Do the mechanisms modulating host preference in holometabolous phytophagous insects depend on their host plant specialization? A quantitative literature analysis

Abstract

It is crucial to understand the mechanisms that lead insects to select a host plant, to better understand why some insects shift from wild to cultivated habitats to become important pests. The article contains a literature analysis investigating how plant-eating insects that undergo complete metamorphosis (i.e. distinct egg, larval, pupal and adult stages) alter their preference for plant hosts. The study indicates that host plant selection is largely conditioned by the insect’s experience. The study also shows that the capacity of an insect to become a pest is not linked to its ability to feed on different plants. This research was partly funded by the UK Department for International Development, a core donor of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology