scholarly journals Choosy mothers pick challenging plants: maternal preference and larval performance of a specialist herbivore are not linked

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
MONICA HUFNAGEL ◽  
ANTHONY L. SCHILMILLER ◽  
JARED ALI ◽  
ZSOFIA SZENDREI
Keyword(s):  
Larval Performance ◽  
Specialist Herbivore ◽  
Maternal Preference

scholarly journals Every cloud has a silver lining: Moderate plant water stress positively impacts development, immunity, and gut microbiota of a specialist herbivore

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Rosa ◽  
G Minard ◽  
J Lindholm ◽  
M Saastamoinen
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Immune Gene ◽  
Plant Water ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Specialist Herbivore ◽  
Plant Water Stress ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe ongoing global temperature rise has led to increasing frequency of drought events, negatively impacting vegetation and the living organisms relying on it. Extreme drought killing host plants can clearly reduce herbivore fitness, but the impact of moderate host plant water stress on insect herbivores can vary, and may even be beneficial. The Finnish Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) has faced reduced precipitation in recent years, which has impacted population dynamics. However, whether the negative effects depend on extreme desiccation killing the host plant or moderate drought impacting plant quality remains unclear. We assessed the performance of larvae fed on moderately water-stressed Plantago lanceolata in terms of growth, gut microbial composition and immune response. We found that larvae fed on water-stressed plants had better growth, a more heterogeneous bacterial community and a shifted fungal community in the gut, and up-regulated the expression of one candidate immune gene (pelle), whereas survival remained unaffected. Most of the measured traits showed considerable variation due to family structure. Our data suggest that in temperate regions moderate host plant water stress can positively shape resource acquisition of this specialized insect herbivore, potentially by increasing nutrient accessibility or concentration. Potentially, the better larval performance may be mediated by a shift of the microbiota on water-stressed plants, calling for further research especially on the understudied gut fungal community.

scholarly journals Roles of hostplant availability and quality for the distribution and climate change response of a dietary specialist herbivore

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Nalleli Carvajal Acosta ◽  
Kailen Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Specialist Herbivore ◽  
Climate Envelope ◽  
Envelope Model ◽  
Critical Resources

AbstractSpecies distributions are recognized to be driven by abiotic factors, but the importance of biotic interactions that provide critical resources is less well understood, especially with respect to variation in critical resource quality. Disentangling the relative importance of these factors – abiotic environment, presence of critical resources and their quality-may be critical to predicting species response to climate change. We used species distribution models (SDMs) to address these questions for the western monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a species that obligately feeds upon plants in the genus Asclepias, and for which hostplant quality in this region varies among species by an order of magnitude. We modeled the distribution of 24 Asclepias species to develop and compare three monarch distribution models with increasing levels of ecological complexity: (i) a null model using only environmental factors (a climate envelope model), (ii) a model using environmental factors and Asclepias spp. distribution, (iii) and a model using environmental factors and Asclepias spp. distribution weighted by hostplant quality assessed through a greenhouse bioassays of larval performance. Asclepias models predicted that half of the Asclepias spp. will both expand their ranges and shift their distribution towards higher latitudes while half will contract within the study region. Our performance analysis of monarch models revealed that the climate envelope model was the poorest performing. Adding hostplant distribution produced the best performing model, while accounting for hostplant quality did not improved model performance. The climate envelope model estimated more restrictive contemporary and future monarch ranges compared to both hostplants models. Although all three models predicted future monarch range expansions, the projected future distributions varied among models. The climate envelope model predicted range expansions along the Pacific coast and contractions inland while hostplants models predicted range expansions in both of these regions and, as a result, estimated 14 and19% increases in distribution relative to the climate envelope model, respectively. These results suggest that information on biotic interactions that provide critical resources is needed to predict future species distributions, but that variation in the quality of those critical resources may be of secondary importance.

scholarly journals Divergence in Glucosinolate Profiles between High- and Low-Elevation Populations of Arabidopsis halleri Correspond to Variation in Field Herbivory and Herbivore Behavioral Preferences

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Buckley ◽  
Foteini G. Pashalidou ◽  
Martin C. Fischer ◽  
Alex Widmer ◽  
Mark C. Mescher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Chemical Defenses ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Arabidopsis Halleri ◽  
Herbivore Damage ◽  
Specialist Herbivore ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
The Alps ◽  
And Performance

Variation in local herbivore pressure along elevation gradients is predicted to drive variation in plant defense traits. Yet, the extent of intraspecific variation in defense investment along elevation gradients, and its effects on both herbivore preference and performance, remain relatively unexplored. Using populations of Arabidopsis halleri (Brassicaceae) occurring at different elevations in the Alps, we tested for associations between elevation, herbivore damage in the field, and constitutive chemical defense traits (glucosinolates) assayed under common-garden conditions. Additionally, we examined the feeding preferences and performance of a specialist herbivore, the butterfly Pieris brassicae, on plants from different elevations in the Alps. Although we found no effect of elevation on the overall levels of constitutive glucosinolates in leaves, relative amounts of indole glucosinolates increased significantly with elevation and were negatively correlated with herbivore damage in the field. In oviposition preference assays, P. brassicae females laid fewer eggs on plants from high-elevation populations, although larval performance was similar on populations from different elevations. Taken together, these results support the prediction that species distributed along elevation gradients exhibit genetic variation in chemical defenses, which can have consequences for interactions with herbivores in the field.

scholarly journals Grape variety affects larval performance and also female reproductive performance of the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Moreau ◽  
B. Benrey ◽  
D. Thiéry
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Lobesia Botrana ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
European Grapevine Moth ◽  
Wild Grape ◽  
Larval Host ◽  
Fitness Index ◽  
Grapevine Moth

AbstractFor insect herbivores, the quality of the larval host plant is a key determinant of fitness. Therefore, insect populations are supposed to be positively correlated with the nutritional quality of their host plant. This study aimed to determine if and how different varieties of grapes (including the wild grape Lambrusque) affect both larval and adult performance of the polyphagous European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller). Significant differences were found in larval development time, but not in pupal mass, adult emergence rate, or sex ratio. Although the fecundity of females is not different among varieties, females fed on some varieties produced eggs of different sizes which are correlated to their fertility. Thus, females adapt resource allocation to eggs depending on their diet as larvae. Using a fitness index, the average reproductive output was found to be highest for females reared on cv. Chardonnay. Females reared on wild grape produced a fitness index identical to the cultivated grapes. However, Lambrusque and Gewurztraminer separate themselves from the cultivated varieties according to our discriminant analyses. It is emphasized, through this study, that cultivars fed on by larvae should be considered in the population dynamics of L. botrana and that egg number is insufficient to determine host plant quality.

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