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Methodology for Developing Life Tables for Sessile Insects in the Field Using the Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, in Cotton As a Model System
Published on: November 1, 2017
Linking spatial processes to life-history evolution of insect parasitoids
T S Hoffmeister1, B D Roitberg, L E M Vet
1Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bremen, D-28359 Bremen, Germany. hoffmeister@uni-bremen.de
The American Naturalist
|October 15, 2005
Summary
The evolution of group living in insect parasitoids from solitary ancestors is facilitated by inversely density-dependent patch exploitation. Host distribution and density dependence, however, impede this transition, influencing invasion dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary ecology
- Behavioral ecology
- Insect parasitoid evolution
Background:
- The transition from solitary to group living is a key evolutionary challenge.
- Insect parasitoids provide a model system, having evolved gregariousness from solitary ancestors.
- Previous research focused on genetic factors, neglecting ecological influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ecological factors, specifically host distribution and life-history trade-offs, in the evolution of gregariousness in insect parasitoids.
- To analyze how these ecological factors influence the spread and invasion dynamics of gregarious versus solitary parasitoid forms.
- To extend current evolutionary theory by incorporating ecological parameters into models of gregariousness evolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized deterministic models to analyze the evolutionary dynamics of solitary and gregarious parasitoid strategies.
- Incorporated host distributions and density-dependent parasitoid distribution and patch exploitation into the models.
- Employed numerical solutions to examine invasion scenarios between different parasitoid forms.
Main Results:
- Gregariousness is promoted by inversely density-dependent patch exploitation, where fewer parasitoids per patch lead to higher success.
- Conversely, host density dependence in parasitoid distribution and patch exploitation hinders the evolution of gregariousness.
- Aggressive gregarious forms are better invaders of solitary populations than tolerant forms, while solitary forms invade tolerant gregarious populations more easily.
Conclusions:
- Ecological factors, particularly inversely density-dependent patch exploitation, are crucial facilitators of the evolution of gregariousness in insect parasitoids.
- Host distribution and density dependence act as significant barriers to this evolutionary transition.
- The findings provide insights into the complex interplay of ecological conditions and behavioral strategies driving the evolution of sociality.
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