DOI: 10.5061/dryad.6b1h8
title: Data from: Host specialization involving attraction, avoidance and performance, in two phytophagous moth species

description: Host specialization plays a key role in the extreme diversification of
 phytophagous insects. Whereas proximate mechanisms of specialization have
 been studied extensively, their consequences for species divergence remain
 unclear. Preference for, and performance on hosts are thought to be a
 major source of divergence in phytophagous insects. We assessed these
 major components of specialization in two moth species, the European corn
 borer (ECB) and the Adzuki bean borer (ABB), by testing their oviposition
 behaviour in different conditions (choice or no-choice set-ups) and their
 performances, by reciprocal transplant at the larval stage on the usual
 host and an alternative host plant. We demonstrated that both ABB and ECB
 have a strong preference for their host plants for oviposition, but that
 relative larval performances on the usual host and an alternative host
 differed according to the experiment and the trait considered (weight or
 survival). Finally, we show for the first time that the preference for
 maize in ECB conceals a strong avoidance of mugwort. The differences in
 performance, attraction and avoidance between ECB and ABB are discussed in
 the light of the underlying mechanisms and divergence process.
description: Adult preference -
 Laying siteThe file ‘Adult
 preference - Laying site’ contains the data of the laying site in the
 ‘oviposition experiment’. - The first column, entitled ‘ID_eggmasses’,
 gives the unique identifer of each egg-mass sampled in the experimental
 cages. - The second column, entitled ‘ID_cage’, gives the unique numerical
 identifier of each experimental cage. - The third column, entitled
 ‘Ostrinia_species’, refer to O. nubilalis (ECB) and O. scapulalis (ABB)
 species used in the experiment. - The fourth column, called ‘Setup’,
 corresponds to the three experimental set-ups tested in the oviposition
 experiment: choice (with maize and mugwort plants), maize_only (with maize
 plants only) and mugwort_only (with mugwort plants only). - the fifth
 column, entitled ‘Laying_site’, corresponds to the three laying sites
 where adult females laid eggs: mugwort, maize or the netting cage. - the
 sixth column, entitled ‘Sampling_Date’, corresponds to the sampling date
 of egg-masses. - the seventh column, called ‘Hatching’ is a binomial
 variable, with 0 corresponding to not hatched egg-masses and 1 to hatched
 egg-masses. - the eighth column, called ‘Hatching_Date’, corresponds to
 the date of egg-masses hatching (‘NA’ for the egg-masses that did not
 hatch).Adult preference -
 resting sitesThe file ‘Adult
 preference – resting sites’ contains the data obtained of the adult
 resting site in the ‘oviposition experiment’. - The first column, entitled
 ‘ID_adult’, gives the unique identifer for each adult (male and female)
 recovered in the experimental cages. - The second column, entitled
 ‘ID_cage’, gives the unique numerical identifier of each experimental
 cage. - The third column, entitled ‘Ostrinia_species’, refer to O.
 nubilalis (ECB) and O. scapulalis (ABB) species used in the experiment. -
 The fourth column, called ‘Setup’, corresponds to the three experimental
 set-ups tested in the oviposition experiment: choice (with maize and
 mugwort plants), maize_only (with maize plants only) and mugwort_only
 (with mugwort plants only). - the fifth column, entitled ‘Sex’,
 corresponds to sex of each individual: female or male. - the sixth column,
 entitled ‘Deposit_Date’, corresponds to the release date of the adult
 males and females in the cages. - the seventh column, entitled
 ‘Sampling_Date’, corresponds to the sampling date of adults in the cages.
 - the eighth column, entitled ‘Resting_site’, corresponds to the three
 resting sites where the adults were recovered : mugwort, maize, or the
 netting cage.Larval
 performancesThe file ‘Larval
 performances’ contains the data from the ‘reciprocal transplant’
 experiment. - The first column, called ‘ID_Larvae’, corresponds to the
 unique identifer of each sampled larvae . - The second column, entitled
 ‘ID_cage’, corresponds to the numerical identifier from each experimental
 cage. - The third column, entitled ‘replicates’, corresponds to the
 numerical identifier of the replicate of each experimental set-up. There
 were 4 replicates by experimental set-up (two by cage). - The fourth
 column, entitled ‘Plants_species’, corresponds to the host plant on which
 the larvae developed. - The fifth column, entitled ‘Ostrinia_species’,
 refer to O. nubilalis (ECB) and O. scapulalis (ABB) species used in the
 experiment. - the sixth column, entitled ‘Deposit_Date’, corresponds to
 the deposit date of the egg masses on the plants in the cages. - the
 seventh column, called ‘Sampling_Date’, corresponds to the date of larval
 sampling after their development (several weeks after deposit). - the
 eighth column, called ‘Larval_Instar’, corresponds to the larval stage at
 time of sampling. There are five larval instars, which are numbered from 1
 to 5. - the ninth column, called ‘Weight’, corresponds to the larval
 weight at the time of sampling. The values are given in mg. ‘NA’ is for
 the weights inferior to the balance minimal detection threshold. - the
 tenth called ‘Sex’, corresponds to sex of each individual: female or
 male.