Resource Allocation to Flight in an Outbreaking Forest Defoliator Malacosoma disstria

Evenden, Maya L.; Whitehouse, Caroline; Jones, B.

doi:10.1093/ee/nvv055

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…There was, however, no effect of male moth body size on the proportion of released moths captured in sentinel female-baited traps. Flight capacity of male forest tent caterpillar moths is not influenced directly by wing loading but is limited by energy use (Evenden et al, 2015). As the field cage limited the dispersal distance of released moths in the current study, energy use is likely not a factor in male moth orientation to females within the cage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Male flight requirements to find females will likely vary with population density and by extension with availability of larval nutrition whereby less food may be available at higher densities. Recent research (Evenden et al, 2015) showed that flight capacity was not influenced by wing loading of male forest tent caterpillar moths collected from populations at different densities but energy use in flight increased with distance flown. At low population densities, males may have to fly considerable distances to encounter a receptive female (Elkinton and Cardé, 1980;Sanders, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), mate-finding behavior is greatest at intermediate population densities: implications for interpretation of moth capture in pheromone-baited traps

et al. 2015

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The forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) is a native forest defoliator with a broad geographic range in North America. Forest tent caterpillars experience cyclical population changes and at high densities, repeated defoliation can cause reduced tree growth and tree mortality. Pheromone-based monitoring of forest tent caterpillar moths can provide information on spatial and temporal patterns of incipient outbreaks. Pheromone-baited trap capture of male moths correlates to the number of eggs and pupae in a population but this relationship breaks down at high population densities, when moth trap capture declines. The objective of the current study is to understand the mechanisms that reduce trap capture at high population densities. We tested two different hypotheses: (1) at high population densities, male moth orientation to pheromone sources is reduced due to competition for pheromone plumes; and (2) moths from high density populations will be in poor condition and less likely to conduct mate-finding behaviors than moths from low density populations. A field study showed non-linear effects of density on male moth capture in female-baited traps. The number of males captured increased up to an intermediate density level and declined at the highest densities. Field cage studies showed that female moth density affected male moth orientation to female-baited traps, as more males were recaptured at low than high female densities. There was no effect of male density on the proportion of males that oriented to female-baited traps. Moth condition was manipulated by varying larval food quantity. Although feeding regimes affected the moth condition (size), there was no evidence of an effect of condition on mate finding or close range mating behavior. In the field, it is likely that competition for pheromone plumes at high female densities during population outbreaks reduces the efficacy of pheromone-baited monitoring traps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), mate-finding behavior is greatest at intermediate population densities: implications for interpretation of moth capture in pheromone-baited traps

et al. 2015

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“…The extent and manifestation of these trade‐offs is largely species specific and is not well understood for many species (Colvin & Gatehouse, ; Zhang et al., ). Oogenesis and flight activities compete for energy reserves and extended flight can cause a decrease in fecundity and fertility, as observed for the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Shirai, ), and the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Hübner) (Evenden et al., ). In some species, syndromes of physiological characteristics (sensu Dingle, ) are observed through which the timing of reproduction and flight is coordinated (Dingle, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Interrelation of mating, flight, and fecundity in navel orangeworm females

Rovnyak

Burks

Gassmann

et al. 2018

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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The navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Phycitini), is an economically important pest of nut crops in California, USA. Improved management will require better understanding of insect dispersal, particularly relative to when mating occurs. A previous study demonstrated a more robust laboratory flight capacity compared to other orchard moth pests, but it was unclear how mating affects dispersal, and how dispersal affects fecundity. In this study, 1-and 2-day-old females were allowed to fly overnight on a flight mill either before or after mating, respectively, and were then allowed to oviposit. Data on fecundity were compared between treatments to minimally handled or tethered-only control females. Females that mated before flight flew longer and covered a greater distance than those flying prior to mating. However, timing of flight relative to mating did not affect fecundity, nor did any measure of flight performance. There was no effect on fecundity when females were forced to fly for designated durations from 3 min to 2 h. Together, our data revealed no obvious trade-off between flight activity and reproductive output. Distances measured on the flight mills (mean ca. 15 km for mated females) may overestimate net displacement in the field where flight tracks are often meandering. The results suggest that most females mate and oviposit in or near their natal habitat, but that some may disperse potentially long distances to oviposit elsewhere. KeywordsAmyelois transitella, flight mills, dispersal, almonds, pistachios, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. Key words: Amyelois transitella, flight mills, dispersal, almonds, pistachios, Lepidoptera, Pyralidae AbstractThe navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae, Phycitini), is an economically important pest of nut crops in California, USA. Improved management will require better understanding of insect dispersal, particularly relative to when mating occurs. A previous study demonstrated a more robust laboratory flight capacity compared to other orchard moth pests, but it was unclear how mating affects dispersal, and how dispersal affects fecundity. In this study, 1-and 2-day-old females were allowed to fly overnight on a flight mill either before or after mating, respectively, and were then allowed to oviposit. Data on fecundity were compared between treatments to minimally handled or tethered-only control females. Females that mated before flight flew longer and covered a greater distance than those flying prior to mating. However, timing of flight relative to mating did not affect fecundity, nor did any measure of flight performance. There was no effect on fecundity when females were forced to fly for designated durations from 3 min to 2 h. Together, our data revealed no obvious trade-off between flight activity and reproductive outp...

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“…After 7-10 days, adults emerge, mate, and oviposit. Adults of both sexes are strong fliers, and can disperse up to 19 km a year (Evenden et al, 2015). When assisted by turbulent cold air masses, some have been reported to fly hundreds of kilometers (Brown, 1965;Fullard and Napoleone, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of winter temperatures, spring degree-day accumulation, and insect population source on phenological synchrony between forest tent caterpillar and host trees

Uelmen

Lindroth

Tobin

et al. 2016

Forest Ecology and Management

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a b s t r a c tGlobal climate change has the potential to dramatically alter multiple ecosystem processes, including herbivory. The development rates of both plants and insects are highly sensitive to temperature. Although considerable work has examined the effects of temperature on spring phenologies of plants and insects individually, few studies have examined how anticipated warming will influence their phenological synchrony. We applied elevated temperatures of 1.7 and 3.4°C in a controlled chamberless outdoor experiment in northeastern Minnesota, USA to examine the relative responses in onset of egg eclosion by forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hübner) and budbreak of two of its major host trees (trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides Michaux, and paper birch, Betula papyrifera Marshall). We superimposed four insect population sources and two overwintering regimes onto these treatments, and computed degree-day models. Timing of egg hatch varied among population source, overwintering location, and spring temperature regime. As expected, the development rates of plants and insects advanced under warmer conditions relative to ambient controls. However, budbreak advanced more than egg hatch. The degree of phenological synchrony between M. disstria and each host plant was differentially altered in response to warming. The interval by which birch budbreak preceded egg hatch nearly doubled from ambient to +1.7°C. In the case of aspen, the sequence changed from egg hatch preceding, to following, budbreak at +3.4°C. Additionally, under temperature regimes simulating future conditions, some insect populations currently south of our study sites became more synchronous with the manipulated hosts than did currently coexisting insect populations. These findings reveal how climate warming can alter insect-host plant interactions, through changes in phenological synchrony, possibly driving host shifts among tree species and genotypes. They also suggest how herbivore variability, both among populations and within individual egg masses, may provide opportunities for adaptation, especially in species that are highly mobile and polyphagous.

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Resource Allocation to Flight in an Outbreaking Forest Defoliator Malacosoma disstria

Cited by 13 publications

References 46 publications

Forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), mate-finding behavior is greatest at intermediate population densities: implications for interpretation of moth capture in pheromone-baited traps

Forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), mate-finding behavior is greatest at intermediate population densities: implications for interpretation of moth capture in pheromone-baited traps

Interrelation of mating, flight, and fecundity in navel orangeworm females

Effects of winter temperatures, spring degree-day accumulation, and insect population source on phenological synchrony between forest tent caterpillar and host trees

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