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Are individuals from thelytokous and arrhenotokous populations equally adept as biocontrol agents? Orientation and host searching behavior of a fruit fly parasitoid

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Abstract

Hymenopteran parasitoids generally reproduce by arrhenotoky, in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and females from fertilized eggs. A minority reproduce by thelytoky, in which all-female broods are derived from unfertilized eggs. Thelytokous populations are potentially of interest for augmentative biological control programs since the exclusive production of females could significantly lower the costs of mass rearing. Behavioral traits are a major component of parasitoid efficacy. Here, we examined orientation and host searching behavior in thelytokous and arrhenotokous populations of the fruit fly parasitoid Odontosema anastrephae Borgmeier (Hymenoptera: Figitidae). Orientation behavior to various odorant sources was studied in a two-choice olfactometer. No major differences were found between thelytokous and arrhenotokous wasps for this behavior. However, when host-searching behaviors were analyzed, some differences were found. Thelytokous females arrived sooner, foraged longer, and remained longer on non-infested guavas than arrhenotokous females. Individuals of both forms exhibited similar stereotyped behavioral sequences vis-à-vis guava treatments, with only slight deviations detected. Our results suggest that individuals from selected thelytokous and arrhenotokous O. anastrephae populations have similar abilities to search for tephritid larvae, supporting the use of thelytokous strains for augmentative releases.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for helping us to produce a more polished final product. We also thank Dr. Nicolas Desneux (INRA-URIH, France) for critical comments on an early version of the manuscript and Dr. Roger Guevara (INECOL, A.C., Mexico) for statistical advice. We thank Cecilia Martinez, Sandy P. Méndez and Nicoleta Righini for technical assistance. This project was funded by grants from the Mexican Campaña Nacional Contra Moscas de la Fruta (DGSV-SAGARPA-IICA) to M. Aluja. Additional funds were provided along the way by grants from the Mexican Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT Grant No. 46846-Q [2004–2008]), Mexican Comisión para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO Project H-296), and the Sistema de Investigación Regional del Golfo de México (SIGOLFO-CONACyT, Project 96-01-003-V) to M. Aluja. M. Aluja also acknowledges support from CONACyT through a Sabbatical Year Fellowship (Ref. 79449) and thanks Benno Graf and Jörg Samietz (Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, Switzerland) for providing ideal conditions to work on this paper. CSC was the recipient of a headquarters postdoctoral fellowship from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS). A postdoctoral fellowship to R-RR was provided by the Instituto de Ecología A.C. (INECOL, A.C.) Mexico.

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  1. Ricardo Ramirez-Romero

    Present address: Departamento de Producción Agrícola, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km. 15.5 Carr. Guadalajara-Nogales, 45100, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

  2. C. S. Copeland

    Present address: Lehrstuhl für Bioinformatik, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16–18, 04107, Leipzig, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ecologia, A. C., Km. 2.5 Carretera Antigua a Coatepec, 91000, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Ricardo Ramirez-Romero & M. Aluja

  2. Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, USDA-ARS, P. O. Box 14565, Gainesville, FL, 32604, USA

    J. Sivinski & C. S. Copeland

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  1. Ricardo Ramirez-Romero
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  2. J. Sivinski
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Correspondence to Ricardo Ramirez-Romero.

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Ramirez-Romero, R., Sivinski, J., Copeland, C.S. et al. Are individuals from thelytokous and arrhenotokous populations equally adept as biocontrol agents? Orientation and host searching behavior of a fruit fly parasitoid. BioControl 57, 427–440 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-011-9413-3

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