蜜蜂可警告專吃葉片的毛蟲,，使其離開,，從而保護植物免受毛蟲的侵擾。這是德國巴伐利亞州的Biozentrum大學的科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)的規(guī)律,。毛蟲具有敏感的觸毛,，可幫助其感知空氣中的振動，例如來自步步逼近的略食者,。一條毛蟲的生命確實不簡單,。鳥類和食肉性的黃蜂都喜歡毛蟲,。其中，有幾種黃蜂甚至利用毛蟲作為其幼蟲的寄主,。因此,，毛蟲進化出多種獨特的功能，如觸毛,，可保護其不受天敵的傷害,。
Jurgen Tautz和同事們認識到，毛蟲的觸毛并未發(fā)進化完全,，它不能分辨捕食的黃蜂和無害的蜜蜂,。如果一個飛行的物體靠近，在適宜范圍內(nèi)產(chǎn)生空氣振動,，毛蟲會停止移動或從植物表面掉落,。當果樹開滿花時，會有許多蜜蜂飛來采蜜,。而此時的毛蟲,，由于受到蜜蜂的壓力，其食量大大減少,，Tautz解釋道,。
科學家們曾經(jīng)做過一項試驗，將甜椒與甜菜夜蛾的毛蟲及蜜蜂置入帳篷內(nèi),。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),，甜椒得到了蜜蜂的保護，其葉片的損失減少了60%-70%,。此項發(fā)現(xiàn)也許能為可持續(xù)農(nóng)業(yè)開發(fā)實際的應(yīng)用,。在毛蟲肆虐的地區(qū)，在農(nóng)作物周圍種滿觀賞植物,，利用其盛開的花朵吸引蜜蜂,，可能會增加作物的產(chǎn)量。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Current Biology, 23 December 2008 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.10.038
Honeybee buzz attenuates plant damage by caterpillars
Jürgen Tautz1,andMichael Rostás2
1 BEEgroup, Biozentrum Universit?t Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
2 Botanic II, Biozentrum Universit?t Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Summary
In recent years, it has become evident that indirect interactions between members of food webs can significantly influence ecosystem functions. For example, predators affect prey populations through either consumption (density-mediated interactions) or, equally important, by changing prey behavior or phenotype (trait-mediated interactions). Nonconsumptive effects of predators on prey may alter plant species diversity and plant performance [1,2]. Pollination and herbivory are the most important ecological and evolutionary relationships between plants and insects [3]. Honeybees are dominant as pollinators while caterpillars are very efficient plant despoilers [4]. Despite the long and intense study of honeybees, however, indirect effects of this pollinator on other food web members have hardly been assessed. Here we report on a newly discovered link that connects these two ecological functions: honeybees merely flying around vegetation significantly reduce plant destruction by caterpillars.
