Summary
Species richness of Macrolepidoptera on Finnish trees and shrubs was analysed by means of stepwise regression analysis. The explaining variables were plant frequency, geographical range, plant height, number of relatives and leaf size.
Total frequency of the host plant, which correlated strongly with range, explained 57% of the observed variance of lepidopteran species richness on deciduous trees and shrubs. Height of plant and number of relatives explained significantly the residual variation and altogether these three variables explained 71% of the variance of species richness.
Analyses at the plant genus level gave similar results and frequency, height and number of relatives explained 78% of the variance of species richness of Macrolepidoptera on deciduous plant genera.
When conifers were included in the analysis leaf size also becomes a significant variable. Leaf size can, however, act as a dummy variable which effectively distinguishes conifers from deciduous trees.
The validity of different models explaining herbivore species richness on plants is discussed. The results of this study favoured more than earlier studies the importance of relatedness of host plants as a factor which determines the species richness of herbivores.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Claridge MF, Wilson MR (1976) Diversity and distribution patterns of some mesophyll feeding leaf hoppers of temperate woodland canopy. Ecol Entomol 1:231–250
Claridge MF, Wilson MR (1978) British insects and trees: a study in island biogeography or insect/plant coevolution? Am Nat 112:451–456
Connor EF, Faeth SH, Simberloff D, Opler PA (1980) Taxonomic isolation and the accumulation of herbivorous insects: a comparison of introduced and native trees. Ecol Entomol 5:205–211
Connor EF, McCoy ED (1979) The statistics and biology of the species-area relationship. Am Nat 113:791–833
Cornell HV, Washburn JO, (1979) Evolution of the richness-area correlation for cynipid gall wasps on oak trees: a comparison of two geographic areas. Evolution 33:257–274
Feeny P (1976) Plant apparency and chemical defence Rec Adv Phytochem 10:1–40
Futyuma DJ (1976) Food plant specialization and environmental predictability in Lepidoptera. Am Nat 110:285–292
Hiitonen I, Poijärvi A (1968) Koulu-ja retkeilykasvio. 15th edn. Otava, Helsinki, p 472
Hultén E (1971) Atlas of the distribution of vascular plants in north-western Europe. 2nd edn. Generalstabens litografiska anstalts förlag. Stockholm, p 531
Hämel-Ahti L, Jalas J, Ulvinen T (1977) Suomen alkuperäiset ja vakiintuneet putkilokasvit. Mimeogr University, Helsinki, p 77
Itämies J (1973) Eräitä uusia suurperhostoukkien ravintokasveja. Ann Ent Fenn 39:47
Jalas J, Suominen J (eds) (1973) Atlas florae europaeae. Distribution of vascular plants in Europe. 2. Gymnospermae (Pinaceae to Ephedraceae) Maps 151–200. Suomalaisen kirjallisunden kirjapaino, Helsinki, p 40
Jalas J, Suominen J (eds) (1976) Atlas Florae Europaeae, Distribution of vascular plants in Europe 3. Salicaceae to Balanophoraceae Maps 201–383. Helsinki, p 128
Janzen DH (1968) Host plants as islands in evolutionary and contemporary time. Am Nat 102:592–595
Kalliola R (1973) Suomen kasvimaantiede. Werner Söderström, Porvoo-Helsinki, p 308
Kujala V (1964) Metsä- ja suokasvilajien levinneisyys- ja yleisyyssuhteista Suomessa. Vuosina 1951–1953 suoritetun valtakunnan metsien III linja-arvioinnin tuloksia. Comm Inst Forest Fenn 59:1–137, maps 1–196
Lawton JH (1978) Host-plant influences on insect diversity: the effects of space and time. In: Mound LA, Waloff N (eds) Diversity of insect faunas. Symp R Entomol Soc London 9, pp 105–125
Lawton JH, Price PW (1979) Species richness of parasites on hosts: Agromyzid flies on the British Umbelliferae. J Anim Ecol 48:619–637
Lawton JH, Schröder D (1977) Effects of plant type, size of geographical range and taxonomic isolation on number of insect species associated with British plants. Nature 265:137–140
Lawton JH, Schröder D (1978) Some observation on the structure of phytophagous insect communities: the implications for biological control. In: Freeman TE (eds) (1976) Proc 4th Int Symp Biol Control Weeds. Gainesville Florida, pp 57–73
Levins R, MacArthur R (1968) An hypothesis to explain the incidence of monophagy. Ecology 50:910–911
Lid J (1974) Norsk og Svensk Flora. 2nd edn. Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo, p 808
MacArthur RH, Wilson EO (1967) The theory of island biogeography. Princeton Univ Press, Princeton, p 203
McClure MS, Price PW (1976) Ecotope charasteristics of coexisting Erythroneura leafhoppers (Homoptera, Cicadellidae) on sycamore. Ecology 47:928–940
Opler PA (1974) Oaks as evolutionary islands for leaf-mining insects. Amer Sci 62:67–73
Overgaard Nielsen B (1978) Food resource partition in the beech leaf-feeding guild. Ecol Entomol 3:193–201
Overgaard Nielsen B, Ejlersen A (1977) The distribution pattern of herbivory in a beech canopy. Ecol Entomol 2:293–299
Price PW (1977) General concepts on the evolutionary biology of parasites. Evolution 31:405–420
Rhoades DF, Cates RG (1976) Toward a general theory of plant antiherbivore chemistry. Rec Adv Phytochem 10:168–213
Seppänen E (1970) Suurperhostoukkien ravintokasvit. Animalia Fennica 14. Werner Söderström, Porvoo-Helsinki, p 179
Southwood TRE (1960) The abundance of Hawaiian trees and the number of their associated insect species. Proc Hawaii Entomol Soc 17:299–303
Southwood TRE (1961) The number of species of insect associated with various trees. J Anim Ecol 30:1–8
Southwood TRE (1977) The stability of the trophic milieu, its influence on the evolution of behaviour and of responsiveness to tropic signals. Colloq Int CNRS 265:471–493
Southwood TRE, Brown VK, Reader PM (1979) The relationship of plant and insect diveresities in succession. Biol J Linn Soc 12:327–348
Strassburger E (1967) Textbook of Botany. Longmans, London, p 846
Strong DR Jr (1974) The insects of British trees: community equilibrium in ecological time. Ann Mo Bot Gard 61:692–701
Strong DR Jr (1979) Biogeographic dynamics of insect-host plant communities. Ann Rev Entomol 24:89–119
Strong DR Jr, Levin DA (1979) Species richness of plant parasites and growth form of their hosts. Am Nat 114:1–22
Wasserman SS (1979) Alleochemic diversity and plant apparency: evidence from the detoxification systems of caterpillars. Amer Midl Natur 102:401–403
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Neuvonen, S., Niemelä, P. Species richness of Macrolepidoptera on Finnish deciduous trees and shrubs. Oecologia 51, 364–370 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00540907
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00540907