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Nutritional state of the pollen beetle parasitoid Tersilochus heterocerus foraging in the field

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Abstract

Many laboratory studies have demonstrated that parasitoids of various species depend on sugar sources such as nectar or honeydew. However, studies about nectar acquisition by parasitoids foraging in the field are scarce. Tersilochus heterocerus Thomson is one of the more abundant and widespread parasitoids of the pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus F.) but nothing is known about the nutritional ecology of this species. In this study we examined the nutritional state of T. heterocerus at the time of emergence and at various time periods throughout the season while foraging in the field using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. We found that: (i) T. heterocerus emerge with relatively small amounts of sugar, composed mainly of trehalose, glucose and fructose; (ii) the first parasitoids caught just after they appeared in the field at the beginning of oilseed rape flowering had already consumed significant amounts of sugar reserves; and (iii) the total amount of sugar at the end of flowering was always significantly higher than the total amount of sugar at the beginning of flowering. This study provides valuable insights into the acquisition of sugar in the field by the parasitoid T. heterocerus and suggests that nectar acquisition takes place in the oilseed rape field or in the surrounding landscape.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participating farmers, and A. Butier and G. Grandeau for their technical assistance. We thank Anne-Marie Cortesero and Barbara Ekbom for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We also thank Christer Nilsson for his precious help and Donald White for helpful editorial advice in English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Adrien Rusch

  2. UMR INRA-ENITAB 1065 Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, Centre de recherches INRA de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Institut des Science de la Vigne et du Vin, BP 81, 33883, Villenave d’Ornon, France

    Adrien Rusch

  3. Université de Bordeaux, UMR1065, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, BP 81, 33883, Villenave d’Ornon cedex, France

    Adrien Rusch

  4. Biomarqueurs et Bioindicateurs Environnementaux, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale, IMBE, UMR 7263, Universite d’Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse Pole Agrosciences 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza, BP 21239, 84916, Avignon cedex 9, France

    Séverine Suchail

  5. AgroParisTech, UMR 211 Agronomie, INRA/AgroParisTech, BP 01, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France

    Muriel Valantin-Morison & Jean Roger-Estrade

  6. Toulouse University; ENSAT; UMR 1248 AGIR, 31326, Castanet Tolosan, France

    Jean-Pierre Sarthou

  7. INRA; UMR 1248 AGIR, 31326, Castanet Tolosan, France

    Jean-Pierre Sarthou

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  1. Adrien Rusch
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  2. Séverine Suchail
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  3. Muriel Valantin-Morison
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  4. Jean-Pierre Sarthou
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  5. Jean Roger-Estrade
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Correspondence to Adrien Rusch.

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Handling Editor: Stefano Colazza

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Rusch, A., Suchail, S., Valantin-Morison, M. et al. Nutritional state of the pollen beetle parasitoid Tersilochus heterocerus foraging in the field. BioControl 58, 17–26 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9463-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-012-9463-1

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