Week11 Draft2

Oviposition preferences of the female azuki bean weevil determine the success of the offspring. The choice of the female determines the food source for the larvae, and because the bean on which it was laid will be the only food source for its entire development, the right decision on the female's part is crucial. After pupation, the beetle does not consume food or water and will seek to reproduce. In experiments that test for preferences, it is found that the azuki bean weevil has a high preference for the cowpea legume out of five beans- cowpea, mung bean, azuki bean, kidney bean, and soybean. The number of eggs per cowpea when the female was given a choice revealed roughly 6 eggs per female on the cowpea, and zero eggs per female on the kidney bean. Furthermore, the developmental time and the rate of adult emergence was reduced for the eggs laid on cowpeas, suggesting that the choice was beneficial to offspring. Further research on other species suggests that certain legumes produce a higher concentration of phenol, found to be toxic to certain species, thus leading to avoidance on those legumes.