Feeding preferences of the aphidophagous hoverfly Sphaerophoria rueppellii affect the performance of its offspring

Abstract

Provision of additional floral resources in the crop is a successful strategy of conservation biological control for attracting several natural enemies including predatory syrphids. However, the selection of flower species is mainly based on visiting preferences, paying little attention to the link between preference and performance. In this study, we assess the influence of feeding on flowers of two insectary plants (sweet alyssum and coriander) and flowers of a crop species (sweet pepper) on performance of the parental and first generation of the syrphid Sphaerophoria rueppellii (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Syrphidae). We found that floral preference of the adults was linked to developmental performance of their offspring. Sweet alyssum was the flower most frequently visited by syrphid adults, enhancing adult body size and egg-to adult survival of the F1 generation.