Impact of intraguild predation on parasitoid foraging behaviour

Abstract

1. Trophic interactions between predators and parasitoids can be described as intraguild predation (IGP) and are often asymmetric. Parasitoids (typically the IG prey) may respond to the threat of IGP by mitigating the predation risk for their offspring.2. We used a system with a facultative predatorMacrolophus caliginosus, the parasitoidAphidius colemani, and their shared prey, the aphidMyzus persicae. We examined the functional responses of the parasitoid in the presence/absence of the predator on two host plants (aubergine and sweet pepper) with differing IGP risk.3. Estimated model parameters such as parasitoid handling time increased on both plants where the predator was present, but impact of the predator varied with plant species. The predator, which could feed herbivorously on aubergine, had a reduced impact on parasitoid foraging on that plant. IG predator presence could reduce the searching effort of the IG prey depending on the plant, and on likely predation risk.4. The results are discussed with regard to individual parasitoid's foraging behaviour and population stability; it is suggested that the presence of the predator can contribute to the stabilisation of host–parasitoid dynamics