Effect of Host Plants on the Viability of Black-veined White Aporia crataegi L. at Low Natural Population Density
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ct of Host Plants on the Viability of Black-veined White Aporia crataegi L. at Low Natural Population Density E. Yu. Zakharovaa, b, *, A. O. Shkurikhina, I. A. Solonkina, and T. S. Oslinaa a
Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, 620144 Russia b Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, 620002 Russia *e-mail: [email protected] Received February 20, 2020; revised May 25, 2020; accepted May 29, 2020
Abstract—Patterns of interaction of an oligophagous insect, black-veined white Aporia crataegi L., with host plants in years with a low density of its natural population are analyzed. In years with low A. crataegi population abundance in the south of Sverdlovsk region (Sysertsky district), the species composition of caterpillar host plants gradually decreases from several woody rosaceous species of the genera Padus, Sorbus, Malus, and Crataegus to one species (Padus avium Mill.). It is shown that the mortality rate is higher for fifth-instar caterpillars developing on mountain ash than for those developing on bird cherry. Adult A. crataegi developing on bird cherry are not only larger but also grow faster than those developing on mountain ash, which may be an additional factor responsible for the observed chronographic variation during the emergence of A. crataegi generation in nature. Keywords: variation, mortality rate, body weight, host plant, caterpillars, adults, oligophage, phytophage, Aporia crataegi DOI: 10.1134/S1067413620060107
Different aspects of interaction between phytophagous insects and their host plants have been studied quite thoroughly both in terms of theoretical ecology of populations and communities [1–4, etc.] and in terms of applied disciplines (agricultural and forest entomology, plant protection and quarantine, etc. [5– 7]). Special attention has recently been paid to studying the effect of climate change on the interaction of insects with plants [8]. Phytophagous insects and their relationships with host plants are a convenient model for studying ecological specialization and associated evolution of communities [9–12]. One of the most interesting problems concerns the choice of certain host plants by oligophages and polyphages. The literature discusses the hypothesis that phytophage females prefer to lay eggs on those host plants where the survival and productivity of their offspring prove to be higher (the preference-performance hypothesis). This hypothesis is confirmed in the two-component phytophage–host plant system (i.e., without regard to competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, etc.) [10]. However, isolated phytophage–host plant pairs do not occur in nature; therefore, published data both in favor and against this hypothesis are available. It seems interesting and relevant to consider some aspects of the ecology of phytophagous insects during their interaction with different host plants in a natural
environment. The black-veined white (Aporia crataegi L.) was chosen as a model object; according to our observations and lit
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