Reproductive Strategies in Parasitoids

Abstract

The vast range of fecundities found among parasitoids have fascinated biologists to look for reproductive strategies of parasitoids. In the past century or so, after it was reported that insects have great reproductive diversity, today we find the enormous work that documents such events in parasitoids, which takes us closer to understanding why such diversity exists in different parasitoids. Our understanding shows that parasitoids demonstrate significant inter- and intra-specific differences in their reproductive and related behaviour. The change in reproductive trait has been proposed for many species. For parasitoids, information of discerning aspects acting on their reproductive biology, including fecundities and their behaviour in field as a result of climate change, parthenogenesis, role of microbial symbionts, such as Wolbachia, and host of other symbionts are essential for a full indulgence of their reproductive strategy. The evidence that resource trade-offs underlie several key inter-trait correlations and that reproductive and feeding strategies are closely integrated at both physiological and behavioural levels. The co-evolution of host-parasitoid population dynamics and parasitoid community ecology are key for the progress of a prophetic science in biological control. This chapter deals with different aspects of reproductive strategies in parasitoids.