Temporal variability in host availability alters the outcome of competition between two parasitoid species

Variability in the availability of resources through time is a common attribute in trophic interactions, but its effects on the fitness of different consumer species and on interspecific competition between them are not clearly understood. To investigate this, we allowed two parasitoid species, Trichopria drosophilae and Pachycrepoideus vindemiae, to exploit Drosophila host pupae under different temporal variability treatments, either on their own or simultaneously. When tested individually (in the absence of interspecific competition), both parasitoid species had lower fitness when hosts were exposed for a short duration at high density than when exposed for a long duration at low density. When both parasitoid species exploited hosts simultaneously, interspecific competition significantly decreased the number of offspring for both parasitoid species. The outcome of this interspecific competition depended on host temporal variability, with T. drosophilae or P. vindemiae dominating in sh..., , , # Temporal variability in host availability alters the outcome of competition between two parasitoid species

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg27](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg27)

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files

We have submitted our raw data (**Fitness_Data.xlsx, Competition_Data.xlsx, HostHandlingTime_Data.xlsx, OocytesTraits_Data, OvipositionDynamic_Data**).

## Descriptions

### **Fitness\_Data**

* *Numbers of parasitoids emerged from host pupae*: The number of adults of *Trichopria drosophilae* or *Pachycrepoideus vindemiae* emerging when host pupae were exposed to parasitoids separately.
* *Numbers of pupae were parasitized by parasitoids*: The number of pupae parasitized by *Trichopria drosophilae* or *Pachycrepoideus vindemiae* when host pupae were exposed to parasitoids separately.
* *Num_Hosts/day*: The number of host pupae were exposed to parasitoids per day.
* *Days*: Day XX when host pupae were exposed to parasitoids.
* *Num_T.d*: Th...