What can nutritional indices tell us about gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar L.)?

Abstract

SUMMARYIn the submitted work, important factors for planning out experiments for studying nutritional indices, whose choice may affect research results, and opportunities for using the indices of feeding to study the ecology of species are evaluated. The dependence of nutritional indices on great many factors and significant variation in their absolute values over different years make possible their research only as part of a complex issue together with population factors and external conditions. A careful comparison of results from different studies is made.