Effect of host availability on reproduction and survival of the parasitoid wasp Trichogramma minutum

Abstract.

• 1 We tested the hypothesis that females of the egg parasitoid, Trichogramma minutum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), could adjust their fecundity schedule according to host availability and that there was a negative correlation between reproduction and survival in these wasps.
• 2 Newly-emerged females were provided with an unlimited or limited number of hosts in the first trial and with either unlimited, limited or zero hosts in the second trial.
• 3 When hosts were unlimited, wasps had the highest rate of reproduction in the first day, which decreased dramatically thereafter. When hosts were limited, wasps from the two trials differed in their response. In Trial I, females with limited hosts had lower first-day fecundity than, and the same subsequent-day fecundity as, those with unlimited hosts. However, in Trial II, females with limited host had a lower first-day but a higher subsequent-day fecundity than those with unlimited hosts. This indicates variation in Trichogramma's ability to shift its fecundity schedule in response to host availability.
• 4 There was a positive (rather than a negative) correlation between reproduction and survival. Wasps that oviposited (in host-unlimited treatment) had greater longevity than those that could not (in host-unavailable treatment).
• 5 The sex ratio of the progeny produced by wasps in both host-unlimited and limited treatments shifted gradually from a female to a male bias as the wasps aged.
• 6 We consider the ability of parasitoids to adjust their fecundity schedule as an adaptation to changing host resources and discuss our findings with regard to theories of life history evolution.

     

稻螟赤眼蜂田间自然繁殖利用研究

多年调查表明,稻螟赤眼蜂是我省多择性卵寄生天敌的优势种．同时发现．稻螟蛉卵可认为是水稻上几种主要害虫天敌的天然优良寄主．由于它的被寄生率高．天敌繁殖量大．控制后继害虫的功效显,所以在水稻生产上稻螟蛉实是益大于害的．在早稻害虫防治实践中．应该减少农药使用,或避开天敌活动期和早稻前期用药．以使世代短的天敌,在近期内迅速形成庞大的种群数量。控制相继发生的二化螟、稻纵卷叶螟和稻苞虫的为害．可减少早稻用药1-2次．上述方案．无须人工生产天敌,即以田间自然繁殖保护天敌的新技术,所能达到稻田以虫治虫的功效．不亚于以往工业生产天敌的举措．实具有经济、生态和社会三方面的效益．     

Non‐target habitat exploitation by Trichogramma brassicae (Hym. Trichogrammatidae): what are the risks for endemic butterflies?

Abstract 1 Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko is inundatively released against the European corn borer in Switzerland. Because parasitoids dispersing from the release fields might pose a threat to native butterflies, the searching efficiency of T. brassicae was investigated in nontarget habitats. 2 In field studies, T. brassicae was released at rates of 120 000 females/ha. Parasitism of sentinel Ephestia kuehniella egg clusters was 1.6–3.6% in meadows and 2.0–4.0% in flower strips. The respective figures were 57.6–66.7% and 19.2–46.9% in maize, significantly higher than the parasitism rates in the nontarget habitats. Experiments carried out in small field cages confirmed these results: Again, significantly higher parasitism rates were found in maize compared to meadows and flower strips, and also compared to hedgerows (in sleeve cages). 3 To elucidate potential factors underlying the low searching efficiency in nontarget habitats, the behaviour of individual T. brassicae females was investigated on four meadow plants comparatively to maize and a filter paper control. Mean (±SE) walking speed on maize was 2.2 ± 0.2 mm/s, similar to three of the plants tested and filter paper but significantly higher than on Trifolium pratense (0.85 mm/s). A higher turning rate was found on T. pratense, Viola wittrockiana and Plantago lanceolata, in contrast to the longer leaved maize and Alopecurus pratensis. The number of wasps leaving the plant within the observation period differed significantly between plant species, and was twice as high for T. pratense (and the filter paper control) compared to the other plant species. 4 In a choice experiment carried out in a climate cabinet with all five host plant species in cages, we obtained the highest parasitism rates on maize and the lowest parasitism on T. pratense, thus confirming the behavioural observations. 5 In conclusion, there is evidence for a decreased searching efficiency on plants in nontarget habitats compared to maize. However, the data explain only part of the differences found between parasitism in maize compared to nontarget habitats. Other factors, such as the structural complexity of a habitat, may also play a role. We conclude that the risk for butterfly populations in the tested nontarget habitat due to mass released T. brassicae is low.     

Studies on Strains of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood from Different Regions of Eurasia

Strains of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) collected from six different geographical regions in Eurasia were compared in terms of their biological and morphological characteristics and electrophoretic patterns. Significant differences were observed between the strains for biological characteristics such as the proportion of female progeny, developmental period, longevity, proportion of adults emerging and fecundity. Strains from the Altai region in Russia were more fecund at all hygrothermal conditions in which they were reared (27 C, 80% relative humidity (RH); 27 C, 40% RH; 23 C, 80% RH; and 23 C, 40% RH). Poor adult emergence took place at 27 C and 40% RH in strains from Moldavia and Slovakia. Morphological examination of male antennae showed that strains from Moldavia and Slovakia had the highest ratio of the length of antennal hairs to the maximum width of flagellum. The patterns of esterases after electrophoresis indicated that strains differed in the mobility and intensity of esterase bands. Electrophoretic and morphological relationships among the strains did not correspond with their biological relationships. The possibility of the use of strains from the Altai region in Russia in biocontrol programmes in southern parts of Europe is discussed.     

人工补充寄主卵对松林内卵蜂种群消长的影响

在不同生境的松林中,人工补充寄主卵都能提高寄生效果。但林地生境不同,寄生率有明显差异。在松阔混交林中补充寄主,其寄生率比对照提高5.5—16.2倍。植被稀疏的纯松林效果较差,补充的寄生率比对照提高3.0倍。 卵蜂种群消长随季节温度而变化,全年以5月中旬至6月下旬和9月中旬至10月中旬为两个寄生高峰。卵蜂种群与松毛虫种群的消长存在较明显的相依关系,卵蜂种群随着松毛虫种群的消长而消长。施药对卵蜂种群有较大影响,施药区比对照区的寄生率约降低一倍。在混交林中填充寄主卵,能促进卵蜂种群世代延续。在逐步改善林地生境的基础上,利用人工补充寄主,可以代替人工繁蜂放蜂。     

不同释放密度和高度对稻螟赤眼蜂防控两种水稻螟虫效果的影响

稻螟赤眼蜂Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead是二化螟Chilo suppressalis(Walker)和稻纵卷叶螟Cnaphalocrocis medinalis(Guenée)的优势卵寄生蜂。为优化稻螟赤眼蜂田间释放技术,作者分别在安徽、福建和贵州进行了稻螟赤眼蜂不同释放高度和密度对防控两种水稻螟虫效果影响的田间试验。结果表明,对于防控稻纵卷叶螟,释放量一定时,赤眼蜂在稻株顶部以上5 cm高度、8点/0.07 hm 2释放密度的防治效果优于其他释放密度和高度的处理。而对于防控二化螟,不同释放高度对赤眼蜂防治效果差异不显著。     

不同温度下稻螟赤眼蜂在黏虫卵上的种群生命表

稻螟赤眼蜂Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead是水稻二化螟Chilo suppressalis(Walker)的优势卵寄生蜂。本文构建了以黏虫卵为中间寄主,稻螟赤眼蜂在20℃、25℃、30℃、33℃四个温度条件下的生命表。研究结果表明利用黏虫卵繁育稻螟赤眼蜂时,不同温度下其生长发育和繁殖均存在显著差异,雌蜂平均寿命随温度的升高呈下降趋势,在20℃条件下,雌蜂平均寿命为1.44 d,显著长于其它温度,当温度为30~33℃时,雌蜂寿命最短,平均为0.59 d。在温度为20℃和25℃时,稻螟赤眼蜂的羽化率显著高于温度较高的30℃和33℃,平均为94.73%。在25℃条件下,黏虫卵繁育的稻螟赤眼蜂的净生殖力(R 0)最大,达到31.9176,单雌寄生卵数最多,为32.88个,表现出最强的繁殖能力,而在30℃条件下,瞬时增长率r m和周限增长率λ达到最大值。综合生命表参数、单雌寄生黏虫卵数、寿命、羽化率等指标,利用黏虫卵工厂化繁殖稻螟赤眼蜂的最佳温度为25℃。本研究为利用黏虫卵大量繁殖稻螟赤眼蜂提供了有价值的参考。     

赤眼蜂分子鉴定研究进展

赤眼蜂是害虫生物防治中的重要天敌资源。该属种类繁多,已报道有200余种,其蜂种的正确鉴定与选择是影响其田间防效的重要因素。依赖雄成蜂外生殖器形态特征的传统赤眼蜂分类鉴定技术不仅对专业技术要求高、耗时费力,而且无法用于孤雌产雌品系的种类鉴定以及近缘种的区分。分子鉴定技术可以通过选择合适的分子标记,为赤眼蜂鉴定提供准确、便捷、高效的方法。本文对赤眼蜂分子鉴定中分子标记的选择及常用分子鉴定方法进行了综述,并提出了未来可能的发展方向。     

安荔赤眼蜂在中国野外首次发现及其体内Wolbachia的检测

【目的】为丰富赤眼蜂Trichogramma的种类资源,明确野外新采集的一种赤眼蜂的种类,探明该赤眼蜂所感染Wolbachia的类型。【方法】采用挂米蛾Corcyra cephalonica卵卡法在华南农业大学树木园诱集到两批赤眼蜂,通过形态鉴定和PCR扩增ITS2序列并测序分析的分子鉴定手段对野外采集的赤眼蜂材料进行种类鉴定;通过PCR扩增Wolbachia的外膜蛋白基因(wsp)序列,检测赤眼蜂体内Wolbachia的感染情况;通过PCR扩增wsp序列和多位点序列分型(multilocus sequence typing, MLST)对检测到的赤眼蜂体内的Wolbachia进行同源性分析。【结果】所诱集到的两批赤眼蜂均被鉴定为安荔赤眼蜂Trichogramma oleae Voegelé & Pointel,体内Wolbachia的感染率达100%。该Wolbachia株系与安荔赤眼蜂(前南斯拉夫品系)、短管赤眼蜂T. pretiosum(乌拉圭品系)以及T. deion(荷兰品系)体内Wolbachia亲缘关系较近,属于B超组Sib亚组,对应MLST序列型为ST486。【结论】安荔赤眼蜂T. oleae为中国野外首次发现,是完全感染Wolbachia的产雌孤雌生殖品系。本研究为害虫生物防治提供了一种新的天敌种类资源,并为进一步探明Wolbachia与赤眼蜂的互作提供了研究材料。