title: The effect of host nutritional quality on multiple components of Trichogramma brassicae fitness.
abstract: For parasitoids, the host represents the sole source of nutrients for the developing immature. Subsequently, host quality is an important factor affecting immature development and the resulting fitness of the emerging parasitoid, with impacts on fecundity, longevity and offspring sex ratio. Host age is an integral component of host quality and a key factor in host selection by the female parasitoid. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of decreasing host quality (determined by increasing host age) on adult life history traits (size, wing loading, longevity, and fecundity) and nutritional reserves (protein, lipid and glycogen concentrations) of the parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae. Higher quality hosts resulted in the production of larger offspring with increased resource reserves and enhanced mobility. One-day-old eggs contained significantly more protein and triglyceride than 25- and 45-day-old eggs. Quality of host and fitness of reared wasps decreased due to host aging. Parasitoids reared on 1-day-old hosts were larger, with greater fecundity and longevity, a reduced wind loading index, and produced a higher proportion of female offspring when compared with those reared on 25- and 45-day-old hosts. In addition, wasps reared on 1-day-old hosts contained higher energy resources, as determined by triglyceride, glycogen and protein reserves, which are essential to successful offspring production. One-day-old hosts can therefore be considered as the best age for producing wasps with greater fitness, since they contain the highest amount of protein, glycogen, and triglyceride. This has implications for the mass rearing of T. brassicae and enhancing the efficacy of this biological control agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection,Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources,University of Tehran,Karaj,Iran.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kishani Farahani
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection,Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources,University of Tehran,Karaj,Iran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ashouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection,Faculty of Agricultural Sciences,University of Guilan,Rasht,Iran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zibaee
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection,Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources,University of Tehran,Karaj,Iran.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abroon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular,Cell and Systems Biology,College of Medical,Veterinary and Life Sciences,University of Glasgow,Davidson Building,Glasgow G12 8QQ,UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013997:Time Factors; D014863:Wasps / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000502:physiology
keywords: developmental requirements; energy reserves; fecundity; glycogen; life history trait; protein; triglyceride