Oviposition preferences and larval performance of a flower-feeding weevil,Coelocephalapion aculeatum, in relation to host development |
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Authors: | Timothy A Heard |
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Institution: | (1) CRC for Tropical Pest Management/CSIRO Division of Entomology, Long Pocket Laboratories, PMB 3, 4068 Indooroopilly, Australia |
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Abstract: | The oviposition behaviour ofCoelocephalapion aculeatum Fall (Coleoptera: Apionidae), a host specific florivore exploiting an ephemeral resource, was studied in relation to host
development. Immature inflorescences of its host, the weedMimosa pigra L. (Mimosaceae), were categorised into 5 developmental stages ranging from first appearance to one day before opening. The
duration, weight, percent abortion, and nitrogen content of each stage were measured. Oviposition preferences ofC. aculeatum for all inflorescence stages were determined in multiple choice trials. Newly hatched, larvae were transferred into inflorescences
of each stage to determine larval survival as a function of stage. Numbers of eggs laid into inflorescences generally correlated
with larval survival except that oviposition was greater in stage 4 inflorescences than expected from the larval survival.
Numbers of eggs laid into inflorescences generally correlated with their carrying capacity except that adults avoided stage
5 inflorescences in which larval survival was low. The evolution of oviposition preferences ofC. aculeatum appears to have been influenced by two opposing selective forces. The need to complete development before the inflorescence
deteriorated would have selected for oviposition in young inflorescences. The greater availability of food and lower probability
of abortion offered by older inflorescences would have selected for oviposition in these. The net outcome of these pressures
has resulted in the observed oviposition strategy. |
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Keywords: | herbivory insect-plant interactions biological control Apionidae Mimosaceae Mimosa pigra |
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