Welcome to Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin,

Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2006, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (8): 414-414.

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Bottom-up Effect of the Tritrophic System Interactions Among Host Plants, Phytophagous Insects and Natural Enemies

Wu Houzhang, Zhang Chao , Li Zhengshan, Zhou Chunxiao, Zou Yunding   

  • Online:2006-08-05 Published:2006-08-05

Abstract: The importance of the role of tritrophic interactions among host plants, phytophagous insects and natural enemies, herbivore numbers regulated by their natural enemies (top-down forces), and host plant physiological and chemical characteristics influencing directly or indirectly on population abundance and distribution of herbivores and their natural enemies (bottom-up forces) have been an active theme in ecology. Bottom-up control from host plant resources may be more common as a factor of regulating herbivore insects than top-down control from natural enemies in a variety of different terrestrial systems. Variation in host plant quality, such as basic nutrient substances, induced secondary metabolism substances and morphological characters, impacts on the physiology and behaviour of herbivore insects, which, in turn, determines their life-history parameters such as fecundity, longevity and survival, all directly relevant to their population dynamics; influences on the performance and fitness of their natural enemies in cascading up, resulting in indirectly suppressing the abundance of herbivore insects.

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