Behavioural and physiological plasticity of gypsy moth larvae to host plant switching
Larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), a generalist species, frequently encounter spatial and temporal variations in diet quality. Such variation favoured the evolution of high behavioural and physiological plasticity which, depending on forest stand composition,...
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Published in | Entomologia experimentalis et applicata Vol. 158; no. 2; pp. 152 - 162 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Amsterdam
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.02.2016
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Larvae of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), a generalist species, frequently encounter spatial and temporal variations in diet quality. Such variation favoured the evolution of high behavioural and physiological plasticity which, depending on forest stand composition, enables more or less successful exploitation of the environment. Even in mixed oak stands, a suitable habitat, interspecific and intraspecific host quality variation may provoke significant variation in gypsy moth performance and, consequently, defoliation severity. To elucidate the insufficiently explored relationship between gypsy moth and oaks (Fagaceae), we carried out reciprocal switches between Turkey oaks (Quercus cerris L.) and less nutritious Hungarian oaks (Quercus frainetto Ten.) (TH and HT groups), under controlled laboratory conditions, and compared larval performance between the switched larvae and larvae continuously fed on either Turkey oak (TT) or Hungarian oak (HH). We found that larval traits were most strongly affected by among‐tree variation in oak quality and identity of the host consumed during the fourth instar. Switching from Turkey to Hungarian oak (TH) led to a longer period of feeding, decrease of mass gain, growth, and consumption rate, lower efficiency of food use and nutrient conversion, and increase of protease and amylase activities. Larvae exposed to the reverse switch (HT) attained values of these traits characteristic for TT larvae. It appeared that the lower growth in the TH group than in the TT group was caused by both behavioural (consumption, pre‐ingestive) and metabolic (post‐digestive) effects from consuming oaks. Multivariate analyses of growth, consumption, and efficiency of food use revealed that early diet experience influenced the sensitivity of the most examined traits to less suitable Hungarian oaks, suggesting the development of behavioural and physiological adjustments. Our results indicate that lower risks of defoliation by gypsy moth might be expected in mixed stands with a higher proportion of Hungarian oak. |
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Bibliography: | European Social Fund istex:1B35D7063C971B07F1947D2B6E2E188797EAB512 ark:/67375/WNG-H9B6V4TQ-G Figure S1. (A, C) Efficiency of assimilation and efficiency of nutrient conversion in fourth instar gypsy moths depending on early- and late-host plant (T, Turkey oak; H, Hungarian oak), presented as bicoordinate plots of (A) excrements vs. consumption (corresponds to Waldbauer's assimilation efficiency) and (C) mass gain vs. assimilation (corresponds to Waldbauer's efficiency of nutrient conversion). Y values are fitted by ANCOVA. (B, D) Mean (± SE) amount of (B) excrements and (D) mass gain obtained from ANCOVA. Means within a panel with different letters are significantly different (Tukey's post-hoc test: P<0.05).Table S1. Results of multivariate and univariate ANOVA for mass gain and the amount of excrement in fourth instar gypsy moths Post-docs in the field of biological sciences at Mendel University - No. CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0017 ArticleID:EEA12388 Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia - No. 43007 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0013-8703 1570-7458 |
DOI: | 10.1111/eea.12388 |