Coordinated molecular and ecological adaptations underlie a highly successful parasitoid

The success of an organism depends on the molecular and ecological adaptations that promote its beneficial fitness. Parasitoids are valuable biocontrol agents for successfully managing agricultural pests, and they have evolved diversified strategies to adapt to both the physiological condition of hosts and the competition of other parasitoids. Here, we deconstructed the parasitic strategies in a highly successful parasitoid, Trichopria drosophilae, which parasitizes a broad range of Drosophila hosts, including the globally invasive species D. suzukii. We found that T. drosophilae had developed specialized venom proteins that arrest host development to obtain more nutrients via secreting tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), as well as a unique type of cell-teratocytes-that digest host tissues for feeding by releasing trypsin proteins. In addition to the molecular adaptations that optimize nutritional uptake, this pupal parasitoid has evolved ecologically adaptive strategies including the conditional tolerance of intraspecific competition to enhance parasitic success in older hosts and the obligate avoidance of interspecific competition with larval parasitoids. Our study not only demystifies how parasitoids weaponize themselves to colonize formidable hosts but also provided empirical evidence of the intricate coordination between the molecular and ecological adaptations that drive evolutionary success.

Why do predators attack parasitized prey? Insights from a probabilistic model and a literature survey

Predators and parasitoids often encounter parasitized prey or hosts during foraging. While the outcomes of such encounters have been extensively studied for insect parasitoids, the consequences of a predator encountering parasitized prey have received less attention. One extreme example involves the potter wasp Delta dimidiatipenne that frequently provision their nest with parasitized caterpillars, despite the low suitability of this prey for consumption by their offspring. This raises two main questions: (1) why do female potter wasps continue collecting parasitized caterpillars? and (2) is this an exceptional example, or do predatory insects often suffer from fitness costs due to encounters with parasitized prey? We addressed the first question using a probabilistic mathematical model predicting the value of discrimination between parasitized and unparasitized prey for the potter wasp, and the second question by surveying the literature for examples in which the parasitism status of prey affected prey susceptibility, suitability, or prey choice by a predator. The model demonstrates that only under certain conditions is discrimination against parasitized prey beneficial in terms of the potter wasp's lifetime reproductive success. The literature survey suggests that the occurrence of encounters and consumption of parasitized prey is common, but the overall consequences of such interactions have rarely been quantified. We conclude that the profitability and ability of a predator to discriminate against parasitized prey under natural conditions may be limited and call for additional studies quantifying the outcome of such interactions.

The combined effect of host and food availability on optimized parasitoid life-history traits based on a three-dimensional trade-off surface

The reproductive success of many insects is considered to be limited by two main factors: the availability of mature eggs to lay (termed egg limitation) and the time to locate suitable hosts (termed time limitation). High host density in the environment is likely to enhance oviposition opportunities, thereby selecting for higher investment in egg supply. In contrast, a shortage of food (e.g. sugar sources) is likely to increase the risk of time limitation, thereby selecting for higher allocation to initial energy reserves. To our knowledge, the combined effect of host and food availability on these optimal life-history allocations has never been investigated. We thus modelled their simultaneous effects on a three-dimensional trade-off between initial investment in energy reserves, egg number and egg size, while focusing on insect parasitoids. The model was based on Monte Carlo simulations coupled with genetic algorithms, in order to identify the optimal life-history traits of a single simulated parasitoid female in an environment in which both hosts and food are present in varying densities. Our results reproduced the simple predictions described above. However, some novel predictions were also obtained, especially when specific interactions between the different factors were examined and their effects on the three-dimensional life-history surface were considered. The work sheds light on long-lasting debates regarding the relative importance of time versus egg limitation in determining insect life-history traits and highlights the complexity of life-history evolution, where several environmental factors act simultaneously on multiple traits.

Host population density and presence of predators as key factors influencing the number of gregarious parasitoid Anaphes flavipes offspring

The number of parasitoids developed per host is one of the major factors that influences future adult body size and reproductive success. Here, we examined four external factors (host species, heritability, host population density, and presence of predators) that can affect the number of the gregarious parasitoid Anaphes flavipes (Förster, 1841) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) wasps developing in one host. The effect of host population density on the number of parasitoid offspring developed per host was confirmed, and for the first time, we also showed that the number of offspring per host is influenced by the presence of predators. Low host density and presence of predators increases the number of wasps developed in one host egg. However, a higher number of A. flavipes in one host reduces A. flavipes body size and hence its future individual fertility and fitness. Our results highlighted the importance of some external factors that distinctly affect the number of wasp offspring. Therefore, in this context, we suggest that in comparison to solitary parasitoids, the gregarious parasitoid A. flavipes can better respond to various external factors and can more flexibly change its population density.

Factors shaping life history traits of two proovigenic parasitoids

What shapes the relative investment in reproduction versus survival of organisms is among the key questions in life history. Proovigenic insects mature all their eggs prior to emergence and are short lived, providing a unique opportunity to quantify their lifetime investments in the different functions. We investigated the initial eggloads and longevity of 2 proovigenic parasitoid wasps: Anagrus erythroneurae and Anagrus daanei, (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) that develop within leafhopper eggs in both agricultural vineyards and natural riparian habitats in Northern California. We collected Vitis spp. leaves containing developing parasitoids from 3 natural sites (Knight Landing, American River and Putah Creek) and 3 agricultural vineyards (Solano Farm, Davis Campus and Village Homes). We recorded eggloads at parasitoid emergence and female parasitoid longevity with or without honey-feeding. Theory predicts that parasitoids from vineyards (where hosts are abundant) would have higher initial eggloads and lower longevity compared with parasitoids from riparian habitats (where hosts are scarce). Although host density and parasitoid eggloads were, indeed, higher in vineyards than in riparian habitats, parasitoid longevity did not follow the predicted pattern. Longevity without feeding differed among field sites, but it was not affected by habitat type (natural vs agricultural), whereas longevity with feeding was not significantly affected by any of the examined factors. Moreover, longevity was positively, rather than negatively, correlated with eggloads at the individual level, even after correcting for parasitoid body size. The combined results suggest a more complex allocation mechanism than initially predicted, and the possibility of variation in host quality that is independent of size.

Response of parasitoid egg load to host dynamics and implications for egg load evolution

A theoretical debate about whether parasitoids should be time or egg limited now recognizes both as feasible, and interest has turned to determining the circumstances under which each might arise in the field, and their implications for parasitoid behaviour and evolution. Egg loads of parasitoids sampled from the field are predicted to show a negative response to host availability, but empirical support for this relationship is scarce. We measured how a parasitoid's egg load responded to seasonal fluctuations in host population density and recorded the predicted correlation. In early summer, parasitoids were at high risk of time limitation due to low host availability, and in late summer, their offspring were at greater risk of egg limitation due to high host availability. Despite clear seasonal changes in selection pressures on egg load and lifespan, the parasitoid showed no evidence of seasonal variation in its reproductive strategy. We made minor modifications to a previously published model to explore the effects of seasonal variation in host availability on optimal investments in eggs and lifespan and obtained several new results. In particular, under circumstances analogous to some of those observed in our field study, temporal stochasticity in reproductive opportunities can cause investments in eggs to increase, rather than decrease as previously predicted. Our model results helped to explain the parasitoid's lack of a seasonally varying reproductive strategy. Understanding the evolution of parasitoid egg load would benefit from a shift of research emphasis from purely stochastic variation in parasitoid reproductive opportunities to greater consideration of host dynamics.

The effect of Wolbachia on the lifetime reproductive success of its insect host in the field

Wolbachia is a widespread endosymbiont that induces dramatic manipulations of its host's reproduction. Although there has been substantial progress in the developing theory for Wolbachia-host interactions and in measuring the effects of Wolbachia on host fitness in the laboratory, there is a widely recognized need to quantify the effects of Wolbachia on the host fitness in the field. The wasp Anagrus sophiae, an egg parasitoid of planthoppers, carries a Wolbachia strain that induces parthenogenesis, but its effects on the fitness of its Anagrus host are unknown. We developed a method to estimate the realized lifetime reproductive success of female wasps by collecting them soon after they die naturally in the field, counting the number of eggs remaining in their ovaries and quantifying Wolbachia density in their body. We sampled from a highly infected A. sophiae population and found no evidence for Wolbachia virulence and possible evidence for positive effects of Wolbachia on realized reproductive success.