Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T02:47:44.708Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fine-scale abundance and distribution of wild silk moth pupae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2007

R. Veldtman ,
M.A. McGeoch  and
C.H. Scholtz
R. Veldtman*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
M.A. McGeoch
Affiliation:
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
C.H. Scholtz
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
*
*Current address: University of Stellenbosch, Department Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Matieland 7602, South Africa Fax: +2721 808 2995 E-mail: rveldtma@sun.ac.za
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Although several factors influence herbivore insect distributions at any particular scale, the most important determinants are likely to differ between species with different life histories. Identifying what these factors are and how they relate to life history forms an important component of understanding the population dynamics of species, and the habitat requirements necessary for their conservation. The pupal stage of two wild silk moth species, Gonometa postica Walker and G. rufobrunnea Aurivillius (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), is the target of harvesting practices that are totally dependent on the availability of pupae from natural populations. Consequently, and partly due to poor knowledge of the species' biology, there is substantial interest in the distribution of pupae among and within trees for both these species. It was investigated whether between- and within-tree pupal distributions in these two species are non-random, and if so, whether there are relationships between pupation site use and tree characteristics such as tree size, available pupation space and branch position. Between-tree patterns in pupal abundance were random in terms of absolute spatial position, but markedly non-random with respect to tree characteristics. The apparent G. postica pupae were aggregated on large larval host plants, whereas the cryptic G. rufobrunnea pupae were aggregated on non-host plants. These patterns reflect the life history differences of the two species. In contrast, at the within-tree scale, branch position, aspect and tree shape influenced pupation site choice similarly for both species. These patterns might be related to microclimate. Documenting between-tree and within-tree patterns in Gonometa pupal distributions is the first step towards explaining pupation site selection, as well as identifying possible evolutionarily selective factors in the species, and generating testable hypotheses from these.

Keywords

between-treedistributionGonometamicro-climatepredationpupaSADIEtree-sizewithin-tree
Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 97 , Issue 1 , February 2007 , pp. 15 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraham, B., Chipman, H. & Vijayan, K. (1999) Some risks in the construction and analysis of supersaturated designs. Technometrics 41, 135–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anstey, L.J., Quiring, D.T. & Ostaff, D.P. (2002) Seasonal changes in intra-tree distribution of immature balsam fir sawfly (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae). Canadian Entomologist 134, 529–538.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batzer, H.O., Martin, M.P., Mattson, W.J. & Miller, W.E. (1995) The forest tent caterpillar in aspen stands: distribution and density estimation of four life stages in four vegetation strata. Forest Science 41, 99–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, V.A., Lee, R.E., Nauman, J.S. & Kukal, O. (2003) Selection of overwintering microhabitats used by the Arctic woollybear caterpillar, Gynaephora groenlandica. Cryoletters 24, 191–200.Google ScholarPubMed
Bernays, E.A. (1997) Feeding by lepidopteran larvae is dangerous. Ecological Entomology 22, 121–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernays, E.A. & Chapman, R.F. (1994) Host-plant selection by phytophagous insects. New York, Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, A. & Gaston, K.J. (2002) The geographical range structure of the holly leaf-miner. I. Population density. Journal of Animal Ecology 71, 99–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brower, L.P. (1958) Bird predation and foodplant specificity in closely related procryptic insects. American Naturalist 92, 183–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, S.R., Thomas, C.D. & Bale, J.S. (2002) The influence of thermal ecology on the distribution of three nymphalid butterflies. Journal of Applied Ecology 39, 43–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappuccino, N. (1988) Spatial pattern of goldenrod aphids and the response of enemies to patch density. Oecologia 76, 607–610.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cappuccino, N., Damman, H. & Dubuc, J.-F. (1995) Spatial behaviour and temporal dynamics of outbreak and nonoutbreak species. pp. 65–82in Cappuccino, N. & Price, P.W. (Eds) Population dynamics: new approaches and synthesis. New York, Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casey, T.M. (1993) Effects of temperature on foraging of caterpillars. pp. 5–28in Stamp, N.E. & Casey, T.M. (Eds) Caterpillars: ecological and evolutionary constraints on foraging. New York, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Courtney, S.P. (1982) Coevolution of pierid butterflies and their cruciferous foodplants. IV. Crucifer apparency and Anthocharis cardamines (L.) oviposition. Oecologia 52, 258–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denlinger, D.L. (2002) Regulation of diapause. Annual Review of Entomology 47, 93–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dethier, V.G. (1959) Food-plant distribution and density and larval dispersal as factors affecting insect populations. Canadian Entomologist 91, 581–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubbert, M., Tscharntke, T. & Vidal, S. (1998) Stem-boring insects in fragmented Calamagrostis habitats: herbivore–parasitoid community structure and the unpredictability of grass shoot abundance. Ecological Entomology 23, 271–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellingson, A.R. & Andersen, D.C. (2002) Spatial correlations of Diceroprocta apache and its host plants: evidence for a negative impact from Tamarix invasion. Ecological Entomology 27, 16–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etienne, R.S. & Olff, H. (2004) How dispersal limitation shapes species-body size distributions in local communities. American Naturalist 163, 69–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faeth, S.H. & Hammon, K.E. (1997) Fungal endophytes in oak trees: long-term patterns of abundance and associations with leafminers. Ecology 78, 810–819.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Floater, G.J. (1997) Rainfall, nitrogen and host plant condition: consequences for the processionary caterpillar, Ochrogaster lunifer. Ecological Entomology 22, 247–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Floater, G.J. (2001) Habitat complexity, spatial interference, and ‘minimum risk distribution’: a framework for population stability. Ecological Monographs 71, 447–468.Google Scholar
García, L.V. (2004) Escaping the Bonferroni iron claw in ecological studies. Oikos 105, 657–663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, M., Vouland, G. & Grégoire, J.-C. (2001) Past attacks influence host selection by solitary bark beetle Dendroctonus micans. Ecological Entomology 26, 133–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guildford, T. (1992) Predator psychology and the evolution of prey coloration. Natural enemies. pp. 377–395in Crawley, M.J. (Ed.) The population biology of predators, parasites and diseases. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Gutierrez, D. & Menendez, R. (1997) Patterns in the distribution, abundance and body size of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Caraboidea) in relation to dispersal ability. Journal of Biogeography 24, 903–914.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hails, R.S. & Crawley, M.J. (1992) Spatial density dependence in populations of a cynipid gall-former Andricus quercuscalicis. Journal of Animal Ecology 61, 567–583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamid, M.N., Perry, J.N., Powell, W. & Rennolls, K. (1999) The effect of spatial scale on interactions between two weevils and their food plant. Acta Oecologia – International Journal of Ecology 20, 537–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartland-Rowe, R. (1992) The biology of the wild silkmoth Gonometa rufobrunnea Aurivillius (Lasiocampidae) in northeastern Botswana, with some comments on its potential as a source of wild silk. Botswana Notes and Records 24, 123–133.Google Scholar
Hazel, W., Ante, S. & Stringfellow, B. (1998) The evolution of environmentally-cued pupal colour in swallowtail butterflies: natural selection for pupation site and pupal colour. Ecological Entomology 23, 41–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heads, P.A. & Lawton, J.H. (1983) Studies on the natural enemy complex of the holly leaf-miner: the effects of scale on the detection of aggregative responses and the implications for biological control. Oikos 40, 267–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hódar, J.A., Zamora, R. & Castro, J. (2002) Host utilisation by moth and larval survival of pine processionary caterpillar Thaumetopoea pityocampa in relation to food quality in three Pinus species. Ecological Entomology 27, 292–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodkinson, I.D., Bird, J.M., Hill, J.K. & Baxter, R. (2001) Host plant growth characteristics as determinants of abundance and phenology in jumping plant-lice on downy willow. Ecological Entomology 26, 376–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, R.T. & Schultz, J.C. (1988) Food availability for forest birds: effects of prey distribution and abundance on bird foraging. Canadian Journal of Zoology 66, 720–728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, A. & Baldwin, I.T. (2002) Manduca quinquemaculata's optimisation of intra-plant oviposition to predation, food quality, and thermal constraints. Ecology 83, 2346–2354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klok, C.J. (1998) Thermal biology and water relations of lepidopteran caterpillars. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria.Google Scholar
Klok, C.J. & Chown, S.L. (1998) Field thermal ecology and water relations of gregaria phase African armyworm caterpillars, Spodoptera exempta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of Thermal Biology 23, 131–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klok, C.J. & Chown, S.L. (1999) Assessing the benefits of aggregation: thermal biology and water relations of anomalous emperor moth caterpillars. Functional Ecology 13, 417–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korie, S., Perry, J.N., Mugglestone, M.A., Clark, S.J., Thomas, C.F.G. & Mohamad Roff, M.N. (2000) Spatiotemporal associations in beetle and virus count data. Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics 5, 214–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotzen, B. (2003) An investigation of shade under six different tree species of the Negev desert towards their potential use for enhancing micro-climatic conditions in landscape architectural development. Journal of Arid Environments 55, 231–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kukal, O. (1995) Winter mortality and the function of larval hibernacula during the 14-year life cycle of an Arctic moth, Gynaephora groenlandica. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73, 657–662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legendre, P. & Legendre, L. (1998) Numerical ecology. 2nd edn. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science.Google Scholar
Leyva, K.J., Clancy, K.M. & Price, P.W. (2003) Oviposition strategies employed by the western spruce budworm: tests of predictions from the phylogenetic constraints hypothesis. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 5, 9–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyon, B.E. & Cartar, R.V. (1996) Functional significance of the cocoon in two Arctic Gynaephora moth species. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 263, 1159–1163.Google Scholar
McCullagh, P. & Nelder, J.A. (1989) Generalized linear models. 2nd edn. Boca Raton, Florida, Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGeoch, M.A. (2002) Insect conservation in South Africa: an overview. African Entomology 10, 1–10.Google Scholar
McGeoch, M.A. & Gaston, K.J. (2000) Edge effects on the prevalence and mortality factors of Phytomyza ilicis (Diptera, Agromyzidae) in a suburban woodland. Ecology Letters 3, 23–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGeoch, M.A. & Price, P.W. (2004) Spatial abundance structures in an assemblage of gall-forming sawflies. Journal of Animal Ecology 73, 506–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ness, J.H., Bronstein, J.L., Andersen, A.N. & Holland, J.N. (2004) Ant body size predicts dispersal distance of ant-adapted seeds: implications of small ant invasions. Ecology 85, 1244–1250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nowbahari, B. & Thibout, E. (1990) The cocoon and humidity in the development of Acrolepiopsis assectella (Lep.) pupae: consequences in adults. Physiological Entomology 15, 363–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orians, C.M. & Jones, C.G. (2001) Plants as resource mosaics: a functional model for predicting patterns of within-plant resource heterogeneity to consumers based on vascular architecture and local environmental variability. Oikos 94, 493–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palgrave, K.C. (1977) Trees of southern Africa. Cape Town, C. Struik Publishers.Google Scholar
Perry, J.N. (1995) Spatial analysis by distance indices. Journal of Animal Ecology 64, 303–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, J.N. & Dixon, P.M. (2002) A new method to measure spatial association for ecological count data. Ecoscience 9, 133–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, J.N., Winder, L., Holland, J.M. & Alston, R.D. (1999) Red-blue plots for detecting clusters in count data. Ecology Letters 2, 106–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, P.W. (1997) Insect ecology. 3rd edn. New York, John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Randic, M. (2001) Retro-regression – another important multivariate regression improvement. Journal of Chemical Information and Computer Sciences 41, 602–606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranius, T. (2001) Constancy and asynchrony of Osmoderma eremita populations in tree hollows. Oecologia 126, 208–215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rhainds, M., Gries, G., Ho, C.T. & Chew, P.S. (2002) Dispersal by bagworm larvae, Metisa plana: effects of population density, larval sex, and host plant attributes. Ecological Entomology 27, 204–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribeiro, K.T., Codeco, C.T. & Fernandes, G.W. (2003) Local and regional spatial distribution of an eruptive and latent herbivore insect species. Austral Ecology 28, 99–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riihimäki, J., Kaitaniemi, P. & Ruohomäki, K. (2003) Spatial responses of two herbivore groups to a geometrid larva on mountain birch. Oecologia 134, 203–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodeghiero, M. & Battisti, A. (2000) Inter-tree distribution of the spruce web-spinning sawfly, Cephalcia abietis, at endemic density. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 2, 291–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruszczyk, A. (1996) Spatial patterns in pupal mortality in urban palm caterpillars. Oecologia 107, 356–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scholtz, C.H. & Holm, E. (1985) Insects of southern Africa. Pretoria, University of Pretoria.Google Scholar
Stamp, N.E. (1980) Egg deposition patterns in butterflies: why do some species cluster their eggs rather than deposit them singly. American Naturalist 115, 367–380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stamp, N.E. & Bowers, M.D. (1990) Variation in food quality and temperature constrain foraging of gregarious caterpillars. Ecology 71, 1031–1039.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stamp, N.E. & Wilkens, R.T. (1993) On the cryptic side of life: being unapparent to enemies and the consequences for foraging and growth of caterpillars. pp. 283–330in Stamp, N.E. & Casey, T.M. (Eds) Caterpillars: ecological and evolutionary constraints on foraging. New York, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Steinbauer, M.J., McQuillan, P.B. & Young, C.J. (2001) Life history and behavioural traits of Mnesampela privata that exacerbate population response to eucalypt plantations: comparisons with Australian and outbreak species of forest geometrids from the Northern Hemisphere. Austral Ecology 26, 525–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stork, N.E., Hammond, P.M., Russell, B.L. & Hadwen, W.L. (2001) The spatial distribution of beetles within the canopies of oak trees in Richmond Park, UK. Ecological Entomology 26, 302–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strong, D.R., Lawton, J.H. & Southwood, T.R.E. (1984) Insects on plants: community patterns and mechanisms. Southampton, Camelot Press.Google Scholar
Veldtman, R. (2004) The ecology of southern African wild silk moths (Gonometa species, Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae): consequences for their sustainable use. PhD dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria.Google Scholar
Veldtman, R. & McGeoch, M.A. (2004) Spatially explicit host-parasitoid relationships: density dependence revisited. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B. 271, 2439–2444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veldtman, R., McGeoch, M.A. & Scholtz, C.H. (2002) Variability in pupal size in southern African wild silk moths: implications for sustainable harvesting. African Entomology 10, 127–136.Google Scholar
Veldtman, R., McGeoch, M.A. & Scholtz, C.H. (2004) Parasitoids of southern African wild silk moths (Lepidoptera). African Entomology 12, 119–124.Google Scholar
Wallner, W.E. (1987) Factors affecting insect population dynamics: differences between outbreak and non-outbreak species. Annual Review of Entomology 32, 317–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wermelinger, B. (2002) Development and distribution of predators and parasitoids during two consecutive years of an Ips typographus (Col., Scolytidae) infestation. Journal of Applied Entomology 126, 521–527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wickman, P.-O. & Karlsson, B. (1989) Abdomen size, body size and the reproductive effort of insects. Oikos 56, 209–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiggins, D.A. (1997) Clutch size and oviposition site characteristics of a nocturnal African silk moth Imbrasia belina (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Annales Zoologici Fennici 34, 235–240.Google Scholar
Wiklund, C. (1984) Egg-laying patterns in butterflies in relation to their phenology and visual apparency and abundance of their host. Oecologia 63, 23–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, I.S., Jones, T.H. & Hartley, S.E. (2001) The role of resources and natural enemies in determining the distribution of an insect herbivore population. Ecological Entomology 26, 204–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winder, L., Alexander, C.J., Holland, J.M., Woolley, C. & Perry, J.N. (2001) Modelling the dynamic spatio-temporal response of predators to transient prey patches in the field. Ecology Letters 4, 568–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zar, J.H. (1984) Biostatistical analysis. 2nd edn. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar