Multi-state models for double transitions associated with parasitism in biological control
摘要
Competition between parasitoids can reduce the success of pest control in biological programmes using two species as bio-control agents or when multiple species exploit the same host crop. We evaluated the behavioural changes of parasitoids according to the quality of hosts (i.e. previously parasitised or not as well as the effects of previous parasitism of the brown stinkbug Euschistus heros eggs on the parasitism rate of the species Trissolcus basalis and Telenomus podisi). We successively modelled the choice of eggs (non-parasitised, parasitised by T. podisi, and parasitised by T. basalis) and the conditional behaviour given the choice (walking, drumming, ovipositing or marking). In this work, we emphasise the methodological contribution with multi-state models, to consider double transitions due to two successive stages of answers over time. The statistical methodology is based on the maximum likelihood procedure. Using the Cox model and assuming a stationary process, we verified that the treatment effect was significant for the choice, indicating that the two parasitoid species have different choice patterns. For the second stage, the results also showed the influence of the species on the conditional behaviour, especially, T.podisi avoids intraspecific competition.