Phytophagous insects and plants comprise one half of all macroscopic organisms on Earth, and understanding plant-insect interactions has been a long-standing focus in ecological and evolutionary biology. A key challenge has been determining the factors that affect how insects distribute among plants. While ditrophic and tritrophic interactions are well known and enormously important, the biophysical context in which these interactions occur is largely unexplored. This dissertation examines how a plant's physical environment affects insect performance on, and preference for, its leaves.An insect's primary physiological challenges are staying within an appropriate temperature range and retaining sufficient water. These problems are exacerbated during the egg stage. Eggs have comparatively enormous ratios of surface area to volume, and their temperature is determined largely by where they are laid. Because they are small, eggs are nearly always immersed within their plant's boundary layer, a thin layer of still air that resists heat and moisture transfer between the plant and its surroundings. Almost no work has documented the microclimate to which insects are exposed in a plant's boundary layer, which likely differs substantially both from the ambient macroclimate, and from leaf to leaf.Because a female controls the location in which her eggs must develop, her choice of oviposition site may profoundly influence the success of her offspring. In this dissertation I examine how site-specific environmental variables, including microclimate, predation, and leaf nutrition, drive female oviposition preference and offspring performance in the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta L. (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). I measure how leaves of M. sexta's primary host plants in the southwestern USA modify the temperature and humidity experienced by eggs, and how these leaf microclimates affect the performance of eggs and larvae. I then test whether this species' oviposition-site choices correlate with offspring performance with regard to microclimate, predation risk, and leaf nutrition. This dissertation is unique in focusing on the relatively unstudied biophysical context in which plant-insect interactions occur. Additionally, it is the first work that compares, together in a single study, the effects of varying multiple factors related to oviposition-site choice across all life history stages in a single model system.

Abstract Host use and range of herbivorous insects are determined by several factors, of which nutritional quality and secondary chemistry have been shown to play very important roles. For herbivores feeding on lichens these traits are assumed to be more critical than for species feeding on higher plants, since lichens are nutritionally poor and often contain high concentrations of secondary metabolites. I examined the role of lichens' nutritional quality and secondary chemicals on the performance of lichen-feeding Lepidopteran larvae. I also tested whether females of lichenivorous species preferably oviposit on host species of the highest nutritional quality for the growth of larvae. Larvae of Eilema depressum performed best on Melanelia exasperata, which is of the highest nutritional quality, as indicated by the high N concentration and the absence of lichen secondary metabolites compared to the other lichens studied. Host nutritional quality did not promote the production of an additional generation. Larvae of E. depressum needed fewer instars and grew bigger on a high-quality diet than larvae reared on a diet of poorer quality. However, the main factor contributing to the wide variation in the number of larval instars was the question of whether or not larvae overwintered. Growth of Cleorodes lichenaria at the beginning of the larval period matched equally the nutritional quality of the hosts. However, the final larval period was shortest on Ramalina species, which was preferred by both females ovipositing their eggs and larvae searching for a host. In the field, larvae were found almost exclusively on Ramalina species. Larvae of E. depressum were not able to survive on intact thalli of Vulpicida pinastri and Hypogymnia physodes, but after removal of lichen's secondary metabolites, larval survival remained equally high as on other lichens. Larvae also showed a clear preference towards thalli with lowered concentrations of secondary metabolites in Parmelia sulcata, V. pinastri and H. physodes. Parietin in Xanthoria parietina was the only secondary metabolite that had no impact on the survival or host selection of E. depressum larvae. The present results show that the nutritional quality and some lichen secondary chemicals are important factors for the growth, survival and host selection of lichen-feeding Lepidopteran larvae. The preference-performance hypothesis is at least partly able to explain the host range of C. lichenaria, although it seems that there are also other factors, such as larval dispersal and host selection or top-down forces, that might contribute to host range of lichenivorous Lepidopteran larvae. Moreover, lichenivorous larvae seem to be partly responsible for their own host selection.

No description available.

The effects of nitrogen and sulfur fertilization on the oviposition, feeding preferences, and larval performance of Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Brassica napus L. were examined in a series of laboratory experiments. The associations between C. obstrictus adults, larvae and parasitoids, and environmental factors including plant vigor indicators and soil and plant nutrients were evaluated within two commercial fields of B. napus in southern Alberta. Nitrogen fertilization, and sulfur fertilization at low levels of nitrogen fertilization had positive effects on oviposition preference. Nitrogen had a positive effect on larval development times and no effect on larval weights. Within one field, gravid C. obstrictus females were dissociated with high levels of plant nutrients including nitrogen. The synthesis of the lab and field experiments seems to support the plant stress and the preference-performance hypotheses. Differences in olfactory and visual cues are identified as a possible mechanism for the observed differences. / Ecology

Le contrôle biologique (C. -B. - l'utilisation d'ennemis naturels pour lutter contre les ravageurs) est durable, écologique et rentable pour contrer la résistance des ravageurs en augmentant l'utilisation des pesticides. Les parasitoïdes des pucerons sont des ennemis naturels communs des pucerons, les principaux ravageurs mondiaux dans l'agriculture. L'étude de la spécificité de l'hôte parasitoïde contribue à (1) comprendre les mécanismes écologiques et évolutifs de l'écosystème et (2) évaluer l'efficacité des agents de lutte biologique et les risques écologiques pour les espèces non ciblées. Cette étude porte sur la spécificité de l'hôte fondamental des parasitoïdes sur les niveaux individuels, en matière de besoins en ressources et dans le contexte des interactions multi trophiques sous stress abiotique environnemental, c'est-à-dire la limitation de l'eau. Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidés: Aphidiinae) a été choisi; ce parasitoïde puceron est largement utilisé comme modèle écologique et comme agent de lutte biologique commercial (BCA). D'une part, l'indice de spécificité de l'hôte A. ervi a été mesuré sur une large gamme d'espèces de pucerons. D'autre part, les impacts indirects de la limitation de l'eau ont été étudiés sur la spécificité de l'hôte du parasitoïde. En outre, les modifications induites par le stress hydrique dans la plante et les traits de vie des pucerons ont été mesurés. A. ervi s'est avéré être une espèce intermédiaire spécialisée qui a attaqué toutes les espèces de pucerons à des taux élevés, mais n'a pas pu se développer correctement sur toutes les espèces. Les quelques espèces qui se développaient bien étaient phylogénétiquement proches et appartenaient à la tribu des Macrosiphini. En outre, une corrélation positive de préférence - performance a été trouvée. Sous stress hydrique, la préférence et la performance des parasitoïdes ont été affectées, causant la perte de la corrélation. La limitation de l'eau a modifié négativement la qualité nutritionnelle de la plante, ce qui a entraîné une faible performance des pucerons sur les plantes hôtes. Ceci à son tour a diminué la convenance des hôtes pucerons pour le parasitoïde. Les effets de la limitation de l'eau n'étaient pas similaires pour toutes les combinaisons plantes-pucerons et dépendaient de plusieurs facteurs, à savoir les mécanismes végétaux adaptés au stress et la spécialisation de l'hôte des pucerons et des parasitoïdes. / Biological control (BC - the use of natural enemies to control pests) are sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods to counteract pest resistance by increasing pesticide use. Aphid parasitoids are common natural enemies of aphids, the major worldwide pests in agriculture. The study of parasitoid host specificity contributes to (1) understanding ecological and evolutionary mechanisms driving the ecosystem and (2) evaluating the efficiency of biocontrol agents and the ecological risks for non-target species. This study focuses on the parasitoids fundamental host specificity on individual levels, in terms of resource requirements and in the context of multi-trophic interactions under environmental abiotic stress, i.e.water limitation. Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) was chosen; this aphid parasitoid is used widely as an ecological model and commercial biological control agent (BCA). On the one hand, A. ervi host specificity index was measured on a broad range of aphid species. On the other hand, the indirect impacts of water limitation were investigated on the host specificity of the parasitoid. Furthermore, water stress-induced modifications in the plant and the aphid life-history traits were measured. A. ervi was shown to be an intermediate specialist species who attacked all aphid species at high rates but was unable to develop well on all of them. The few that developed well were phylogenetically close and belong to the Macrosiphini tribe. Interestingly, a positive correlation preference – performance was found. Under water stress, both preference and performance of parasitoids were affected causing loss of the correlation. Water limitation negatively altered the plant nutritional quality resulting in low aphid performance on host plants. This in turn decreased the suitability of aphid hosts for the parasitoid. The impacts of water limitation were not similar across all plant-aphid combinations and depended on several factors, namely stress-adapted plant mechanisms and the host specialization of both aphids and parasitoids.