1990 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Effects of Ants on the Guild Structure of Herbivorous Beetles
| Project/Area Number |
63540515
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
生態学
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| Research Institution | Kanazawa University, Faculty of Science |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAMURA Koji Kanazawa Univ., Fac. Science, Assoc. Prof., 理学部, 助教授 (70111755)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1988 – 1990
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| Keywords | Guild structure / Population dynamics / Herbivore / Thistles / Interspecific competition / Ant / Chemical defense / Plant-insect relationships |
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| Research Abstract |
1. Co-occurrence among five abundant species of beetles that feed the leaves of thistle Cirsium matsumurae was examined in a hilly region of Kanazawa, Japan. The studied species were : a herbivorous ladybird Epilachna niponica (Epilachninae) and four chrysomerid species Dactylispa masoni (Hispinae), Cassida rubiginosa (Cassidinae), Altica cirsicola (Alticinae) and Lema cirsicola (Criocerinae).
2. Thistle shoots and their leaves were individually tagged to record (1) the growth and damage by the herbivores of the thistle, and (2) the position and number of adults, eggs, larvae and pupae of the five species. Seasonal occurrence, spatial distribution, longevity and dispersal of adults, and mortality rates in immature stages are quantified to compare the resource utilization patterns among the species.
3. These beetles did not show the segregation of oviposition sites : more than one egg mass of different species was frequently found together on one thistle leaf.
4. The thistles were seriously infested with two species of aphids. Ant density on the thistles was very low and ant did not attend the aphids.
5. Under laboratory conditions, experiments for survivorship and fertility schedules and food selection were carried out.
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