Env Exp Biol (2013) 11: 205–214

Host preference of herbivorous arthropods feeding on Ficus (Moraceae) grown ex situ in Ukraine

Abstract

Different plant taxa are known to be selectively preferred by particular herbivorous arthropod species. The goal of our study was to determine to what extentFicus-feeding herbivores may display host preference with respect to plant infrageneric taxa under greenhouse conditions of a botanical garden. Using conventional methods for arthropod sampling in greenhouses, it was shown that the abundance and species richness of sucking herbivores on Ficus greatly depended on the taxonomic position of both herbivores and their host-plants. Herbivores of all found taxa tended to choose plants of subgenus Urostigma for feeding, while those of the subgenera Synoecia and Sycidium were mostly ignored by them. Ficus plants in general seemed to be most preferred by herbivores of the families Pseudococcidae and Tetranychidae among all the species found. This finding may potentially be useful in prediction of herbivore assemblage structure and feeding behaviour inFicus-containing plant communities.