Parasitism of an insect Manduca sexta L. alters feeding behaviour and nutrient utilization to influence developmental success of a parasitoid |
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Authors: | S N Thompson R A Redak |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA |
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Abstract: | The effects of macronutrient balance on nutrient intake and utilization were examined in Manduca sexta larvae parasitized by Cotesia congregata. Insects fed an artificial diet having constant total macronutrient, but with varied ratios of protein and carbohydrate,
with altered diet consumption in response to excesses and deficiencies of the individual macronutrients. Bivariate plots of
protein and carbohydrate consumption for non-parasitized larvae demonstrated a curvilinear relationship between points of
nutrient intake for the various diets, and the larvae grew best on carbohydrate-biased diets. The relationship was linear
for parasitized larvae with the growth uniform across diets. On protein-biased diets, the larvae regulated the nitrogen content,
containing similar amounts of nitrogen regardless of consumption. Efficiency of nitrogen conversion in non-parasitized larvae
was greatest on carbohydrate-biased diets, while nitrogen conversion by parasitized larvae was greatest with intermediate
nutrient ratios. Accounting for carbohydrate consumption, the lipid content decreased as dietary carbohydrate increased, but
parasitized larvae contained significantly less lipid. The total biomass of parasites developing in individual host larvae
was positively correlated with host protein consumption, but the individual parasites were similar in size. Parasitism influences
host nutrient consumption in a manner that achieves uniform host growth under diverse nutritional regimes, thereby constraining
blood nutrient concentrations within limits suitable for parasite growth and development. |
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Keywords: | Nutrient utilization Nutrition Manduca sexta Cotesia congregata Parasitism |
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