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Patterns of host utilisation by herbivore assemblages of the genus C aloptilia ( L epidoptera; G racillariidae) on congeneric maple tree ( A cer ) species
Author(s) -
NAKADAI RYOSUKE,
MURAKAMI MASASHI
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/een.12148
Subject(s) - biology , herbivore , phylogenetic tree , host (biology) , phylogenetics , caterpillar , ecology , abundance (ecology) , botany , lepidoptera genitalia , gene , genetics
1. The pattern of host utilisation by congeneric C aloptilia caterpillars on 14 different species of A cer (maple) was investigated in temperate mixed forests of central J apan. A multi‐filtering model of host plant utilisation was proposed to address how phylogenetically related herbivore assemblages are constructed on phylogenetically related host plant species. 2. Two hypotheses were examined. The first questioned whether a negative relationship exists between the phylogenetic distance of plants from the most suitable host species and the abundance of herbivorous insects on the host. Regarding the second, it was investigated whether the assemblage dissimilarity of herbivorous insects among host plant species increases with increasing distance of plant phylogeny and traits. 3. M antel and partial M antel tests were used to measure the relationship between assemblage dissimilarity of C aloptilia species and the distance of plant phylogeny and leaf traits. 4. Both hypotheses were confirmed, clearly suggesting that the utilisation and suitability of hosts for C aloptilia caterpillars were strongly influenced by phylogenetic relatedness and leaf trait similarity among Acer species. This implies that phylogenetic distance is an integrated measure of phenotypic and ecological attributes of congeneric A cer species that can be used to explain specialisation and constraints of host utilisation of congeneric herbivore species even on a short evolutionary timescale.