Resource concentration hypothesis
- Pronunciation
- /REE-sors kon-sen-TRAY-shun hy-POTH-eh-sis/
- Category
- Ecology
- Singular
- Resource concentration hypothesis
Definition
The ecological hypothesis that herbivorous insects are more likely to find, colonize, and persist on plants growing in dense or pure stands than on those occurring in sparse or mixed vegetation, leading to greater herbivore damage in concentrated resource patches. Proposed by R. F. Denno and M. S. McClure (1983) to explain patterns of insect abundance across host-plant spatial distributions, the hypothesis emphasizes that concentrated resources enhance host-finding , reduce , and may improve mate location, while potentially increasing natural enemy effectiveness at high densities. It contrasts with the resource dilution hypothesis, which predicts lower per-capita herbivory in larger or denser patches due to satiation or reduced search efficiency.
Etymology
From 'resource concentration' (dense of plants or food) + 'hypothesis' (proposed explanation).
Example
A of corn (Zea mays) supports higher densities of () larvae per plant than the same total area planted in scattered, weedy fields, because female more readily locate concentrated patches and larvae experience reduced mortality.
Related Terms
- Resource dilution hypothesis
- Apparency hypothesis
- Optimal foraging theory
- Host-plant finding
- Monoculture effect
- Herbivore aggregation
- Plant-insect interactions
Usage Notes
Often applied in agricultural entomology to explain pest in crop versus or wild plant . The hypothesis makes predictions about spatial : effects strengthen at intermediate scales where insects can perceive and respond to patch boundaries, but may weaken at very large scales where local dynamics dominate. Not all herbivores follow this pattern— with strong search images may show opposite responses, and the hypothesis must be weighed against top-down control by natural enemies that also concentrate in resource-rich patches.