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Testing competing measures of profitability for mobile resources
Maryse Barrette1, Gi-Mick Wu, Jacques Brodeur
1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 430 blv Gouin, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, J3B 3E6, Canada. maryse.barrette@mail.mcgill.ca
Oecologia
|October 23, 2008
Summary
Foraging animals often choose prey to maximize fitness gain rate, not just total fitness gain. This study shows mobile prey selection by parasitoids favors faster energy acquisition over larger overall rewards.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Insect Behavior
Background:
- Optimal diet theory predicts prey selection based on profitability.
- Mobile prey present challenges due to increased handling time and reduced fitness gain rate.
- Previous studies have not directly compared fitness gain versus fitness gain rate in predicting forager choice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly compare fitness gain and fitness gain rate as predictors of prey choice in a forager-prey system.
- To test whether foragers prioritize maximizing overall fitness gain or the rate of fitness gain.
- To investigate the role of handling time in prey selection by mobile prey.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiments using the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani and its host Myzus persicae.
- Quantified fitness gain by measuring parasitoid life-history traits (developmental time, sex ratio, fecundity) across different host instars.
- Estimated fitness gain rate by dividing fitness gain by handling time (time to subdue host).
- Conducted host choice tests to observe parasitoid preference.
Main Results:
- Fourth instar aphids offered the greatest overall fitness gain for developing parasitoids.
- Second instar aphids were the most profitable in terms of fitness gain rate due to shorter handling times.
- Parasitoid females demonstrated a preference for second instar hosts, aligning with fitness gain rate maximization.
Conclusions:
- Fitness gain rate, rather than total fitness gain, reliably predicts the prey choice of foragers when prey mobility incurs additional time costs.
- The findings support the importance of considering time constraints in optimal foraging models.
- Aphidius colemani parasitoids prioritize efficient resource exploitation by selecting hosts that maximize their fitness gain rate.
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