全 文 ：第 26 卷第 10 期
2006 年 10 月
生 　　态 　　学 　　报
ACTA ECOLOGICA SINICA
Vol. 26 ,No. 10
Oct. ,2006
斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫在烟草上的生态位
周忠实1 ,陈泽鹏2 ,许再福1 , 3
(11 华南农业大学昆虫学系 , 广州　510642 ; 21 广东省烟草公司 , 广州　510030)
基金项目 :广东省烟草公司资助项目
收稿日期 :2006202222 ;修订日期 :2006207218
作者简介 :周忠实 (1976～) ,男 ,壮族 ,博士生 ,主要从事昆虫生态及害虫综合治理研究. E2mail : Zs. zh @tom. com3 通讯作者 Corresponding author. E-mail :xuzaifu @scau. edu. cn
Foundation item :The project was supported by the Project of Guangdong Company of Tobacco
Received date :2006202222 ;Accepted date :2006207218
Biography :ZHOU Zhong2Shi , Ph. D. candidate , mainly engaged in insect ecology and integrated pest management . E2mail : Zs. zh @tom. tom
Acknowledgements : We would like to thank Nanxiong Tobacco Research Institute of Guangdong for their support and help
摘要 :斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫同是烟草上食叶类的重要害虫 ,对烟叶产量和品质均可构成严重的影响。研究两者在烟草上的生态位
和种间关系 ,结果表明斜纹夜蛾的空间生态位宽度和空间生态位重叠指数均略大于烟青虫 ,两者空间生态位的比例相似性为
010973 ,说明两种害虫在空间资源上几乎不存在竞争。斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫的时间生态位及时间生态位重叠指数很接近 ,时间生
态位的比例相似性高达 019485。斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫在烟草植株上、中、下部叶片共存的比例分别为 6111 %、3123 %和 0151 %。
由于对空间垂直资源的不同选择 ,使它们可以同时在同株烟草上为害而互不干扰。
关键词 :烟草 ,斜纹夜蛾 ;烟青虫 ;生态位
文章编号 :100020933(2006) 1023245205 　中图分类号 :Q14 ,Q968. 1 　文献标识码 :A
Niches of Spodoptera litura ( Fabricius) and Helicoverpa assulta ( Guenée) in tobacco
plants
ZHOU Zhong2Shi1 , CHEN Ze2Peng2 , XU Zai2Fu1 , 3 　(11 Department of Entomology , South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou 510642 ,
China ; 21 Guangdong Company of Tobacco , Guangzhou 510030 , China) . Acta Ecologica Sinica ,2006 ,26( 10) :3245～3249.
Abstract :Tobacco caterpillar ( Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) ) and oriental tobacco budworm ( Helicoverpa assulta ( Guenée) ) are
important insect pests on tobacco which causing serious damage by defoliation. The niches and relationships of the two species were
studied in this paper. The results indicated that the spatial niche breadth value and spatial niche overlap value of S . litura were
higher than that of H. assulta , the spatial niche similarity between them was 010973. The temporal niche breadth values and
temporal niche overlap values of S . litura and of H. assulta were very similar , and the temporal niche similarity between them was
019485. The coexistence ratios of S . litura and H. assulta on upper leaves , mid2leaves and underneath leaves of tobacco plants
were only 6111 % , 3123 % and 0151 % , respectively. The results may suggest that the competition between S . litura and H.
assulta is extremely improbable. The two species can occur and damage on the same tobacco plant at the same time because they
incline to choose different spatial vertical resources.
Key words :Tobacco ; Spodoptera litura ; Helicoverpa assulta ; niche
Segregation by habitat is a common means by which ecologically similar species partition resources[1 ] . Competition
occurs when these species occupy the same resources. Competition is usually classified as either exploitative or
interference[2 ] . Interspecific competition can influence habitat utilization and a superior species may exclude an inferior one
from parts of its fundamental niche or , in extreme cases , make it go extinct[3 , 4 ] . Hutchinson provided the valuable
distinction between the fundamental niche , which is the range of theoretical possibilities , and the realized niche that part
which is actually occupied , given interactions with other species such as competition[5 ] . In ecological system , the different
species have different feeding behaviours , environmental requirements and choice and utilization of resources , these
differences play an important role in niche segregation[4 , 6 12 ] .
Tobacco caterpillar ( Spodoptera litura ( Fabricius) ) and oriental tobacco budworm ( Helicoverpa assulta ( Guenée) )
are important insect pests on tobacco. The biology and ecology of the two species had been extensively researched[13 16 ] .
However , in these studies , entomologists used to only take one of them as the object of study , and they didn’t probe into
the ecological relationships of them , such as the spatial vertical distribution pattern of them and if they will compete against
each other for occupying spatial vertical resources and so on , which , so far , were not regarded by entomologists.
Therefore , we combined S . litura with H. assulta and regarded them as an entity in our study , moreover , we carried out
this study to understand the ecological relationships of S . litura and H. assulta on tobacco plants and the results of our
research will provide scientific basis for the monitoring and controlling of the two species.
1 　Material and methods
111 　Study Sites
This study was conducted in the tobacco field at the experimental farm of Nanxiong Research Institute of Tobacco ,
Nanxiong , Guangdong Province.
112 　Tobacco Variety
Nicotiana sp . 9601 variety was planted on 16 February in 2005 and the density was about 1100 plants per 667 m2 .
113 　Investigation
Investigation was conducted from 14 April to 3 June in 2005 at Nanxiong. 180 plants of tobacco were sampled every
time in tobacco field by“checkerboard model”and investigated 1 time every 4 days. Spatial vertical resources in tobacco
plants were divided into three grades containing upper leaves , mid2leaves and underneath leaves. Temporal resources were
divided by sampling and investigation times. The number of S . litura and H. assulta larvae in various positions were
recorded every time.
114 　Statistical Analyses
In order to master the population dynamics of S . litura and of H. assulta , the number of S . litura and of H. assulta
per 180 tobacco plants were analyzed from 14 April to 3 June in 2005 , respectively. To search for the ecological
relationship of S . litura and H. assulta , the niche of the two species were compared.
Niche breadth was calculated by B = 1Π ∑s
i = 1
p2i
[19 ]
. In this formula , B is niche breadth of species , S is the
number of resource grades and Pi is the ratio of“i”grade resource used by species in total resources. Niche overlap was
measured by L ij = ∑
s
h = 1
pih pjh ( B i ) , where L ij is the niche overlap index value which“j”species is overlapped by“ i”
species , Pih and Pjh are the ratios of“h”grade resource used by“ i”species and by“j”species in total resources ,
respectively and B i is the niche breadth of“ i”species[17 ] . The similarity of niche was calculated by Cij = 1 -
1Π2 ∑s
h = 1
Pih - Pjh , where Cij is the similarity of niche of“i”species and“j”species and Pih and Pjh are the same as
above[18 ] . Temporal and spatial two2dimensional niches were measured by May provided“multidimensional niche
models”[19 ] .
2 　Results
211 　Population Dynamics of S . litura and H. assulta
The results showed that the densities of S . litura were always lower before 29 April , but higher from 29 April to 24
May , while lower again from 24 May to 3 June compared to that of H. assulta . Except for from 24 April to 29 April and
6423　 生 　态 　学 　报 26 卷
Fig. 1 　Population dynamics of S . litura and H. assulta on tobacco
from 19 May to 29 May in 2005 , the tendency of population
dynamics of the two species was homogenous(Fig. 1) .
212 　Niches of S . litura and H. assulta
The spatial niche breadth value and spatial niche overlap
value of S . litura were higher than that of H. assulta , and
the spatial niche similarity between the two species was
010973. The results reveal that the active scope of S . litura
was larger than that of H. assulta , and the vertical
distribution of the two species on spatial resources was
significantly different . The temporal niche breadth value and
temporal niche overlap value of S . litura was very similar to that of H. assulta , and the temporal niche similarity between
them was 019485. The results suggest that S . litura and H. assulta may occur and damage in tobacco fields at the same
time.
Temporal and spatial two2dimensional niche breadth of S . litura has a relatively higher value than that of H. assulta ,
and the two species have comparatively low values in the two2dimensional niche overlap and the two2dimensional niche
similarity (Table 1) . These results demonstrated that there was an extremely little probability of the two species occurring
and damaging on the same position of tobacco plants at the same time.
Table 1 　Niches of S . litura and H. assulta on tobacco
Items
Niche breadth Niche overlap Niche similarity
S . litura H. assulta S . litura H. assulta S . litura H. assulta
Spatial niche
S . litura 014636 — 1 010228 1 010973
H1 assulta — 013613 010292 1 010973 1
Temporal niche
S1 litura 017016 — 1 010785 1 019485
H1 assulta — 017622 010722 1 019485 1
Two2dimensional niche
S1 litura 013253 — 1 010785 1 010923
H1 assulta — 012754 010021 1 010923 1
213 　The damage of S . litura and H. assulta on tobacco plants
The most number of S . litura larvae occurred on underneath leaves , whereas H. assulta larvae prefer to damage
upper leaves of tobacco plants and the coexistence ratios of the two species on upper leaves , mid2leaves and underneath
leaves of tobacco plants were only 6111 % , 3123 % and 0151 % , respectively (Fig12) .
3 　Discussion
The results of our investigation in tobacco fields reveal that S . litura prefer to damage tobacco underneath leaves ,
while H. assulta prefer to concentrate on upper leaves. In early growth period , from 14 April to 29 April , the number of
H. assulta was found to be superior to that of S . litura , but the number of S . litura was higher than that of H. assulta in
middle growth period , from 29 April to May 24. However , in later growth period , from 29 May to 3 June , S . litura
revealed lower densities compared to H. assulta again. The tobacco underneath leaves began to be reaped on 16 May , then
underneath leaves were reaped on 24 May , 29 May and 1 Junne , respectively. Consequently , we may suggest that H.
assulta may adapt for a lower temperature environment than S . litura in early spring , but the reproduction of the
742310 期 周忠实 　等 :斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫在烟草上的生态位 　
Fig. 2 　The damage of S . litura and H. assulta on tobacco plants
population of S . litura was faster than that of H. assulta . The
underneath leaves of tobacco plants were reaped which could
affect on S . litura , so the population of S . litura decreased
as underneath leaves of tobacco plants were reaped , but H.
assulta wasn’t affected by the reaping of tobacco underneath
leaves because they live in upper leaves of tobacco plants.
The“niche”is recognized as the status and function of a
species in a definite n2dimensional space within a definite
community. Although biologists have questioned such an
approach , describing patterns of coexistence of species
traditionally assumes that each species is adapted to exploit a
unique niche2shady or sunny , wet or dry , etc. , thus allowing
coexistence. Niche differentiation occurs along several
dimensions to facilitate coexistence. Under the premise of n2dimensional hyper2volume , niche differentiation ( and
resource2use overlap) is generally complementary ; when species are similar on 1 dimension , they differ on another.
However , in fact , those species which live in the same ecological spatial resource often conflict for occupying more food
resource , especially in short of food resource. For insect pests on crops , the damage of crops may reduce when
competitions exist between two species of insect pests , because one of them may exclude the other one. For example , Luo
et al [4 ] . provided H. assulta and H. armigera couldn’t live in the same tobacco plants at the same time because they
locate similar spatial niches , and the intense competition occurred between them for occupying spatial vertical resources ,
thus the same tobacco plant may not be damaged by the two species at the same time , which will decrease the damage
degree of tobacco. In order to define the relationships of S . litura and H. assulta and attest to whether competitions
occurred between the two species , niche relationships and the damage of them on tobacco plants were further researched.
The results showed that the spatial niche similarity between S . litura and H. assulta was far lower than the temporal
niche similarity between them , and the coexistence ratios of them on the same position of tobacco plants revealed an
extremely little value. These results suggest that the competition between S . litura and H. assulta is improbable , and
they can occur and damage on the same tobacco plant at the same time because they incline to choose different spatial
vertical resources. From these conclusions , we may suggest that the damage of tobacco may be more serious when the two
species occur together on tobacco. Consequently , the population dynamics of the two species should be monitored and they
should be regarded as the targets of controlling in tobacco fields , synchronously.
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942310 期 周忠实 　等 :斜纹夜蛾和烟青虫在烟草上的生态位