Penetrance of symbiont-mediated parthenogenesis is driven by reproductive rate in a parasitoid wasp.

ABSTRACT: Trichogramma wasps are tiny parasitoids of lepidopteran eggs, used extensively for biological control. They are often infected with the bacterial symbiont Wolbachia, which converts Trichogramma to an asexual mode of reproduction, whereby females develop from unfertilized eggs. However, this Wolbachia-induced parthenogenesis is not always complete, and previous studies have noted that infected females will produce occasional males in the lab. The conditions that reduce penetrance of the parthenogenesis phenotype are not well understood. We hypothesized that more ecologically relevant conditions of limited host access will sustain female-biased sex ratios. After restricting access to host eggs, we found a strong relationship between reproductive rate and sex ratio

SUBMITTER: Lindsey ARI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5490460 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature