Egg load dynamics and the risk of egg and time limitation experienced by an aphid parasitoid in the field.

ABSTRACT: Insect parasitoids and herbivores must balance the risk of egg limitation and time limitation in order to maximize reproductive success. Egg and time limitation are mediated by oviposition and egg maturation rates as well as by starvation risk and other determinants of adult lifespan. Here, we assessed egg load and nutritional state in the soybean aphid parasitoid Binodoxys communis under field conditions to estimate its risk of becoming either egg- or time-limited. The majority of female B. communis showed no signs of egg limitation. Experimental field manipulations of B. communis females suggested that an average of 4-8 eggs were matured per hour over the course of a day. Regardless, egg loads remained constant over the course of the day at approximately 80 eggs, suggesting that egg matu

SUBMITTER: Dieckhoff C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4063472 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature