Host-associated fitness variation in a seed beetle (Coleoptera: Bruchidae): evidence for local adaptation to a poor quality host

The geographic distributions of many generalist herbivores differ from those of their host plants, such that they experience coarse-grained spatial variation in natural selection on characters influencing adaptation to host plants. Thus, populations differing in host use are expected to differ in th...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1994-09, Vol.99 (3-4), p.329-336
Main Authors: Fox, C.W. (South Carolina Univ., Columbia (USA). Dept. of Biological Sciences), Waddell, K.J, Mousseau, T.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACACIA
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Beetles
Biological and medical sciences
Body weight
Canyons
COLEOPTERA
DISTRIBUCION NATURAL
DISTRIBUTION NATURELLE
Eggs
Female animals
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
GRAINE
Host plants
Insect larvae
Male animals
MORTALIDAD
MORTALITE
Oviposition
Parasite hosts
PLAGAS DE PLANTAS
Protozoa. Invertebrata
RAVAGEUR DES PLANTES
RELACIONES HUESPED PARASITO
RELATION HOTE PARASITE
SEMILLA
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The geographic distributions of many generalist herbivores differ from those of their host plants, such that they experience coarse-grained spatial variation in natural selection on characters influencing adaptation to host plants. Thus, populations differing in host use are expected to differ in their ability to survive and grow on these host plants. Host-associated variation in larval performance (survivorship, development time, and adult body weight) and oviposition preference was examined, within and between two populations of Stator limbatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) that differ in the hosts available to them in nature. In one population, Acacia greggii (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) and Cercidium microphyllum (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) are each abundant, while in the second population only C. floridum and C. microphyllum are present. In both populations, egg-to-adult survivorship was less than 50% on C. floridum, while survivorship was greater than 90% on A. greggii. Most of the mortality on C. floridum occurred as larvae were burrowing through the seed coat; very low mortality occurred during penetration of the seed coat of A. greggii. Significant variation was present between populations, and among families (within populations), in survivorship and egg-to-adult development time on C. floridum; beetles restricted to Cercidium in nature, without access to C. floridum, survived better and developed faster on C. floridum than beetles that had access to A. greggii.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/BF00627746