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Nutrient regulation by a generalist caterpillar of Spodoptera exigua
The aim of this research was to demonstrate whether generalist-feeding caterpillars of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) regulate their nutrient intake when faced with nutritionally variable food conditions. Six, chemically-defined diets were prepared that differed in the composition of protein and digestible carbohyrate:42% protein with 0% carbohydrate by dry mass(p42:c0), p35:c7, p28:c5.6, p7:c35, p5.6:c28 and p0:42. A total of 288 newly-ecdysed final instar(5th) caterpillars were collected and assigned randomly into 7 food pairing treatments, in which they were allowed to choose between two diet block:one with high P:C ratio and the other with low ratio [1) p42:c0 vs. p0:c42, 2) p42:c0 vs. p7:c35, 3) p35:c7 vs. p0:c42, 4) p35:c7 vs. p7:c35, 5) p35:c7 vs. p5.6:c28, 6) p28:c5.6 vs. p7:c35 and 7) p28:c5.6 vs. p5.6:c28]. Various aspects of food intake and larval performance variables were measured for each insect, including larval survival, stadium duration, pupal mass and body lipid composition. Results showed that the intake of protein and carbohydrate self-composed by caterpillars in all treatments converged to a point in a bivariate nutrient plot and the ratio of protein to carbohydrate averaged over these converging intake points was close to 1:1. This indicates that S. exigua caterpillars have capacity to balance their nutrient intake by defending their species-specific ‘intake target’ despite the differences in amount and proportion of nutrients available in each food choice treatment.
