Eggload Dynamics and Oviposition Rate in a Wild Population of a Parasitic Wasp

• Published in: The Journal of animal ecology Vol. 69; no. 2; pp. 185 - 193
• Main Authors: Casas, Jerome, Nisbet, Roger M., Swarbrick, Sue, Murdoch, William W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK British Ecological Society 01.03.2000; Blackwell Science Ltd; Blackwell; Blackwell Scientific Publications; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aondiniella aurantii; Aphelinidae; Aphytis; Aphytis melinus; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Biological control; Control; Demecology; Ecological genetics; Eggs; Female animals; Foraging; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; host–parasitoid population dynamics; Human ecology; Insect ecology; life‐history strategies; Oviposition; Parasite hosts; Parasitoids; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Protozoa. Invertebrates; scale insects; Vertebrata; California; United States; North America; America; Host parasite relation; Citrus fruit; Insecta; Biological control; Rutaceae; Activity; Pest; Homoptera; Chalcidoidea; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Diaspididae; Aonidiella aurantii; Oocyte maturation; Load; Life history; Egg; Aphelinidae; Coccoidea; Clutch size; Citrus; Parasitoid; Arthropoda; Aphytis; Strategy; Spermatophyta; Population dynamics; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata

1. This paper develops and tests in the field a model that predicts the oviposition rate and the rate of egg maturation of a synovigenic parasitic wasp during a foraging period. The parasitoid is Aphytis melinus, the highly successful biological control agent of California redscale (Aondiniella aura...