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Bird predation and the host-plant shift by the goldenrod stem galler

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

A.C. Poff ,
K.J. Haynes ,
M. Szymanski ,
D. Back ,
M.A. Williams  and
J.T. Cronin
A.C. Poff
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
K.J. Haynes
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
M. Szymanski
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
D. Back
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
M.A. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
J.T. Cronin*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States 58202
*
2Corresponding author (e-mail: jcronin@lsu.edu).
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Abstract

Escape from natural enemies may favor the incorporation of a novel host plant into the diet of an herbivorous insect. This scenario has been suggested for the recent host-plant shift by the goldenrod stem galler, Eurosta solidaginis Fitch (Diptera: Tephritidae), from the ancestral host Solidago altissima L. (Compositae) to the derived host Solidago gigantea Ait. In this study, we examined the effects of predation from downy woodpeckers, Picoides pubescens L. (Aves: Picidae), and black-capped chickadees, Parus atricapillus L. (Aves: Paridae), on these two host races of insects at the western edge of their zone of sympatry. Based on a field census, bird predation was concentrated near the cover of trees where S. gigantea tends to occur; few attacks occurred in the open where S. altissima is prevalent. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate the preference of these avian predators for galls of the two host races when differences in the microgeographic distribution, size, and height of galls were controlled. In allopatric sites where only S. gigantea occurs, attacks by birds were 58% more frequent on S. gigantea than on S. altissima galls. Similar results were found for sympatric sites, although the difference in attack was only 26% and not significant. We could find no difference in the toughness of galls or the nutritional value of a larva within the gall (in terms of biomass) to explain avian preference for the S. gigantea host race; however, we found that from 1999 to 2000, the S. gigantea race offered a 27–107% higher reward rate (i.e., the probability that a gall harbored a larva of E. solidaginis) than the S. altissima race. Our studies suggest that avian predators can assess a gall’s content prior to pecking it open, preferring galls that are inhabited by both E. solidaginis larvae and the inquiline predator Mordellistena convicta Leconte (Coleoptera: Mordellidae). It is possible that birds have either learned through experience or evolved through natural selection to choose the more profitable S. gigantea galls. Finally, our results suggest that avian predators act against the maintenance of two distinct host races in the midwestern United States.

Résumé

Une façon pour un insecte herbivore d’échapper à ses ennemis naturels consiste peut-être à adopter une nouvelle plante hôte. Ce scénario a été envisagé pour expliquer le passage récent de la mouche gallicole de la verge d’or, Eurosta solidaginis Fitch (Diptera : Tephritidae) de son hôte ancestral, Solidago altissima L. (Compositae), à un hôte dérivé, Solidago gigantea Ait. Au cours de cette étude, nous avons examiné les effets de la prédation exercée par les pics mineurs, Picoides pubescens L. (Aves : Picidae), et les mésanges à tête noire, Parus atricapillus L. (Aves : Paridae), sur ces deux races d’insectes à la limite ouest de leur zone de sympatrie. Un recensement sur le terrain a démontré que la prédation se faisait surtout près de la couverture des arbres où a tendance à se trouver S. gigantea et peu d’attaques ont eu lieu en milieu ouvert où S. altissima prédomine. Nous avons procédé à une expérience en nature pour évaluer les préférences de ces oiseaux prédateurs pour les galles des deux races d’insectes en tenant compte des différences dans leur répartition microgéographique, leur taille et la hauteur de leurs galles. Aux sites allopatriques où ne vit que S. gigantea, les attaques des oiseaux étaient de 58% plus fréquentes sur les galles de S. gigantea que sur celles de S. altissima. Des résultats semblables ont été obtenus aux sites sympatriques, bien que la différence dans la fréquence des attaques n’ait été que de 26%, une valeur non significative. Nous n’avons pas trouvé de différences dans la dureté des galles ou dans la valeur nutritive (biomasse) de la larve à l’intérieur de la galle qui puissent expliquer la préférence des oiseaux pour la race S. gigantea; cependant, nous avons constaté qu’en 1999–2000, la race S. gigantea présentait un taux de réussite (i.e. la probabilité de trouver une larve d’E. solidaginis dans la galle) de 27 à 107% plus élevé que celui de la race S. altissima. Nos résultats indiquent que les oiseaux prédateurs sont capables d’évaluer le contenu d’une galle avant de l’ouvrir et qu’ils préfèrent celles qui contiennent à la fois des larves d’E. solidaginis et leur prédateur inquilin Mordellistena convicta Leconte (Coleoptera : Mordellidae). Les oiseaux peuvent avoir acquis par expérience, ou sous l’influence de la sélection naturelle, une préférence pour les galles de S. gigantea, plus profitables. Enfin, nos résultats indiquent aussi que les oiseaux prédateurs défavorisent le maintien de deux races hôtes d’insectes dans le Midwest américain.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 134 , Issue 2 , April 2002 , pp. 215 - 227
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2002

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