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Host specialization by reproductive interference between closely related herbivorous insects

  • Special feature: Original article
  • Reproductive Interference
  • Published:
Population Ecology

Abstract

Host specialization among closely related herbivores is common and is therefore a major theme in ecology. Despite its ecological importance, no general explanatory framework for host specialization is currently available. We introduce a new model of the evolution of host specialization in herbivorous insects. We use a two-dimensional lattice comprising 32 × 32 cells. Moreover, the model incorporates reproductive interference, defined as any negative outcomes resulting from interspecific mating, between two species of herbivores feeding on two different host plants as well as ordinary resource competition and differences in host suitability. Our simulation showed that reproductive interference, together with other factors such as host-related performance and resource competition, can actually drive the evolution of host specialization and thereby host partitioning between herbivorous insects during secondary contact. Host specialization arises particularly when levels of both reproductive interference and resource competition are intermediate. In contrast, host specialization seldom occurs if reproductive interference is absent. Thus, reproductive interference is as key to specialization as is spatial partitioning, which was not regarded as a realistic outcome when only resource competition was considered.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Daisuke Kyogoku and Noriyuki Suzuki for their critical reading of the manuscript and helpful comments, and Hideki Yamamoto for using the source code for Mersenne twister random number generator ported to Object Pascal language. Thanks are also due to Shinji Fujii, David Hembry, Atsushi Honma, Kohmei Kadowaki, Kazutaka Kawatsu, Shigeki Kishi, Eizi Kuno, Takashi Matsumoto, Kenji Matuura, Reiichi Miura, Masashi Murakami, Sachiko Nishida, Naota Ohsaki, Ryusen Tajima, and Shingo Tanaka for stimulating discussion. This study was supported in part by Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sport and Culture (Nos. 16657008, 19770023 and 25650150).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecosystem Studies, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone, 522-8533, Japan

    Takayoshi Nishida

  2. Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, Osaka, 543-0026, Japan

    Kohichi Takakura

  3. Faculty of Sociology, St. Andrew’s University, Izumi, 594-1198, Japan

    Keisuke Iwao

Authors
  1. Takayoshi Nishida
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  2. Kohichi Takakura
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  3. Keisuke Iwao
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Correspondence to Takayoshi Nishida.

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Nishida, T., Takakura, K. & Iwao, K. Host specialization by reproductive interference between closely related herbivorous insects. Popul Ecol 57, 273–281 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-015-0490-5

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