Use of an Exotic Host Plant Affects Mate Choice in an Insect Herbivore

Forister, Matthew L.; Scholl, Cynthia F.

doi:10.1086/665647

Cited by 23 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Invasive plants may function as "evolutionary traps" if herbivores are attracted to or readily accept an invasive plant species as food source, but have lower fitness on the invasive species than on native host species (88,126). Such traps can exert selection against the use of invasive plants by native insects (46). Selection on native insects can also occur when invasive plant species are beneficial to native herbivore species, for example, because they provide highquality resources.…”

Section: Evolutionary Responses Of Native Insects To Invasive Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Native Insect Communities to Invasive Plants

Bezemer

Harvey²,

Cronin

2014

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

236

200

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Invasive plants can disrupt a range of trophic interactions in native communities. As a novel resource they can affect the performance of native insect herbivores and their natural enemies such as parasitoids and predators, and this can lead to host shifts of these herbivores and natural enemies. Through the release of volatile compounds, and by changing the chemical complexity of the habitat, invasive plants can also affect the behavior of native insects such as herbivores, parasitoids, and pollinators. Studies that compare insects on related native and invasive plants in invaded habitats show that the abundance of insect herbivores is often lower on invasive plants, but that damage levels are similar. The impact of invasive plants on the population dynamics of resident insect species has been rarely examined, but invasive plants can influence the spatial and temporal dynamics of native insect (meta)populations and communities, ultimately leading to changes at the landscape level.

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Section: Evolutionary Responses Of Native Insects To Invasive Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The butterfly Lycaeides melissa, for example, performs poorly on the invasive plant Medicago sativa, resulting in smaller adult females. The reduction in body size, in turn, negatively affects mating success because males are less likely to mate with smaller females (46).…”

Section: Effects Of Invasive Plants On Native Insect Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Native Insect Communities to Invasive Plants

Bezemer

Harvey²,

Cronin

2014

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

236

200

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“…In addition, the larval host plant may influence the attractiveness of females to males that exhibit some degree of mate choice. In one extreme example, female butterflies that developed as larvae on a non-native host plant attained only one-third of the body weight of females that fed on a native host plant as larvae, and these small females were avoided by mate-seeking males (Forister & Scholl, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval host plant influences male body size and mating success in a tephritid fruit fly

Shelly

2018

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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In phytophagous insects, the larval host plant may have a profound effect on the biology of the adult stage. This influence has been most widely studied in females, where larval diet may affect their fecundity and survival. Males have been less well studied, with focus on host plant effects on (1) male size and the consequences of variable male size on male mating success, ejaculate, and/or nuptial gifts, or (2) male-produced chemical signals important in sexual communication. The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a world-wide agricultural pest that infests plants of the family Cucurbitaceae primarily but also attacks hosts in other unrelated families. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether larval host influenced female choice in Z. cucurbitae and, in particular, test for random mating using adults (Z flies) whose larvae fed on a cucurbit host (zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L.) and adults (P flies) whose larvae fed on a non-cucurbit host (papaya, Carica papaya L., Caricaceae). In field tent trials, both Z and P females mated more often with Z males than P males, and in no-choice laboratory cage trials, mating latency was generally shorter for Z than for P males. Wing vein measurements, made both within and between generations, showed that Z males were consistently larger than P males. Further observations of fly trios -one female plus one large and one small male -revealed that large males dominated in aggressive encounters and exhibited wing fanning (signaling) more often than their smaller counterparts. Although olfactory signals associated with wing fanning were not investigated in the present study, the observed host-mediated difference in male size is, if not solely responsible, certainly an important determinant of the mating patterns described.

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“…Lycaeides melissa is a well‐studied and widespread lycaenid butterfly native to western North America (Nice & Shapiro, ; Fordyce et al , ; Lucas et al , ; Gompert et al , ; Forister & Scholl, ; Scholl et al , ). Lycaeides melissa uses a variety of plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) as hosts, including the exotic host alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), which was introduced to North America within the last 200 years (Michaud et al , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, alfalfa is a poor host for L. melissa caterpillars: individuals reared experimentally on alfalfa can be up to 70% smaller than individuals reared on a common native host, Astragalus canadensis L. (Forister et al , ). As with many herbivorous insects, smaller size has a fitness cost because smaller females lay fewer eggs and are less attractive to males (Forister et al , ; Forister & Scholl, ). Yet, larval performance experiments have been carried out in the laboratory, while larval fitness may be very different in the field where caterpillars are exposed to interactions with other species that may be enemies, competitors or mutualistic partners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal and geographic variation in parasitoid attack with no evidence for ant protection of the Melissa blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa

Scholl

Burls

Newton

et al. 2013

Ecological Entomology

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1. Interactions among caterpillars, ants and parasitoids have informed much of what is known about tritrophic ecological dynamics. However, detailed studies encompassing all three trophic levels are limited to relatively few natural systems. In this study, interactions of the Melissa blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa, with mutualistic ants and parasitoids in the context of novel host plant use by the butterfly were investigated.2. Over the course of 2 years, 526 caterpillars and 288 ants tending caterpillars were collected from 185 plants at sites with two different native host plants and the exotic host alfalfa, for the purpose of investigating if the presence of ants was associated with reduced rates of parasitism.3. The abundance and diversity of parasitoids varied considerably across space and time. The presence of tending ants did not appear to reduce rates of parasitism, in contrast to a previous study of L. melissa, which found evidence of ant protection against spiders and other predators.4. This study has increased our understanding of ant-caterpillar-enemy interactions, and previously unobserved interactions have been documented, including at least two new host-parasitoid relationships. These findings highlight the importance of investigating ecological interactions, including interactions with other trophic levels, when studying diet breadth and ecological diversification in herbivorous insects.

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Use of an Exotic Host Plant Affects Mate Choice in an Insect Herbivore

Cited by 23 publications

References 31 publications

Response of Native Insect Communities to Invasive Plants

Response of Native Insect Communities to Invasive Plants

Larval host plant influences male body size and mating success in a tephritid fruit fly

Temporal and geographic variation in parasitoid attack with no evidence for ant protection of the Melissa blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa

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