Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
1-2002
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
University
Cornell University
First Advisor
Paul Feeny, Ph.D.
Abstract
Herbivorous insects are rarely able to eat all kinds of available plant material. The majority of phytophagous insects are oligophagous, feeding on a variety of host plants that are botanically and/or chemically related (Strong, et al. 1984; Jermy, et al. 1990; Bemays and Chapman 1994). This provides these insects the flexibility to exploit a variety of plant species; however, even closely-related plants can differ in such phenotypic characters as growth form, leaf shape, and chemistry. How then can we account for the fidelity of oligophagous insects for a particular set of plants growing in complex vegetation? Clearly, host-finding responses to at least some plant traits must have a heritable component, and may be subject to experience-induced modification. Remarkably, little is known of the relative roles of "nature" and "nurture" in host-finding by herbivorous insects.
Recommended Citation
Heinz, Cheryl Ann '89, "Host Finding and Recognition by Papilio Polyxenes (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): The Effects of Three Host Cues and of Host-Plant Experience on Oviposition Behavior" (2002). Doctoral Dissertations. 18.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/alumni_dissertations/18