Do resource value and ownership status affect intensity and resolution of contests in a parasitoid wasp?

Biological control of bruchid beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus ( Fabricius) ( Coleoptera: Bruchidae), infesting cowpea seeds, Vigna unguiculata ( L.) Walpers ( Fabaceae), can be performed via augmentative releases of Dinarmus basalis Rondani ( Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) parasitoid wasps. Females of the latter species are therefore likely to experience intense intraspecific competition: they should encounter numerous previously parasitized hosts but also conspecific competitors, with which they may fight to secure hosts on which to lay their eggs. Such contests might therefore disrupt biological control programs. Here, we studied aggressive behavior that D. basalis females show toward conspecific competitors and subsequent host exploitation strategies. We further investigated factors that classically affect contest intensity and outcomes in animals, such as the effect of ownership status, by manipulating the residency period before the intruder's arrival. In addition, we tested the effect of the size of female reproductive tissue (measured in terms of egg load) and the quality of the habitat previously experienced by females (either rich or poor in hosts). These two factors are expected to influence the value that females place on the host and therefore the costs they are willing to pay to win it. Finally, we discussed the consequences of agonistic behaviors on females' host exploitation strategies. Our results suggest that contest competition may actually enhance host control by favoring parasitoid dispersion, rather than disrupting it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]