| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: Predators of aphids exploit ephemeral but abundant resources. Aphid colonies are ephemeral because they hardly last longer than the time it takes the consumers to develop from egg to adult. Aphid colonies are also boom and bust resources that reach high numbers before collapsing. Many predators feed on these resources when they are abundant and as a consequence there is a high risk of cannibalism and intraguild predation. These circumstances favour the evolution of an optimal strategy for oviposition based on the assessment of aphid colonies in terms of visual or chemical information, depending on the predator species. As an adaptation to the ephemeral nature of their prey colonies, female predators should only lay eggs early in the development of these colonies. They should also refrain from ovipositing in colonies where they detect information signalling the presence of competitors. This behaviour has consequences for their use in the biological control of aphids. |
