Do age and mating status affect olfactory response of the parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to host-related plant odors?

ABSTRACT: Background: Parasitic wasps (parasitoids) use volatile organic compounds released by herbivore-infested plants to locate their hosts. Response of parasitoids to plant odors may be plastic and dependent on their physiological state. Using Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a relatively specialized larval endoparasitoid of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), we asked whether age and mating status of parasitoids affect their olfactory response to host-related odors. Methods: Four odor stimuli of varying complexity were selected based on previous reports of parasitoid response to cotton volatiles: cis-3-hexenol (a green leaf volatile), α-pinene (a constitutive monoterpene), a 50/50 v/v binary mixture ( cis-3-hexenol + α-pinene),

SUBMITTER: Burrows M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6283379 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature