Density-dependent dispersal in biological control agents: a reflexion on the side-effects of mass-rearing conditions

High-density rearing conditions for the mass-production of biological control agents are known to affect individual quality and performance. However, complex phenotypic traits like dispersal behaviour and their response to rearing conditions are rarely investigated, although they are likely to affec...

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Published inBioControl (Dordrecht, Netherlands) Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 13 - 22
Main Authors Zboralski, Antoine, Vilarelle, Marine, Colombel, Etty, Tabone, Elisabeth, Vercken, Elodie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2016
Springer Nature B.V
Springer Verlag
Subjects
Agricultural sciences
Agriculture
Animal Biochemistry
Animal Ecology
Behavioral Sciences
Biological control
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Design of experiments
Dispersal
Dispersion
Efficiency
Entomology
Experimental design
Fecundity
Females
Genotype & phenotype
High density
Laboratories
Life Sciences
Mass rearing
Phenotypes
Plant Pathology
Population
Trichogramma
Industrial rearing
Phenotypic plasticity
Condition-dependence
Ambulatory dispersal
Aerial dispersal
Trichogramma
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Summary:High-density rearing conditions for the mass-production of biological control agents are known to affect individual quality and performance. However, complex phenotypic traits like dispersal behaviour and their response to rearing conditions are rarely investigated, although they are likely to affect directly biocontrol efficiency in the field. In this study, we develop an original experimental design to evaluate two complementary components of dispersal behaviour in Trichogramma. Then, we investigate how these components respond to variations in rearing density, and their correlation with traits related to parasitoid fitness. We find that under high-density conditions, a large proportion of individuals display reduced mobility and fecundity, indicative of a lower-quality phenotype. These interactive effects between dispersal performance and individual fitness highlight the need to develop integrative experimental designs to easily quantify complex phenotypic traits related to the field performance of biological control agents.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10526-015-9696-x
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:1386-6141
1573-8248
DOI:10.1007/s10526-015-9696-x