Stable isotope signatures reflect dietary diversity in Euroepan forest moths

0465776 - BC 2017 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Adams, M.-O. - Seifert, Carlo Lutz - Lehner, L. - Truxa, T. - Wanek, W. - Fiedler, K.
Stable isotope signatures reflect dietary diversity in Euroepan forest moths.
Frontiers in Zoology. Roč. 13, č. 1 (2016), č. článku 37. ISSN 1742-9994. E-ISSN 1742-9994
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : delta C-13 * delta N-15 * larval diet
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 2.781, year: 2016
https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12983-016-0170-0

Background: Information on larval diet of many holometabolous insects remains incomplete. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope analysis in adult wing tissue can provide an efficient tool to infer such trophic relationships. The present study examines whether moth feeding guild affiliations taken from literature are reflected in isotopic signatures. Results: Non-metric multidimensional scaling and permutational analysis of variance indicate that centroids of dietary groups differ significantly. In particular, species whose larvae feed on mosses or aquatic plants deviated from those that consumed vascular land plants. Moth delta15N signatures spanned a broader range, and were less dependent on species identity than delta13C values. Comparison between moth samples and ostensible food sources revealed heterogeneity in the lichenivorous guild, indicating only Lithosia quadra as an obligate lichen feeder. Among root-feeding Agrotis segetum, some specimens appear to have developed on crop plants in forest-adjacent farm land. Reed-feeding stem-borers may partially rely on intermediary trophic levels such as fungal or bacterial growth. Conclusion: Diagnostic partitioning of moth dietary guilds based on isotopic signatures alone could not be achieved, but hypotheses on trophic relationships based on often vague literature records could be assessed with high resolution. Hence, the approach is well suited for basic categorization of moths where diet is unknown or notoriously difficult to observe (i.e. Microlepidoptera, lichen-feeders).
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0264514