Behavioral thermoregulation of caterpillars is altered by temperature, but not parasitism: An empirical field study

Abstract

Laboratory assays show that parasites often have lower heat tolerance than their hosts. But how physiological tolerances and behavioral responses of hosts and parasites combine to affect their ecological interactions in heterogeneous field environments is largely unknown. We addressed this challenge using the model insect system of the braconid wasp parasitoid, Cotesia congregata, and its caterpillar host, Manduca sexta. We used experimental manipulations of microclimate in the field to determine how elevated daytime temperatures altered the behavior, performance, and survival of host and parasite. Our experimental manipulation increased daily maximum temperatures on host plants, but had negligible effects on overall mean temperature. These increased maximum temperatures resulted in subtle, biologically relevant, changes in physiology and behavior of the host and parasitoid. We found that parasitism by the wasp did not significantly alter caterpillar thermoregulatory behavior, while experimentally increased daily maximum temperatures resulted in both parasitized and unparasitized caterpillars to be found more frequently in cooler microhabitats. Overall, we did not observe the complete parasitoid mortality seen at extreme temperatures in laboratory studies, but gained insight into the sublethal effects of increased daily maximum temperatures on host and parasitoid behavior and physiology. Climate change will alter both the biotic and abiotic environments that organisms face, and we show here that empirical experiments in the field are important for understanding organismal response to these new environments.