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Optimal patch residence time in egg parasitoids: innate versus learned estimate of patch quality
Guy Boivin1, Xavier Fauvergue, Eric Wajnberg
1Centre de Recherche et de Développement en Horticulture, Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, 430 Boulevard Gouin, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, J3B 3E6, Canada. boiving@agr.gc.ca
Oecologia
|January 10, 2004
Summary
Female parasitoids, Anaphes victus, adjust patch exploitation time based on patch quality and travel time. They adapt their foraging strategy dynamically, influencing parasitoid population dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Charnov's marginal value theorem provides a framework for understanding optimal foraging in parasitoids.
- The theorem predicts that parasitoids should leave a host patch when their instantaneous rate of fitness gain reaches a marginal value.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate patch residence time in the egg parasitoid Anaphes victus.
- To test predictions of the marginal value theorem regarding patch quality and travel time.
Main Methods:
- Measuring patch residence time of Anaphes victus females.
- Manipulating patch quality and travel time (delay between emergence and exploitation).
Main Results:
- Females increased patch residence time with higher patch quality and longer travel times.
- The marginal value of fitness gain upon leaving a patch varied with patch quality and travel time.
- Anaphes victus females appear to use the first encountered patch to estimate quality, unlike Trichogramma brassicae.
Conclusions:
- Anaphes victus exhibits adaptive foraging behavior consistent with, yet nuanced from, the marginal value theorem.
- Dynamic patch quality assessment may be an optimal strategy in environments with high inter-generational variability.
- Understanding these behaviors is crucial for predicting parasitoid population dynamics and optimizing biological control strategies.