Foraging strategies of the forest tent caterpillar

鳞翅目幼虫对寄主的选择已被广泛研究。许多研究已经推断了昆虫检测和识别其食物来源的化学接收过程(味觉、嗅觉)。然而，这种关于寄主选择的研究主要包括在给定的时间段内向昆虫提供由不同植物寄主材料制成的各种圆盘，并测量所消耗的圆盘的数量。这些研究可以提供有关味觉偏好的信息，但只捕捉到了喂养过程中行为复杂性的一小部分。例如，该程序忽略了昆虫在给定叶子上的行为，因此昆虫可能会表现出持续的消费或零星取食，甚至以确定的模式吃掉叶子。对昆虫在寄主叶片上的行为进行实验室调查，可以为昆虫完成取食阶段所使用的不同行为策略提供见解。我建议讨论有关森林鳞翅目(斑纹软毛虫)取食行为的具体问题。目的是在实验上测试这种森林昆虫在不同物候期对多种寄主植物的取食行为。在提供叶片的不同物候阶段时，它将提供关于叶片的化学物质如何影响这种鳞翅目的取食模式的洞察。我建议通过拍摄昆虫在不同物候期以一些选定的寄主植物的叶子为食来做到这一点。在拍摄这些昆虫的视频中，它将允许区分昆虫的取食行为，这些行为可能表明它们在进食时积极进食或休息，甚至可以记录树叶上的消费模式。这项研究将对寄主植物的物候变化如何导致食草动物取食行为的变化提供一个基本的理解。这些信息将增进我们对森林毁叶者的了解，并可为更无害环境的管理做法提供指导。

Host selection by Lepidoptera larvae has been extensively studied. Much of the research has inferred the chemoreception process (taste, olfaction) involved in insects detecting and recognizing their food source. Such studies on host selection, however, have mainly consisted of presenting insects with an assortment of discs made from different plant host material for a given time period and measuring the quantity of the disk consumed. These studies can provide information on taste preferences but capture only a fraction of the behavioral complexity of the feeding process. For instance, the procedure overlooks the behavior of the insect on a given leaf such that the insect may demonstrate constant consumption or exhibit sporadic feeding, or even eat the leaf in a determined pattern. Laboratory investigations of how insects behave on their host leaf could provide insights on the different behavioral strategies used by insects to complete their feeding stages. I propose to address specific questions on the feeding behavior of a forest Lepidoptera (Malacosoma disstria). The objectives are to test experimentally the feeding behavior of this forest insect on a diversity of its host plants at different phenological stages. In offering different phenogical stages of the leaves it will provide insight on how the chemistry of the leaves may interfere with the feeding pattern of this Lepidoptera. I propose to do this by filming the insects feeding on leaves of a number of selected host plants at different phenological stages. In video taping these insects it will permit to discriminate the feeding behavior of the insect that could demonstrate active feeding or resting during their meal, or even record the pattern of consumption on the leaf. This research will provide a basic understanding of how phonological changes in the host plant can lead to alterations of herbivore feeding behavior. This information will enhance our understanding of forest defoliators and could provide guidance to more environmentally sound management practices.