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Predicting patch occupancy reveals the complexity of host range expansion.

M L Forister^1,2, C S Philbin^2,3, Z H Marion⁴

¹Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA. forister@gmail.com.

Science Advances

|November 28, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Melissa blue butterfly

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Entomology

Background:

Specialized plant-insect interactions are crucial for biodiversity.
Understanding herbivore host range limits is key to ecological research.
The Melissa blue butterfly recently adopted alfalfa as a host plant.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate factors limiting herbivorous insect host ranges.
Analyze the recent host shift of the Melissa blue butterfly to alfalfa.
Identify predictors for butterfly presence on new host plants.

Main Methods:

Quantified arthropod assemblages and plant metabolites across diverse geographic regions.
Controlled for climate and dispersal using population genomic data.
Applied a theoretical model of parasite host range.

Main Results:

Butterfly presence on alfalfa is predicted by plant traits and interspecies interactions.
Direct and indirect ecological factors influence host plant adoption.
Specialization appears to be a byproduct of overcoming ecological barriers.

Conclusions:

Ecological barriers, not physiological trade-offs, primarily shape insect host range.
The adoption of alfalfa by the Melissa blue butterfly is driven by multifaceted ecological factors.
Further research into plant-insect interactions can illuminate host range evolution.