Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T11:40:56.795Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Enemies in low places – insects avoid winter mortality and egg parasitism by modulating oviposition height

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

E. Obermaier ,
A. Heisswolf ,
B. Randlkofer  and
T. Meiners
E. Obermaier*
Affiliation:
University of Würzburg, Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Glashüttenstr. 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
A. Heisswolf
Affiliation:
University of Würzburg, Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Glashüttenstr. 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
B. Randlkofer
Affiliation:
University of Würzburg, Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Glashüttenstr. 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany Department of Applied Zoology/Animal Ecology, Free University of Berlin, Germany
T. Meiners
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Zoology/Animal Ecology, Free University of Berlin, Germany
*
*Fax: ++49 9554 367 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Oviposition site selection in insects is essential in terms of low egg mortality, high offspring survival and therefore a high reproductive output. Although oviposition height could be a crucial factor for the fitness of overwintering eggs, it has rarely been investigated. In this study the oviposition height of a polyphagous leaf beetle, Galeruca tanaceti Linnaeus in different habitats and at different times of the season was examined and its effect on egg clutch mortality was recorded. The leaf beetle occurs as an occasional pest on several agricultural plants. It deposits its eggs within herbaceous vegetation in autumn. Eggs are exposed to numerous biotic and abiotic mortality factors summarized as egg parasitism and winter mortality. Oviposition height of the leaf beetle was not uniform, but changed significantly with the structure of the habitat and during the season. Mean oviposition height per site (70.2±4.9 cm) was significantly higher than mean vegetation height (28.4±2.4 cm). Height of plants with egg clutches attached and oviposition height were significantly positively correlated. The results suggest that females try to oviposit as high as possible in the vegetation and on the plants selected. In accordance with this, the probability of egg parasitism and of winter egg clutch mortality significantly declined with increasing oviposition height. A preference of G. tanaceti for oviposition sites high up in the vegetation might therefore have evolved due to selection pressures by parasitoids and winter mortality.

Keywords

abiotic factorsChrysomelidaeenemy free spaceGaleruca tanacetioviposition siteplant–animal interactionsOomyzus galerucivorus
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 96 , Issue 4 , August 2006 , pp. 337 - 343
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agrawal, A.A. & Van-Zandt, P.A. (2003) Ecological play in the coevolutionary theatre: genetic and environmental determinants of attack by a specialist weevil on milkweed. Journal of Ecology 91, 1049–1059CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berdegue, M., Trumble, J.T., Hare, J.D. & Redak, R.A. (1996) Is it enemy-free space? The evidence for terrestrial insects and freshwater arthropods. Ecological Entomology 21, 203–217Google Scholar
Bjorkman, C., Larsson, S. & Bommarco, R. (1997) Oviposition preferences in pine sawflies: a trade-off between larval growth and defense against natural enemies. Oikos 79, 45–52CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crawley, M.J. (2002) Statistical computing. 761 pp. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Google Scholar
Fargues, J. & Rodriguez, R.D. (1980) Susceptibility of eggs of noctuids Mamestra brassicae and Spodoptera littoralis to Paecilomyces fumoso roseus and Nomuraea rileyi hyphomycetes. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences, Serie D, Sciences Naturelles 290, 65–68Google Scholar
Gingras, D., Dutilleul, P. & Boivin, G. (2002) Modeling the impact of plant structure on host finding behaviour of parasitoids. Oecologia 130, 394–402Google Scholar
Gingras, D., Dutilleul, P. & Boivin, G. (2003) Effect of plant structure on host finding capacity of lepidopterous pests of crucifers by two Trichogramma parasitoids. Biological Control 27, 25–31Google Scholar
Heinze, K. (1974) Leitfaden der Schädlingsbekämpfung. Band I: Schädlinge und Krankheiten im Gemüsebau. 360 pp. Stuttgart, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft.Google Scholar
Hilker, M. (1994) Egg deposition and protection of eggs in Chrysomelidae. pp. 302–330 in Jolivet, P., Cox, M.L., Petitpierre, E. & Dordrecht, E.Novel aspects of biology of Chrysomelidae. Dordrecht, E. Kluwer Kluwer Academic Publishers.Google Scholar
Hilker, M. & Köpf, A. (1994) Evaluation of the palatability of chrysomelid larvae containing anthraquinones to birds. Oecologia 100, 421–429Google Scholar
Hopkins, G.W. & Dixon, A.F.G. (1997) Enemy-free space and the feeding niche of an aphid. Ecological Entomology 22, 271–274Google Scholar
Hopkins, M.J.G. & Whittaker, J.B. (1980) Interactions between Apion species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Polygonaceae. I. Apion curtirostre Germ. and Rumex acetosa L. Ecological Entomology 5, 227–239Google Scholar
Hosmer, D.W. & Lemeshow, S. (1989) Applied logistic regression 322 pp. New York, Wiley.Google Scholar
Ikeda, K. & Nakasuji, F. (2002) Spatial structure-mediated indirect effects of an aquatic plant, Trapa japonica, on interaction between a leaf beetle, Galerucella nipponensis, and a water strider, Gerris nepalensis. Population Ecology 44, 41–47CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jongman, R.H.G., Braak, C.J.F. & Tongeren, O.F.R. (1995) Data analysis in community and landscape ecology. 299 pp. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kellner, R.L.L. (2002) The role of microorganisms for eggs and progeny. pp. 149–167 in Hilker, M. & Meiners, T. (Eds) Chemoecology of insect eggs and egg deposition. Berlin, Blackwell Publishing.Google Scholar
Kopper, B.J., Charlton, R.E. & Margolies, D.C. (2000) Oviposition site selection by the regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia, as affected by proximity of violet host plants. Journal of Insect Behaviour 13, 651–665Google Scholar
Kouki, J. (1991) Tracking spatially variable resources: an experimental study on the ovipositoin of the water-lily beetle. Oikos 61, 243–249Google Scholar
Kouki, J. (1993) Female's preference for oviposition site and larval performance in the water lily beetle, Galerucella nymphaeae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Oecologia 93, 42–47Google Scholar
Leite, G.L.D., Picanco, M., Della-Lucia, T.M.C. & Moreira, M.D. (1999) Role of canopy height in the resistance of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum to Tuta absoluta (Lep., Gelechiidae). Journal of Applied Entomology 123, 459–463Google Scholar
Long, D.W., Drummond, F.A. & Groden, E. (1998) Susceptibility of Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) eggs to Beauveria bassiana. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 71, 182–183Google Scholar
Lühmann, M. (1939) Beiträge zur Biologie der Chrysomeliden. 4. Beobachtungen an Galeruca tanaceti Lin. Entomologische Blätter 35, 91–95Google Scholar
Madrid, F. & Stewart, R. (1981) Ecological significance of cold hardiness and winter mortality of eggs of the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L., in Quebec. Environmental Entomology 10, 586–589Google Scholar
Mappes, J. & Makela, I. (1993) Egg and larval load assessment and its influence on oviposition behaviour of the leaf beetle Galerucella nymphaeae. Oecologia 93, 38–41Google Scholar
Meiners, T. & Obermaier, E. (2004) Hide and seek on two spatial scales–vegetation structure affects herbivore oviposition and egg parasitism. Basic and Applied Ecology 5, 87–94Google Scholar
Meiners, T., Koepf, A., Stein, C. & Hilker, M. (1997) Chemical signals mediating interactions between Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) and its egg parasitoid Oomyzus galerucivorus (Hedqvist) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae). Journal of Insect Behaviour 10, 523–539Google Scholar
Nagelkerke, N.J.D. (1991) A note on general definition of the coefficient of determination. Biometrika 78, 691–692Google Scholar
Nomakuchi, S., Masumoto, T., Sawada, K., Sunahara, T., Itakura, N. & Suzuki, N. (2001) Possible age dependent variation in egg loaded host selectivity of the pierid butterfly, Anthocharis scolymus (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): a field observation. Journal of Insect Behaviour 14, 451–458Google Scholar
Obermaier, E. & Zwölfer, H. (1999) Plant quality or quantity? Host exploitation strategies in three Chrysomelidae species associated with Asteraceae host plants. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 92, 165–177CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obermaier, E., Pfeiffer, B. & Linsenmair, K.E. (2001) Mortality and parasitism in West African tortoise beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Entomologia Generalis 25, 189–203Google Scholar
Prevett, P.F. (1953) Notes on the feeding habits and life-history of Galeruca tanaceti L. (Col., Chrysomelidae). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 89, 292–293Google Scholar
Robert, L.L., Perich, M.J., Schlein, Y. & Jacobsen, J.L. (1998) Bacillus sphaericus inhibits hatching of phlebotomine sand fly eggs. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 14, 351–352Google Scholar
Satoh, A. (2002) Within plant distribution of the eggs and larvae of two congeneric chrysomelid beetles on the same host plant. Entomological Science 5, 171–177Google Scholar
Scheirs, J., Zoebisch, T.G., Schuster, D.J. & De-Bruyn, L. (2004) Optimal foraging shapes host preferences of a polyphagous leafminer. Ecological Entomology 29, 375–379Google Scholar
Scheirs, J. & De-Bruyn, L. (2002) Integrating optimal foraging and optimal oviposition theory in plant insect research. Oikos 96, 187–191Google Scholar
Scherf, H. (1966) Beobachtungen an Ei und Gelege von Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Biologisches Zentralblatt 7–17Google Scholar
Smitley, D., Andresen, J., Priest, R., Mech, R. & McCullough, D. (1998) Winter mortality of gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) eggs in Michigan. Environmental Entomology 27, 700–708Google Scholar
Storey, G.K., Aneshansley, D.J. & Eisner, T. (1991) Parentally-provided alkaloid does not protect eggs of Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) against entomopathogenic fungi. Journal of Chemical Ecology 17, 687–693Google Scholar
Tallamy, D.W., Whittington, D.P., Defurio, F., Fontiane, D.A., Gorski, P.M. & Gothro, P.W. (1998) Sequestered cucurbitacins and pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae (Moniliales: Moniliaceae) on spotted cucumber beetle eggs and larvae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Environmental Entomology 27, 366–372Google Scholar
Wang, B., Ferro, D. & Hosmer, D.W. (1997) Importance of plant size, distribution of egg masses, and weather conditions on egg parasitism of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis by Trichogramma ostriniae in sweet corn. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 83, 337–345Google Scholar