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Aphid Parasitoids (aphid + parasitoid)
Selected AbstractsAphid parasitoids detect that an alien plant was present nearby during their developmentPHYSIOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2002H. F. Van Emden Abstract Glasshouse and laboratory experiments were conducted with Aphidius rhopalosiphi parasitizing Metopolophium dirhodum to test whether the presence in the same environment of another plant species (tomato or marigold) induced aerial allelopathy in wheat plants. Emerging parasitoids were offered the choice of two odours of wheat plants in an olfactometer , wheat grown alone and wheat grown in the presence of the second plant species. Female parasitoids responded more strongly than males, but both sexes preferred the odour of wheat grown in the environment in which they had developed (i.e. with or without the second plant species present). Moving the tomato plants from the cages where they had been placed with wheat to the cages that had previously had wheat alone just before the aphid mummy formed showed that the odour environment the emerging parasitoid responded to was that of the mummy rather than that of the developing parasitoid larva. From this it was concluded that the parasitoids in the olfactometer were responding not only to wheat volatiles, but also to tomato volatiles absorbed on the surface of the mummy and encountered by the emerging adult parasitoid. By excising the parasitoid pupa from the mummy formed on one wheat cultivar, and offering the emerging parasitoids the surface of aphid mummies formed on a different cultivar, it was confirmed that olfactometer responses represented a learning of the chemistry of the surface of the mummy encountered at or after emergence. [source] Host age and fitness-related traits in a koinobiont aphid parasitoidECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2005H. Colinet Abstract., 1.,Trade-offs play a key role in species evolution and should be found in host,parasitoid interactions where the host quality may differ between host age categories. 2.,The braconid wasp, Aphidius ervi, is a solitary endoparasitoid that allows its aphid hosts to continue to feed and grow after parasitisation. The hypotheses that host age influences their quality and that female parasitoids exploit their hosts based on that quality were tested under laboratory conditions using no-choice tests. 3.,Aphidius ervi females accepted the aphid Myzus persicae for oviposition and their progeny developed successfully in all host ages. The fitness-related traits of parasitoids did not increase linearly with the host age in which they developed. Host quality was found to be optimal at intermediate host ages and the females preferred to parasitise these hosts. The shortest progeny development time and a more female-biased sex ratio were observed in hosts of intermediate age. 4.,This study suggests the existence of multiple interactive trade-offs occurring during host,parasitoid interactions according to host age related quality. [source] TERMINATION OF PUPAL DIAPAUSE IN THE BOLLWORM HELICOVERPA ARMIGERA BY PRECOCENE IIINSECT SCIENCE, Issue 4 2001WANG Fang-hai Abstract Precocene II terminated pupal diapause in the bollworm Helicoverpa armigera as 20-hydroxyecdysterone did, whereas juvenile hormone analog ZR-515, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (CAMP), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) did not. The results indicate that precocene II affects diapausing pupae in the similar way as what was found in the prepupae of the aphid parasitoids, Aphidius matricariae Haliday and Praon volucre Haliday (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). It is suggested that precocene II may affect different kinds of termination of diapause in insects. [source] Herbivore-induced plant volatiles as cues for habitat assessment by a foraging parasitoidJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007CEDRIC TENTELIER Summary 1Animals usually require information about the current state of their habitat to optimize their behaviour. For this, they can use a learning process through which their estimate is continually updated according to the cues they perceive. Identifying these cues is a long-standing but still inveterate challenge for ecologists. 2The use of plant cues by aphid parasitoids for the assessment of habitat profitability and the adaptation of patch exploitation was studied. Grounding on predictions from optimal foraging theory, we tested whether parasitoids exploited host patches less intensively after visiting heavily infested plants than after visiting plants bearing fewer aphids. 3As predicted, after visiting heavily infested plants parasitoids reduced their residence time and attacked fewer hosts in the next patch. This was the case regardless of whether the aphids were actually present on the first plant, indicating that the cue came from the plant. Moreover, the level of infestation of a plant at some distance from the first plant visited affected parasitoid patch exploitation on the second plant in a similar manner, indicating that the cue was volatile. 4These results highlight a novel role of herbivore-induced volatiles in parasitoid foraging behaviour, different from the widely studied attraction at a distance. [source] Snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin) in aphid honeydew negatively affects survival of a honeydew- consuming parasitoidAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Petra A. M. Hogervorst Abstract 1,Insecticidal proteins can be excreted in the honeydew when sap-sucking insects feed on insect-resistant transgenic plants. Honeydew can be an important source of carbohydrates, thus potentially exposing a broad range of honeydew-feeding insects to transgene products. 2,Snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin; GNA) dissolved in a 2 m sucrose solution had no antifeedant effect on female aphid parasitoids (Aphidius ervi) but had a direct negative effect on their longevity. 3,When feeding on honeydew from Rhopalosiphum padi feeding on a GNA-containing artificial diet, Aphidius ervi suffered a longevity reduction that was more pronounced than was to be expected based on the detected GNA concentration in the honeydew. 4,Analysis of carbohydrate and amino acid composition revealed that a change in honeydew composition caused by a GNA-effect on the aphids could be a possible explanation for the additional reduction in parasitoid longevity. 5,When comparing the effect of honeydew from Sitobion avenae and R. padi feeding on GNA-expressing or nontransformed wheat plants on A. ervi longevity, aphid species was found to have a significant effect, whereas the wheat variety had no effect. The latter result was probably due to low GNA expression levels in the plants. Differences in nutritional suitability between honeydew from R. padi and S. avenae could be explained by differences in carbohydrate and amino acid composition. 6,This is the first study to demonstrate that GNA ingested by aphids and transported into the honeydew can negatively affect the parasitoids consuming this honeydew. 7,We recommend that honeydew should be considered as a route of exposure to transgene products in future risk assessment studies. [source] Interspecific variation in the response to low temperature storage in different aphid parasitoidsANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010H. Colinet Cold storage of natural enemies usually involves placing insects under constant subambient temperatures. Even at non-freezing temperatures, a reduction in survival is the norm. Using fluctuating thermal regimes (FTR) instead of constant low temperature (CLT) has shown that mortality due to accumulation of chilling injuries was significantly reduced in Aphidius colemani. Whether this phenomenon can be generalised to other parasitoid species is not known. The aim of this study was to analyse interspecific variation in the ability to tolerate cold storage under CLT (continuous 2°C) versus FTR (daily cycle: 2°C for 22 h and 20°C for 2 h) for various durations (0,20 days). Survival, sex ratio and development of five different Aphidiine parasitoids were analysed: A. colemani, Aphidius ervi, Aphidius matricariae, Ephedrus cerasicola and Praon volucre. A marked interspecific variation in the ability to tolerate cold storage was observed: A. matricariae and A. ervi were most chill tolerant, P. volucre and E. cerasicola had an intermediate chill sensitivity and A. colemani was most chill sensitive. In all species tested, FTR significantly reduced cold-induced mortality. This phenomenon was manifested more in chill-sensitive species as they probably accumulate chilling injuries more rapidly. The sex ratio remained unaffected in all the species. Interspecific variation was also observed in developmental responses to cold storage. Under CLT, time to adult emergence of A. matricariae, A. colemani, A. ervi and P. volucre was temporarily stopped and in E. cerasicola it increased. Under FTR, the short daily intervals at 20°C for 2 h allowed parasitoids to continue development in all the species. Interspecific differences are discussed. This study suggests that positive impact of FTR may apply to a wide range of species. [source] | ||||||||||