Journal of Insect Behavior

, Volume 30, Issue 4, pp 432–438 | Cite as

Effect of Diet History on Prey and Pollen Food Choice by Two Lady Beetle Species

Article
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Abstract

Mixed diets of prey and plant-provided foods, such as pollen, have been shown to benefit a wide range of arthropods. However, diet shifting between these two very different food sources remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that previous diet should influence subsequent time allocation between prey and plant food types; to reach a balanced diet, consumers are expected to allocate more time to resources previously lacking in their diet. We tested this hypothesis by observing the foraging choices of larvae of two omnivorous coccinellid species: Coccinella septempunctata L. and Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), following a diet history of prey, pollen or a mixed diet of both food types. Results showed an asymmetrical tendency of C. septempunctata larvae to complement their previous diet with unfamiliar food: larvae allocated more time to pollen feeding, but not to prey, when each of the foods was previously absent from their diet. Study results have important implications for the use of plant-provided food supplements to enhance biological control by these omnivorous consumers.

Keywords

Coccinella septempunctata Hippodamia variegata Brassica napus diet shift omnivory coccinellidae 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD Grant number US-4318-10 to M.C.).

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© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Entomology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and EnvironmentThe Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael

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