Oligophagy
Encyclopedia
Oligophagy refers to the eating of only a few specific foods. The term is usually associated with insect
diet
ary behaviour. Organisms may exhibit narrow or specific oligophagy where the diet is restricted to a very few foods or broad oligophagy where the organism feeds on a wide variety of specific foods but none other.
Polyphagy, on the contrary, refers to eating a broad spectrum of foods. In the insect world it refers usually to insects that feed on plants belonging to different families.
while the sea hare
, Aplysia juliana
(Quoy & Gaimard), is found on and feeds only on a single alga, Ulva lactuca
(Linnaeus) in East Australia
n waters. These are both narrow oligophages. Conversely the migratory locust
may be said to be broadly oligophagous or even polyphagous.
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
ary behaviour. Organisms may exhibit narrow or specific oligophagy where the diet is restricted to a very few foods or broad oligophagy where the organism feeds on a wide variety of specific foods but none other.
Polyphagy, on the contrary, refers to eating a broad spectrum of foods. In the insect world it refers usually to insects that feed on plants belonging to different families.
Examples
The diet of the Yucca moths is restricted to the developing fruits of species of YuccaYucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
while the sea hare
Sea hare
The clade Aplysiomorpha, commonly known as Sea hares or Sea Bags , are medium-sized to very large Opisthobranchia with a soft internal shell made of protein...
, Aplysia juliana
Aplysia juliana
Aplysia juliana, common name the walking sea hare, is a species of sea slug, more specifically a sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.- Distribution:...
(Quoy & Gaimard), is found on and feeds only on a single alga, Ulva lactuca
Ulva lactuca
Ulva lactuca Linnaeus, a green alga in the division Chlorophyta, is the type species of the genus Ulva, also known by the common name sea lettuce.-Description:...
(Linnaeus) in East Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n waters. These are both narrow oligophages. Conversely the migratory locust
Migratory locust
The migratory locust is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It used to be common in Europe but has now become rare there...
may be said to be broadly oligophagous or even polyphagous.