Rain Forest Insects Have Normal Appetites

A U.S. biologist’s study supports the theory that the vast number of tree species in rain forests accounts for equal numbers of plant-eating insects.

The findings by plant biologist George Weiblen of the University of Minnesota confirm what biologists since Darwin have suspected.

This is a big step forward in the quest to understand why there is so much biodiversity in the tropics, said Weiblen, principal investigator and senior author for the National Science Foundation-funded research.

His research showed insect species in tropical and temperate forests dine on about the same number of tree species, despite the more diverse menu in the tropics.

The tropical forest cafeteria offers many more options than the temperate forest, Weiblen said. Our study confirms the choices tropical insects make are quite similar to those of insects in less diverse forests of places like Minnesota.

The study rejects an alternative theory that tropical insects are actually picky eaters that prefer fewer host plants than their temperate counterparts.

The research appears in the Aug. 25 issue of the journal Science.