When complex movement yields simple dispersal: behavioural heterogeneity, spatial spread and parasitism in groups of micro-wasps.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding how behavioural dynamics, inter-individual variability and individual interactions scale-up to shape the spatial spread and dispersal of animal populations is a major challenge in ecology. For biocontrol agents, such as the microscopic Trichogramma parasitic wasps, an understanding of movement strategies is also critical to predict pest-suppression performance in the field.

Methods

We experimentally studied the spatial propagation of groups of parasitoids and their patterns of parasitism. We investigated whether population spread is density-dependent, how it is affected by the presence of hosts, and whether the spatial distribution of parasitism (dispersal kernel) can be predicted from the observed spread of individuals. Using a novel experimental de

SUBMITTER: Burte V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9976481 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature