp,Nasonia vitripennis, When Utilizing Puparia Resulting From Different Size Maggot Masses ofLucilia illustris,Protophormia terraenovae, andSarcophaga bullata

Rivers¹,

Kaikis²,

Bulanowski³

et al. 2012

J Med Entomol

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Adult females of the ectoparasitoid Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) are capable of distinguishing between hosts of different quality, and then correspondingly adjust clutch sizes and sex ratios of the offspring. In this study, we examined whether the size of the maggot mass, and presumably the developmental temperature, influenced the suitability of the resulting fly pupal and pharate adult stages as hosts for N. vitripennis. Three sizes of maggot masses (100; 500; and 1,000 individuals per mass) were selected for use to generate hosts based on previous studies characterizing developmental and heat shock response differences for the flies. For all host species tested (Lucilia illustris, Protophormia terraenovae, and Sarcophaga bullata), the rate of parasitism by N. vitripennis decreased with increasing maggot mass size. When successful parasitism did occur, parasitoid development increased in duration, clutch sizes decreased, mortality from egg hatch to adult emergence elevated, male biased sex ratios were produced, and adult wasp body sizes were truncated with increasing fly larval density. These wasp life history features are consistent with reductions in host quality. Host quality reductions corresponded to production of heat shock proteins 23, 60, and 70. Heat shock protein synthesis appeared to occur at the expense of normal protein production because total hemolymph protein concentrations decreased with increased larval density in maggot masses. These observations argue that use of N. vitripennis in criminal investigations to estimate periods of insect activity or a minimum post mortem interval must take into account the maggot mass history of the hosts used by the wasp.

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Proximal mechanisms of the sex ratio and clutch size responses of the wasp Nasonia vitripennis to parasitized hosts

Cited by 46 publications

References 20 publications

Intraspecific variability in associative learning in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Intraspecific variability in associative learning in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis

Self‐/conspecific discrimination and superparasitism strategy in the ovicidal parasitoid Echthrodelphax fairchildii (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)

Oviposition Restraint and Developmental Alterations in the Ectoparasitic Wasp,Nasonia vitripennis, When Utilizing Puparia Resulting From Different Size Maggot Masses ofLucilia illustris,Protophormia terraenovae, andSarcophaga bullata

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