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Fitness consequences of body-size-dependent host species selection in a generalist ectoparasitoid

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Abstract

In insect parasitoids, offspring fitness is strongly influenced by the adult female’s choice of host, particularly in ectoparasitoids that attack non-growing host stages. We quantified the fitness consequences of size-dependent host species selection in Dirhinus giffardii, a solitary ectoparasitoid of tephritid fruit fly pupae. We first showed a positive correlation between the size of emerged D. giffardii wasps and the size of their host fruit fly species (in order of decreasing size): Bactrocera latifrons, B. cucurbitae, B. dorsalis or Ceratitis capitata. We then manipulated individual wasps to show that the parasitoid preferred to attack the largest (B. latifrons) to the smallest (C. capitata) host species when provided with a choice, and laid a greater proportion of female eggs in B. latifrons than in C. capitata. There were no differences in developmental time or offspring survival between individuals reared from these two host species. Finally, we compared the foraging efficiency of large versus small wasps (reared from B. latifrons vs C. capitata) under two different laboratory conditions: high versus low host habitat quality, given that realized fecundity in parasitoids may be influenced by either egg-limited or time-limited factors. Under both conditions, large wasps parasitized more hosts than did small ones as a consequence of high searching efficiency in the host-poor habitat, and high capacity for adjusting egg maturation in response to host availability in the host-rich habitat. Considering the flexibility of body growth, the apparent lack of cost of achieving large body size in either development or survival, and the strong dependence of realized reproductive success on a female’s size, we argue that body size may be a key to understanding evolution of host species selection in ectoparasitoids. We also discuss constraints upon the evolution of size-dependent host species selection in parasitoids.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Moats for assistance, and M. Rhainds, M. Ramadan, A. Bokonon-Ganta, E. Jarjees and the three referees for their useful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We also thank the USDA-ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, Honolulu, Hawaii for providing fruit flies, and E. Jarjess and M. Johnson for providing D. giffardii. This research was supported by USDA-ARS grant 5853208147 to R.H.M. This is publication no. 4685 of the University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Journal Series.

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  1. Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaii, 7370 Kuamoo Road, Kapaa, HI 96746, USA

    X. G. Wang & R. H. Messing

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  1. X. G. Wang
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  2. R. H. Messing
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Correspondence to X. G. Wang.

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Communicated by D. Gwynne

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Wang, X.G., Messing, R.H. Fitness consequences of body-size-dependent host species selection in a generalist ectoparasitoid. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 56, 513–522 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0829-y

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