Nutritional regulation in nymphs of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica

Abstract

Synthetic foods varying in protein-carbohydrate ratio and total nutrient concentration were used in food selection experiments to investigate the ingestive and post-ingestive regulation of macronutrients by male and female nymphs of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). For both nutrient imbalance and food dilution, food ingestion varied between treatments with the effect that nutrient ingestion was regulated. However, this mechanism was insufficient to compensate for some food dilution treatments. In those cases, the regulation of protein intake was prioritised over that of carbohydrate intake, and two additional regulatory responses were seen. Firstly, cellulose digestion supplemented shortfalls in dietary soluble carbohydrates, and secondly the feeding period within the stadium was prolonged. These ingestive, post-ingestive and developmental responses were orchestrated in such a way that, in all treatments, nutrient gain approached similar levels, despite the variation in food properties.