Tolerance for nutrient imbalance in an intermittently feeding herbivorous cricket, the Wellington tree weta.

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dc.citation.issue12
dc.citation.volume8
dc.contributor.authorWehi PM
dc.contributor.authorRaubenheimer D
dc.contributor.authorMorgan-Richards M
dc.date.available2013-12-17
dc.date.available2013-11-26
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractOrganisms that regulate nutrient intake have an advantage over those that do not, given that the nutrient composition of any one resource rarely matches optimal nutrient requirements. We used nutritional geometry to model protein and carbohydrate intake and identify an intake target for a sexually dimorphic species, the Wellington tree weta (Hemideina crassidens). Despite pronounced sexual dimorphism in this large generalist herbivorous insect, intake targets did not differ by sex. In a series of laboratory experiments, we then investigated whether tree weta demonstrate compensatory responses for enforced periods of imbalanced nutrient intake. Weta pre-fed high or low carbohydrate: protein diets showed large variation in compensatory nutrient intake over short (<48 h) time periods when provided with a choice. Individuals did not strongly defend nutrient targets, although there was some evidence for weak regulation. Many weta tended to select high and low protein foods in a ratio similar to their previously identified nutrient optimum. These results suggest that weta have a wide tolerance to nutritional imbalance, and that the time scale of weta nutrient balancing could lie outside of the short time span tested here. A wide tolerance to imbalance is consistent with the intermittent feeding displayed in the wild by weta and may be important in understanding weta foraging patterns in New Zealand forests.
dc.description.publication-statusPublished
dc.format.extent? - ? (11)
dc.identifierhttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000328737700104&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=c5bb3b2499afac691c2e3c1a83ef6fef
dc.identifierARTN e84641
dc.identifier.citationPLOS ONE, 2013, 8 (12), pp. ? - ? (11)
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0084641
dc.identifier.elements-id199575
dc.identifier.harvestedMassey_Dark
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherPUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
dc.relation.isPartOfPLOS ONE
dc.rights© 2013 Wehi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.subjectScience & Technology
dc.subjectMultidisciplinary Sciences
dc.subjectScience & Technology - Other Topics
dc.subjectMULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES
dc.subjectFOOD SELECTION
dc.subjectLIFE-SPAN
dc.subjectORGANISMAL STOICHIOMETRY
dc.subjectHEMIDEINA-CRASSIDENS
dc.subjectNUTRITIONAL ECOLOGY
dc.subjectMULTIPLE NUTRIENTS
dc.subjectGEOMETRIC ANALYSIS
dc.subjectINSECT HERBIVORE
dc.subjectSEXUAL SELECTION
dc.subjectNITROGEN-CONTENT
dc.titleTolerance for nutrient imbalance in an intermittently feeding herbivorous cricket, the Wellington tree weta.
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.notesNot known
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences/School of Natural Sciences
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