蜜蜂可警告專吃葉片的毛蟲,，使其離開,，從而保護(hù)植物免受毛蟲的侵?jǐn)_。這是德國(guó)巴伐利亞州的Biozentrum大學(xué)的科學(xué)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(dòng),，例如來自步步逼近的略食者。一條毛蟲的生命確實(shí)不簡(jiǎn)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(jìn)化出多種獨(dú)特的功能，如觸毛,，可保護(hù)其不受天敵的傷害,。
Jurgen Tautz和同事們認(rèn)識(shí)到，毛蟲的觸毛并未發(fā)進(jìn)化完全,，它不能分辨捕食的黃蜂和無害的蜜蜂,。如果一個(gè)飛行的物體靠近，在適宜范圍內(nèi)產(chǎn)生空氣振動(dòng),，毛蟲會(huì)停止移動(dòng)或從植物表面掉落,。當(dāng)果樹開滿花時(shí)，會(huì)有許多蜜蜂飛來采蜜,。而此時(shí)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(xué)家們?cè)?jīng)做過一項(xiàng)試驗(yàn)，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(hù)，其葉片的損失減少了60%-70%,。此項(xiàng)發(fā)現(xiàn)也許能為可持續(xù)農(nóng)業(yè)開發(fā)實(shí)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(huì)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.
