Physiological Ecology of Herbivorous Lepidopteran Larvae

树叶作为食草昆虫幼虫食物的价值 取决于植物组织和食物的营养价值 昆虫年的加工能力， 越来越清楚的是，最重要的特征 在确定叶子营养价值中重要的是氮， 水和毒素含量，以及可能的酸度。 少得多 我们知道决定昆虫能力的因素 处理摄入的物质， 有潜在危害的植物 在极少数情况下， 令人信服的机械解释被提供来解释为什么 一种昆虫可以在特定的植物上生长， 另一个长得很差。 本研究的目的是 评估各种树叶特征的重要性， 阻止鳞翅目幼虫有效利用食物， 确定昆虫的生化特征， 他们克服这些障碍，并评估代谢 这些调整的代价。 如果该项目实现了其目标， 结论将有助于解释相对 不同类型的植物物种（包括作物）的适应性 植物和野生植物）对不同昆虫物种（包括害虫 物种和非害虫物种）。 这项工作也可以解释 一些昆虫转换食物植物或适应新环境的能力 hosts. 因此，这项研究可能有助于澄清一些 促进多样性进化的生化因素 在昆虫中，并解释为什么有些昆虫成为害虫， 其他人则没有。

The value of foliage as a food for herbivorous insect larvae depends upon the nutritive value of the plant tissue and the food processing capabilities of the insect years it has become increasingly clear that the characteristics that are most important in determining nutritive value of foliage are nitrogen, water, and toxin content, and possible also acidity. Much less is known about the factors that determine an insect's capability to process ingested materials to counter the characteristics of foliage that are potentially harmful. In very few cases have convincing mechanistic explanations been provided to explain why one insect species can grow will on a particular plant while another grows very poorly. It is the purpose of this research to assess the importance of various foliage characteristics that prevent effective food utilization by lepidopteran larvae, to identify biochemical characteristics of the insects that allow them to overcome these barriers, and to assess the metabolic costs of these adaptations. If this project achieves its objectives, the results and conclusions will be useful in explaining the relative susceptibilities of different types of plant species (both crop plants and wild plants) to different insect species (both pest species and non-pest species). This work may also explain the ability of some insects to switch food plants or adapt to new hosts. Thus, this research may help to clarify some of the biochemical factors that have fostered the evolution of diversity among insects, and to explain why some insects become pests and others do not.