Phytophagy

This chapter considers ways in which phytophagy by parasitoids and predators may be studied, particularly with respect to conservation biological control programmes that involve the manipulation of insect natural enemies by means of supplemental food provision. Many insect natural enemy species, at some stage during their life cycle, exploit plant materials in addition to invertebrate materials, and the nutrients obtained from the former affect growth, development, survival and reproduction (subsections 2.7.3 and 2.8.3).