Premium
Coastal insect herbivore populations are strongly influenced by environmental variation
Author(s) -
STILING PETER
Publication year - 1994
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/j.1365-2311.1994.tb00388.x
Subject(s) - biology , gall , planthopper , generalist and specialist species , cecidomyiidae , botany , ecology , herbivore , delphacidae , hemiptera , homoptera , habitat , pest analysis
.1 Pissonotus quadripustulatus is a brachypterous planthopper that feeds on the clonal salt marsh plant, sea oxeye daisy, Borrichia frutescens. Asphondylia borrichiae is a macropterous gall fly that creates galls on the apical meristems. Most Borrichia occurs in isolated patches consisting of more than one genotype. 2 Densities of Pissonotus and Asphondylia do not significantly differ within patches but they do differ between patches. I tried to find out why some patches of Borrichia support consistently higher densities of Pissonotus and Asphondylia than others. 3 Reciprocal transplants of Borrichia between patches showed that for both Pissonotus and Asphondylia recipient site (local environment) had a strong effect on population densities. However, the best sites for Asphondylia were generally the worst sites for Pissonotus and vice versa. 4 Donor site (local plant genotypes) was not significant for Pissonotus but was marginally significant for Asphondylia. However, for Asphondylia recipient site had a greater effect. Local plant genotype effects may be greater for gall‐forming insects, which tend to be specialists, than for more generalist sapsucking insects.