title: Parasitised caterpillars suffer reduced predation: potential implications for intra-guild predation.
abstract: Intra-guild predation (IGP) is an important phenomenon structuring ecological communities and affects the success of biological control. Here we show that parasitism by the koinobiont wasp Cotesia vestalis is associated with behavioural changes in its larval host (diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella) that reduce risk of IGP. Compared with unparasitised caterpillars, parasitised P. xylostella moved less frequently to new feeding patches on plants and were less likely to fall from the plant. Wolf spiders killed significantly fewer parasitised larvae. Reflecting their reduced movement and capacity to select plant tissue of optimal quality, parasitised caterpillars fed at a lower rate and exhibited delayed development suggesting a trade-off between IGP avoidance and nutrient intake by the host. This change in behaviour to reduce risk may cascade to the first trophic level and help explain the stability of IGP systems.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.|Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Liette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vasseur
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Min-Sheng
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Xiang
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ruo-Xue
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.|State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fuzhou, China.|Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Geoff M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Gurr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060434:Herbivory; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D009036:Moths / Q000469:parasitology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013112:Spiders; D014863:Wasps