Gorse pod susceptibility and oviposition preference to the gorse seed weevil,<i>Apion ulicis</i>(Forster) (Coleoptera: Apionidae)

Hoddle, Mark S.

doi:10.1080/03014223.1991.10757945

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Exapion ulicis females were also able to discriminate a previously infested pod, as previously shown by Hoddle (1991b). This study provides indirect arguments suggesting that E. lemovicinum females also prefer uninfested pods.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Plant phenology and seed predation: interactions between gorses and weevils in Brittany (France)

Barat¹,

Tarayre

Atlan

2007

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Exapion ulicis (Forster) and Exapion lemovicinum (Hoffmann) (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Apionidae) are seed predators of the three gorse species occurring in Brittany (France): Ulex europaeus L., Ulex gallii Planch., and Ulex minor Roth.(Fabaceae). Host‐plant phenology plays a major role in the relationship between apionid weevils and their gorse species, because larvae develop within gorse pods and adults have to wait for pod dehiscence to be released. We monitored flowering and fruiting phenology of gorse species, weevil reproductive behaviour, and egg‐laying patterns in six natural populations in the native area of these gorse species. At each site, U. europaeus, which flowers mainly in spring, was sympatric with one of two autumn flowering gorse species, U. gallii and U. minor. We noticed that E. ulicis laid eggs in spring and was restricted to U. europaeus whereas E. lemovicinum laid eggs in autumn and was restricted to the two autumn‐flowering species U. gallii and U. minor. Therefore, host specificity depended on gorse phenology, and not on geographic proximity. In addition, the infested pod content showed that E. ulicis laid several eggs per pod and suggested that females chose pods with the highest numbers of seeds. In contrast, E. lemovicinum laid a single egg per pod and showed no preference for pods with many seeds. Finally, the impact of seed predation by E. ulicis was higher than that of E. lemovicinum.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Plant phenology and seed predation: interactions between gorses and weevils in Brittany (France)

Barat¹,

Tarayre

Atlan

2007

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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“…However, the preferences observed here on isolated pods were different from those observed on isolated flowers, and did not explain the whole-plant infestation rate in the common garden [27]. Together with previous studies, these results reveal that the foraging behaviour of E. ulicis weevils requires the capacity to respond to a wide variety of cues: whole-plant traits [21], flower traits, internal and external pod cues (this study), and cues indicating the presence of conspecifics [26] or the presence of the competitor Cydia succedana [19]. It would be interesting to apply more widely the theoretical framework developed for parasitoid wasp oviposition [6], to study the evolution of the interaction between phytophagous insects-especially those whose larvae develop at the expense of seeds-and their host plant.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…In Brittany, the oviposition season lasts about six weeks in spring [19]. Gorse pod are susceptible for oviposition when they are 10-35 days old, i.e., when they are longer than 8 mm but still green and soft [23,26]. Larvae develop within the maturing pods, feeding on the developing seeds, and adults emerge from the ripe pods at dehiscence, about two months later.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oviposition Decision of the Weevil Exapion ulicis on Ulex europaeus Depends on External and Internal Pod Cues

et al. 2013

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Understanding mechanisms underlying insects' host choice and plant susceptibility is important to the study of plant-insect interactions in general, and in the context of plant invasions. This study investigates the oviposition and feeding choices of the specialist weevil Exapion ulicis on the invasive plant species Ulex europaeus, gorse. To do so, we studied the oviposition and feeding preferences of the weevil in choice experiments, using pods and flowers, respectively, from gorses grown in a common garden. The plants used came from regions with different infestation histories: Brittany and Scotland belong to the native range, where the weevil is present, while Reunion and New Zealand belong to the invasive range, where the weevil was not initially introduced with gorse. Results of these experiments suggest that the oviposition choice of E. ulicis females is driven by cues located at the surface of pods and inside them, including pod size and pod seed content. Feeding-choice experiments showed a different pattern of preference compared to oviposition. Taken together with previous studies, our results reveal that E. ulicis uses several traits to choose its host, including whole-plant traits, flower traits and pod traits.

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“…They are infested by a specific weevil, Exapion ulicis (Apionidae), and by the larvae of the moth Cydia succedana (Tortricidae), that may eat several seeds per pod and infest up to 90% of a plant’s pods. The life history of E. ulicis has been described by Davies (1928), Hoddle (1991) and Barat et al. (2007).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation in flowering phenology and avoidance of seed predation in native populations of Ulex europaeus

Atlan

Barat

Legionnet

et al. 2010

J of Evolutionary Biology

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The genetic variation in flowering phenology may be an important component of a species’ capacity to colonize new environments. In native populations of the invasive species Ulex europaeus, flowering phenology has been shown to be bimodal and related to seed predation. The aim of the present study was to determine if this bimodality has a genetic basis, and to investigate whether the polymorphism in flowering phenology is genetically linked to seed predation, pod production and growth patterns. We set up an experiment raising maternal families in a common garden. Based on mixed analyses of variance and correlations among maternal family means, we found genetic differences between the two main flowering types and confirmed that they reduced seed predation in two different ways: escape in time or predator satiation. We suggest that this polymorphism in strategy may facilitate maintain high genetic diversity for flowering phenology and related life‐history traits in native populations of this species, hence providing high evolutionary potential for these traits in invaded areas.

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Gorse pod susceptibility and oviposition preference to the gorse seed weevil,Apion ulicis(Forster) (Coleoptera: Apionidae)

Cited by 12 publications

References 13 publications

Plant phenology and seed predation: interactions between gorses and weevils in Brittany (France)

Plant phenology and seed predation: interactions between gorses and weevils in Brittany (France)

Oviposition Decision of the Weevil Exapion ulicis on Ulex europaeus Depends on External and Internal Pod Cues

Genetic variation in flowering phenology and avoidance of seed predation in native populations of Ulex europaeus

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