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Host Specialization in Phytophagous Insects

Host Specialization in Phytophagous Insects Insects are by far the most diverse group of organisms on Earth; estimates of their current diversity range as high as 30 million species (58). A large fraction of these species feed on plants (154, 214), and Mitter et al (134) have shown that plant-feeding clades are consistently much more diverse than their nonphytophagous sister groups. By feeding at the base of the food chain, these insects have access to a potentially enormous supply of resources; these are extensively subdivided among species, as most phytophagous insects are highly host specific (55, 56, 133, 154). Investigations of the causes of host specialization in insects could therefore contribute substantially to our un­ derstanding of the origin and maintenance of diversity in this group. The evolution of plant-insect associations has been guided to a large extent by plant chemistry in some, but not all, insect groups (26, 55, 57, 153). For instance, related species of butterflies often use plants that are chemically similar, even if taxonomically distant (23, 57, 188, 190). Cladistic analyses of papilionid butterflies and Ophraella leaf beetles and their host plants have revealed that host shifts are most likely to occur among chemically similar plants, even though cladograms http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Annual Reviews

Host Specialization in Phytophagous Insects

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References (16)

Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1990 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
0066-4162
DOI
10.1146/annurev.es.21.110190.001331
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Insects are by far the most diverse group of organisms on Earth; estimates of their current diversity range as high as 30 million species (58). A large fraction of these species feed on plants (154, 214), and Mitter et al (134) have shown that plant-feeding clades are consistently much more diverse than their nonphytophagous sister groups. By feeding at the base of the food chain, these insects have access to a potentially enormous supply of resources; these are extensively subdivided among species, as most phytophagous insects are highly host specific (55, 56, 133, 154). Investigations of the causes of host specialization in insects could therefore contribute substantially to our un­ derstanding of the origin and maintenance of diversity in this group. The evolution of plant-insect associations has been guided to a large extent by plant chemistry in some, but not all, insect groups (26, 55, 57, 153). For instance, related species of butterflies often use plants that are chemically similar, even if taxonomically distant (23, 57, 188, 190). Cladistic analyses of papilionid butterflies and Ophraella leaf beetles and their host plants have revealed that host shifts are most likely to occur among chemically similar plants, even though cladograms

Journal

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and SystematicsAnnual Reviews

Published: Nov 1, 1990

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