Inbreeding effects on Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Wilmar E. Morjan, John J. Obrycki, Elliot S. Krafsur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Up to 5 successive inbred generations were produced, through sibling mating, from 64 parental (P0) pairs of Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) collected from 3 locations in the northeastern United States. The percentage of P0 females ovipositing >5 eggs was 62.5% compared with a mean of 43% for inbred generations F1 to F4. The percentage of intercross (F2 to F4) females producing >5 eggs was 61 ± 16% (mean ± SE), showing a restoration of fecundity. Egg hatch decreased from 84 ± 9% in the P0 to 4 ± 7% in the F4. Preimaginal developmental time among inbreds increased from 17 d in the F1 to >19 d in the F4. First instar to adult survivorship among inbreds decreased from 96.6 ± 0.9% in the F1 to 37.6 ± 3.7% in the F4. In contrast to the inbreds, mean survivorship in the intercross generations was 85 ± 11%, showing a restoration of viability. No effect of inbreeding on body size was detected. The high sensitivity to inbreeding in P. quatuordecimpunctata probably is caused by a high frequency of partially recessive deleterious alleles and overdominant loci.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)260-268
Number of pages9
JournalAnnals of the Entomological Society of America
Volume92
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1999

Keywords

  • Biological control
  • Body size
  • Fitness traits
  • Inbreeding depression
  • Ladybeetles
  • Propylea quatuordecimpunctata

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Insect Science

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