title: Natal origin affects host preference and larval performance relationships in a tritrophic system.
abstract: Many insects face the challenge to select oviposition sites in heterogeneous environments where biotic and abiotic factors can change over time. One way to deal with this complexity is to use sensory experiences made during developmental stages to locate similar habitats or hosts in which larval development can be maximized. While various studies have investigated oviposition preference and larval performance relationships in insects, they have largely overlooked that sensory experiences made during the larval stage can affect such relationships. We addressed this issue by determining the role of natal experience on oviposition preference and larval performance relationships in a tritrophic system consisting ofGalerucella sagittariae,feeding on the two host plantsPotentilla palustrisandLysimachia thyrsiflora,and its larval parasitoidAsecodes lucens. We firstly determined whether differences in host-derived olfactory information could lead to divergent host selection, and secondly, whether host preference could result in higher larval performance based on the natal origin of the insects. Our results showed that the natal origin and the quality of the current host are both important aspects in oviposition preference and larval performance relationships. While we found a positive relationship between preference and performance for natalLysimachiabeetles, natalPotentillalarvae showed no such relationship and developed better onL. thyrsiflora. Additionally, the host selection by the parasitoid was mainly affected by the natal origin, while its performance was higher onLysimachialarvae. With this study, we showed that the relationship between oviposition preference and larval performance depends on the interplay between the natal origin of the female and the quality of the current host. However, without incorporating the full tritrophic context of these interactions, their implication in insect fitness and potential adaptation cannot be fully understood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0130-6485
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Verschut
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology Nature Research Centre Vilnius Lithuania.
authors.forename: Laima
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blažytė-Čereškienė
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology Nature Research Centre Vilnius Lithuania.
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Apšegaitė
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden; Laboratory of Chemical and Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology Nature Research Centre Vilnius Lithuania.
authors.forename: Raimondas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mozūraitis
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hambäck
keywords: Asecodes lucens; Galerucella sagittariae; larval performance; natal experience; oviposition preference; tritrophic interactions