Variable attachment to plant surface waxes by predatory insects

Abstract

In this chapter we will (1) provide an overview of evidence of the influence of habitat characteristics on predation, (2) provide specific evidence for the importance of the plant as habitat, and of variability in plant morphology's impact on the foraging of insect predators and parasitoids, (3) focus on the role of crystalline waxes on plant surfaces in mediating these types of interactions through their effects on insect attachment, (4) illustrate the implications of the variability of plant surface waxes and insect responses to surface waxes through a case study examining the attachment and performance of five species of predatory beetle on plants differing in surface wax, and (5) discuss implications for ecology of predation along with opportunities for further research. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.