Nymphal performance correlated with adult preference for flowering host plants in a polyphagous mirid bug, Apolygus lucorum (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Abstract

Apolygus lucorum (Heteroptera: Miridae), a polyphagous mirid bug, often shows a strong preference for flowering host plants. It is hypothesized that host plant selection by phytophagous insects results in a variety of behavioral trade-offs. In this study, the relationship between adult preference and nymphal performance was examined on host plants with their flowers left intact and with flowers removed to investigate potential trade-offs in A. lucorum’s preference for flowering plants. Field trials in 2010 and 2011 showed that adults and nymphs were significantly more abundant on plants with flowers left intact than on those with flowers removed, while oviposition choice trials in field cages revealed that female adults preferred to lay eggs on plants with flowers. Laboratory performance trials demonstrated that adult lifespan and fecundity and nymphal development rate and survival were all significantly higher on plants with flowers compared with plants without flowers. In contrast, sex ratio was not significantly different. Simple linear regression analysis showed positive correlations between (1) adult and nymphal abundances in the field, (2) nymphal development rates and survival with adult fecundity in the laboratory, and (3) adult lifespan with fecundity in the laboratory. Since a positive preference–performance correlation was found for A. lucorum, we conclude that there are no evident behavioral trade-offs for host plant selection by this polyphagous mirid bug.