Sex ratio adjustment in Asobara persimilis (Hymenoptera : Brachonidae), a parasitoid of Drosophila

Sex ratios of offspring in forty-one broods of Asobara persimilis (an hymenopteran parasitoid of Drosophila) were analysed. A single female wasp was introduced per tube of Drosophila larvae so that local mate competition would be expected to occur amongst their offspring. The parental population had...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1983-09, Vol.59 (2/3), p.402-404
Main Author: Owen, R.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
animal health
animal parasites and pests
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
arthropod pests
arthropods
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Braconidae
Drosophila
Drosophilidae
entomology
Female animals
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender bias
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Insect larvae
Male animals
Mating behavior
Parasite hosts
Parasitoids
Population genetics, reproduction patterns
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Sex ratio
Short Communications
Single status
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Summary:Sex ratios of offspring in forty-one broods of Asobara persimilis (an hymenopteran parasitoid of Drosophila) were analysed. A single female wasp was introduced per tube of Drosophila larvae so that local mate competition would be expected to occur amongst their offspring. The parental population had a sex ratio of 1:1 (87F:102M), the offspring sex ratio was 787F:296M (2.66:1) highly female biased and not significantly different from 3:1 (P>0.05). The sex ratio was approximately constant regardless of the total brood size which ranged from 5 to 100 (mean 26.2). Females were therefore able to adjust their offspring sex ratios in the predicted direction and the number of males in each brood was determined binomially.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/BF00378869