THE SLOW‐GROWTH–HIGH‐MORTALITY HYPOTHESIS: A TEST USING THE CABBAGE BUTTERFLY

The slow-growth–high-mortality hypothesis predicts that prolonged development in herbivorous insects results in greater exposure to natural enemies and a subsequent increase in mortality. We tested this hypothesis using the cabbage butterfly Pieris rapae and its larval parasitoid Cotesia glomerata. We conducted a series of field and laboratory experiments to determine how variation in the larval development of P. rapae within and among four species of host plants (Brassica oleracea, Tropaeolum majus, Lunaria annua, and Cleome spinosa) influenced parasitism rates by C. glomerata. On the same host plant species, fast-developing larvae incurred less parasitism than slow-developing larvae of the same age, because once larvae reached the third instar they became much less vulnerable to attack due to the onset of encapsulation. Thus, the “window of vulnerability” was extended for slow-developing larvae. Similarly, the window of vulnerability was prolonged and larvae were susceptible to parasitism for a longer p...

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