Larval development and mortality of the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), on foliage grown under elevated carbon dioxide

O'NEILL, B.; ZANGERL, A.; CASTEEL, C.L.; ZAVALA, J.A.; DE LUCIA, E.H.; BERENBAUM, M.R.

GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST

Published by Michigan Entomological Society

Lugar: Michigan; Año: 2008 vol. 41 p. 103 - 110

0090-0222

To help determine the indirect effects of elevated CO2 on larval Lepidoptera, we compared the growth and development of larvae of Vanessa cardui Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on Glycine max Linnaeus (soybean) foliage grown under ambient or elevated levels of CO2 from first instar to pupation. There was no significant difference in larval survivorship or the duration of larval development between the two treatments. The usual sexual difference in pupal size in V. cardui was lost when individuals were reared on a diet of G. max foliage grown under elevated CO2 conditions. Despite the fact that increases in levels of atmospheric CO2 are projected to increase the susceptibility of soybean foliage to coleopteran pests, impacts of such exposure may vary with herbivore taxon, making projections of future yield losses challenging.