Parental crowding influences life-history traits in Locusta migratoria females.
Parental environments could play an important role in controlling insect outbreaks, provided they influence changes in physiological, developmental or behavioural life-history traits related to fluctuations in population density. However, the potential implication of parental influence in density-related changes in life-history traits remains unclear in many insects that exhibit fluctuating population dynamics, particularly locusts. In this study, we report a laboratory experiment, which enabled us to characterize the life-history trait modifications induced by parental crowding of female individuals from a frequently outbreaking population of Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus) (Orthoptera: Acrididae). We found that a rearing history of crowding led to reduced female oviposition times and increased offspring size but did not affect the developmental time, survival, fecundity, and the sex-ratio and the number of offspring. Because all studied females were raised in a common environment (isolation conditions), these observed reproductive differences are due to trans-generational effects induced by density. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications of the observed density-dependent parental effects on the life-history of L. migratoria.
UMR Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations (INRA/IRD/Cirad/Montpellier SupAgro), INRA, Campus international de Baillarguet, CS 30016, F-34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France. chapuimp@supagro.inra.fr
M-P
MP
Chapuis
L
L
Crespin
A
A
Estoup
A
A
Augé-Sabatier
A
A
Foucart
M
M
Lecoq
Y
Y
Michalakis
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology; D003441:Crowding; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology; D048188:Locusta migratoria / Q000502:physiology*; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology*; D012744:Sex Ratio