Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: A novel two-generation approach to the population dynamics of gregarious parasitoids Parasitoids, as important natural enemies, help maintain balance in natural ecosystems. Their population dynamics is generally predicted from the number of individuals. Here, using gregarious parasitoids as models, we show that this traditional approach omits one important parameter: the mothers manipulation of offspring fertility due to the clutch size-body size- fertility correlation. As a result of this correlation, when females deliberately adjust the number of offspring laid in a host, they determine not only the number but also the body sizes and reproductive potentials of those offspring. For the first time in the model species Anaphes flavipes, we determined the parasitoids offspring fertility from clutch size. Using this, we experimentally clarified the advantage of specific clutch size combinations and we show that identical fertility in the F1 generation can lead to distinctly different fertility values in the F2 generation. Even with the same number of hosts, lower fertility in the F1 generation can cause higher fertility in the F2 generation. Based on these results, we propose a novel two-generation approach which includes the clutch size-body size-fertility correlation. Our novel approach provides a new perspective for determining the individual fitness levels of gregarious parasitoids with new options for the modelling of parasitoid population dynamics.
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The categories of this paper are: pharmacology
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The categories of this paper are: and
2
The categories of this paper are: biology
4
The categories of this paper are: neuroscience
25
The categories of this paper are: bioengineering
3
The categories of this paper are: evolutionary
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The categories of this paper are: cancer
30
The categories of this paper are: scientific
17
The categories of this paper are: molecular
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The categories of this paper are: communication
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The categories of this paper are: biochemistry
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The categories of this paper are: education
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The categories of this paper are: physiology
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The categories of this paper are: ecology
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The categories of this paper are: synthetic
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The categories of this paper are: epidemiology