Which cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) behaviour makes it more likely to develop insecticide resistance?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To approach this question, we evaluate how each behavior influences the likelihood of evolving insecticide resistance in Helicoverpa armigera.
Option 1: Concealment of larvae in pods, bolls and other reproductive structures. This behavior directly affects exposure to insecticides applied to the crop. By hiding in protected plant tissues, larvae may experience reduced contact with sprays or systemic treatments, creating refuges where survivors can pass on resistant genes. Over time, selection favors individuals that can persist despite control measures, promoting resistance development. This makes the option a plausible driver of resistance.
Option 2: Attraction of female cotton bollworms to the smell of nectar rich flowers. While this could influence mating opportunities or movement, it does not inherently increase the selection for resistance to insecticides. Nectar attraction is more about foraging or oviposition contexts rather than escaping chemical controls, so it’s unlikely to directly foster resistance.
Option 3: Long-distance travel (nomadism) from breeding sites in Central Australia. Migratory behavior affects population genetics and gene flow, but on its own it does not necessarily elevate resistance unless it increases exposure to controls across landscapes in a way that consistently selects resistant genotypes. Without a clear link to insecticide exposure patterns, this option is less directly tied to resistance evolution.
Option 4: Attraction of male cotton bollworms to pheromone traps. Pheromone traps are a form of monitoring and can reduce mating success locally, but they are not a mechanism that selects for resistance in the population. In fact, traps can reduce population density and may not impose the kind of selection pressure that drives resistance mutations in the same way as chemical treatments do.
In summary, the concealment of larvae in reproductive structures creates protected refuges where survivors can propagate resistance traits, making it the most direct and credible contributor among the options. The other options describe behaviors with limited or indirect connections to the development of insecticide resistance.

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Which cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) behaviour makes it more likely to develop insecticide resistance?

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