Transfer of Leaf-Miner Eggs Between Leaves, Trees, and Species of Oak Trees: Tests of the Deme-Formation Hypothesis for a Mobile Insect

我们提出了五个相关的研究项目，以建立一个叶地雷-橡树系统，在这个系统中，我们将试图确定叶潜蝇的叶到叶、树到树和树种到树种的喜好是否源于不同的卵孵化、不同的幼虫性能、不同的幼虫死亡率或成蛾在树之间移动的差异。以前的研究表明，挖叶人对不同树种、同一物种内不同的个体树以及树内不同类型的叶子表现出明显的偏好。这种偏好年复一年地保持不变。对叶片脱落、捕食、寄生和以氨基酸含量衡量叶片的寄主质量等因素的研究并不能解释潜叶虫对某些叶片或树木的偏好。该提案建议在树叶之间、个别树木之间和树种之间移动矿工卵。他们还计划在树之间移动幼虫，并用重金属标记幼虫，以确定我们将用粘性诱捕器捕捉的成虫的移动率。这样的研究将极大地增加对森林动态的了解。

Five related projects are proposed for a leaf mine-oak tree system in which we will attempt to determine whether leaf-to- leaf, tree-to-tree, and tree-species-to-tree species preferences of leaf miners results from differential egg hatching, differential larval performance, differential pupal mortality, or differences in movement of adult moths between trees. Previous research has shown that leaf miners show a distinct preference for different species of tree, different individual trees within a species and different types of leaf within a tree. Such preferences are maintained year after year. Investigations into such factors as leaf abscission, predation, parasitism, and host quality of leaves as measured by amino acid content do not explain preferences of leaf miners for certain leaves or trees. The propose to move miner eggs between leaves, between individual trees, and between tree species. They also plan to move pupae between trees and to mark pupae with heavy metals to determine movement rates of adult moths that we will catch with sticky traps. Such research will greatly increase of knowledge of forest dynamics.