Feeding and survival in parasitic wasps: sugar concentration and timing matter
Sugar consumption can increase the longevity and lifetime fecundity of many species of parasitic wasps. Consequently, for these insects the availability of sugar sources in the field is important for their reproductive success. As sugar sources can be highly variable in quantity, space and time, the...
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Published in | Oikos Vol. 95; no. 3; pp. 425 - 430 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Copenhagen
Munksgaard International Publishers
01.12.2001
Munksgaard International Publishers, Ltd Blackwell |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Sugar consumption can increase the longevity and lifetime fecundity of many species of parasitic wasps. Consequently, for these insects the availability of sugar sources in the field is important for their reproductive success. As sugar sources can be highly variable in quantity, space and time, the chances of finding a sufficient amount of sugar to increase longevity might be very low. Therefore, the reward from a single feeding event can be critical for the forager's fitness. We measured the longevity of the parasitoid Cotesia rubecula after a single honey meal differing in sugar concentration (25, 47, 86% w/w) and timing (day of emergence and 24 h later). Survival was analysed with Cox's Proportional Hazards Model. The risk of starving to death in sugar-fed wasps was reduced by 0-73% in comparison to unfed wasps, depending on sugar concentration and timing. Longevity was significantly increased by sugar concentration and by feeding later in life. Our results suggest that in the field, adult C. rubecula has to locate food at least once per day to avoid starvation. |
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Bibliography: | 2002000331 H10 L20 istex:C612CB696BF674CC65F0EB5E9D1CD4F50F5085E7 ArticleID:OIK950307 ark:/67375/WNG-8VCC59BR-N ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0030-1299 1600-0706 |
DOI: | 10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.950307.x |