The use of alternative hosts imposes divergent selection pressures on parasitoid populations. In response to selective pressures, these populations may follow different evolutionary trajectories. Divergent natural selection could promote local host adaptation in populations, translating into direct benefits for biological control, thereby increasing their effectiveness on the target host. Alter...

BACKGROUND Parasitoids are frequently used in biological control due to the fact that they are considered host specific and highly efficient at attacking their hosts. As they spend a significant part of their life cycle within their hosts, feeding habits and life history of their host can promote specialization via host-race formation (sequential radiation). The specialized host races from diff...

aLaboratório de Entomologia Aplicada – LEA, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar, Rodovia Washington Luis, Km 235, s/n, CP 676, CEP 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil bLaboratório de Biodiversidade de Insetos – LABI, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírit...

in the current study some information is presented about the distribution and associations between alfalfa aphids and their parasitoids in different regions in 11 provinces of iran, as well as an identification key to the parasitoids. the main aphids were therioaphis trifolii maculata (buckton) and acyrthosiphon pisum (harris) followed by aphis craccivora koch and acyrthosiphon kondoi shinji. t...

The nectar provision hypothesis predicts that the introduction of nectar-producing plants in agroecosystems benefits parasitoid populations field and enhances biological control. Intercropping is a common crop diversification scheme may bring complementary sources for parasitoids increase herbivore pest For instance, intercropping cereals with faba beans introduces usually sugar-devoid systems ...