Resource partitioning of the host fungus Coriolus versicolor by two ciid beetles: the role of odour compounds and host ageing

The ciid beetles Octotemnus glabriculus and Cis boleti exploit different developmental stages of fruit bodies of their preferred host fungus Coriolus versicolor. Larvae of the smaller beetle, O. glabriculus, mainly use young, expanding, fruit bodies; adults of O. glabriculus are predominantly found...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oikos 2000-10, Vol.91 (1), p.184-194
Main Authors: Guevara, Roger, Hutcheson, Kerry A., Mee, Andrea C., Rayner, A. D. M., Reynolds, S. E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autumn
Beetles
Biological and medical sciences
Ciidae
Cis boleti
Coriolus versicolor
Developmental stages
Female animals
Fruiting bodies
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fungi
Larvae
Octotemnus glabriculus
Odors
Spring
Summer
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
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Summary:The ciid beetles Octotemnus glabriculus and Cis boleti exploit different developmental stages of fruit bodies of their preferred host fungus Coriolus versicolor. Larvae of the smaller beetle, O. glabriculus, mainly use young, expanding, fruit bodies; adults of O. glabriculus are predominantly found in young fruit bodies. By contrast, adults and larvae of the larger beetle, C. boleti, are prevalent in fully developed fruit bodies of C. versicolor. Because fruit bodies of most genets emerge during spring and early summer and mature by autumn, O. glabriculus and C. boleti breed in separated seasons. Adults and larvae of O. glabriculus are abundant in spring and early summer. By contrast, the number of adults and larvae of C. boleti increases gradually from late spring to summer and peaks in autumn. We conducted a field experiment that suggests that the phenological dynamics of C. versicolor fruit bodies drive the separation of breeding seasons between O. glabriculus and C. boleti. Additionally, laboratory experiments revealed that O. glabriculus and C. boleti have differential behavioural responses to odour compounds from young and mature fruit bodies of C. versicolor. We conclude that age-related changes in the chemical composition of fruit bodies may allow O. glabriculus and C. boleti to discriminate among C. versicolor, thus providing a mechanism for the partitioning of the resource.
ISSN:0030-1299
1600-0706
DOI:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.910118.x