Colonization success of a tree-killing bark beetle: Geographic variation and mismatch with host preference.

ABSTRACT: The preference-performance hypothesis (PPH) predicts that female insects maximize their fitness by ovipositing on hosts where their offspring perform the best. The preference-performance relationships in bark beetles are complex because before offspring development can occur in the phloem, adult bark beetles must first successfully invade host trees, and then construct galleries beneath the bark. Therefore, a positive correlation between host preference and successful colonization is necessary for the PPH in bark beetles to hold (i.e., the preference-colonization hypothesis in bark beetles). In this study, through field choice experiments, I investigated the successful colonization of the bark beetle, Polygraphus proximus, within four allopatrically distributed Abies species

SUBMITTER: Takagi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10322651 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature