New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract

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Insect predation of seeds of native New Zealand woody plants in some central South Island localities

JON J. SULLIVAN
COLIN J. BURROWS

Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 1, New Zealand

JOHN S. DUGDALE

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Private Bag 92170
Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract  Samples of fruit collected from woody plants in central South Island lowland forests, showed that nine species were more or less heavily affected by insect seed predation (more than 10% of seeds and up to 63% eaten in some samples). One obligate seed-eater each occurred in seven of these; the rest had two or more. Two were also attacked by facultative seed-eaters. A further eight species of plants were affected to a lesser degree by obligate or facultative seed-eating insects. Moth larvae from nine families and ten genera are the main seed eaters, but weevils are important for some plant species.

Keywords  native woody plants; seed predators; pre-dispersal feeding; Lepidoptera; Coleoptera (Curculionidae)

New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1995, Vol. 33: 355-364

0028-825X/95/3303-0355 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (589K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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