Long & Medium Term Research: Foraging and Sex Allocation Behavior of an Autoparasitoid in a Spatially-Structured Environment

长期和中期研究：自寄生蜂在空间结构环境中的觅食和性别分配行为。该奖项的推荐是根据外国英才中心的长期和中期研究计划提出的。该计划旨在使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外被证明是优秀的研究机构进行长期研究。奖项提供进行联合研究的机会，并使用Unique或Comple。国外配套的设施、专业知识和实验条件。这项由David Pimentel博士发起的建议奖将支持Martha S.Hunter博士为期六个半月的博士后研究访问英国，与Silwood Park帝国学院的H.C.J.Godfray博士合作，研究在空间结构的宿主环境中寻找和性别分配行为的自寄生蜂。被称为“自寄生蜂”的寄生蜂提供了一个独特的机会来检验费舍尔(1930)关于性别比进化的理论。费舍尔的生物应该平等投资于每个性别的原则通常会导致1：1的性别比例。然而，在自寄生蜂中，雄性和雌性产卵在不同的宿主中；因此，每种性别的“成本”和预测的性别比例随着宿主环境的变化而变化。在高寄主密度下，黄蜂应限制产卵，并倾向于在不太丰富的寄主类型产卵，从而产生接近1：1的性比。在低寄主密度下，黄蜂应受寄主限制，并在遇到寄主时直接产卵，从而产生反映两种寄主类型相对丰富程度的性比。研究人员建议在空间结构的寄主环境中用自寄生蜂Encarsia tricolor测试Fisher理论的这一扩展。特别是，她将评估两种寄主类型的相对可获得性、总寄主密度和寄主种群的空间结构对性比的影响。由于性别分配是决定自寄生蜂种群动态的核心，本研究将有助于弥合性别比理论和种群动态之间的差距，并将有助于评价自寄生蜂物种作为生防剂的作用。奖励建议提供资金，酌情支付国际旅行、当地出国旅行、津贴、受抚养人津贴(如果适用)，以及为美国本土机构提供250美元的固定行政津贴。

Long & Medium-Term Research: Foraging and Sex Allocation Behavior of An Autoparasitoid in A Spatially-Structured Environment. This award recommendation is made under the Program for Long & Medium-Term Research at Foreign Centers of Excellence. The program seeks to enable U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct long-term research abroad at research institutions of proven excellence. Awards provide opportunities for the conduct of joint research, and the use of unique or comple. mentary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions in foreign countries. This award for a proposal sponsored by Dr. David Pimentel will support a six-and-one-half month-post-doctoral research visit to the United Kingdom by Dr. Martha S. Hunter to work with Dr. H.C.J. Godfray at the Imperial College at Silwood Park, on "Foraging and Sex Allocation Behavior of An Autoparasitoid in A Spatially-Structured Host Environment." Parasitic wasps called "autoparasitoids" offer a unique opportunity to test Fisher's (1930) theory on the evolution of the sex ratio. Fisher's principle that organisms should invest equally in each sex generally leads to a 1:1 sex ratio. In autoparasitoids, however, males and females are laid in different hosts; thus the "cost" of each sex and the predicted sex ratio varies with the changing host environment. At high total host densities, wasps should be egg-limited, and prefer to oviposit in the less abundant host type, thus producing a sex ratio which is close to 1:1. At low host densities, wasps should be host-limited and simply oviposit in hosts as they encounter them, thus producing a sex ratio which reflects the relative abundance of the two host types. The investigator proposes to test this extension of Fisher's theory with the autoparasitoid Encarsia tricolor in a spatially structured host environment. In particular, she will evaluate the effects of the relative availability of the two host types, total host density, and spatial structure of the host population on sex ratio. Since sex allocation is central in determining the population dynamics of autoparasi- toids, this research will help bridge the gap between sex ratio theory and population dynamics, and will contribute to evaluating autoparasitoid species as biological control agents. The award recommendation provides funds to cover, as appropriate, international travel, local travel abroad, stipend, dependents' allowance if applicable, and a flat administrative allowance of $250 for the U.S. home institution.