title: Host plant range of a fruit fly community (Diptera: Tephritidae): does fruit composition influence larval performance?
abstract: Phytophagous insects differ in their degree of specialisation on host plants, and range from strictly monophagous species that can develop on only one host plant to extremely polyphagous species that can develop on hundreds of plant species in many families. Nutritional compounds in host fruits affect several larval traits that may be related to adult fitness. In this study, we determined the relationship between fruit nutrient composition and the degree of host specialisation of seven of the eight tephritid species present in La Réunion; these species are known to have very different host ranges in natura. In the laboratory, larval survival, larval developmental time, and pupal weight were assessed on 22 fruit species occurring in La Réunion. In addition, data on fruit nutritional composition were obtained from existing databases.
  
  
  
  For each tephritid, the three larval traits were significantly affected by fruit species and the effects of fruits on larval traits differed among tephritids. As expected, the polyphagous species Bactrocera zonata, Ceratitis catoirii, C. rosa, and C. capitata were able to survive on a larger range of fruits than the oligophagous species Zeugodacus cucurbitae, Dacus demmerezi, and Neoceratitis cyanescens. Pupal weight was positively correlated with larval survival and was negatively correlated with developmental time for polyphagous species. Canonical correspondence analysis of the relationship between fruit nutrient composition and tephritid survival showed that polyphagous species survived better than oligophagous ones in fruits containing higher concentrations of carbohydrate, fibre, and lipid.
  
  
  
  Nutrient composition of host fruit at least partly explains the suitability of host fruits for larvae. Completed with female preferences experiments these results will increase our understanding of factors affecting tephritid host range.
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France.|Institut Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Laboratoire d'Entomologie et de Lutte Biologique, Université de Sousse, 4042, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hafsi
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France.|UMR « Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations », INRA-SPE, 755 avenue du Campus, Agropolis, CS 30016, 34988, Montferrier sur Lez, Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Facon
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravigné
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiroleu
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quilici
authors.affiliation: Institut Supérieur Agronomique de Chott-Mariem, Laboratoire d'Entomologie et de Lutte Biologique, Université de Sousse, 4042, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Brahim
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chermiti
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410, Saint Pierre, France. duyck@cirad.fr.|UMR « Peuplements Végétaux et Bio-agresseurs en Milieu Tropical », CIRAD Pôle de Protection des Plantes, 7 chemin de l'Irat, 97410, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France. duyck@cirad.fr.
authors.forename: Pierre-François
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5484-1970
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Duyck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000469:parasitology*; D058507:Host Specificity; D007814:Larva / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011679:Pupa / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D033621:Tephritidae / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Carbohydrate; Food webs; Host range; Nutriments composition; Tephritidae