Genetic variation in adaptation to foodplants among populations of the southern cowpea weevil,Callosobruchus maculatus: Evolution of oviposition preference

A survey of 22 strains ofCallosobruchus maculatus associated with six different leguminous hosts indicates extensive genetic differentiation for oviposition preference. Female behavior suggests the existence of two distinct host preference groups among the nine oviposition substrates tested. Strains associated with plants in these two groups show distinct preference profiles. Genetic differentiation of oviposition preference is due to evolutionary modification of the threshold of acceptance of host plants, not to alteration of the preference hierarchy. From principal components analysis of these results, it is likely that very few independent plant traits govern oviposition preference.

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Variabilitégénétique de l'adaptation aux plantes a l'intérieur des populations de Collosobruchus maculatus: Évolution de la selection du lieu de ponte

Résumé Vingt-deux lignées deC. maculatus Fab., liées à 6 plantes-hôtes, ont été examinées quant à leurs préférences — sans choix—parmi les graines de 9 légumineuses. Ces préférences se sont révél'ees semblables à celles observées lors de choix binaires; 3 paramètres ont donné les mêmes résultats: nombre moyen d'oeufs pondus par l'ensemble des femelles, nombre moyen d'oeufs émis par l'ensemble de celles acceptant la plante, fréquence des femelles acceptant la plante.L'analyse en composantes principales des préférences pour les 9 plantes a révélé que la majorité des mesures se situe sur les 2 premiers axes, qui ont rendu compte de 89% de la variation. Les performances des lignées sur le premier axe suggèrent qu'il s'agit d'un critère général de préférence. La classification automatique des plantes a montré un aspect général semblable à celui des composantes principales. Par ces 2 méthodes, les plantes ne se sont pas classées nettement selon leurs affinités taxonomiques.Bien que la classification automatique n'ait pas mis en évidence une similarité de comportement chez les insectes liés au même hôte, ceci était apparemment le cas. Les lignées liées à des hôtes présentant de fortes — ou à l'opoosé — de faibles préférences, ont montré différents seuils d'acceptation pour les 9 substrats de ponte. A l'opposé, il n'y a aucune preuve d'altération évolutive de la hiérarchie de préférences. On en a déduit que ces insectes étaient motivés par un petit nombre de stimulus, tels que les allélochimiques et al texture de tégument, pour déceler l'adéquation des substrats potentiels. (La microscopie électronique a suggéré une corrélation entre la texture du tégument et la hiérarchie des préférences de ces populations). La confiance dans les stimulus recueillis contribue à limiter les stratégies évolutives disponibles pour la population. A partir de là, la sélection en faveur —ou contre — des plantes, à l'origine, faiblement préférées, peut conduire, dans la niche de ponte, à l'incorporation — ou à l'exclusion — d'un groupe d'espèces taxonomiquemment éloignées, mais phénétiquement semblables. La probabilité d'altérations importantes de la hiérarchie des préférences paraît extrémement faible.

     

Egg laying decisions by the bean weevil Callosobruchus maculatus

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Previous work has shown that female Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) can accurately assess the number of eggs on a seed and use this information to produce a near uniform distribution of egg-loads, so minimizing larval competition within hosts.
• 2 The decision to lay on a particular seed may be based on one of two possible rules: (i) a‘relative’rule, which compares the number of eggs on the present seed with that on previously encountered seeds; and (ii) an‘absolute’rule, which takes into account the current egg-load alone.
• 3 This paper describes an experimental study of oviposition behaviour which concludes that an absolute measure of egg-load probably determines egg-laying decisions. The implications of this result are discussed.

     

Factors affecting egg maturation in the bean weevil Callosobruchus maculatus

Abstract. This paper concerns the effects of mate and seed availability on the rate of egg maturation in the bean weevil Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). Egg maturation starts before emergence from the seed and, provided that both oviposition sites and mates are available, eggs are laid at a rate determined by the number of oviposition sites, and mature at a similar rate. If seeds or mates are absent then a small number of eggs are laid, but oocytes continue to mature until the oviduct-capacity is approached. The number of eggs that a female can store is dependent on her body weight and does not correlate with the number of ovarioles. If, after a period in which oocyte development has been halted, conditions for egg-laying become suitable, then egg maturation can be re-started, but only after the oviducts have been emptied of eggs. The rate of egg maturation is then similar to that for females of the same age which have been maturing eggs since emergence.     

Interspecific competition betweenEupelmus vuilleti andDinarmus basalis, two solitary ectoparasitoids ofBruchidae larvae and pupae

Coexistence of two solitary ectoparasitoids of bruchids may be the result of counter-balanced competition. Some strategies in interspecific competition at the extrinsic level of female behaviour are identified.Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hymenoptera; Pteromalidae) has adapted an evasion strategy to avoid competition. Females ofD. basalis show interspecific discrimination against hosts parasitized byEupelmus vuilleti Crawford (Hymenoptera; Eupelmidae) and lay fewer eggs in the presence of females or hosts parasitized by the latter.Eupelmus vuilleti has adapted an aggressive strategy. In contrast toD. basalis, E. vuilleti concentrates her ovipositions on hosts already parasitized byD. basalis. Females ofE. vuilleti preferably use oviposition holes made by other parasitoids, and are able to kill eggs and larvae ofD. basalis selectively by thrusts of their ovipositor (ovicide and larvicide). Furthermore,E. vuilleti can act as a facultative hyperparasitoid on older larvae ofD. basalis. The number ofE. vuilleti offspring is not affected by the presence ofD. basalis on a host. Our study does not provide insight in the process of larval competition.

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Résumé La coexistence de deux ectoparasito?des solitaires de Bruchidés peut resulter de compétition contrebalancée (Zw?lfer, 1971). Quelques stratégies en situation de compétition interspécifique ont été indentifiées au niveau (extrinsèque) du comportement de femelles.Dinarmus basalis (Rondani) (Hymenoptera; Pteromalidae) a développé une stratégie d'évitement de la compétition. Les femelles deD. basalis montrent une capacité à reconna?tre les h?tes parasités parEupelmus vuilleti Crawford (Hymenoptera; Eupelmidae), et pondent moins d'œufs en présence des femelles d'E. vuilleti ou des h?tes parsités par cette espèce.Eupelmus vuilleti a adapté une stratégie aggressive. Au contraire deD. basalis, E. vuilleti concentre sa ponte sur les h?tes déjà parasités parD. basalis. Les femelles d'E. vuilleti utilisent préférentiellement les orifices de ponte pratiqués par les autres parasito?des. Elles sont alors capables de tuer grace à l'ovipositeur les œufs et les larves deD. basalis (ovicide et larvicide). De plus,E. vuilleti est capable d'hyperparasiter les larves de dernier stade deD. basalis. Le nombre de descendants d'E. vuilleti n'est pas affecté par la présence deD. basalis sur un h?te. Notre étude expérimentale n'a pas permis l'étude du mécanisme de la compétition larvaire.

     

中国多斑按蚊类群小记（双翅目：蚊科）

多斑按蚊Anopheles maculatus(Theobald)(s.l.)广布于我国北纬34°以南地区,过去都视作单一蚊种。根据近年的研究,它实际是包含若干亲缘种的种团。为此,我们检视了本单位收藏的标名为多斑按蚊的标本,发现有本种团的以下5种,多斑按蚊(s.s.)伪威氏按蚊pseudowillmori、塞沃按蚊sawadwonaporni、达罗毗按蚊dravidicus和威氏按蚊willmori,后两种为我国的新记录。 本文附有上述5种雌蚊的检索表。     

Evolution of larval competitiveness and associated life‐history traits in response to host shifts in a seed beetle

Resource competition is frequently strong among parasites that feed within small discrete resource patches, such as seeds or fruits. The properties of a host can influence the behavioural, morphological and life‐history traits of associated parasites, including traits that mediate competition within the host. For seed parasites, host size may be an especially important determinant of competitive ability. Using the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, we performed replicated, reciprocal host shifts to examine the role of seed size in determining larval competitiveness and associated traits. Populations ancestrally associated with either a small host (mung bean) or a large one (cowpea) were switched to each other's host for 36 generations. Compared to control lines (those remaining on the ancestral host), lines switched from the small host to the large host evolved greater tolerance of co‐occurring larvae within seeds (indicated by an increase in the frequency of small seeds yielding two adults), smaller egg size and higher fecundity. Each change occurred in the direction predicted by the traits of populations already adapted to cowpea. However, we did not observe the expected decline in adult mass following the shift to the larger host. Moreover, lines switched from the large host (cowpea) to the small host (mung bean) did not evolve the predicted increase in larval competitiveness or egg size, but did exhibit the predicted increase in body mass. Our results thus provide mixed support for the hypothesis that host size determines the evolution of competition‐related traits of seed beetles. Evolutionary responses to the two host shifts were consistent among replicate lines, but the evolution of larval competition was asymmetric, with larval competitiveness evolving as predicted in one direction of host shift, but not the reverse. Nevertheless, our results indicate that switching hosts is sufficient to produce repeatable and rapid changes in the competition strategy and fitness‐related traits of insect populations.     

Egg-limited functional response of Uscana lariophaga, egg parasitoid of bruchid beetle pests in stored cowpea

The functional response of the egg parasitoid Uscana lariophaga Steffan (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to eggs of its host Callosobruchus maculatus Fab. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) was investigated in storage containers filled with a cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) seed mass. Foraging time was limited to 4 or 24 h. These indirect experiments were supplemented by direct observations of the parasitoid's handling time, egg-laying capacity and initial egg load. The foraging process of U. lariophaga can be divided into two distinct stages: the process leading to detection of host clusters and, after arrival within a host cluster, the response of the parasitoid to the host density within the cluster. The chance that a cluster is found by U. lariophaga appeared independent of the number of host eggs per cluster, but was influenced by the available foraging time. Within a host cluster, U. lariophaga demonstrated a Holling II type functional response. Parasitoids were strongly arrested in host clusters, leading to high levels of parasitism. Direct observations proved that handling time was not a limiting factor, but that U. lariophaga's initial egg load and egg maturation rate limited the plateau level of her functional response. As such, direct observations were essential for a correct interpretation of the mechanisms underlying the shape of the functional response.     

Phenotypic plasticity in a complex world: interactive effects of food and temperature on fitness components of a seed beetle

Most studies of phenotypic plasticity investigate the effects of an individual environmental factor on organism phenotypes. However, organisms exist in an ecologically complex world where multiple environmental factors can interact to affect growth, development and life histories. Here, using a multifactorial experimental design, we examine the separate and interactive effects of two environmental factors, rearing host species (Vigna radiata, Vigna angularis and Vigna unguiculata) and temperature (20, 25, 30 and 35°C), on growth and life history traits in two populations [Burkina Faso (BF) and South India (SI)] of the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus. The two study populations of beetles responded differently to both rearing host and temperature. We also found a significant interaction between rearing host and temperature for body size, growth rate and female lifetime fecundity but not larval development time or larval survivorship. The interaction was most apparent for growth rate; the variance in growth rate among hosts increased with increasing temperature. However, the details of host differences differed between our two study populations; the degree to which V. unguiculata was a better host than V. angularis or V. radiata increased at higher temperatures for BF beetles, whereas the degree to which V. unguiculata was the worst host increased at higher temperatures for SI beetles. We also found that the heritabilities of body mass, growth rate and fecundity were similar among rearing hosts and temperatures, and that the cross-temperature genetic correlation was not affected by rearing host, suggesting that genetic architecture is generally stable across rearing conditions. The most important finding of our study is that multiple environmental factors can interact to affect organism growth, but the degree of interaction, and thus the degree of complexity of phenotypic plasticity, varies among traits and between populations.     

Vertical habitat shift of viviparous and oviparous deep‐sea cusk eels revealed by otolith microstructure and stable‐isotope composition

Otolith stable‐oxygen‐isotope composition and microstructure were analysed in order to investigate the vertical habitat shift of deep‐sea cusk eels (Ophidiiformes). Otolith δ¹⁸O profiles suggested that both viviparous blind cusk eels and oviparous cusk eels experienced a pelagic larval stage and then settled to the deep‐sea floor over a vertical distance that ranged among individuals from 200 to >1000 m. This result shows that the larvae of viviparous Barathronus maculatus undertake an ontogenetic vertical migration after a period of larval drift that may facilitate their wide distribution on the sea floor.     

A comparison of nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic effects on sperm competitiveness and female remating in a seed beetle

It is widely assumed that male sperm competitiveness evolves adaptively. However, recent studies have found a cytoplasmic genetic component to phenotypic variation in some sperm traits presumed important in sperm competition. As cytoplasmic genes are maternally transmitted, they cannot respond to selection on sperm and this constraint may affect the scope in which sperm competitiveness can evolve adaptively. We examined nuclear and cytoplasmic genetic contributions to sperm competitiveness, using populations of Callosobruchus maculatus carrying orthogonal combinations of nuclear and cytoplasmic lineages. Our design also enabled us to examine genetic contributions to female remating. We found that sperm competitiveness and remating are primarily encoded by nuclear genes. In particular, a male's sperm competitiveness phenotype was contingent on an interaction between the competing male genotypes. Furthermore, cytoplasmic effects were detected on remating but not sperm competitiveness, suggesting that cytoplasmic genes do not generally play a profound evolutionary role in sperm competition.