THE POTENTIAL FOR COEVOLUTION IN A HOST-PARASITOID SYSTEM. II. GENETIC VARIATION WITHIN A POPULATION OF WASPS IN THE ABILITY TO PARASITIZE AN APHID HOST.

Much of the study of coevolution has focused on the adaptations that have resulted from interactions between species. For reciprocal evolution to occur, there must be genetic variation in each species for traits that directly affect their interaction. Here I report evidence of significant additive genetic variance within a population of parasitic wasps in the ability to successfully parasitize an aphid host. These data, combined with companion work documenting clonal variation in a population of aphids from the same site, provide evidence that within the same population both a host and its parasitoid have the potential for specific and reciprocal genetic interactions. © 1995 The Society for the Study of Evolution.