Prey preference and egg production of the carabid beetleAgonum dorsale |
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Authors: | Trine Bilde Sren Toft |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, University of Aarhus, Building 135, DK-8000 ?rhus C, Denmark |
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Abstract: | In order to elucidate whether the aphidRhopalosiphum padi is low quality food for the carabid beetleAgonum dorsale, as it has previously been found to be for cereal spiders, we performed a series of experiments using fruit fliesDrosophila melanogaster as a standard alternative prey (‘control prey’): 1) Prey preference, 2) Aphid consumption for satiated and starved beetles,
3) Egg production on different diets and 4) Preference experiments with fruit flies coated with a taste of different prey
types. Other alternative prey types used were earthworms and sciarid midges, all potential prey in the field.A. dorsale has a low preference for aphids compared to fruit flies. Apparently there is an upper limit to the consumption of aphids
independent of hunger and much below the beetles' total food demand. Egg production on a pure diet of aphids is lower than
on a pure diet of fruit flies; it is extremely low on a pure diet of earthworms; the highest fecundity is found on a mixed
diet. As fruit flies coated with a taste of aphids or sciarid midges are less prefered than flies covered with a taste of
fruit flies there may be a chemical factor, acting through taste, involved in determining prey preference. |
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Keywords: | Agonum dorsale Rhopalosiphum padi aphid predation prey quality egg production |
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