Temporal variations in diet restrictions on prey requirement and development of a predatory mite

ABSTRACT Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of individual organisms to alter their phenotypes to persist in response to internal states or changing environments. Like many other organisms, the specialist predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae), showed plasticity in developmental time and size at maturity under food stress. In this study, we investigated the influence of food stress with different temporal feeding variations on the developmental time, prey consumption, and size at maturity of P. persimilis. Individuals of P. persimilis were reared under laboratory conditions using enclosed rearing cells. The predators responded to temporal feeding variations but not to prey densities regarding their developmental time and size at maturity, and the response was sex-specific (i.e. significant only in females). Diet restrictions at different life stages of P. persimilis can induce plasticity in their life history traits. Future studies can investigate whether diet restrictions encountered by individuals at different life stages influence their reproduction and lifespan.