Targeted Host Sampling Strategy Reveals Hidden Diversity of Gall-Inducing Insects on Asteraceae

Targeted Host Sampling Strategy Reveals Hidden Diversity of Gall-Inducing Insects on Asteraceae | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Targeted Host Sampling Strategy Reveals Hidden Diversity of Gall-Inducing Insects on Asteraceae You-Ting Hsieh, Sheng-Feng Lin, Yen-Hsueh Tseng, Man-Miao Yang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546152/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The remarkable habits of gall-inducing insects make them valuable subjects for ecological and evolutionary research. However, comparative studies across regions are often constrained by uneven sampling efforts, both spatially and temporally. To overcome this limitation, we developed a new sampling methodology, the “Target Host Sampling Strategy” (THSS), which leverages insect-host plant associations derived from ecological networks in neighboring zoogeographical regions to guide systematic sampling in the focal areas. We validated the THSS through a case study of gall-inducing insects associated with Asteraceae in subtropical Taiwan, where species diversity has likely been underestimated due to inconsistent survey efforts. In total, we documented 53 gall morphotypes on 23 plant species, of which approximately 77% (41 morphotypes) represent new records. These findings demonstrate that THSS is a powerful approach for uncovering previously overlooked gall-inducing insects, especially those forming inconspicuous galls on herbaceous hosts. Four orders of gall-inducing insects are recognized in this study, i.e., Diptera (Cecidomyiidae and Tephritidae), Hemiptera (Triozidae and Aphidoidea), Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. To support future taxonomic and ecological studies, we also provided an updated checklist of gall morphotypes on Taiwanese Asteraceae. Artemisia Cecidomyiidae fauna gall morphotypes Tephritidae ecological network Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files APIGallsonCompositaeinTWver7o1SI.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8546152","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":584140269,"identity":"cfba1fc0-9055-4c70-b20a-5800bd8fd7ea","order_by":0,"name":"You-Ting Hsieh","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwbGBmYY5wADgw2QYmw8QKQWZpCWNJCWBgJaQGqhWoDgMMw63MCc/3Dj4wKGw3IGB/gPHi74dd5ubfthoC01NtG4tFjOSGw2nsFw2NjgADPD4Zl9t5O3nUkEajmWltuAy2E3GNukeRgOJ24AaeHtuZ1sdgCohbHhMG4t5w+2/0bSci7Z7PxDAloOJLYxw7Xw/DhgZ3aDkC03EpuleQzSjSUPMxsc5m1ITjC7AbQlAZ9fzh9/+JmnwlqO73jj4888f+zszc6nP3zwocYGpxaoxmZItDC2MSSCVSbgVQ4GdVD6D4M9YcWjYBSMglEw0gAAByFl+6phzr4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"National Taiwan University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"You-Ting","middleName":"","lastName":"Hsieh","suffix":""},{"id":584140270,"identity":"b9d724a3-9a84-42c4-9e47-494cbda085cf","order_by":1,"name":"Sheng-Feng Lin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Museum of Natural Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sheng-Feng","middleName":"","lastName":"Lin","suffix":""},{"id":584140272,"identity":"20468816-e8ab-4cb2-94af-d68d771af772","order_by":2,"name":"Yen-Hsueh Tseng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Chung Hsing University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yen-Hsueh","middleName":"","lastName":"Tseng","suffix":""},{"id":584140273,"identity":"f074043a-4289-4e4f-a294-0e0a7b24f2aa","order_by":3,"name":"Man-Miao Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Chung Hsing University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Man-Miao","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-08 02:38:42","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546152/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546152/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101881069,"identity":"5d1f9f4a-feed-4f69-81b6-d1b97d4ee6ed","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-04 15:09:15","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1520759,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"APIGallsonCompositaeinTWver7o1TitlepageANDMainText.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8546152/v1_covered_4e444a4e-ac59-4398-96d5-6471280375b4.pdf"},{"id":101796770,"identity":"73796396-fb87-48c0-97e0-abbfd0b09a6d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-03 16:58:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":155112,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"APIGallsonCompositaeinTWver7o1SI.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8546152/v1/b05ef331cba14364441609dd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Targeted Host Sampling Strategy Reveals Hidden Diversity of Gall-Inducing Insects on Asteraceae","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Artemisia, Cecidomyiidae, fauna, gall morphotypes, Tephritidae, ecological network","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546152/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8546152/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe remarkable habits of gall-inducing insects make them valuable subjects for ecological and evolutionary research. 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