U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Service, Lincoln, Nebraska

 

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2011

Citation

Biocontrol Science and Technology, Vol. 21, No. 1, 2011, pp. 71-74.

Comments

U.S. government work.

Abstract

We hypothesize that herbivory by predators is affected by the complexity of their diet. Coleomegilla maculata larvae fed prey - Acyrthosiphon pisum or Ostrinia nubilalis eggs - consumed two to three times more plant tissue (pinto beans) than those fed a mixed diet (containing pollen substitute and prey-based components). Simple, prey-only diets appear to lack plant-based nutrients important to this predator.

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