Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr 10;9(3):20121151.
doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.1151. Print 2013 Jun 23.

Parasitoid wasps influence where aphids die via an interspecific indirect genetic effect

Mouhammad Shadi Khudr  1 , Johan A Oldekop, David M Shuker, Richard F Preziosi
Affiliations

Parasitoid wasps influence where aphids die via an interspecific indirect genetic effect

Mouhammad Shadi Khudr et al. Biol Lett. .

Abstract

Host-parasite interactions are a key paradigm for understanding the process of coevolution. Central to coevolution is how genetic variation in interacting species allows parasites to evolve manipulative strategies. However, genetic variation in the parasite may also be associated with host phenotype changes, thereby changing the selection on both species. For instance, parasites often induce changes in the behaviour of their host to maximize their own fitness, yet the quantitative genetic basis for behavioural manipulation has not been fully demonstrated. Here, we show that the genotype of the parasitoid wasp Aphidius ervi has a significant effect on where its aphid host Acyrthosiphon pisum moves to die following parasitism, including the likelihood that the aphid abandons the plant. These results provide a clear example of an interspecific indirect genetic effect whereby the genetics of one species influences the expression of a specific behavioural trait in another.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The proportion of mummified aphids on and off the plant for each wasp sire family.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The proportion mummified aphids on each third of the plant for each wasp sire family.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Moore J. 2002. Parasites and the behavior of animals. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
    1. Poulin R. 2006. Evolutionary ecology of parasites. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
    1. Thomas F, Brodeur J, Maure F, Franceschi N, Blanchet S, Rigaud T. 2011. Intraspecific variability in host manipulation by parasites . Infect. Genet. Evol. 11, 262–269 10.1016/j.meegid.2010.12.013 (doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2010.12.013) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hammerschmidt K, Koch K, Milinski M, Chub JC, Parker GA. 2009. When to go: optimization of host switching in parasites with complex life cycles. Evolution 63, 1976–1986 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00687.x (doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00687.x) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levri EP. 1998. The influence of non-host predators on parasite-induced behavioral changes in a freshwater snail. Oikos 81, 531–537 10.2307/3546773 (doi:10.2307/3546773) - DOI

Publication types