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Using multiple traits to estimate the effects of heat shock on the fitness of A phidius colemani
Author(s) -
JerbiElayed Mey,
LebdiGrissa Kaouthar,
Foray Vincent,
Muratori Frédéric,
Hance Thierry
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12273
Subject(s) - biology , parasitoid , ectotherm , parasitism , zoology , population , ecology , mating , aphid , parasitoid wasp , hymenoptera , host (biology) , demography , botany , sociology
Extreme temperature events are a great challenge for most ectotherms, particularly for the immature stages of parasitoids, as they do not possess the ability to behaviourally thermoregulate. In this study, we measured the effect of an acute heat shock, combined with desiccation stress (34 °C and 35% r.h. during 10 h) during the mummy stage on several fitness‐related traits of emerging adults of the aphid parasitoid A phidius colemani V iereck ( H ymenoptera: B raconidae: A phidiinae). Our results showed that the emergence rate was strongly affected by the heat shock (63 ± 2.3 vs. 96.1 ± 0.7% for stress vs. control conditions, respectively), and the resulting population was male biased. Heat stress reduced the lifespan of emerged parasitoids but had no effect on fat reserves and female size. Egg load at emergence and parasitism rate were also reduced by heat treatment. The antennal symmetry was disturbed by the heat treatment, and stressed individuals had reduced mating success compared to control parasitoids. Specifically, time before wing fanning, a typical male courtship behaviour, was significantly longer in parasitoid pairs involving females that had emerged from heat‐treated mummies. Additionally, olfactometry tests on experimental females indicated that their response to host odour was similar to that of control individuals, but they required a longer time for perception. These results highlight that exposure to high temperatures during the mummy stage has cumulative detrimental effects that may strongly impact parasitoid populations under natural conditions and hinder the success of biological control programs.