Continuous heat wave changed the life history in a host feeding parasitoid

Publication date: Available online 19 April 2019Source: Biological ControlAuthor(s): Yi-Bo Zhang, Gui-Fen Zhang, Wan-Xue Liu, Fang-Hao WanAbstractParasitoids are insects that lay eggs inside or on other insects (their host). Host feeding parasitoids does not only lay egg to parasitize the host, but also feed directly on host for nourishment. The frequency and duration of heat waves are expected to increase under global warming, so parasitoids could increasingly encounter heat waves at some stage of their lifecycle. However, few studies paid attention to how a host feeding parasitoid face to heat waves. we investigated how the frequency of heat wave during different development stages (larvae, pupa and adult) of a host feeding parasitoid, Eretmocerus hayati, affects life history traits and life table parameters. The results showed when continuous heat waves experienced during a single stage, the developmental time of the stage that encountered heat wave was significant prolonged, either larval stage or pupal stage, while one heat wave was not. No matter which stage (larval or pupal stage) of parasitoids encountered continuous heat waves, life history traits (host feeding, fecundity and longevity) and life table parameters (intrinsic rate of increase, r) were significant decreased. Meanwhile, heat wave at pupal stage caused greater detrimental effects on adult performances than heat wave at larval stage. But when adult parasitoids experienced continuously heat wave, its lifetim...

Source: Biological Control - April 20, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research