@article {KNZ001618,
	title = {Dietary selection and nutritional regulation in a common mixed-feeding insect herbivore},
	journal = {Experimentalis et Applicata Entomologia},
	volume = {148},
	year = {2013},
	pages = {20 -26},
	abstract = {<p>The geometric framework provides a way for understanding the multi-dimensional nutritional relationships between consumers and their food. We use this approach to further our understanding of the feeding and nutritional ecology of a ubiquitous mixed-feeding insect herbivore that consumes a variety of host plants spanning a wide range of nutritional composition. Our overall objective was to examine feeding decisions, resulting performance, and post-ingestive consequences in a common mixed-feeding insect herbivore, Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), when presented with paired diets differing in protein:carbohydrate (p:c) ratio. Intake p:c of M. bivittatus differed among all but two treatments and in many cases was farther than expected from the previously identified p:c intake target for this species. Despite this variability in intake of protein and carbohydrate, we found few effects of the diet treatments on performance or post-ingestive processing. However, our results suggest that when feeding on high-quality diets, nutrients consumed in excess may be stored rather than excreted.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-KNZ, acrididae, carbohydrate, geometric framework, homeostasis, Melanoplus bivittatus, nutritional ecology, Orthoptera, protein},
	doi = {10.1111/eea.12065},
	url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eea.12065},
	author = {Jonas, J.L. and Anthony Joern}
}
@article {KNZ001166,
	title = {Coexisting generalist herbivores occupy unique nutritional feeding niches},
	journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
	volume = {105},
	year = {2008},
	pages = {1977 -1982},
	abstract = {<p>A mainstay of ecological theory and practice is that coexisting species use different resources, leading to the local development of biodiversity. However, a problem arises for understanding coexistence of multiple species if they share critical resources too generally. Here, we employ an experimental framework grounded in nutritional physiology to show that closely related, cooccurring and generalist-feeding herbivores (seven grasshopper species in the genus Melanoplus; Orthoptera: Acrididae) eat protein and carbohydrate in different absolute amounts and ratios even if they eat the same plant taxa. The existence of species-specific nutritional niches provides a cryptic mechanism that helps explain how generalist herbivores with broadly overlapping diets might coexist. We also show that performance by grasshoppers allowed to mix their diets and thus regulate their protein\&ndash;carbohydrate intake matched optimal performance peaks generated from no-choice treatments. These results indicate the active nature of diet selection to achieve balanced diets and provide buffering capacity in the face of variable food quality. Our empirical findings and experimental approach can be extended to generate and test predictions concerning the intensity of biotic interactions between species, the relative abundance of species, yearly fluctuations in population size, and the nature of interactions with natural enemies in tritrophic niche space.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Biodiversity, Competition, geometric framework, physiological ecology, resource partitioning},
	doi = {10.1073/pnas.0711870105},
	url = {https://www.pnas.org/content/105/6/1977},
	author = {Behmer, S.T. and Anthony Joern}
}
