Ecological Entomology (2008) 33, 701-708
Gaëlle Amice, Philippe Vernon, Yannick Outreman, Jacques Van Alphen and Joan van Baaren (2008)
Variability in responses to thermal stress in parasitoids
Ecological Entomology 33 (6), 701-708
Abstract: 1. To study phenotypic effects of stress, a stress is applied to cohorts of organisms with an increasing intensity. In the absence of mortality the response of traits will be a decreasing function of stress intensity because of increasing physiological costs. We call such decreasing functions type A responses.
2. However, when stress caused mortality, some studies have found that for high stress intensities, survivors performed as well as control individuals (type B responses). We proposed that type A responses are caused by the physiological cost of stress whereas type B responses are caused by a mixture of physiological costs and selection.
3. The present study exposed Aphidius picipes wasps to an increasing duration of cold storage (cold stress), and obtained variable responses as predicted when both physiological costs and selection of resistant individuals determine the outcome.
4. When cold storage of parasitoids for biological control is desirable, research should be carried out to find (i) the temperature regime and duration of storage and (ii) the least sensitive stage for storage to minimise losses from mortality and reduction of fitness of survivors.
5. Selection by cold stress as observed in the present study could result in rapid adaptation of populations exposed to such stress.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Yannick Outreman, Joan van Baaren
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation
formulation/storage of bioagents
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aphidius picipes (parasitoid) |
