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Egg size variation does not affect offspring performance under intraspecific competition in Nasonia vitripennis , a gregarious parasitoid
Author(s) -
LALONDE R. G.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of animal ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.134
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1365-2656
pISSN - 0021-8790
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2005.00958.x
Subject(s) - nasonia vitripennis , biology , intraspecific competition , parasitoid , offspring , brood , competition (biology) , host (biology) , zoology , ecology , interspecific competition , pteromalidae , pregnancy , genetics
Summary1 As with many insects, egg size variation is correlated with body size in the gregarious parasitoid, Nasonia vitripennis . I use this feature to test the hypothesis that egg size differences among parents affects the ability of their larvae to compete for limited resources within a superparasitized host. 2 I show that egg size asymmetries in parents that oviposit into the same host have no detectable effect on relative offspring performance, even under conditions of resource limitation. 3 Broods within a host that were initiated earlier attained greater average size than competing broods in the same host that were initiated later. 4 Individuals in the more numerous brood emerged consistently larger than individuals in the less numerous brood. 5 The possibility that siblings cooperate in competing for limited resources within a host and the potential role of sibling cooperation on egg size evolution is discussed.