Effect of Scots pine needle age on preference, performance, and overwintering of pine-tree lappet larvae—the distaste for the oldest foliage

• Published in: Acta oecologica (Montrouge) Vol. 116; p. 103836
• Main Authors: Łukowski, Adrian, Giertych, Marian J., Mąderek, Ewa, Adamczyk, Dawid, Karolewski, Piotr
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Masson SAS 01.10.2022
• Subjects: conifer needles; cryoprotectants; Dendrolimus pini; Fitness; food choices; food quality; larvae; metabolites; Nutritional quality; overwintering; Pinus sylvestris; water content; Dendrolimus pini; Nutritional quality; Pinus sylvestris; Fitness

The choice of a host and feeding site is particularly interesting in the case of species feeding on conifers, where the larvae usually have a choice of several age classes of needles. The subject of this research is to answer whether the larvae have a specific preference for a certain needle age cla...