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Oviposition Behavior of the Predatory Midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza in Response to Aphid Patch Quality

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Abstract

Female Aphidoletes aphidimyza confronts serious challenges from both aphid prey and conspecifics. These challenges constitute strong selective pressures on the predatory midge to have an adaptive oviposition strategy. We did laboratory experiments to investigate clutch size of A. aphidimyza in response to the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (density and age) and the presence of conspecific eggs (density) and larvae (age) in aphid colonies. The results of our study show that A. aphidimyza female adjusts its foraging effort by assessing the quality of prey patches. The number of eggs laid increased in response to aphid density. However, patches consisting of older aphids received fewer eggs. The number of eggs laid decreased in response to the presence of conspecific eggs, and in response to the presence of 2-day old conspecific larvae. Our study reveals deterrent effects on A. aphidimyza oviposition decisions on clutch size in response to older aphids and the presence of more conspecific eggs and older larvae.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest (201103002). We thank Xiaohong Li and Yi Zhou for their help in the experiments, Toshinori Okuyama for the help in data analyses, and all referees for their helpful and pertinent comments to the MS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Plant Protection, Agricultural Pests Management Laboratory of Ministry of Education; Eastern China Crop Pests Management Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1#, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China

    Huijuan Guo, Ling Meng & Baoping Li

  2. Agricultural Science Research Institute of Hengshui City, Hengshui, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Yubo Wang & Li Zheng

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  1. Huijuan Guo
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  2. Ling Meng
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  3. Yubo Wang
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  4. Li Zheng
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  5. Baoping Li
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Correspondence to Baoping Li.

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Guo, H., Meng, L., Wang, Y. et al. Oviposition Behavior of the Predatory Midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza in Response to Aphid Patch Quality. J Insect Behav 27, 816–825 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-014-9473-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-014-9473-1

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