Summary
The effects of host plant patch size on the abundances of two specialist herbivores (the chrysomelid beetle, Acalymma innubum and the pentatomid bug, Piezosternum subulatum) were investigated in a natural forest community in the Virgin Islands. Abundances were compared early and late in the season in different sized patches of the cucurbit host plant (Cayaponia americana) growing in open habitat (with no surrounding plant community) and forest habitat (with diverse surrounding plant community). For both herbivore species, adult abundances per patch were positively correlated with patch leaf area, but there was a significant patch size effect (i.e., correlation between herbivore density per unit plant and patch leaf area) only for beetles in the forest habitat. Both herbivore species were significantly affected by surrounding plant diversity, but in opposite ways: beetles were more abundant in open patches whereas bugs were more abundant in forest patches. Relationships between abundance and patch size in open and forest patches changed through the season for both herbivore species. These changing abundance patterns are discussed with respect to (1) increases in the diversity of the plant community surrounding host plant patches, and (2) differences in herbivore movement patterns.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bach CE (1980a) Effects of plant diversity and time of colonization on an herbivore-plant interaction. Oecologia (Berlin) 44:319–326
Bach CE (1980b) Effects of plant density and diversity on the population dynamics of a specialist herbivore, the striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittata (Fab.). Ecology 61:1515–1530
Bach CE (1984) Plant spatial pattern and herbivore population dynamics: plant factors affecting the movement patterns of a tropical cucurbit specialist (Acalymma innubum). Ecology 65:175–190
Cromartie WJ (1975) The effect of stand size and vegetational background on the colonization of cruciferous plants by herbivorous insects. J Appl Ecol 12:517–533
Goodchild AJP (1967) Shield bug (Piezosternum calidum Fab.) infestation of oyster nut. Afr Ag For J 33:192–196
Kareiva P (1981) Non-migratory movement and the distribution of herbivorous insects: experiments with plant spacing and the application of diffusion models to mark-recapture data. Ph.D. Dissertation. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Kareiva P (1983) Influence of vegetation texture on herbivore populations: resource concentration and herbivore movement. In: Denno RF, McClure MS (eds) Variable plants and herbivores in natural and managed systems. Academic Press, New York, pp 259–289
MacGarvin M (1982) Species-area relationships of insects on host plants: herbivores on rosebay willowherb. J Anim Ecol 51:207–223
Maguire LA (1983) Influence of collard patch size on population densities of Lepidopteran pests (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Pluttellidae). Environ Entomol 12:1415–1419
Munroe DD, Smith RF (1980) A revision of the systematics of Acalymma sensu stricto Barber (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from North America including Mexico. Mem Entomol Soc of Can 112
Ralph CP (1977) Effect of host plant density on populations of a specialized, seed-sucking bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus. Ecology 58:799–809
Raupp MJ, Denno RF (1979) The influence of patch size on a guild of sap-feeding insects that inhabit the salt marsh grass Spartina patens. Environ Entomol 8:412–417
Rausher M (1981) The effect of native vegetation on the susceptibility of Aristolochia reticulata (Aristolochiaceae) to herbivore attack. Ecology 62:1187–1195
Risch S, Altieri M, Andow D (1983) Agroecosystem diversity and pest control: data, tentative conclusions, and new research directions. Environ Entomol 12:625–629
Root RB (1973) Organization of a plant-arthropod association in simple and diverse habitats: the fauna of collards (Brassica oleracea). Ecol Monogr 43:95–124
Smith R, Whittaker J (1980) The influence of habitat type on the population dynamics of Gastrophysa viridula Degeer (Coleptera: Chrysomelidae). J Anim Ecol 49:225–236
Stanton ML (1983) Spatial patterns in the plant community and their effects upon insect search. In: Ahmad S (ed) Herbivorous insects: host-seeking behavior and mechanisms. Academic Press, New York, pp 125–157
Thompson J (1978) Within patch structure and dynamics in Pastinaca sativa and resource availability to a specialized herbivore. Ecology 59:443–448
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bach, C.E. A comparison of the responses of two tropical specialist herbivores to host plant patch size. Oecologia 68, 580–584 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378774
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378774