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Mate Discrimination in Invasive Whitefly Species

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Abstract

Mate discrimination could be critical for invasive species that need to locate rare suitable mates and avoid costs associated with misdirected courtships to establish in new environments. Here, we tested whether individuals of two invasive whitefly species in the Bemisia tabaci species complex, commonly known as the B and Q biotypes, could discriminate between potential mates based on their species and sex. Behavioral observations showed that B females were more discriminating than Q females. Males of both species were able to discriminate between mates based on their species and sex, but in general B males discriminated more effectively than Q males. By incorporating these behavioral data into a conceptual model, we show that variation in mating behavior between females of different species was a more significant factor affecting mating than variation between males. These results indicate that mate discrimination could affect interactions between whitefly species and influence a species’ ability to colonize novel environments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Dennehy for providing whitefly colonies, C. Ellers-Kirk for assistance with colony rearing, D. Byrne, J. Hardin, and M. Asplen for assistance with the experimental design, and A. Rypstra and K. Wrinn for constructive comments. Partial funding was provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (STAR Fellowship FP-91648901 to D.W.C.) and the United Stated Department of Agriculture (NRICGP grant 2007-35302-18225 to Y.C.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    David W. Crowder, Michael I. Sitvarin & Yves Carrière

  2. Department of Entomology, Washington State University, 166 FSHN Bldg., PO BOX 646382, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

    David W. Crowder

  3. Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    Michael I. Sitvarin

Authors
  1. David W. Crowder
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  2. Michael I. Sitvarin
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  3. Yves Carrière
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Correspondence to David W. Crowder.

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Crowder, D.W., Sitvarin, M.I. & Carrière, Y. Mate Discrimination in Invasive Whitefly Species. J Insect Behav 23, 364–380 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-010-9219-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-010-9219-7

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