Domestication influences choice behavior and performance of a generalist herbivore

We could show that domesticated G. hirsutum cotton plants are better host plants for the moth S. littoralis as they supported a better performance than wild plants. Furthermore, we found qualitative and quantitative differences in the volatile bouquet of the different Gossypium types. However, these differences were not clearly represented in the behavior of S. littoralis. As neither larvae nor ovipositing females consistently preferred better over inferior host plants with the exception of G. raimondii that was rejected over more domesticated ones. Gossypium raimondii also provided associational resistance to neighboring susceptible plants. Our findings indicate that domestication in cotton has effects on host plant choice in the generalist herbivore S. littoralis, but that there is no clear pattern of how preference and performance is affected.