The effect of nutrient-allelochemicals interaction on food preference of alder leaf beetle, Agelastica alni L. (Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae)

In this study, the food choice, the nutritional regulatory mechanism and the effects of secondary metabolits on the growth of the generalist caterpillars, Agelastica alni (L), were investigated using Geometric Framework. A no choice feeding experiment has been applied with a total of 13 food; 1 of which was the control food, 2 of which protein-biased and carbohiydrate biased foods, 6 of which were prepared by adding different concentrations of tannic acid (1, 3, 5 %) and quinine (0,125, 0,25, 0,5 %) to the control food, 3 food with 2 combinations prepared by adding different concetrations of gallic acid and quinine. Newly moulted final instar larvae were used in no-choice experiment. Accordind to results, the pupal weight and pupal protein rate decreased with intake of foods containing exess protein or carbohiydrate level. Secondary compounds could affect the total food consumption of larvae. While food consumption of larvae increased with gallic acid concentration on the food containing gallic acid; the pupal weight, pupal lipid rate and pupal protein content were decreased. Food consumption of larvae, pupal weight, pupal lipid rate and pupal protein content were decreased with quinine concentration on the food containing quinine. KEY WORDS: Agelastica alni, Food selection, Geometric analysis, secondary compound.