Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://dr.iiserpune.ac.in:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/5831
Title: Polyphagous caterpillars of Spodoptera litura switch from a trap crop to the main crop, improve fitness, and shorten generation time
Authors: Mitra, Sirsha
Firake, D. M.
UMESH, K. P.
PANDEY, PRASHASTI P.
PANDIT, SAGAR
Dept. of Biology
Keywords: Castor
Eggplant
Host selection
Host switch
Lepidoptera
Migration
Nutritional indices
2021-APR-WEEK3
TOC-APR-2021
2021
Issue Date: Mar-2021
Publisher: Springer Nature
Citation: Journal of Pest Science, 94(4), 1091–1103.
Abstract: Trap crops are used for pulling the pest load from the main crops toward themselves. Here, we report a switching by a polyphagous pest, Spodoptera litura, from trap crop castor to main crop eggplant during its mid-larval development. In the eggplant–castor mixed field, adults oviposit exclusively on castor. However, 3rd and 4th instar castor-grown larvae migrate to eggplants. Host choice assays for adults and larvae conducted in the controlled environment and the nutritional indices of castor and eggplant-feeding larvae revealed that the natural enemies did not influence the host switch. The host switch was rather associated with larvae’s enhanced digestion and metabolism. It shortened the development time and increased the eclosion success on eggplant. Mother-selected castor is suitable for the early instars and eggplant is for the later instars, indicating that the host switching was not because of the mother’s erroneous host choice but has evolved as an advantageous behavior. S. litura’s ability to switch hosts in the same ontogenic phase and reduce the generation time can contribute to an additional generation within a cropping season and endanger the critical growth stage of fruiting. Our findings support the ‘mother knows the best’ concept and annex that the larvae can also possess the ability to know the best. Such ability in different ontogenic stages can be fundamental to the exceptional adaptability of species like S. litura.
URI: http://dr.iiserpune.ac.in:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/5831
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-021-01351-w
ISSN: 1612-4758
1612-4766
Appears in Collections:JOURNAL ARTICLES

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