Ecology of Natural Enemies

Parasitoids and predators are ideal model organisms for the study of behavioral ecology. The lifetime reproductive success of a female natural enemy is dependent on her ability to locate hosts, to assess the quality of each host, and to respond to variation in encounter rates and host quality. Recent projects focus on:

• A comparative analysis of Trichogramma responses to single versus clustered host eggs
• Odor versus color as foraging cues for a predatory wasp (Mischocyttarus flavitarsis)
• The influence of egg expenditure versus host deprivation (egg storage) on the behavior of a codling moth parasitoid (Mastrus ridibundus)
• A comparison of population growth rates of a broom psyllid (Arytinnis hakani) on plants from a series of native and invasive populations of French broom

	Trichogramma platneri (photo © UC IPM Project)
	Mastrus ridibundus, an introduced parasitoid against the codling moth
	The Montpellier psyllid (Arytinnis hakani)

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