Abstract
In herbivorous insects, host plant switching is commonly observed and plays an important role in their annual life cycle. However, much remains to be learned about seasonal host switching of various pestiferous arthropods under natural conditions. From 2006 until 2012, we assessed Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) host plant use in successive spring, summer and winter seasons at one single location (Langfang, China). Data were used to quantify changes in host plant breadth and host fidelity between seasons. Host fidelity of A. lucorum differed between seasons, with 87.9% of spring hosts also used in the summer and 36.1% of summer hosts used in winter. In contrast, as little as 25.6% host plant species were shared between winter and spring. Annual herbaceous plants are most often used for overwintering, while perennial woody plants are relatively important for initial population build-up in the spring. Our study contributes to an improved understanding of evolutionary interactions between A. lucorum and its host plants and lays the groundwork for the design of population management strategies for this important pest in myriad crops.
Highlights
Due to temporal and spatial variation in host plant availability, and specific nutrition and/or habitat requirements of insects, most phytophagous insects exploit multiple plant species [1]
Host Range and Fidelity of Apolygus lucorum identified as host plants of A. lucorum (Table 1)
During the whole study period, no individual of A. lucorum was found on 19 plant species, including Amtirrhinum majus L., Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., Carex rigescens (Franch.) V
Summary
Due to temporal and spatial variation in host plant availability, and specific nutrition and/or habitat requirements of insects, most phytophagous insects exploit multiple plant species [1]. Many herbivores exhibit notable temporal variation in host plant use [2,3,4]. Host switching can be even more pronounced, with the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula L. adults frequently moving from one plant species to another [6]. The life history of such herbivores is inherently tied to their seasonal pattern of host switching [7,8]. As plant species temporally and spatially differ in nutritional quality, host plant switching can remediate qualitative nutritional impediments associated with certain host species [9] and help meet the differing nutritional requirements of certain developmental stages of a particular
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