Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T06:25:05.074Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Mate choice and host discrimination behavior of the parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2016

D. Wang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong Province, China
L. Lü
Affiliation:
Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, Guangdong Province, China
Y. He*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong Province, China
Q. Shi
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong Province, China
C. Tu
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong Province, China
J. Gu
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Bio-Pesticide Innovation and Application of Guangdong Province, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong Province, China
*
*Author for Correspondence Tel: +0086-020-85283985 E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is an important natural enemy of many species of lepidopterous pests and a widely used biological control agent. Detailed knowledge about its mate choice and host discrimination behavior is lacking. In this study, we studied the mate choice and host discrimination behavior of T. chilonis in experimental arenas through video tracking. Males’ mate recognition capacity was realized by perceiving the sex pheromone of females. When offered two females of different species, male could distinguish the conspecific female from Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), a species that has overlapping hosts with T. chilonis. When placed with two females of different mating status, male preferred mating with the virgin female to the mated female. T. chilonis females could distinguish unparasitized host eggs from parasitized ones (parasitized by conspecific females or heterospecific females). They preferred to stay on and lay eggs in unparasitized host eggs. When T. chilonis females were only provided with parasitized host eggs (parasitized by T. chilonis and T. bactrae females), conspecific superparasitism occurred more often than heterospecific superparasitism. Furthermore, the host egg discrimination ability of T. chilonis females was mainly achieved through antennal perception.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ardeh, M.J., de Jong, P.W. & van Lenteren, J.C. (2005) Intra- and interspecific host discrimination in arrhenotokous and thelytokous Eretmocerus spp. Biological Control 33, 7480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bakker, K., van Alphen, J.J.M., van Batenburg, F.H.D., van der Hoeven, N., Nell, H.W., van Strien-van Liempt, W.T.F.H. & Turlings, T.C.J. (1985) The function of host discrimination and superparasitization in parasitoids. Oecologia 67, 572576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ballal, C.R., Srinivasan, R. & Jalali, S.K. (2009) Evaluation of an endosulfan tolerant strain of Trichogramma chilonis on cotton. Biocontrol 54, 723732.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellamy, D.E. & Byrne, D.N. (2001) Effects of gender and mating status on self-directed dispersal by the whitefly parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus . Ecological Entomology 26, 571577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernal, J.S. & Luck, R.F. (2007) Mate finding via a trail sex pheromone by Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) males. Journal of Insect Behavior 20, 515525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boivin, G., Jacob, S. & Damiens, D. (2005) Spermatogeny as a life-history index in parasitoid wasps. Oecologia 143, 198202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonduriansky, R. (2001) The evolution of male mate choice in insects: a synthesis of ideas and evidence. Biological Reviews 76, 305339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chang, S.C., Hu, N.T., Hsin, C.Y. & Sun, C.N. (2001) Characterization of differences between two Trichogramma wasps by molecular markers. Biological Control 21, 7578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Damiens, D. & Boivin, G. (2005) Male reproductive strategy in Trichogramma evanescens: sperm production and allocation to females. Physiological Entomology 30, 241247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Damiens, D. & Boivin, G. (2006) Why do sperm-depleted parasitoid males continue to mate? Behavioral Ecology 17, 138143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delpuech, J.M. & Delahaye, M. (2013) The sublethal effects of deltamethrin on Trichogramma behaviors during the exploitation of host patches. Science of the Total Environment 447, 274279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delpuech, J.M. & Leger, L. (2011) Modifications of Trichogramma behaviors during the exploitation of host patches induced by the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Ecohealth 8, 190198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delpuech, J.M., Gareau, E., Terrier, O. & Fouillet, P. (1998) Sublethal effects of the insecticide chlorpyrifos on the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma brassicae . Chemosphere 36, 17751785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delpuech, J.M., Dupont, C. & Allemand, R. (2010) Decrease in fecundity induced by interspecific mating between two Trichogramma parasitoid species. Journal of Economic Entomology 103, 308313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dupont, C., Allemand, R. & Delpuech, J.M. (2010) Induction by chlorpyrifos, of the confusion of males in discriminating female sexual pheromones used for mate finding by two sympatric Trichogramma species (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Environmental Entomology 39, 535544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fauvergue, X., Hopper, K.R. & Antolin, M.F. (1995) Mate finding via a trail sex pheromone by a parasitoid wasp. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 92, 900904.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hassan, S.A. (1993) The mass rearing and utilization of Trichogramma to control lepidopterous pests: achievements and outlook. Pesticide Science 37, 387391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopper, K.R. & Roush, R.T. (1993) Mate finding, dispersal, number released, and the success of biological control introductions. Ecological Entomology 18, 321331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, S.S., Chen, K.W. & Shen, S.P. (2002) Natural increase of parasitoids population of diamondback moth Plutella xylostella under ecological control condition. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology 13, 14491451.Google ScholarPubMed
Le Ralec, A. & Wajnberg, E. (1990) Sensory receptors of the ovipositor of Trichogramma maidis (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae). Entomophaga 35, 293299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, N.Q. (1994) Systematic studies of Chinese Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Fuzhou, Fujian, China, Fujian Science and Technology Publishing House.Google Scholar
Lund, H.O. (1938) Studies on longevity and productivity in Trichogramma evanescens . Journal of Agricultural Research 56, 421439.Google Scholar
Mackauer, M. (1990) Host discrimination and larval competition in solitary endoparasitoids. pp. 4162 in Mackauer, M., Ehler, L.E. & Roland, J. (Eds) Critical Issues in Biological Control. Andover, MA, USA, Intercept Ltd.Google Scholar
Martel, V. & Boivin, G. (2011) Do choice tests really test choice? Journal of Insect Behavior 24, 329336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martel, V., Damiens, D. & Boivin, G. (2008) Male mate choice in Trichogramma turkestanica . Journal of Insect Behavior 21, 6371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBrien, H. & Mackauer, M. (1991) Decision to superparasitize based on larval survival: competition between aphid parasitoids Aphidius ervi and Aphidius smithi . Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 59, 145150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClure, M., Whistlecraft, J. & McNeil, J.N. (2007) Courtship behavior in relation to the female sex pheromone in the parasitoid, Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 33, 19461959.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeil, J.N. & Brodeur, J. (1995) Pheromone-mediated mating in the aphid parasitoid, Aphidius nigripes (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). Journal of Chemical Ecology 21, 959972.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, N.J. & Kuhlmann, U. (2004) Oviposition behavior of Trichogramma platneri Nagarkatti and Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in patches of single and clustered host eggs. Biological Control 30, 4251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miura, K., Matsuda, S. & Kobayashi, M. (1994) Discrimination between parasitized and unparasitized hosts in an egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Applied Entomology and Zoology 29, 317322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polak, M., Wolf, L.L., Starmer, W.T. & Barker, J.S.F. (2001) Function of the mating plug in Drosophila hibisci Bock. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 49, 196205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pompanon, F., de Schepper, B., Mourer, Y., Fouillet, P. & Bouletreau, M. (1997) Evidence for a substrate-borne sex pheromone in the parasitoid wasp Trichogramma brassicae . Journal of Chemical Ecology 23, 13491360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preetha, G., Stanley, J., Suresh, S., Kuttalam, S. & Samiyappan, R. (2009) Toxicity of selected insecticides to Trichogramma chilonis: assessing their safety in the rice ecosystem. Phytoparasitica 37, 209215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salt, G. (1937) The sense used by Trichogramma to distinguish between parasitized and unparasitized hosts. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 122, 5775.Google Scholar
Scholz, D. & Höller, C. (1992) Competition for hosts between two hyperparasitoids of aphids, Dendrocerus laticeps and Dendrocerus carpenteri (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae): the benefit of interspecific host discrimination. Journal of Insect Behavior 5, 289300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, L.W. & Siva-Jothy, M.T. (1998) Sperm competition in insects: mechanisms and the potential for selection. pp. 341434 in Birkhead, T.R. & Mǿller, A.P. (Eds) Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection. San Diego, Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, S.M. (1996) Biological control with Trichogramma: advances, successes and potential of their use. Annual Review of Entomology 41, 375407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stouthamer, R., Jochemsen, P., Platner, G.R. & Pinto, J.D. (2000) Crossing incompatibility between Trichogramma minutum and T. platneri (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae): implications for application in biological control. Environmental Entomology 29, 832837.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, Y., Tsuji, H. & Sasakawa, M. (1984) Sex allocation and effects of superparasitism on secondary sex ratios in the gregarious parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Animal Behaviour 32, 478484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tena, A., Kapranas, A., Garcia-Marí, F. & Luck, R.F. (2008) Host discrimination, superparasitism and infanticide by a gregarious endoparasitoid. Animal Behaviour 76, 789799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Baaren, J., Boivin, G. & Nénon, J.P. (1994) Intra- and interspecific host discrimination in two closely related egg parasitoids. Oecologia 100, 325330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Beek, T.A., Silva, I.M.M.S., Posthumus, M.A. & Melo, R. (2005) Partial elucidation of Trichogramma putative sex pheromone at trace levels by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry studies. Journal of Chromatography A 1067, 311321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vasquez, L.A., Shelton, A.M., Hoffmann, M.P. & Roush, R.T. (1997) Laboratory evaluation of commercial trichogrammatid products for potential use against Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Biological Control 9, 143148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinson, S.B. (1998) The general host selection behavior of parasitoid Hymenoptera and a comparison of initial strategies utilized by larvaphagous and oophagous species. Biological Control 11, 7996.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wührer, B.G. & Hassan, S.A. (1993) Selection of effective species/strains of Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to control the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Journal of Applied Ecology 116, 8089.Google Scholar
Wang, D.S., He, Y.R., Guo, X.L. & Luo, Y.L. (2012) Acute toxicities and sublethal effects of some conventional insecticides on Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 105, 11571163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, D.S., He, Y.R., Zhang, W., Nian, X.G., Lin, T. & Zhao, R. (2014) Effects of heat stress on the quality of Trichogrammatoidea bactrae Nagaraja (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 104, 543551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar