Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2014) 8, 383-392

Maxime R. Hervé, Régine Delourme, Mélanie Leclair, Nathalie Marnet and Anne Marie Cortesero (2014)
How oilseed rape (Brassica napus) genotype influences pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus) oviposition
Arthropod-Plant Interactions 8 (5), 383-392
Abstract: Oviposition of phytophagous insects is determined either by adaptive behaviours allowing evaluation and response to host plant quality and/or by nutritional constraints occurring during oogenesis. Besides differences found among host plant species, plant intraspecific diversity can also affect insect oviposition. However, to date few studies have extensively investigated the factors accounting for the effect of this intraspecific variation. We addressed this question using oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and the pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus), a phytophagous insect that uses the same plants and plant organs both for feeding and laying eggs. Our objectives were to test for a genotypic effect of oilseed rape on pollen beetle oviposition and identify the origin of the possible intergenotypic differences. We tested three hypotheses: oviposition is directly linked to (1) the amount of food eaten; (2) the nutritional quality of the food eaten; (3) a preference of females for certain plant genotypes. Results showed intergenotypic differences in both the number and the size of eggs laid. The factor that best accounted for most of these differences was the amount of food eaten. Nutritional quality of the pollen was of minor importance and females exhibited no preference among genotypes. These results reveal the importance of adult feeding on subsequent oviposition in phytophagous insects, an often neglected factor which partly determines the amount of energy available for oogenesis. Taking into account this factor may be of crucial importance in studies conducted on synovogenic insect species feeding on the same plant on which they lay eggs.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Maxime R. Hervé, Régine Delourme, Anne Marie Cortesero

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Brassicogethes aeneus