size-structureofhost–parasitoid.PDFVIP

Downloaded from / on December 5, 2018 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2012) 367, 3018–3024 doi:10.1098/rstb.2012.0236 Research Potential for climate effects on the size-structure of host–parasitoid indirect interaction networks Dominic C. Henri, David Seager, Tiffany Weller and F. J. Frank van Veen* Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK Communities of insect herbivores are thought to be structured mainly by indirect processes mediated by shared natural enemies, such as apparent competition. In host–parasitoid interaction networks, overlap in natural enemy communities between any pair of host species depends on the realized niches of parasitoids, which ultimately depend on the foraging decisions of individuals. Optimal foraging theory predicts that egg-limited parasitoid females should reject small hosts in favour of future opportunities to oviposit in larger hosts, while time-limited parasitoids are expected to optimize oviposition rate regardless of host size. The degree to which parasitoids are time- or egg- limited depends in part on weather conditions, as this determines the proportion of an individual’s lifespan that is available to foraging. Using a 10-year time series of monthly quantitative host– parasitoid webs, we present evidence for host-si