Year: 2013
Type: review
Abstract: The association of insect herbivores with their host plants is influenced by behaviors governing acceptance of those plants for feeding and oviposition. Behavioral changes accompany and may even precede host range expansion. Characterization and quantification of specific behaviors often form the basis of studies on host plant adaptation and chemical ecology. Behavioral assays of insects are usually designed to measure attraction for feeding or oviposition in relation to their host plants or specific chemistry. We review behavioral assays of insect herbivores with host plants or the volatiles they emit, with special consideration given to design, analysis, and interpretation to maximize ecological relevance. A toolkit of robust assays can help address fundamental issues at the intersection of ecology and evolution, such as the underpinnings of plant-insect interactions and the identification of genes involved in host race formation.
Source: Annual Review of Entomology
Authors: Lisa M. Knolhoff, David G. Heckel
Institution: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
OpenAlex ID: W2157320086