TY  - JOUR
A1  - Randlkofer, Barbara
A1  - Jordan, Florian
A1  - Mitesser, Oliver
A1  - Meiners, Torsten
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
T1  - Effect of vegetation density, height, and connectivity on the oviposition pattern of the leaf beetle Galeruca tanaceti
N2  - Vegetation structure can profoundly influence patterns of abundance, distribution, and reproduction of herbivorous insects and their susceptibility to natural enemies. The three main structural traits of herbaceous vegetation are density, height, and connectivity. This study determined the herbivore response to each of these three parameters by analysing oviposition patterns in the field and studying the underlying mechanisms in laboratory bioassays. The generalist leaf beetle, Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), preferentially deposits its egg clutches on non-host plants such as grasses. Earlier studies revealed that oviposition within structurally complex vegetation reduces the risk of egg parasitism. Consequently, leaf beetle females should prefer patches with dense, tall, or connected vegetation for oviposition in order to increase their reproductive success. In the present study, we tested the following three hypotheses on the effect of stem density, height, and connectivity on oviposition: (1) Within habitats, the number of egg clutches in areas with high stem densities is disproportionately higher than in low-density areas. The number of egg clutches on (2) tall stems or (3) in vegetation with high connectivity is higher than expected for a random distribution. In the field, stem density and height were positively correlated with egg clutch presence. Moreover, a disproportionately high presence of egg clutches was determined in patches with high stem densities. Stem height had a positive influence on oviposition, also in a laboratory two-choice bioassay, whereas stem density and connectivity did not affect oviposition preferences in the laboratory. Therefore, stem height and, potentially, density, but not connectivity, seem to trigger oviposition site selection of the herbivore. This study made evident that certain, but not all traits of the vegetation structure can impose a strong influence on oviposition patterns of herbivorous insects. The results were finally compared with data on the movement patterns of the specialised egg parasitoid of the herbivore in comparable types of vegetation structure.
KW  - Blattkäfer
KW  - Galeruca tanaceti
KW  - Hautflügler
KW  - Eulophidae
KW  - Oomyzus galerucivorus
KW  - Coleoptera
KW  - Chrysomelidae
KW  - tansy leaf beetle
KW  - vegetation structure
KW  - Oomyzus galerucivorus
KW  - Hymenoptera
KW  - Eulophidae
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49665
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Heisswolf, Annette
A1  - Reichmann, Stefanie
A1  - Poethke, Hans-Joachim
A1  - Schröder, Boris
A1  - Obermaier, Elisabeth
T1  - Habitat quality matters for the distribution of an endangered leaf beetle and its egg parasitoid in a fragmented landscape
N2  - Fragmentation, deterioration, and loss of habitat patches threaten the survival of many insect species. Depending on their trophic level, species may be differently affected by these factors. However, studies investigating more than one trophic level on a landscape scale are still rare. In the present study we analyzed the effects of habitat size, isolation, and quality for the occurrence and population density of the endangered leaf beetle Cassida canaliculata Laich. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and its egg parasitoid, the hymenopteran wasp Foersterella reptans Nees (Hymenoptera: Tetracampidae). C. canaliculata is strictly monophagous on meadow sage (Salvia pratensis), while F. reptans can also parasitize other hosts. Both size and isolation of habitat patches strongly determined the occurrence of the beetle. However, population density increased to a much greater extent with increasing host plant density ( = habitat quality) than with habitat size. The occurrence probability of the egg parasitoid increased with increasing population density of C. canaliculata. In conclusion, although maintaining large, well-connected patches with high host plant density is surely the major conservation goal for the specialized herbivore C. canaliculata, also small patches with high host plant densities can support viable populations and should thus be conserved. The less specialized parasitoid F. reptans is more likely to be found on patches with high beetle density, while patch size and isolation seem to be less important.
KW  - Fragmentierung
KW  - Pflanzenfressende Insekten
KW  - Eiparasitismus
KW  - Metapopulation
KW  - Habitat fragmentation
KW  - herbivore
KW  - host plant density
KW  - metapopulation
KW  - multitrophic
Y1  - 2009
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-47740
ER  -