scholarly journals Ant-Related Oviposition and Larval Performance in a Myrmecophilous Lycaenid

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Trager ◽  
Matthew D. Thom ◽  
Jaret C. Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Miami Blue Butterfly ◽  
Measures Of Performance

We experimentally assessed ant-related oviposition and larval performance in the Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri). Ant tending had sex-dependent effects on most measures of larval growth: female larvae generally benefitted from increased tending frequency whereas male larvae were usually unaffected. The larger size of female larvae tended by ants resulted in a substantial predicted increase in lifetime egg production. Oviposition by adult females that were tended byC. floridanusants as larvae was similar between host plants with or without ants. However, they laid relatively more eggs on plants with ants than did females raised without ants, which laid less than a third of their eggs on plants with ants present. In summary, we found conditional benefits for larvae tended by ants that were not accompanied by oviposition preference for plants with ants present, which is a reasonable result for a system in which ant presence at the time of oviposition is not a reliable indicator of future ant presence. More broadly, our results emphasize the importance of considering the consequences of variation in interspecific interactions, life history traits, and multiple measures of performance when evaluating the costs and benefits of mutualistic relationships.

Leaf traits influencing oviposition preference and larval performance ofCameraria ohridellaon native and novel host plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilla D'Costa ◽  
Monique S.J. Simmonds ◽  
Nigel Straw ◽  
Bastien Castagneyrol ◽  
Julia Koricheva
Keyword(s):  
Host Plants ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Novel Host

scholarly journals Preference, performance, and chemical defense in an endangered butterfly using novel and ancestral host plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan L. Haan ◽  
M. Deane Bowers ◽  
Jonathan D. Bakker
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plantago Lanceolata ◽  
Iridoid Glycosides ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Euphydryas Editha ◽  
Novel Host ◽  
Secondary Chemical

AbstractAdoption of novel host plants by herbivorous insects can require new adaptations and may entail loss of adaptation to ancestral hosts. We examined relationships between an endangered subspecies of the butterfly Euphydryas editha (Taylor’s checkerspot) and three host plant species. Two of the hosts (Castilleja hispida, Castilleja levisecta) were used ancestrally while the other, Plantago lanceolata, is exotic and was adopted more recently. We measured oviposition preference, neonate preference, larval growth, and secondary chemical uptake on all three hosts. Adult females readily laid eggs on all hosts but favored Plantago and tended to avoid C. levisecta. Oviposition preference changed over time. Neonates had no preference among host species, but consistently chose bracts over leaves within both Castilleja species. Larvae developed successfully on all species and grew to similar size on all of them unless they ate only Castilleja leaves (rather than bracts) which limited their growth. Diet strongly influenced secondary chemical uptake by larvae. Larvae that ate Plantago or C. hispida leaves contained the highest concentrations of iridoid glycosides, and iridoid glycoside composition varied with host species and tissue type. Despite having largely switched to a novel exotic host and generally performing better on it, this population has retained breadth in preference and ability to use other hosts.

scholarly journals Leaf Induction Impacts Behavior and Performance of a Pollinating Herbivore

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deidra J. Jacobsen ◽  
Robert A. Raguso
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Compounds ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Floral Scent ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Host Plant Selection ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Oviposition Choice ◽  
And Control ◽  
Artificial Flowers

Flowering plants use volatiles to attract pollinators while deterring herbivores. Vegetative and floral traits may interact to affect insect behavior. Pollinator behavior is most likely influenced by leaf traits when larval stages interact with plants in different ways than adult stages, such as when larvae are leaf herbivores but adult moths visit flowers as pollinators. Here, we determine how leaf induction and corresponding volatile differences in induced plants influence behavior in adult moths and whether these preferences align with larval performance. We manipulated vegetative induction in four Nicotiana species. Using paired induced and control plants of the same species with standardized artificial flowers, we measured foraging and oviposition choices by their ecologically and economically important herbivore/pollinator, Manduca sexta. In parallel, we measured growth rates of M. sexta larvae fed leaves from control or induced plants to determine if this was consistent with female oviposition preference. Lastly, we used plant headspace collections and gas chromatography to quantify volatile compounds from both induced and control leaves to link changes in plant chemistry with moth behavior. In the absence of floral chemical cues, vegetative defensive status influenced adult moth foraging preference from artificial flowers in one species (N. excelsior), where females nectared from induced plants more often than control plants. Plant vegetative resistance consistently influenced oviposition choice such that moths deposited more eggs on control plants than on induced plants of all four species. This oviposition preference for control plants aligned with higher larval growth rates on control leaves compared with induced leaves. Control and induced plants of each species had similar leaf volatile profiles, but induced plants had higher emission levels. Leaves of N. excelsior produced the most volatile compounds, including some inducible compounds typically associated with floral scent. We demonstrate that vegetative plant defensive volatiles play a role in host plant selection and that insects assess information from leaves differently when choosing between nectaring and oviposition locations. These results underscore the complex interactions between plants, their pollinators, and herbivores.

scholarly journals Multidimensional plasticity in the Glanville fritillary butterfly: larval performance is temperature, host and family specific

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1941) ◽  
pp. 20202577
Author(s):  
Nadja Verspagen ◽  
Suvi Ikonen ◽  
Marjo Saastamoinen ◽  
Erik van Bergen
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Intraspecific Trait Variation ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Glanville Fritillary Butterfly

Variation in environmental conditions during development can lead to changes in life-history traits with long-lasting effects. Here, we study how variation in temperature and host plant (i.e. the consequences of potential maternal oviposition choices) affects a suite of life-history traits in pre-diapause larvae of the Glanville fritillary butterfly. We focus on offspring survival, larval growth rates and relative fat reserves, and pay specific attention to intraspecific variation in the responses (G × E × E). Globally, thermal performance and survival curves varied between diets of two host plants, suggesting that host modifies the temperature impact, or vice versa. Additionally, we show that the relative fat content has a host-dependent, discontinuous response to developmental temperature. This implies that a potential switch in resource allocation, from more investment in growth at lower temperatures to storage at higher temperatures, is dependent on the larval diet. Interestingly, a large proportion of the variance in larval performance is explained by differences among families, or interactions with this variable. Finally, we demonstrate that these family-specific responses to the host plant remain largely consistent across thermal environments. Together, the results of our study underscore the importance of paying attention to intraspecific trait variation in the field of evolutionary ecology.

scholarly journals Larval Performance in the Context of Ecological Diversification and Speciation inLycaeidesButterflies

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia F. Scholl ◽  
Chris C. Nice ◽  
James A. Fordyce ◽  
Zachariah Gompert ◽  
Matthew L. Forister
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Oviposition Preference ◽  
Ecological Speciation ◽  
Larval Performance ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Ecological Diversification ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Plant Effects

The role of ecology in diversification has been widely investigated, though few groups have been studied in enough detail to allow comparisons of different ecological traits that potentially contribute to reproductive isolation. We investigated larval performance within a species complex ofLycaeidesbutterflies. Caterpillars from seven populations were reared on five host plants, asking if host-specific, adaptive larval traits exist. We found large differences in performance across plants and fewer differences among populations. The patterns of performance are complex and suggest both conserved traits (i.e., plant effects across populations) and more recent dynamics of local adaptation, in particular forL. melissathat has colonized an exotic host. We did not find a relationship between oviposition preference and larval performance, suggesting that preference did not evolve to match performance. Finally, we put larval performance within the context of several other traits that might contribute to ecologically based reproductive isolation in theLycaeidescomplex. This larger context, involving multiple ecological and behavioral traits, highlights the complexity of ecological diversification and emphasizes the need for detailed studies on the strength of putative barriers to gene flow in order to fully understand the process of ecological speciation.

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