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Selective attention and host‐plant specialization
Author(s) -
Bernays E. A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1996.tb00902.x
Subject(s) - biology , adaptation (eye) , sensory system , insect , host (biology) , herbivore , neuroscience , process (computing) , cognitive psychology , ecology , computer science , psychology , operating system
The importance of attentional processing is summarized, and the different ways in which selective attention is maintained, explained. Examples from arthropods are highlighted. The significance of selective attentiveness for insect herbivores is discussed. In the finding and selecting of host plants, insects should adopt the strongest or most clear‐cut cues that override noise, and they should channel the appropriate sensory information efficiently. It is argued that achieving this end is difficult and costly because the information capacity of the sensory system is far greater than the capacity of the central nervous system to process it. It is suggested that the need to obtain a clear signal quickly and efficiently may be one of the factors favoring reduced diet breadth, and that the existence of highly specific and sensitive receptor neurons is an adaptation to the information‐processing problem.