Foraging strategies of the forest tent caterpillar

森林帐篷毛毛虫的觅食策略

• 批准号: 42223-2008
• 负责人: Mauffette, Yves
• 金额: $ 1.09万
• 依托单位: Université du Québec à Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2009-01-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=421294
• 关键词: Foraging; strategies; forest; tent; caterpillar

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.

鳞翅目幼虫对寄主的选择性已被广泛研究。许多研究已经推断出昆虫探测和识别食物来源的化学感受过程（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呈现由不同植物寄主材料制成的各种圆盘，并测量消耗的圆盘的数量。这些研究可以提供有关味觉偏好的信息，但只能捕捉到进食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，使得昆虫可以表现出恒定的消耗或表现出零星的进食，或者甚至以确定的模式吃叶子。昆虫在寄主叶片上的行为方式的实验室调查可以提供昆虫完成其取食阶段所使用的不同行为策略的见解。我建议解决森林鳞翅目（天幕毛虫disstria）的摄食行为的具体问题。目的是在实验上测试该森林昆虫在不同的寄主植物在不同的物候期的取食行为。 在提供不同的物候阶段的叶子，它将提供洞察如何化学的叶子可能会干扰这种鳞翅目的进食模式。我建议通过拍摄昆虫在不同物候期取食一些选定的寄主植物的叶子来做到这一点。 在对这些昆虫进行录像时，它将允许区分昆虫的进食行为，这些行为可以在它们进食期间表现出主动进食或休息，或者甚至记录叶子上的消耗模式。这项研究将提供一个基本的了解如何在宿主植物的语音变化可以导致草食动物取食行为的改变。这些信息将加强我们对森林落叶剂的了解，并可为更无害环境的管理做法提供指导。