Resource Utilization and Coevolution of Seed Insect Predators

基于对橡子昆虫捕食行为的研究，我论证了种子捕食系统中生物相互作用的生态学和进化意义。此外，我还扩展了另一种方法，以更准确地理解昆虫与植物的相互作用。种子为各种各样的动物提供高营养的食物。发现许多种子可能在成熟之前就被捕食者吃掉，这并不奇怪。应该注意的是，当种子捕食以密度依赖的方式减少种子时，将控制种群。然而，如果捕食者区分不同的基因型，它将作为一种选择力量。有几种方法，植物可以采用减少种子损失昆虫捕食者在预处置阶段。除了形态和化学防御外，还有一些其他的逃避策略。一种是改变花期以逃避捕食者。另一种策略是通过降低觅食效率来缩小花朵的大小。有效的策略，特别是在森林树木是掌握：生产大量的种子作物在较长的间隔。在丰年里，捕食者会被过剩的食物所满足，种子存活下来并形成幼苗的数量会很高。在贫瘠的年份，食肉动物的数量减少，可能无法迅速增加。这种策略的一个基本特征是，同一地区的所有树木都有同一个捕食者，它们的捕食周期应该同步。任何一棵在一般不长树冠的年份长出树冠的树都将受到种子捕食者的专门注意。同步性可以通过基因上固定的、对某些环境线索的共同反应来实现，比如以适当频率出现的一组给定的天气条件。大种子作物之间的间隔大多在2至4年之间。

I argue the ecological and evolutionary implications of biological interactions in a seed-predator system, based on the study on acorn insect predation. Also, I expand an alternative approach to a more exact understanding of insect-plant interactions.Seeds provide highly nutritive food supply to a wide variety of animals. It is not surprising to find that many seeds may be lost to predators before ripening. It should be noted that seed predation will control the population when it reduces the seed in a density dependent manner. However, if the predator differentiates between genotypes, It will act as a selective forces.There are several means which plants could employ to reduce seed loss to insect predators during the predisporsal phase. In addititon to morphological and chemical defenses, there are some other evasion tactics. One is to modify the flowering period to escape the predator. Another tactic is simply the reduction of flower size, by reducing foraging efficiency.Effective strategy especially in forest trees is masting : the production of large crops of seeds at long intervals. In a mast year the predators are satiated by a surplus of food, and seed survive to establish seedlings will be high. In the lean years the predator population is reduced, and may be unable to build up quickly. An essential feature of this strategy is that all the trees in one area which share the same predator should synchronize their masting cycle. Any individual tree which masted in a generally non-mast year would be subjected to the exclusive attention of the seed predators. Synchron may be achieved by a genetically fixed, shared response to some environmental cue, such as a given set of weather conditions which occur at the appropriate frequency. The intervals between large seed crops are mostly in the two to four year range.