Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Competition has been widely discussed as a process that may structure communities of plants and animals. Its role in insect communities is less clear, especially as many insect species do not appear to compete for resources. However, such communities could still be structured by "apparent competition" where the species interact through shared natural enemies. We explore recent attempts to assess whether apparent competition may structure herbivorous insect communities. Communities can be described by quantitative food webs from which the potential for apparent competition can be inferred. We illustrate both the construction of a diverse quantitative food web and a field experimental test of apparent competition using our work on leaf-miner communities in Belize. We consider how a spatial perspective may be incorporated into our leaf-miner community research, and speculate about the shape of apparent competition kernels and their relevance for the structure of herbivorous insect communities. © Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 2005.

Type

Conference paper

Publication Date

29/09/2005

Volume

42

Pages

449 - 462