Factors modeling the leaf miner pattern in the shrub Azara microphylla
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.16.25.3.0.166Abstract
The activity of herbivores may depend on resource characteristics as well as on interactions with other organisms that consume leaves. We analyzed the effect of leaf toughness and the probability of leaf damage on the activity and efficiency of leaf miners in the shrub Azara microphylla. Basal sectors of the leaves showed higher toughness and lower probability of damage by other herbivores, fungus and pathogens than apical leaf sectors. Leaf-miner activity was concentrated in basal leaf sectors, although they mainly initiated their activity in apical sectors (their preferred place to oviposit). Leaf-miner efficiency was similar in both leaf sectors. These results suggest that the interaction with other organisms that attack leaves play a relevant role modeling the foraging activity of leaf miners, illustrating how the construction that organisms build (i.e., trail miners) can be used to study their ecology and behavior.
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