Plant carbohydrate content limits performance and lipid accumulation of an outbreaking herbivore.

ABSTRACT: Locusts are major intermittent threats to food security and the ecological factors determining where and when these occur remain poorly understood. For many herbivores, obtaining adequate protein from plants is a key challenge. We tested how the dietary protein : non-structural carbohydrate ratio (p : c) affects the developmental and physiological performance of 4th-5th instar nymphs of the South American locust, Schistocerca cancellata, which has recently resurged in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Field marching locusts preferred to feed on high carbohydrate foods. Field-collected juveniles transferred to the laboratory selected artificial diets or local plants with low p : c. On single artificial diets, survival rate increased as foods became more carbohydrate-biased. On single

SUBMITTER: Talal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7739925 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature