Host nutritive quality and host plant choice in two grass miners: primary roles for primary compounds?

The relationship between host plant choice and plant nutritional quality was investigated in two oligophagous grass miners Chromatomyia milii and C. nigra (Diptera, Agromyzidae). We tested whether host choice is determined by chemically mediated host suitability for offspring performance and/or adult performance. A second goal was to relate the observed variation among the different fitness parameters to quantitative and qualitative variation in foliar food quality. Choice experiments illustrated that both miners discriminated among grass species, and that C. milii has a smaller host range than C. nigra, as observed under natural conditions. Oviposition preference was correlated with adult feeding preference and related adult performance (longevity and fecundity) for both miners. Offspring performance measures (survival and pupal size) of at least C. nigra were more weakly related to host preference. Nearly all variation in adult performance of both miners was explained by foliar protein content, which had a positive effect on adult longevity and fecundity. Pupal size of both miners was positively related to foliar water and amino acid content and negatively related to lignin content. No clear relationship between host chemistry and offspring survival was observed. These observations show that fitness parameters are differentially related to host chemistry. Secondly, they suggest that chemically mediated host suitability for adult performance is an important determinant of host choice in this species. Finally, the results suggest a primary role for foliar protein content in host choice of the study species in general and in shaping the host range of C. milii in particular.