Variation in immune response in the generalist herbivore fall webworm across four common host plants

Abstract

Dietary generalist herbivorous insects are widespread and often occur in a variety of environments. Across their geographic range, herbivorous insects may encounter variable plant traits as they feed on high-quality or low-quality plants. Herbivorous insect larvae experience both bottom-up (host plant) and top-down (parasitoid) factors that affect survival. Host plant quality may affect larval growth and survival in that larvae feeding on low-quality plants often suffer reduced fitness. However, herbivores on different host plants are also subject to different levels of parasitism. High-quality plants confer stronger larval performance (higher survival, more offspring), but larvae may also face higher parasitism. In some herbivore species, diet mediates larval immune response. The generalist insect herbivore fall webworm (FW), Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is a moth native to North America, and its larvae have considerable variance in their performance when reared on different host plants. We investigated whether diet affects the immune response in FW larvae when they are reared on different host plant species known to vary in food quality. We measured immune response by melanization of a nylon filament. We found significant differences in immune response across host plants, indicating that diet mediates immune response in FW larvae. Our study helps elucidate the factors that cause variation in immune response in a generalist herbivore.