1. Genetic variation among host plants can influence herbivore behaviour and consequently their abundance, performance and environmental impact. In the Andean-Patagonian forest, the arboreal vegetation is dominated by species of genus Nothofagus. Previous studies of Nothofagus alpina demonstrated differences in genetic diversity among and within its populations. The native caterpillar Perzelia arda feeds on various Nothofagus sp.
2. Our aim was to evaluate host selection behaviour of P. arda larvae towards different genetic pools of N. alpina trees.
3. We collected leaf samples from trees growing in a common garden field trial and evaluated, by paired comparisons, not only differences among provenances but also variation between and within open pollinated families.
4. Our results demonstrated that P. arda performed a choice between the leaves of the host plants offered. This larva was able to choose specific provenances, open pollinated families and genotypes of N. alpina.
5. In conclusion, the larva is guided by characteristics of individuals and host plant species. These innovative results in insect–plant interaction studies demonstrate that it is important to evaluate discrimination between intra-specific hosts. Further study is required to fully understand the use of resources by this native insect, as well as the ecological consequences.

中文翻译：

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宿主遗传学决定了蛾 Perzelia arda (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae) 的食物偏好

1. 寄主植物之间的遗传变异会影响食草动物的行为，从而影响它们的丰度、性能和环境影响。在安第斯-巴塔哥尼亚森林中，树栖植被以Nothofagus属物种为主。先前对Nothofagus alpina的研究表明其种群之间和种群内部的遗传多样性存在差异。本地毛虫Perzelia arda以各种Nothofagus sp. 为食。
2. 我们的目的是评估P. arda幼虫对N. alpina树不同遗传库的宿主选择行为。
3. 我们从一个常见的花园田间试验中生长的树木中收集了叶子样本，并通过配对比较评估了不仅出处之间的差异，而且还评估了开放授粉家庭之间和内部的差异。
4. 我们的结果表明，P. arda在所提供的寄主植物的叶子之间进行了选择。该幼虫能够选择高山猪笼草的特定种源、开放授粉科和基因型。
5. 总之，幼虫受个体和寄主植物物种的特征指导。昆虫-植物相互作用研究中的这些创新结果表明，评估特定宿主之间的区别非常重要。需要进一步研究以充分了解这种本土昆虫对资源的利用以及生态后果。