Host plant specificity of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: The preference-performance hypothesis explains host specificity in phytophagous insects, positing that host plants chosen by adults confer the greatest larval fitness. However, adults sometimes oviposit on plants supporting low larval success because the components of host specificity (adult preference, plant palatability, and larval survival) are non-binary and not necessarily correlated. Palatability (willingness to eat) is governed by chemical cues and physical barriers such as trichomes, while survival (ability to complete development) depends upon nutrition and toxicity. Absence of a correlation between the components of host specificity results in low-performance hosts supporting limited larval development. Most studies of specificity focus on oviposition behavior leaving the importa

SUBMITTER: Greenstein L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9197062 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature