Abstract
In the dry heathlands of the Limoges region of France, Chorthippus binotatus differs from allied graminivorous species by its diet specialization, composed of dwarf gorse bush (Ulex minor). Nymphal stages exclusively feed on leaves. Adults become florivorous at the season's end. The preference for Ulex bushes versus grasses involves recognition of host plant architecture, and particularly the angle of the axes (branches, stems). Sugar sensitivity and odor discrimination experiments at the end of season showed that adults are more attracted by sucrose and fructose than by glucose or water. HPAEC-PAD analyses of different plant organs revealed that soluble sugar content of Ulex (especially U. minor) flowers is greater than Ulex shoots and stems and leaves of grasses. These results partly explain the consumption of U. minor rather than U. europaeus. The temporal shift toward flowers is explained by the sweet taste and the yellow color. The interest for sucrose and yellow is enhanced during the season and is the result of learning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Allais, D. P., Simon, A., Bennini, B., Chulia, A. J., Kaouadji, M. R., and Delage, C. (1991). Flavone and flavonol glycosides from Calluna vulgaris. Phytochemistry. 30: 3099–3101.
Bennini, B., Chulia, A. J., Kaouadji, M. R., and Thomasson, F. (1992). Flavonoid glycosides from Erica tetralix. Phytochemistry 31: 2483–2486.
Bennini, B., Chulia, A. J., Kaouadji, M. R., and Delage, R. (1993). Dihydroflavonol aglycone and glycosides from Erica tetralix. Phytochemistry. 33: 1233–1236.
Bernays, E. A., and Chapman, R. F. (1970). Experiments to determine the basis of food selection by Chorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in the field.J. Anim. Ecol. 39: 761–776. Feeding Preferences in Chorthippus binotatus 525
Bernays, E. A., and Chapman, R. F. (1974). The regulation of food intake by Acridids. In Browne, B. (ed.). Exprimental Analysis of Insect Behaviour. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Bernays, E. A., and Chapman, R. F. (1994). Host Plant Selection by Phytophagous Insects, Chapman & Hall New York.
Bernays, E. A., and Wrubel, R. P. (1985). Learning by grasshoppers: Association of color/light intensity with food. Physiol. Entomol. 10: 359–369.
Briscoe, A. D. (2000). Six opsins from the butterfly Papilio glaucus: Molecular phylogenetic evidence for paralogous origins of red-sensitive visual pigments in insects. J. Mol. Evol. 51: 110–121.
Bruneton, J. (1999). Pharmacognosie, Phytochimie, Plantes m´edicinales. Techniques et documentation, Paris.
Cataldi, T. R., Campa, C., Casella, I. G., and Bufo, S. A. (1999).Determination of maltitol, isomaltitol, and lactitol by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.J. Agric. Food Chem. 47: 157–163.
Chandra, B. C. S., Geetha, L., Abraham, V. A., Karanth, P., Thomas, K., Srinivasan, V. M., and Gadagkar, R. (1998). Uniform discrimination of pattern orientation in honeybees. Anim. Behav. 56: 1391–1398.
Chapman, R. F., and Joern, A. (1990). Biology of Grasshoppers, JohnWiley&Sons, New York.
Chapman, R. F., and Sword, G. (1993). The importance of palpation in food selection by a polyphagous grasshopper (Orthoptera, Acrididae). J. Insect Behav. 6: 79–91.
Defaut, B. (1997). Synopsis des Orthoptères de France. Association pour la Caractérisation et l' étude des Entomocénoses, Bédeilhac, France.
Dethier, V. G. (1986). Analysing proximate causes of behavior. In Huettel, M. D. (ed.), Evolutionary Genetics of Invertebrate Behavior, Plenum Press, New York.
Dicke, M. (2000). Chemical ecology of host-plant selection by herbivorous arthropods: A multitrophic perspective. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 28: 601–617.
Dukas, R., and Bernays, E. A. (2000). Learning improves growth rate in grasshoppers. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97: 2637–2640.
Harrisson, J., Gallagher, J. A., and Pollock, C. J. (1997). A simple and rapid method for the analysis of water-soluble carbohydrates from small segments of cereal leaf tissue. J. Plant Physiol. 151: 654–659.
Jermy, T. (1984). Evolution of insect/host-plant relationships. Am. Nat. 124:5, 609–630.
Kelber, A. (1999). Ovipositing butterflies use a red receptor to see green. J. Exp. Biol. 202: 2619–2630.
Kelber, A., and Henique, U. (1999). Trichromatic colour vision in the hummingbird hawkmoth, Macroglossum stellarum L. J. Comp. Physiol. 184: 537–541.
Le Gall, P. (1989). Le choix des plantes nourricières et la spécialisation trophique chez les Acridoidea (Orthoptères). Bull. Ecol. 20: 245–261.
Mitchell, R. (1981). Insect behavior, resource exploitation, and fitness. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 26: 373–396.
Mossot, M., and Petit, D. (2000). Présence de Chorthippus binotatus binotatus (Charpentier, 1825) dans le Vaucluse (Orth., Acrididae). Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 105: 251–252.
Mulkern, G. B. (1967). Food selection by grasshoppers. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 12: 59–78.
Picaud, F., Nanthieras, C., Coudon, I., Bellet, A., and Petit, D. (1999). Gradation dans l'abandon de la graminivorie chez deux sous-espèces de Chorthippus binotatus. Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. 35(suppl): 242–247.
Pouvreau, A. and Marilleau, R. (1987). Le comportement alimentaire de l'abeille domestique vis-à-vis des glucides. Bull. Tech. Apic. 14: 105–116.
Prokopy, R. J., and Owens, E.D. (1983).Visual detection of plants by herbivorous insects. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 28: 337–364.
Simpson, S. J., James, S., Simmonds, M. S., and Blaney, W. M. (1991). Variation in chemosensitivity and the control of dietary selection behaviour in the locust. Appetite 17(2): 141–154.
SPSS Inc. (1997). SYSTAT vers. 7.0, The System for Statistics, SYSTAT Inc., Evanston, IL.
Ueckert, D. N., and Hansen, R. M. (1971). Dietary Overlap of grasshoppers on Sandhill Rangeland in northeastern Colorado. Oecologia (Berlin). 8: 276–295. 526 Picaud et al .
Uvarov, B. P. (1977). Grasshoppers and Locusts—A Handbook of General Acridology, Vol.2. Centre for Overseas Pest Research. London.
Verger, J. P., and Javellaud, J. (1990). Les sols podzoliques et lessivés de la lande de Ceinturat (87): Une séquence originale. Ann. Sci. Lim. 6: 23–36.
Wallace, G. K. (1958). Some experiments on form perception in the nymphs of desert locust Schistocerca gregaria Fosk. Journ. Exper. Biology. 35: 765–775.
White, P. R., and Chapman, R. F. (1990). Olfactory sensitivity of Gomphocerine grasshoppers to the odors of host and non-host plants. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 55: 205–212.
Williams, L. H. (1954). The feeding habits and food preferences of Acrididae and the factors which determine them. Trans. R. Entomol Soc. London 105: 423–454.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Picaud, F., Gloaguen, V. & Petit, D. Mechanistic Aspects to Feeding Preferences in Chorthippus binotatus (Acrididae, Gomphocerinae). Journal of Insect Behavior 15, 513–526 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016381200725
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016381200725