Vargas Héctor A, Rasmann Sergio, Ramirez-Verdugo Pamela, Villagra Cristian A
Depto de Recursos Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Univ de Tarapacá, Casilla 6-D, Arica, Chile.
Institute of Biology, Univ of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Neotrop Entomol. 2018 Feb;47(1):62-68. doi: 10.1007/s13744-017-0514-2. Epub 2017 Apr 6.
Understanding the factors driving the diet breadth of phytophagous insects remains one of the main questions in ecological research. In this study we explored the diet breadth and plant-insect associations in the plume moth Lioptilodes friasi Vargas & Parra (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae). This phytophagous insect was originally described in association with a single host species, Haplopappus foliosus (Asteraceae), a native shrub of the Chilean Mediterranean matorral. In order to address the breadth of host plant choice, we surveyed other Haplopappus species growing along the elevation gradient of central Chile from sea level to 2600 m. We were able to obtain L. friasi adults from five additional Haplopappus species: Haplopappus chrysantemifolius and Haplopappus decurrens from the coastal zone, Haplopappus multifolius and Haplopappus schumanii from the mid-elevation zone, and Haplopappus scrobiculatus at high elevation. Our results demonstrate that the genus-specialized endophagous herbivore L. friasi has a wider distribution and climatic tolerance than previously described. Its biogeographical range extends from the lowland coastal habitats up to the Andean subnival level. We propose that shared flower phenotypic traits such as morphology and chemical composition may have allowed the colonization of closely related Haplopappus species in central Chile, the expansion of which is limited by the harsh high elevation conditions.
了解驱动植食性昆虫食物广度的因素仍然是生态学研究的主要问题之一。在本研究中，我们探究了羽蛾Lioptilodes friasi Vargas & Parra（鳞翅目：羽蛾科）的食物广度和植物-昆虫关联。这种植食性昆虫最初被描述为与单一寄主物种Haplopappus foliosus（菊科）有关联，Haplopappus foliosus是智利地中海型马托拉尔地区的一种本土灌木。为了研究寄主植物选择的广度，我们调查了沿着智利中部从海平面到2600米海拔梯度生长的其他Haplopappus物种。我们从另外五种Haplopappus物种中获得了Lioptilodes friasi成虫：来自沿海地区的Haplopappus chrysantemifolius和Haplopappus decurrens，来自中海拔地区的Haplopappus multifolius和Haplopappus schumanii，以及高海拔地区的Haplopappus scrobiculatus。我们的结果表明，专食属内植物的内食性食草动物Lioptilodes friasi的分布范围和气候耐受性比之前描述的更广。其生物地理范围从低地沿海栖息地延伸至安第斯亚雪线水平。我们认为，诸如形态和化学成分等共享的花表型特征可能使得Lioptilodes friasi能够在智利中部定殖于亲缘关系相近的Haplopappus物种，而其分布范围的扩大受到高海拔恶劣条件的限制。
