Stronger antipredator responses of ovipositing females to olfactory cues from injured conspecifics of a vulnerable life stage: A case study in a predatory mite-spider mite system

Stronger antipredator responses of ovipositing females to olfactory cues from injured conspecifics of a vulnerable life stage: A case study in a predatory mite-spider mite system | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 25 June 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Stronger antipredator responses of ovipositing females to olfactory cues from injured conspecifics of a vulnerable life stage: A case study in a predatory mite-spider mite system Authors : Resona Simkhada , Jhaman Kundun 0009-0007-8349-1931 , Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva , and Xiong Zhao He 0000-0003-3956-4498 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175086741.14962346/v1 205 views 78 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Predation risk is one of the evolutionary forces shaping prey behaviours and life-history strategies across taxa. Predators often target vulnerable life stages of prey, but how prey females adjust their reproductive strategies in response to cues from injured conspecifics of these stages remains unclear. Using the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and its prey, the spider mite Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae), we first confirmed that P. persimilis significantly preferred T. ludeni eggs for feeding, indicating their higher vulnerability to predation compared to deutonymphs and adults. We then tested whether ovipositing T. ludeni females adjusted their reproductive performances and survival when exposed to olfactory cues from injured conspecific eggs, deutonymphs, or adults. Females responded most strongly to olfactory cues from injured eggs, reducing fecundity by 47.6–54.6% and producing smaller eggs, but without trading off longevity. Additionally, they altered offspring sex ratios, producing more dispersing daughters by fertilizing more smaller eggs when exposed to injured adult cues, an evolved strategy to escape from the risky environments. In contrast, egg hatching and immature survival were unaffected by conspecific cues. Our results demonstrate that T. ludeni females may discriminate among cues from injured conspecifics of different life stages, with the strongest vigilance elicited by cues from the most vulnerable stage (i.e., eggs). This study highlights the role of indirect, life stage-specific cues in shaping antipredator strategies, and suggests that non-consumptive effects of predation risk could influence prey population dynamics in ways beyond direct predation. Supplementary Material File (oik-11799-file001.docx) Download 122.68 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 25 June 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords life stage-specific vulnerability non-consumption effect olfactory cue predatory mite spider mite vigilance Authors Affiliations Resona Simkhada Massey University View all articles by this author Jhaman Kundun 0009-0007-8349-1931 Massey University View all articles by this author Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva Massey University View all articles by this author Xiong Zhao He 0000-0003-3956-4498 [email protected] Massey University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 205 views 78 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Resona Simkhada, Jhaman Kundun, Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva, et al. Stronger antipredator responses of ovipositing females to olfactory cues from injured conspecifics of a vulnerable life stage: A case study in a predatory mite-spider mite system. Authorea . 25 June 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175086741.14962346/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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