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Determination of prey antigen half‐life in Polistes metricus using a monoclonal antibody‐based immunodot assay
Author(s) -
Greenstone M. H.,
Hunt J. H.
Publication year - 1993
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/j.1570-7458.1993.tb01682.x
Subject(s) - biology , monoclonal antibody , polistes , antigen , predation , virology , zoology , antibody , immunology , ecology , hymenoptera , vespidae
In order to derive quantitative estimates of predation rate from serological gut analysis data, one must have an estimate of the interval during which a meal can be detected after feeding. In practice this has turned out to be ‘D max ,’ defined as ‘…the time from finishing a meal until that meal could just no longer be detected in any individuals.’ However D max substitutes an absolute limit for what is really a continuous variable with significant variation. We examined this problem in a study of the detectability of Helicoverpa zea Boddie (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fifth instar remains in the guts of Polistes metricus Say (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Wasps were maintained on Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) fifth instars before being fed a single H. zea fifth instar. They were killed and frozen at 0, 24, 48 and 96 h intervals, with those held for more than 24 h fed a single T. ni fifth instar at 24 h intervals in order to simulate continued feeding. Wasp abdomens were assayed by immunodot, using a monoclonal antibody to H. zea arylphorin. There was a logarithmic decay in the proportion of P. metricus positive over time, a single H. zea fifth instar meal having a detectability half‐life of 19.4 h at field temperatures. If prey antigen detectability decays exponentially, then a detectability half‐life is a more appropriate unit of detectability than an absolute detectability period.