豚草条纹萤叶甲的交配和产卵行为

在我国大陆发现的豚草条纹萤叶甲Ophraella communaLeSage原产于北美洲,取食入侵生物豚草(Ambrosia artemisiifoliaL.)。通过观察该叶甲的交配和产卵行为以及两者之间的相关性,结果表明,豚草条纹萤叶甲一生多次交配,室内观察1次交配时间平均为38.2min,产卵历期平均13.2d,每雌平均产卵312.1粒;但野外产卵量高于室内,平均为553.8粒;卵多聚产在植株幼嫩叶片的背面。雌成虫平均寿命为16.0d。雌成虫随交配次数的增多,产卵量增大、产卵历期和成虫寿命延长,存在显著的直线相关性。     

广聚萤叶甲地理种群间交配选择及子代的发育表现

为探究分布于我国不同地域的广聚萤叶甲(Ophraella communa)种群之间的分化现状,本文对来自南京、长沙和福州等3个地理种群的交配选择行为及杂交后代发育表现进行了研究.结果表明,在试验观察的6 h内南京种群与福州种群间个体发生交配的概率显著低于对照(种群内雌雄个体间的交配),但南京种群与长沙种群个体间发生交配的概率与对照无显著差异;南京和福州种群的雄性与同种群雌性交配选择次数显著多于与异种群雌性交配的次数,但南京与长沙种群间个体交配的次数与对照无显著差异.3个地理种群间个体杂交后代在卵孵化率、幼虫化蛹率和成虫羽化率等发育特性上与对照(种群内个体自交)无显著差异.根据研究结果推测,广聚萤叶甲南京种群与福州种群间在个体交配行为上存在着一定程度的交配前隔离.     

Mating frequency and reproductive success in an income breeding moth,Mnesampela privata

The frequency of mating in insects is often an important determinant of female reproductive output and male sperm competition. In Lepidoptera that provide male nutrients to the female when mating, it is hypothesized that polyandry may be more prevalent. This is thought to be especially so among species described as income breeders; that is, in species who do not derive all their nutrients for reproductive output entirely from the resources obtained during the larval stage. We selected the geometrid moth, Mnesampela privata (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), to examine this hypothesis further. We found this species was best characterized as an income breeder with female weight on emergence positively correlated with total egg load but not with the number of eggs laid. Further, in accord with income breeders, females emerged with a partially developed egg load and lifetime fecundity was positively correlated with the number of oviposition days. However, in the laboratory we found that incidence of repeated matings or polyandry was rare. When moths were paired singly over their lifetime, only 4% of mated females multiple mated. When females were paired with three males concurrently, female mating success increased from 60 to 81% with multiple mating among mated females increasing to just 15%. Dissection of wild caught M. privata found that polyandry levels were also low with a maximum of 16.4% of females collected at any one time being multiple mated. In accord with theory, mating significantly increased the longevity of females, but not of males, suggesting that females acquire essential resources from male ejaculates. Despite this, multiple mated females showed a trend toward decreasing rather than increasing female reproductive output. Spermatophore size, measured on death of the female, was not correlated with male or female forewing length but was negatively correlated with the number of fertile eggs laid and female longevity. Smaller spermatophore width may be related to uptake of more nutrients by the female from a spermatophore. We discuss our findings in relation to income breeding and its relationship to polyandry in Lepidoptera.     

Seasonal changes in cold hardiness of Ophraella communa

Insects can prepare themselves to tolerate subzero temperatures through various physiological changes, such as the alteration in body water or glycerol content. Indeed, it has been hypothesized that increasing glycerol body content has the benefit of decreasing the temperature necessary to freeze their body water and therefore increasing the supercooling point (SCP) and the cold hardiness. We here studied physiological plasticity in cold tolerance in Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a potential biological control agent of an invasive plant, the common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asteraceae). Pupae of O. communa were collected from June to October, and the water and glycerol contents and the SCP of emerging adults were assessed. We found that SCP, water, and glycerol contents of beetles fluctuated significantly with season. Glycerol content of males and females increased with decreasing temperature between July and October, and glycerol content reached a maximum in October in the field. The lowest SCP was observed in adults in October prior to overwintering, and the highest SCP was evident in the summer population in July. Thus, cold hardiness of the beetles in the autumn population was significantly higher than in the summer population. We therefore conclude that cold tolerance, via changes in the relative composition of their body fluids and fats, is a plastic trait that can be influenced by fluctuations in abiotic factors (e.g., temperature) throughout the breeding season of the insect.     

Control of the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia with Ophraella communa and Epiblema strenuana

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is native to North America, and was unintentionally introduced into China in the 1930s, where it has become invasive. The two insect species Epiblema strenuana and Ophraella communa have been considered as biological control agents of A. artemisiifolia in China. The purpose of this study was to examine the control effect of O. communa + E. strenuana on A. artemisiifolia in the field. The mortality of A. artemisiifolia plants increased with time and increasing initial release densities of O. communa and/or E. strenuana in 2008 and 2009. The treatments of 0.53 O. communa + 0.53 E. strenuana per plant and 12 O. communa + 16 E. strenuana per plant at early (60–70 cm tall) and later (90–100 cm tall) growth stages could subsequently kill all plants prior to seed production in both 2008 and 2009. Thus, the two initial densities of the two insect species may be recommended when they are jointly used for biological control of A. artemisiifolia at the two growth stages. However, all or some plants could survive and bear seeds in any other treatment and in the non-treated control plots. This implies that biological control of A. artemisiifolia with the two biological control agents will be recommended in the areas invaded by A. artemisiifolia in China.     

Effect of Mating Frequency on Female Fitness in Caloglyphus Berlesei (Astigmata: Acaridae)

We studied the effect of mating frequency on female longevity and fecundity in the mite Caloglyphus berlesei. We tested the hypothesis that high promiscuity is selected for in this species because females receive nutrients during copulation. Females were constantly exposed to either one or four males and fed either a standard or poor diet. The prediction that frequent mating benefits females was not confirmed. On the contrary, females kept with four males had significantly lower longevity on both diets and on the standard diet they also had decreased fecundity compared to females exposed to one male. On the poor diet the number of males had no significant effect on fecundity. Thus, increased mating frequency had a detrimental effect on female fitness.     

Laboratory studies ofTetrastichus sokolowskii

Under laboratory conditions,Tetrastichus sokolowskii Kurdj. attacksPlutella xylostella larvae of all ages. Development time took from 13 to 19 days. The number of adult parasitoids that emerged per pupa was 8.6±0.2, of which 17.3%±1.2% were ✗. Males were smaller (1.11±0.04 mm) than ♀ ♀ (1.38±0.04 mm). About 62.7±16.9 offspring could be produced per ♀ ♀ and 48% of the eggs were laid on the 1 st day. Both sexes lived longer when fed on sugar or honey solution. When fed on honey, the longevity of ✗ ✗ and ♀ ♀ were 4.8±0.7 and 11.1±1.1 respectively. Despite multiple oviposition attacks, there was no significant difference in the number of offspring produced.      

Comparative laboratory experiment withOrius insidiosus andOrius albidipennis (Het.: anthocoridae), two candidates for biological control in glasshouses

The predatory bugsOrius insidiosus andOrius albidipennis are potential candidates for biocontrol of the thrips,Frankliniella occidentalis. Laboratory experiments showed thatO. albidipennis lays significantly more eggs thanO. insidiosus while its life cycle is shorter. As more eggs are laid byO. albidipennis in the beginning of the oviposition cycle, this anthocorid may be considered as the better biocontrol agent.     

Promiscuous mating produces offspring with higher lifetime fitness

In many species, each female pairs with a single male for the purpose of rearing offspring, but may also engage in extra-pair copulations. Despite the prevalence of such promiscuity, whether and how multiple mating benefits females remains an open question. Multiple mating is typically thought to be favoured primarily through indirect benefits (i.e. heritable effects on the fitness of offspring). This prediction has been repeatedly tested in a variety of species, but the evidence has been equivocal, perhaps because such studies have focused on pre-reproductive survival rather than lifetime fitness of offspring. Here, we show that in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), both male and female offspring produced by extra-pair fertilizations have higher lifetime reproductive success than do offspring sired within the social pair. Furthermore, adult male offspring sired via extra-pair matings are more likely to sire extra-pair offspring (EPO) themselves, suggesting that fitness benefits to males accrue primarily through enhanced mating success. By contrast, female EPO benefited primarily through enhanced fecundity. Our results provide strong support for the hypothesis that the evolution of extra-pair mating by females is favoured by indirect benefits and shows that such benefits accrue much later in the offspring's life than previously documented.     

Mating rate and fitness in female bean weevils

Females of most animal taxa mate with several males during theirlifespan. Yet our understanding of the ultimate causes of polyandryis incomplete. For example, it is not clear if and in what sensefemale mating rates are optimal. Most female insects are thoughtto maximize their fitness by mating at an intermediate rate,but it has been suggested that two alternative fitness peaksmay be observed if multiple costs and benefits interact in determiningthe relationship between mating rate and fitness. We studiedthe relationship between female fitness and mating rate in thebean weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae),a species in which several distinct direct effects of matingto females have been reported. Our results show that femalefitness, measured as lifetime offspring production, is lowestat an intermediate mating rate. We suggest that this patternis the result of multiple direct benefits to mating (e.g., spermreplenishment and hydration/nutrition effects) in combinationwith significant direct costs to mating (e.g., injury from malegenitalia). Females mating at low rates may efficiently minimizethe costs of mating, whereas females mating at high rates insteadmay maximize the benefits of mating. If common, the existenceof bimodal relationships between female mating rate and fitnessmay help explain the large intra- and interspecific variationin the degree of polyandry often seen in insects.     

The effect of mating frequency and mating pattern on female reproductive fitness in cabbage beetle,Colaphellus bowringi

It is generally thought that females can receive more of the material benefits from males by increasing mating frequency and polyandry can lead to greater reproductive success. The cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a highly promiscuous species, in which females or males can readily mate repeatedly with a given partner or multiple partners at a very high frequency. In the present study, the effect of mating frequency (number of matings) and mating pattern (polyandry vs. monogamy) on female reproductive fitness was investigated by measuring fecundity, fertility, and female longevity. The results indicated that increased female mating frequency with the same male did not result in variation in lifetime fecundity, but significantly increased fertility and decreased female longevity. Moreover, five copulations were sufficient to acquire maximal reproductive potential. Female lifetime fecundity also did not differ between polyandrous and monogamous treatments. However, monogamous females exhibited a significant increase in fertility and significant prolongation of longevity compared with polyandrous females, further demonstrating that monogamy is superior to polyandry in this beetle.     

The function of multiple mating in oviposition and egg maturation in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus

Abstract.  To comprehend the significance of multiple mating in female Callosobruchus maculatus , the material-benefits hypothesis is tested, as well as the potential function and mechanism of additional mating for females. The results show that longevity and lifetime fecundity are significantly higher in doubly-mated females, whereas females subject to an interrupted second copulation (which transfers no ejaculate) show resemblance with singly-mated females in lifetime fecundity and daily fecundity, supporting the material-benefits hypothesis. Female lifetime fecundity increases with ejaculate size in doubly-, but not singly-mated females. Doubly-mated females exhibit an immediate increase in fecundity on the day of remating. Moreover, dissection of ovaries after remating shows that the number of unlaid eggs is lower in doubly-mated females in comparison with singly-mated females, whereas the total number of unlaid and laid eggs shows no significant difference. This suggests that the second mating increases the oviposition rate, but not the egg maturation rate in female C. maculatus . Thus, ejaculate serves as a stimulus for oviposition, at least on the remating day. However, because doubly-mated females lay more eggs in total than singly-mated females, doubly-mated females appear to mature more eggs than the singly-mated counterparts. This is attributed to the 'indirect-driven' hypothesis, which states that the reduction in the number of mature eggs in the oviducts brought about by oviposition stimulates the maturation of oocytes in ovarioles to replenish the number of mature eggs.     

Effect of male and female multiple mating on the fecundity, fertility, and longevity of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.)

Abstract:  The effect of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (Lep., Plutellidae) male and female multiple mating on fecundity, fertility, and longevity was studied. Males could mate for five times with virgin females during scotophase. The successful copulation rates, fecundity of female, and longevity of both females and males decreased when male mating times increased, whereas copulation duration increased. Correlation coefficient between copulation duration and male mating times was significant ( r  = 0.7358, P = 0.0001, spearman rank-order correlation). There were linear relationships between mating history of males and longevities of males and females, and regression relationships between them were significant. Mated females had similar daily reproductive pattern, which laid the most eggs on the first day after mating in spite of their mates' mating history. Virgin females laid some infertile eggs before they died. Most of the females mated once during their lifespan but 19.9% of females mated twice when one female kept with one male during scotophase. There were no significant differences in the fecundity, fertility and longevity between the single- and twice-mated females. Correlation coefficient between copulation duration and female mating times was not significant ( r  = 0.0860, P = 0.8575). Results suggested that DBM females may be monandrous. Multiple mating did not increase male or female mating fitness.     

Material Benefits from Multiple Mating in Female Mealworm Beetles (Tenebrio molitor L.)

In yellow mealworm beetles (Tenebrio molitor), females are sexually receptive throughout their adult lives. We examined how access to mates affected female fecundity by varying the number of matings per female and quantifying cumulative egg production. Also, we dissected females at successive intervals after a single mating to assess the relationship among time since mating, sperm supplies, egg load, and oviposition rate. Females that mated at intervals greater than 2 days did not produce as many eggs as females that mated every 2 days or were allowed to mate ad libitum. Dissections showed that the amount of sperm remaining in a female spermatheca was correlated with the number of eggs she had laid recently, which suggests sperm replenishment as the material benefit gained through multiple mating. However, females mate more frequently than necessary for sperm replenishment, and therefore material benefits alone may not fully explain the continuous receptivity of T. molitor females.     

Geographical dispersion of ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) based on climatic and biological characters in the Palearctic habitats

1. The accidentally introduced ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa) is a most promising biological control agent for common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), which herbivore has already emerged in several areas of the Palearctic region.
2. The aim of our study was to model the expansion of O. communa and the number of generations in the various Palearctic regions. Furthermore, our objective was to determine the effect of the prevailing wind on the direction of its spread and to ascertain the relationship between the green biomass production of ragweed and individual numbers of this leaf beetle.
3. According to our meta-analytical findings, the advancement of O. communa is continuous in the Palearctic areas. This phytophagous insect invades new habitats, which are occupied by A. artemisiifolia, and spreads quickly. The stable populations of O. communa seem to be strictly linked to the presence of its primary host, A. artemisiifolia.
4. We show that the rapid spread of this insect is due to the combination of wind direction and topography features, which was reinforced by our analysis. O. communa possesses uniformly multivoltine populations in its Palearctic habitats. So, insects possessing facultative diapause are able to colonize northern areas depending on the presence of their host, which statement is based on the processing of 143 East- and 68 West-Palearctic records
5. According to our investigations, the mass appearance of this phytophagous insect coincided with the assimilation peak of its main host, common ragweed.

     

Strong material benefits and no longevity costs of multiple mating in an extremely polyandrous leaf beetle, Chrysochus cobaltinus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

It is well established that females of many species exhibitpolyandry. Although such behavior often increases female fitnessby augmenting fecundity or enhancing the genetic diversity andvigor of their offspring, it often reduces female longevity.It has been argued that trade-offs between these costs and benefitsshould limit the degree to which females remate. However, theexistence of highly polyandrous species suggests substantialpolyandry benefits and/or minimal costs in some systems. Femalesof the leaf beetle, Chrysochus cobaltinus, are extremely polyandrous,providing an opportunity to examine the factors influencingthe evolution of such behaviors. We compared the fecundity andlongevity of singly mated females, females that mated multipletimes with the same male, and females that mated multiple timeswith different males. Compared with females in the single matingtreatment, females in both multiple mating treatments exhibiteda significant reduction in latency to oviposition and, due toan increase in daily egg production, significant increases inlifetime fecundity. This difference diminished as the time sincelast mating increased. There were no differences in fecunditybetween the 2 multiple mating treatments, indicating that mateidentity does not influence the material benefits of multiplemating. Surprisingly, female longevity did not differ amongtreatments. The pronounced fecundity benefits that females gainfrom multiple mating, coupled with a lack of longevity costs,apparently explains the extreme polyandry in this species. Inaddition, the existence of material fitness benefits via conspecificmatings raises the intriguing possibility that in a C. cobaltinus–Chrysochusauratus hybrid zone, heterospecific matings may confer similarbenefits to Chrysochus females.     

Mating Tactics in Response to Costs Incurred by Mating with Multiple Males in Wild Female Japanese Macaques

We investigated the costs of mating with multiple males in terms of feeding time, traveling distances, sexual proceptivity, and male aggression, for wild female (Macaca fuscata yakui) on Yakushima Island, Japan. We analyzed all-day focal sampling data from 7 females during the mating season (Sept.-Nov. 1996). On days when estrous females copulated with multiple males, they decreased their feeding time to half that of anestrous days, traveled longer distances, showed more proceptive sexual behaviors and received more aggression from subordinate males than on days when they copulated with only the 1st-ranking male. On days when females copulated with only the 1st-ranking male, they showed no difference in feeding time with that of anestrous days, and expended less effort than the above mating pattern because of short traveling distances, diminished sexual proceptivity and a lower frequency of aggression received. The results suggest that the costs of estrous vary according to female sexual proceptivity and the number and social status of mating partners. Female Japanese macaques exhibit a mixed mating strategy over prolonged estrous periods, which may provide females with opportunities to maximize the benefits of copulating with multiple males and to minimize the costs of estrus by mating with only the 1st-ranking male. During an estrous cycle, females may be adjusting efforts for reproduction and survival; i.e., mating vs. feeding.     

广聚萤叶甲成虫取食经历对后续 产卵寄主选择的影响

【背景】取食经历对植食性昆虫的寄主选择行为具有较大影响,影响天敌昆虫寄主专一性测定的设计和结果解释。【方法】采用选择性试验,观察了入侵豚草的重要天敌——广聚萤叶甲成虫羽化后取食不同植物对其后续产卵寄主选择的影响。【结果】与取食豚草的试虫相比,有取食三裂叶豚草、苍耳或菊芋经历的成虫选择苍耳产卵的频次增加,不再对豚草表现出明显的选择偏好性。对产卵识别期的Cox模型分析结果表明,成虫早期取食不同植物,对后续产卵选择有显著影响,成虫羽化后如果先取食豚草或三裂叶豚草,则选择苍耳产卵的倾向显著低于豚草;但如果先取食苍耳、菊芋和农家向日葵,则选择苍耳产卵的倾向与豚草无显著差异。【结论与意义】由此推测,广聚萤叶甲初羽化成虫取食的植物对其后续产卵选择具有较大影响,因而在寄主专一性测定中应关注测试前饲喂的植物种类。     

Rapid cold-hardening response in Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.

In China, an unintentionally introduced beetle Ophraella communa shows good control efficiency against invasive common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. With the aim of understanding the capacity of O. communa to overcome sub-zero low temperature rapidly, the longevity, survival and fecundity of the beetle adults were studied at conditions of different rapid cold-hardening in the laboratory. The results showed that approximately 20% female or male individuals still survive at ?12°C for 2 h, thus the discriminating temperature for rapid cold-hardening of both female and male beetles is ?12°C. The survival, longevity and fecundity of adult beetles were significantly affected by rapid cold-hardening treatments. Compared to the control, the survival rates of adult beetles experiencing 2 h of rapid cold-hardening at 2, 5 and 8°C prior to exposure to its discriminating temperature (?12°C) were significantly increased. Adult longevity and fecundity were significantly higher after pre-treatment at 2, 5 and 8°C for 2 h than those of the control. Both longest longevity and maximum fecundity of adult beetles were observed at the rapid cold-hardening of 2°C. Our experiment implies that the cold-tolerance ability of O. communa can be rapidly increased after rapid cold-hardening treatments, which reveals an important ecological significance for population establishment and expansion of O. communa in the invaded areas of common ragweed.     

Mating in aphidophagous ladybirds: costs and benefits

Abstract:  Mating costs and benefits were studied in three aphidophagous ladybirds, viz. Cheilomenes sexmaculata , Coccinella septempunctata and Propylea dissecta by subjecting them to different numbers of matings. Longevity, fecundity and percent egg viability were regressed with number of matings to determine the costs and trade-offs, if any. Longevity decreased with increasing number of matings in both C. sexmaculata and P. dissecta indicating a cost of mating. The lack of such a cost in C. septempunctata has been ascribed to spermatophore consumption by females of this ladybird. Both fecundity and percent egg viability increased with increasing number of matings and are probably indicative of the benefits. Short-lived females distributed their reproduction uniformly in their lifetime while long-lived females showed a high burst of reproductive activity followed by a gradual decline. Percent egg viability decreased after the completion of the requisite number of matings.