Clissold Fiona J, Kertesz Helena, Saul Amelia M, Sheehan Julia L, Simpson Stephen J
School of Biological Sciences, A08, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
School of Biological Sciences, A08, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
J Insect Physiol. 2014 Oct;69:35-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.06.011. Epub 2014 Jun 27.
Nutritional outcomes for animals are best understood when the intake of multiple nutrients are considered together. The requirements for protein and carbohydrate and the consequences for development, growth and fitness when confined to sub-optimal amounts and ratios of these nutrients are well known for many herbivorous insects. Water is also essential for life, and it is known that herbivorous insects will actively ingest free water, have physiological mechanisms controlling thirst, and suffer fitness consequences if water is excessive or deficient in the diet. As herbivorous insects are thought to obtain the majority of their water from foliage, which can vary in protein, carbohydrate and water content, we investigated if the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, can select among complementary foods to attain a target intake across these three nutrient dimensions. Locusts demonstrated selection behaviour for protein, carbohydrate and water by eating non-randomly from different combinations of complementary foods. A ratio of P:C:H2O of 1:1.13:13.2 or 1(P+C): 6.2 H2O was ingested. Given that locusts strongly regulate water intake, and its importance as an essential resource, we suggest future studies consider the single and interactive influences of water, protein and carbohydrate, when evaluating herbivorous insect host choice and foraging decisions.
当综合考虑多种营养素的摄入量时，动物的营养结果才能得到最好的理解。对于许多食草昆虫来说，蛋白质和碳水化合物的需求以及当这些营养素的量和比例处于次优水平时对发育、生长和健康的影响是众所周知的。水也是生命所必需的，已知食草昆虫会主动摄取自由水，具有控制口渴的生理机制，并且如果饮食中的水分过多或不足，会对健康产生影响。由于食草昆虫被认为从叶子中获取大部分水分，而叶子中的蛋白质、碳水化合物和水分含量会有所不同，我们研究了澳大利亚疫蝗（Chortoicetes terminifera）是否可以在互补食物中进行选择，以在这三个营养维度上达到目标摄入量。蝗虫通过从互补食物的不同组合中进行非随机进食，表现出对蛋白质、碳水化合物和水的选择行为。摄入的P:C:H2O比例为1:1.13:13.2或1(P+C): 6.2 H2O。鉴于蝗虫强烈调节水分摄入，以及水作为一种必需资源的重要性，我们建议未来的研究在评估食草昆虫的寄主选择和觅食决策时，考虑水、蛋白质和碳水化合物的单一和交互影响。
