Egg collection for Nasonia (parasitoid wasp).
Nasonia is a complex of four closely related species of wasps with several features that make it an excellent system for a variety of genetic studies. These include a short generation time, ease of rearing, interfertile species, visible and molecular markers, and a sequenced genome. Furthermore, its parasitoid lifestyle allows investigations of questions relating to parasitoid/host dynamics, host preference, and specialist versus generalist biology. It also can serve as a behavior model for studies of courtship, male aggression and territoriality, female dispersal, and sex ratio control. This protocol describes methods to count and/or collect Nasonia eggs. Fly hosts are placed in a foam plug such that only one oviposition site is available to the female wasp.
Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. werr@mail.rochester.edu
John H
JH
Werren
David W
DW
Loehlin
D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology / Q000379:methods; D004531:Eggs; D005260:Female; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D016678:Genome; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010058:Oviposition / Q000235:genetics*; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*