Molecular and Ecological Adaptations Enable a Highly Successful Parasitoid Wasp to Parasitize a Broad Range of Drosophila Hosts, Including the Invasive Pest Drosophila suzukii
The parasitoid wasp Trichopria drosophilae has evolved specialized molecular and ecological adaptations, including the use of venom proteins to arrest host development, teratocyte cells to digest host tissues, and conditional tolerance of intraspecific competition and avoidance of interspecific competition, enabling it to successfully parasitize a broad range of Drosophila hosts, including the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii.