Foraging strategies of the forest tent caterpillar

鳞翅目幼虫的寄主选择已被广泛研究。许多研究已经推断出昆虫探测和识别食物来源的化学接受过程（味觉、嗅觉）。然而，这些关于寄主选择的研究主要包括在给定的时间内给昆虫提供由不同植物寄主材料制成的各种各样的圆盘，并测量圆盘的消耗量。这些研究可以提供味觉偏好的信息，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，例如昆虫可能表现出持续的消耗或表现出零星的摄食，甚至以确定的模式吃掉叶子。对昆虫在寄主叶子上的行为方式的实验室研究可以为昆虫完成摄食阶段所使用的不同行为策略提供见解。本文拟对森林鳞翅目（Malacosoma disstria）取食行为的具体问题进行探讨。目的是通过实验测试这种森林昆虫在不同物候阶段对不同寄主植物的摄食行为。通过提供叶子的不同物候阶段，它将提供关于叶子的化学成分如何干扰这种鳞翅目昆虫的摄食模式的见解。我打算通过拍摄昆虫在不同物候阶段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摄食行为，这可以证明昆虫在进食期间是主动进食还是休息，甚至可以记录叶子上的消费模式。这项研究将为了解寄主植物的音系变化如何导致食草动物摄食行为的改变提供一个基本的认识。这些信息将增进我们对森林落叶动物的了解，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.