Density-Dependent Resistance of the Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar to Its Nudeopolyhedrovirus, and the Consequences for Population Dynamics

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 154; no. 4; pp. 691 - 701
• Main Authors: Reilly, James R., Hajek, Ann E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 01.01.2008
• Subjects: Disease resistance; Disease transmission; Insect larvae; Instars; Larvae; Larval development; Mathematical independent variables; Moths; Pathogens; Population Ecology - Original Paper; Viruses
• ISSN: 0029-8549; 1432-1939
• DOI: 10.1007/s00442-007-0871-3

The processes controlling disease resistance can strongly influence the population dynamics of insect outbreaks. Evidence that disease resistance is densitydependent is accumulating, but the exact form of this relationship is highly variable from species to species. It has been hypothesized that insects experiencing high population densities might allocate more energy to disease resistance than those at lower densities, because they are more likely to encounter density-dependent pathogens. In contrast, the increased stress of high-density conditions might leave insects more vulnerable to disease. Both scenarios have been reported for various outbreak Lepidoptera in the literature. We tested the relationship between larval density and disease resistance with the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) and one of its most important densitydependent mortality factors, the nudeopolyhedrovirus (NPV) LdMNPV, in a series of bioassays. Larvae were reared in groups at different densities, fed the virus individually, and then reared individually to evaluate response to infection. In this system, resistance to the virus decreased with increasing larval density. Similarly, time to death was faster at high densities than at lower densities. Implications of density-resistance relationships for insectpathogen population dynamics were explored in a mathematical model. In general, an inverse relationship between rearing density and disease resistance has a stabilizing effect on population dynamics.