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Linke D, Hernandez Mejia J, Eche Navarro VNP, Salinas Sánchez L, de Gusmão Ribeiro P, Elias M, Matos-Maraví P. Reduced palatability, fast flight, and tails: decoding the defence arsenal of Eudaminae skipper butterflies in a Neotropical locality. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:1064-1075. [PMID: 39044333 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Prey often rely on multiple defences against predators, such as flight speed, attack deflection from vital body parts, or unpleasant taste, but our understanding on how often and why they are co-exhibited remains limited. Eudaminae skipper butterflies use fast flight and mechanical defences (hindwing tails), but whether they use other defences like unpalatability (consumption deterrence) and how these defences interact have not been assessed. We tested the palatability of 12 abundant Eudaminae species in Peru, using training and feeding experiments with domestic chicks. Further, we approximated the difficulty of capture based on flight speed and quantified it by wing loading. We performed phylogenetic regressions to find any association between multiple defences, body size, and habitat preference. We found a broad range of palatability in Eudaminae, within and among species. Contrary to current understanding, palatability was negatively correlated with wing loading, suggesting that faster butterflies tend to have lower palatability. The relative length of hindwing tails did not explain the level of butterfly palatability, showing that attack deflection and consumption deterrence are not mutually exclusive. Habitat preference (open or forested environments) did not explain the level of palatability either, although butterflies with high wing loading tended to occupy semi-closed or closed habitats. Finally, the level of unpalatability in Eudaminae is size dependent. Larger butterflies are less palatable, perhaps because of higher detectability/preference by predators. Altogether, our findings shed light on the contexts favouring the prevalence of single versus multiple defensive strategies in prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Linke
- Biology Centre CAS (Czech Academy of Sciences), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Jacqueline Hernandez Mejia
- Departamento de Ornitología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Letty Salinas Sánchez
- Departamento de Ornitología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Pedro de Gusmão Ribeiro
- Biology Centre CAS (Czech Academy of Sciences), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | - Pável Matos-Maraví
- Biology Centre CAS (Czech Academy of Sciences), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia
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2
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Li J, Yu Z, Zheng Q, Chen W, Lin X. How antibiotic exposure affect predator-prey interactions by population dynamics in ciliates? AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2024; 267:106814. [PMID: 38160499 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss resulting from environmental pollution is a global concern. While interspecific interactions are central to ecology, the impact of environmental pollution on predator-prey interactions and its ecological consequences, such as extinction and biodiversity loss, remain unclear. To investigate the effects of antibiotic exposure on predation strength and the resulting ecological consequence, the Didinium-Paramecium was utilized as a predator-prey model and exposed to nitrofurazone or erythromycin, two common pollutants, respectively. Initially, we determined prey population growth dynamics, body size, and predator numerical-functional responses. Subsequently, these above parameters were integrated into a mathematical model of predator-prey predation. Then both the long time-series data and phase portraits obtained through model simulation were used to estimate interaction strength and to predict the outcome of predator-prey coexistence. Our results revealed that exposure to either antibiotic significantly reduced prey population growth parameters (e.g., μmax and K) while increasing individual body size. The combined effects of antibiotic exposure and predation pressure on population growth inhibition or body size promotion were variable, mostly additive, with a few cases of synergy and extremely rare antagonism, depending on antibiotic exposure concentration. As antibiotic exposure concentration increased, the predator rmax generally declined, while functional responses varied depending on specific parameters, implying a decrease in predator-prey interaction strength. Analyses of phase portrait features showed that the population oscillation amplitude decreased with increasing antibiotic exposure concentrations, the cycle length of adjacent peaks increased, and prey extinction occurred earlier. In conclusion, antibiotic exposure reduced both predator and prey fitness, underlying the reason antibiotics reduces the strength of predator-prey interaction. Despite the indirect benefits of prey gain from this, the presence of predators can expedite the process of prey extinction caused by antibiotic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiqiu Li
- College of the Environment and Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Ziyue Yu
- College of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Qinyun Zheng
- College of the Environment and Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Weihuang Chen
- College of the Environment and Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Xiaofeng Lin
- College of the Environment and Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
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3
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Sugiura S, Hayashi M. Bombardiers and assassins: mimetic interactions between unequally defended insects. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15380. [PMID: 37304866 PMCID: PMC10252827 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In defensive mimicry, resemblance between unequally defended species can be parasitic; this phenomenon has been termed quasi-Batesian mimicry. Few studies have used real co-mimics and their predators to test whether the mimetic interactions were parasitic. Here, we investigated the mimetic interaction between two well-defended insect species, the bombardier beetle Pheropsophus occipitalis jessoensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and the assassin bug Sirthenea flavipes (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), using their potential predator, the pond frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Anura: Ranidae), which coexists with these insect species in the same habitat in Japan. We observed behavioural responses of this frog species (adults and juveniles) to adult Ph. occipitalis jessoensis and adult S. flavipes under laboratory conditions. Among the frogs, 100% and 75% rejected Ph. occipitalis jessoensis and S. flavipes, respectively, suggesting that, compared with the assassin bug S. flavipes, the bombardier beetle Ph. occipitalis jessoensis is more well-defended against frogs. An assassin bug or a bombardier beetle was provided to a frog that had encountered the other insect species. Frogs with a history of assassin bug encounter demonstrated a lower rate of attack toward bombardier beetles. Similarly, frogs with a history of bombardier beetle encounter demonstrated a lower rate of attack toward assassin bugs. Therefore, both the bombardier beetle Ph. occipitalis jessoensis and the assassin bug S. flavipes benefit from the mimetic interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Sugiura
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
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4
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Burdfield-Steel E, Burdfield C. How to fail in advertising: The potential of marketing theory to predict the community-level selection of defended prey. J Evol Biol 2023. [PMID: 36820741 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Economics and ecology both present us with a key challenge: scaling up from individual behaviour to community-level effects. As a result, biologists have frequently utilized theories and frameworks from economics in their attempt to better understand animal behaviour. In the study of predator-prey interactions, we face a particularly difficult task-understanding how predator choices and strategies will impact the ecology and evolution not just of individual prey species, but whole communities. However, a similar challenge has been encountered, and largely solved, in Marketing, which has created frameworks that successfully predict human consumer behaviour at the community level. We argue that by applying these frameworks to non-human consumers, we can leverage this predictive power to understand the behaviour of these key ecological actors in shaping the communities they act upon. We here use predator-prey interactions, as a case study, to demonstrate and discuss the potential of marketing and human-consumer theory in helping us bridge the gap from laboratory experiments to complex community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Burdfield-Steel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Burdfield
- Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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5
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Mattila ALK, Jiggins CD, Saastamoinen M. Condition dependence in biosynthesized chemical defenses of an aposematic and mimetic Heliconius butterfly. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9041. [PMID: 35784031 PMCID: PMC9227709 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic animals advertise their toxicity or unpalatability with bright warning coloration. However, acquiring and maintaining chemical defenses can be energetically costly, and consequent associations with other important traits could shape chemical defense evolution. Here, we have tested whether chemical defenses are involved in energetic trade-offs with other traits, or whether the levels of chemical defenses are condition dependent, by studying associations between biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity and a suite of key life-history and fitness traits in a Heliconius butterfly under a controlled laboratory setting. Heliconius butterflies are well known for the diversity of their warning color patterns and widespread mimicry and can both sequester the cyanogenic glucosides of their Passiflora host plants and biosynthesize these toxins de novo. We find energetically costly life-history traits to be either unassociated or to show a general positive association with biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity. More toxic individuals developed faster and had higher mass as adults and a tendency for increased lifespan and fecundity. These results thus indicate that toxicity level of adult butterflies may be dependent on individual condition, influenced by genetic background or earlier conditions, with maternal effects as one strong candidate mechanism. Additionally, toxicity was higher in older individuals, consistent with previous studies indicating accumulation of toxins with age. As toxicity level at death was independent of lifespan, cyanogenic glucoside compounds may have been recycled to release resources relevant for longevity in these long-living butterflies. Understanding the origins and maintenance of variation in defenses is necessary in building a more complete picture of factors shaping the evolution of aposematic and mimetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anniina L. K. Mattila
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- HiLIFE – Helsinki Institute of Life ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS)University of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | | | - Marjo Saastamoinen
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- HiLIFE – Helsinki Institute of Life ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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6
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Petschenka G, Halitschke R, Züst T, Roth A, Stiehler S, Tenbusch L, Hartwig C, Gámez JFM, Trusch R, Deckert J, Chalušová K, Vilcinskas A, Exnerová A. Sequestration of defenses against predators drives specialized host plant associations in preadapted milkweed bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeinae). Am Nat 2022; 199:E211-E228. [DOI: 10.1086/719196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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7
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Mattila ALK, Jiggins CD, Opedal ØH, Montejo-Kovacevich G, Pinheiro de Castro ÉC, McMillan WO, Bacquet C, Saastamoinen M. Evolutionary and ecological processes influencing chemical defense variation in an aposematic and mimetic Heliconius butterfly. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11523. [PMID: 34178447 PMCID: PMC8216171 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical defences against predators underlie the evolution of aposematic coloration and mimicry, which are classic examples of adaptive evolution. Surprisingly little is known about the roles of ecological and evolutionary processes maintaining defence variation, and how they may feedback to shape the evolutionary dynamics of species. Cyanogenic Heliconius butterflies exhibit diverse warning color patterns and mimicry, thus providing a useful framework for investigating these questions. We studied intraspecific variation in de novo biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity and its potential ecological and evolutionary sources in wild populations of Heliconius erato along environmental gradients, in common-garden broods and with feeding treatments. Our results demonstrate substantial intraspecific variation, including detectable variation among broods reared in a common garden. The latter estimate suggests considerable evolutionary potential in this trait, although predicting the response to selection is likely complicated due to the observed skewed distribution of toxicity values and the signatures of maternal contributions to the inheritance of toxicity. Larval diet contributed little to toxicity variation. Furthermore, toxicity profiles were similar along steep rainfall and altitudinal gradients, providing little evidence for these factors explaining variation in biosynthesized toxicity in natural populations. In contrast, there were striking differences in the chemical profiles of H. erato from geographically distant populations, implying potential local adaptation in the acquisition mechanisms and levels of defensive compounds. The results highlight the extensive variation and potential for adaptive evolution in defense traits for aposematic and mimetic species, which may contribute to the high diversity often found in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anniina L K Mattila
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Helsinki Life Science Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Current affiliation: Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marjo Saastamoinen
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Helsinki Life Science Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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8
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White TE, Umbers KDL. Meta-analytic evidence for quantitative honesty in aposematic signals. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210679. [PMID: 33906408 PMCID: PMC8080005 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The combined use of noxious chemical defences and conspicuous warning colours is a ubiquitous anti-predator strategy. That such signals advertise the presence of defences is inherent to their function, but their predicted potential for quantitative honesty-the positive scaling of signal salience with the strength of protection-is the subject of enduring debate. Here, we systematically synthesized the available evidence to test this prediction using meta-analysis. We found evidence for a positive correlation between warning colour expression and the extent of chemical defences across taxa. Notably, this relationship held at all scales; among individuals, populations and species, though substantial between-study heterogeneity remains unexplained. Consideration of the design of signals revealed that all visual features, from colour to contrast, were equally informative of the extent of prey defence. Our results affirm a central prediction of honesty-based models of signal function and narrow the scope of possible mechanisms shaping the evolution of aposematism. They suggest diverse pathways to the encoding and exchange of information, while highlighting the need for deeper knowledge of the ecology of chemical defences to enrich our understanding of this widespread anti-predator adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2106, Australia
| | - Kate D. L. Umbers
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales 2751, Australia
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9
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Maisonneuve L, Chouteau M, Joron M, Llaurens V. Evolution and genetic architecture of disassortative mating at a locus under heterozygote advantage. Evolution 2020; 75:149-165. [PMID: 33210282 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of mate choice is a major topic in evolutionary biology because it is thought to be a key factor in trait and species diversification. Here, we aim at uncovering the ecological conditions and genetic architecture enabling the puzzling evolution of disassortative mating based on adaptive traits. This rare form of mate choice is observed for some polymorphic traits but theoretical predictions on the emergence and persistence of this behavior are largely lacking. Thus, we developed a mathematical model to specifically understand the evolution of disassortative mating based on mimetic color pattern in the polymorphic butterfly Heliconius numata. We confirm that heterozygote advantage favors the evolution of disassortative mating and show that disassortative mating is more likely to emerge if at least one allele at the trait locus is free from any recessive deleterious mutations. We modeled different possible genetic architectures underlying mate choice behavior, such as self-referencing alleles, or specific preference or rejection alleles. Our results showed that self-referencing or rejection alleles linked to the color pattern locus enable the emergence of disassortative mating. However, rejection alleles allow the emergence of disassortative mating only when the color pattern and preference loci are tightly linked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Maisonneuve
- Institut de Systematique, Evolution, Biodiversité (UMR7205), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Mathieu Chouteau
- Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions Des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), USR 3456, Université De Guyane, IFREMER, CNRS Guyane, 275 route de Montabo, 97334 Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Mathieu Joron
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- Institut de Systematique, Evolution, Biodiversité (UMR7205), Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne-Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, 75005, France
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10
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The effect of cyanogenic glucosides and their breakdown products on predation by domestic chicks. CHEMOECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-020-00304-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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11
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Sculfort O, de Castro ECP, Kozak KM, Bak S, Elias M, Nay B, Llaurens V. Variation of chemical compounds in wild Heliconiini reveals ecological factors involved in the evolution of chemical defenses in mimetic butterflies. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2677-2694. [PMID: 32185010 PMCID: PMC7069300 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary convergence of color pattern in mimetic species is tightly linked with the evolution of chemical defenses. Yet, the evolutionary forces involved in natural variations of chemical defenses in aposematic species are still understudied. Herein, we focus on the evolution of chemical defenses in the butterfly tribe Heliconiini. These neotropical butterflies contain large concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides, cyanide-releasing compounds acting as predator deterrent. These compounds are either de novo synthesized or sequestered from their Passiflora host plant, so that their concentrations may depend on host plant specialization and host plant availability. We sampled 375 wild Heliconiini butterflies across Central and South America, covering 43% species of this clade, and quantify individual variations in the different CGs using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. We detected new compounds and important variations in chemical defenses both within and among species. Based on the most recent and well-studied phylogeny of Heliconiini, we show that ecological factors such as mimetic interactions and host plant specialization have a significant association with chemical profiles, but these effects are largely explained by phylogenetic relationships. Our results therefore suggest that shared ancestries largely contribute to chemical defense variation, pointing out at the interaction between historical and ecological factors in the evolution of Müllerian mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ombeline Sculfort
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB)Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne‐UniversitéEPHEUniversité des AntillesParisFrance
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptations des Micro‐organismes (MCAM)Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSParisFrance
| | | | | | - Søren Bak
- Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenFrederiksbergDenmark
| | - Marianne Elias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB)Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne‐UniversitéEPHEUniversité des AntillesParisFrance
| | - Bastien Nay
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptations des Micro‐organismes (MCAM)Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSParisFrance
- Laboratoire de Synthèse OrganiqueEcole PolytechniqueCNRSENSTAInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseau CedexFrance
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB)Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne‐UniversitéEPHEUniversité des AntillesParisFrance
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12
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Arias M, Davey JW, Martin S, Jiggins C, Nadeau N, Joron M, Llaurens V. How do predators generalize warning signals in simple and complex prey communities? Insights from a videogame. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200014. [PMID: 32070260 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The persistence of distinct warning signals within and between sympatric mimetic communities is a puzzling evolutionary question because selection favours convergence of colour patterns among toxic species. Such convergence is partly shaped by predators' reaction to similar but not identical stimulus (i.e. generalization behaviour), and generalization by predators is likely to be shaped by the diversity of local prey. However, studying generalization behaviour is generally limited to simple variations of prey colour patterns. Here, we used a computer game played by humans as surrogate predators to investigate generalization behaviours in simple (4 morphs) and complex (10 morphs) communities of unprofitable (associated with a penalty) and profitable butterflies. Colour patterns used in the game are observed in the natural populations of unprofitable butterfly species such as Heliconius numata. Analyses of 449 game participants' behaviours show that players avoided unprofitable prey more readily in simple than in complex communities. However, generalization was observed only in players that faced complex communities, enhancing the protection of profitable prey that looked similar to at least one unprofitable morph. Additionally, similarity among unprofitable prey also reduced attack rates only in complex communities. These results are consistent with previous studies using avian predators but artificial colour patterns and suggest that mimicry is more likely to evolve in complex communities where increases in similarity are more likely to be advantageous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Arias
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles CP 50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université Paul Valéry, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
| | - John W Davey
- Bioscience Technology Facility, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Simon Martin
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Chris Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Nicola Nadeau
- Molecular Ecology Lab, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mathieu Joron
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université Paul Valéry, 34293 Montpellier 5, France
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles CP 50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
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13
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Raška J, Krajíček J, Bosáková Z, Štys P, Exnerová A. Larvae of pyrrhocorid true bugs are not to spiders’ taste: putative Müllerian mimicry. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Adults and larvae of a true bug, Scantius aegyptius (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae), closely resemble sympatric firebugs, Pyrrhocoris apterus, and probably form a mimetic relationship with the latter species. Scantius aegyptius adults, although producing a secretion atypical of true bugs, are to some extent chemically protected against predators. In this study, we analysed the composition and function of the larval secretion in S. aegyptius, and investigated the mimetic relationship between larvae of S. aegyptius and P. apterus. The main component of the larval secretion in S. aegyptius is 2-heptanol, a chemical not known to function in anti-predatory defence, followed by (E)-2-octenal, a common defensive chemical of true bugs. When larvae of both species were presented to jumping spiders (Evarcha arcuata), S. aegyptius was slightly less well protected than P. apterus, but the spiders behaved towards the two species in a similar way: they quickly learned to avoid the bugs, but usually attacked them again on the second day. The spiders also generalized their learned avoidance from one true bug species to the other (with only slight asymmetry favouring S. aegyptius), suggesting that the bugs’ mimetic relationship is most probably Müllerian, being advantageous to both species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Raška
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Krajíček
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Bosáková
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Štys
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alice Exnerová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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