Roles of gall morphology in determining potential fecundity and avoidance of parasitoid attack in Aphelonyx glanduliferae

Abstract

This study addresses the relationship between gall morphology and some fitness components in the agamic generation of Aphelonyx glanduliferae. Larger A. glanduliferae adults that showed higher potential fecundity developed in larger galls. No fewer than 60% of A. glanduliferae individuals were attacked by parasitoids, and cynipids in smaller galls suffered more parasitoid attacks. Thus, large galls are likely to provide considerable food resources and avoidance of parasitoid attack for A. glanduliferae. Both thickness of gall walls (barrier to the parasitoid attack) and diameter of larval chamber (open space for the cynipid larva to move away) were positively correlated with gall size. Mean gall-wall thickness was significantly larger in galls harboring a living cynipid than in those harboring a living parasitoid, but the difference in the mean larval-chamber diameter was not significant. These results suggest that gall-wall thickness plays an important role in avoiding parasitoid attacks. However, the mean ovipositor length of the abundant parasitoid species exceeded the maximum gall-wall thickness, indicating that these parasitoids are potentially able to attack large galls. The higher rate of parasitoid attack in smaller galls suggests that (1) an individual of A. glanduliferae, even if it grows in a small gall, is large enough to be a host for parasitoids, and (2) parasitoids can oviposit more easily on smaller galls of A. glanduliferae, which have thinner walls.