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The Intrinsic Rate of Natural Increase of the Pteromalid Parasite Nasonia Vitripennis (Walk.) on its Muscoid Host Musca Domestica L.
Author(s) -
Nagel W. P.,
Pimentel David
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1936125
Subject(s) - nasonia vitripennis , musca , biology , housefly , sex ratio , parasite hosting , host (biology) , longevity , zoology , offspring , sperm , ecology , botany , parasitoid , pteromalidae , population , larva , demography , genetics , pregnancy , sociology , world wide web , computer science
The intrinsic rate of natural increase, r, for the pteromalid parasite Nasonia vitripennis on its housefly host Musca domestica was estimated to be 0.25/day. The finite rate of increase was calculated to be 1.3/day. Female longevity averaged 6.50 ± 0.50 days, and the mean number of female offspring produced per female was 105.87 ± 15.52. The mean number of female progeny produced per female per day was 16.70 ± 1.14. One female parasite produced a total of 802 progeny during its life of 22 days. The mean male to female sex ratio of the progeny was 0.21. The sex ratio was stable for the first nine days, and then as females depleted their store of sperm a greater proportion of males was produced.