Biological control potential of Wolbachia-infected versus uninfected wasps: Laboratory and greenhouse evaluation of Trichogramma cordubensis and T. deion strains
Imms. Silva et al., Biological control potential of Wolbachia-infected versus uninfected wasps: Laboratory and greenhouse evaluation of Trichogramma cordubensis and T. deion strains, BIO SCI TEC, 10(3), 2000, pp. 223-238
The effects of thelytoky-inducing Wolbachia (alpha-proteobacteria) on Trich
ogramma cordubensis and T. deion (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) were stud
ied in laboratory and greenhouse conditions. One infected (thelytokous, all
female) line of each wasp species was compared with its conspecific uninfe
cted (arrhenotokous, sexual) counterpart for several fecundity and dispersa
l traits. Arrhenotokous lines had a higher fecundity than their thelytokous
counterparts, which suggests that Wolbachia negatively affect the fecundit
y of Trichogramma females. The arrhenotokous females dispersed more in the
laboratory than their thelytokous counterparts In the greenhouse, the oppos
ite effect or no difference between lines was found, indicating that the la
boratory set-up used to measure dispersal is not useful to predict relative
dispersal of the females in the greenhouse Calculations show that by relea
sing 100 adult wasps of both? lines, thus including arrhenotokous males in
the sexual line, more eggs are parasitized by the thelytokous wasps. Theref
ore, in spite of their lower individual female fecundity, thelytokous lines
have a better potential for biological control than their arrhenotokous co
unterparts.