Optimization of adult performance determines host choice in a grass miner

Models and empirical studies on host selection in plant-insect, algae-amphi pod, host-parasite and prey-predator systems assume that oviposition prefer ence is determined by the quality of the oviposition site for offspring dev elopment. According to the oviposition-preference-offspring-performance hyp othesis, oviposition-preference hierarchy should correspond to host suitabi lity for offspring development because females maximize their fitness by op timizing offspring performance. We show, we believe for the first time, tha t adult feeding site and related adult performance may explain most of the variation in adult feeding and oviposition site selection of an oligophagou s grass miner, Chromatomyia nigra (Diptera). This study advances our unders tanding of the complex interactions between plants and herbivores because i t shows that bust-preference patterns are not only shaped by the optimizati on of offspring performance, as previously assumed, but also by the optimiz ation of adult performance.