title: Diversity, population structure, and individual behaviour of parasitoids as seen using molecular markers.
abstract: Parasitoids have long been models for host-parasite interactions, and are important in biological control. Neutral molecular markers have become increasingly accessible tools, revealing previously unknown parasitoid diversity. Thus, insect communities are now seen as more speciose. They have also been found to be more complex, based on trophic links detected using bits of parasitoid DNA in hosts, and host DNA in adult parasitoids. At the population level molecular markers are used to determine the influence of factors such as host dynamics on parasitoid population structure. Finally, at the individual level, they are used to identify movement of individuals. Overall molecular markers greatly increase the value of parasitoid samples collected, for both basic and applied research, at all levels of study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland; Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Comstock Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: saskya.vannouhuys@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Saskya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Nouhuys
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D044822:Biodiversity; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D010271:Parasites / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers