Discovery of two specialist insects that feed on immature acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata ( Thunb. ) Schottky ( Fagaceae ) and their importance in acorn production
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Wiley
2025
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| author | Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA |
| author_facet | Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA |
| collection | Wiley Open Access |
| contents | Discovery of two specialist insects that feed on immature acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata ( Thunb. ) Schottky ( Fagaceae ) and their importance in acorn production Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA Entomological Science Abstract The acorns of fagaceous species contain considerable amounts of nutrients, especially within the cotyledons. Seed predation that damages cotyledons, primarily caused by Curculio weevils, has been considered to be an important factor affecting acorn production. We investigated acorn falling patterns and predispersal insect damage in Castanopsis cuspidata (Fagaceae), whose cotyledons began to develop late in the growing season and acorns were covered by a cupule until maturity, from an initial stage of acorn development in two well‐developed evergreen forests in Japan: Higashiyama in Kyoto Prefecture and Aya in Miyazaki Prefecture. Based on the identification using appearance and genetic analyses of insects damaging acorns, undescribed Heliozela sp. were dominant, followed by undescribed Eurytoma sp. in immature‐sized acorns in both Higashiyama and Aya, whereas Curculio weevils were predominant in mature‐sized acorns. Seasonal sampling of acorns from the crowns indicated that larvae of Heliozela sp. and Eurytoma sp. feed on the pericarp of the acorn during early stages of acorn development and that these insects have a multivoltine life cycle. In both Higashiyama and Aya, the total number of acorns damaged by Heliozela sp. and Eurytoma sp. amounted to approximately half of the total number of acorns produced in 1 year, when initial acorn production was considerably less. Our results suggest that a variety of seed‐feeding insects can evolve to adjust to acorn growth patterns, and that such insects, in turn, have a large impact on acorn production, even prior to cotyledon development. 10.1111/ens.12621 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1111/ens.12621 |
| format | Artículo Open Access |
| id | wiley_oa_10_1111_ens_12621 |
| institution | Wiley Open Access |
| license_str_mv | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | wiley_oa |
| spellingShingle | Discovery of two specialist insects that feed on immature acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata ( Thunb. ) Schottky ( Fagaceae ) and their importance in acorn production Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA Entomological Science Discovery of two specialist insects that feed on immature acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata ( Thunb. ) Schottky ( Fagaceae ) and their importance in acorn production Kimiko HIRAYAMA Nobuki KAWANO Sakumi OHKUBO Issei TANAKA Fumitaka HOSOBUCHI Yukiko FUKUHAMA Kazunori MATSUO Issei OHSHIMA Entomological Science Abstract The acorns of fagaceous species contain considerable amounts of nutrients, especially within the cotyledons. Seed predation that damages cotyledons, primarily caused by Curculio weevils, has been considered to be an important factor affecting acorn production. We investigated acorn falling patterns and predispersal insect damage in Castanopsis cuspidata (Fagaceae), whose cotyledons began to develop late in the growing season and acorns were covered by a cupule until maturity, from an initial stage of acorn development in two well‐developed evergreen forests in Japan: Higashiyama in Kyoto Prefecture and Aya in Miyazaki Prefecture. Based on the identification using appearance and genetic analyses of insects damaging acorns, undescribed Heliozela sp. were dominant, followed by undescribed Eurytoma sp. in immature‐sized acorns in both Higashiyama and Aya, whereas Curculio weevils were predominant in mature‐sized acorns. Seasonal sampling of acorns from the crowns indicated that larvae of Heliozela sp. and Eurytoma sp. feed on the pericarp of the acorn during early stages of acorn development and that these insects have a multivoltine life cycle. In both Higashiyama and Aya, the total number of acorns damaged by Heliozela sp. and Eurytoma sp. amounted to approximately half of the total number of acorns produced in 1 year, when initial acorn production was considerably less. Our results suggest that a variety of seed‐feeding insects can evolve to adjust to acorn growth patterns, and that such insects, in turn, have a large impact on acorn production, even prior to cotyledon development. 10.1111/ens.12621 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| title | Discovery of two specialist insects that feed on immature acorns of Castanopsis cuspidata ( Thunb. ) Schottky ( Fagaceae ) and their importance in acorn production |
| topic | Entomological Science |
| url | https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ens.12621 |