Abstract
The influence of allelochemical stress and population origin on the patterns of phenotypic and genetic correlations among life history traits and digestive enzyme activities were investigated in larvae of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.; Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). Thirty-two full-sib families from oak (suitable host plant, Quercus population), and twenty-six full-sib families from locust-tree (unsuitable host plant, Robinia population) forests were reared on an artificial diet, with or without a 5% tannic acid supplement. Comparison of correlation matrices revealed significant similarity between the two populations in the structure of phenotypic and genetic correlations of life history traits and of digestive enzyme activities. The patterns of correlations of the examined traits, within each of the two locally adapted populations and in the presence of allelochemical stress, remained stabile despite the different selection pressures that mold these traits.
Highlights
Phytophagous insects can use numerous host plant species across their geographic distribution, but within a local population, their feeding is usually restricted to one or a few plant species
There were four experimental groups: Quercus larvae fed on the control diet (QC), Quercus larvae fed on the tannin supplemented diet (QT), Robinia larvae fed on the control diet (RC) and Robinia larvae fed on the tannin supplemented diet (RT)
By comparison of the genetic correlation matrices of these traits, we noticed significant negative correlation coefficients between the two diets within the Quercus population (QC-QT), and between the Quercus and Robinia larvae reared on the control diet (QC-RC), (Table 2)
Summary
Phytophagous insects can use numerous host plant species across their geographic distribution, but within a local population, their feeding is usually restricted to one or a few plant species. Gypsy moth larvae from two populations with different trophic adaptations, originating from oak (suitable host plant) and locust-tree (unsuitable host plant) forests were analyzed. Black locust is described as an unsuitable host plant for gypsy moth development (Barbosa and Krischik, 1987), our gypsy moth population has persisted in the locust-tree forest for more than 50 years, i.e. generations. In this forest, defoliation never occurs, i.e. population dynamics oscillate
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