Effect of avian predation on survival of leaf-rolling lepidopterous larvae

Abstract

Manipulative field experiments were performed in a northern Japanese deciduous forest to determine the role of avian predation in the survival of three leaf-rolling lepidopterous larvae (Homonopsis foedenratana, Archips viola, and Zeiraphera corpulentana) on Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata) trees. When all leaf rolls on the lilacs were experimentally removed, the visitation rate of birds declined, indicating that the leaf rolls served as a visual cue for the birds. In a second experiment in which birds were excluded from the lilac trees, the survival of H. foedenratana larvae was improved, whereas the mortality of the other two Lepidoptera stayed the same. This is probably the result of differences in the shape of leaf rolls; larvae of H. foedenratana alter the leaf form to a greater extent, which may facilitate the detection of the rolls by birds. The high predation rate on the tight leaf rolls of H. foedenratana may be offset by enhanced resistance against other predators and better food quality for the enclosed larvae.