Selection by parasitoid females among closely related hosts based on volatiles: Identifying relevant chemical cues.

ABSTRACT: Parasitoid fitness is influenced by the ability to overcome host defense strategies and by the ability of parasitoid females to select high-quality host individuals. When females are unable to differentiate among hosts, their fitness will decrease with an increasing abundance of resistant hosts. To understand the effect of mixed host populations on female fitness, it is therefore necessary to investigate the ability of female parasitoids to select among hosts. Here, we used behavioral assays, headspace volatile collection, and electrophysiology to study the ability of Asecodes parviclava to use olfactory cues to select between a susceptible host (Galerucella calmariensis) and a resistant host (Galerucella pusilla) from a distance. Our studies show that parasitoid femal

SUBMITTER: Fors L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5869356 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature