1
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Morimoto J. Optimum ratio of dietary protein and carbohydrate that maximises lifespan is shared among related insect species. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14067. [PMID: 38093527 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14067] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals often regulate the intake and quantity of nutrients to maximise fitness through life-history traits such as lifespan, but we still lack a proper understanding of how specific nutrients influence these traits. Here, I developed an algorithm which allowed me to create a nutrient-specific database from literature data, and investigated how the requirements of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) needed to maximise lifespan evolved across nine insect species. I found moderate evidence of a phylogenetic signal on the optimal ratio of protein to carbohydrate ratio (PC ratio) that maximised lifespan, suggesting that optimal PC ratio for lifespan could have evolved non-independently among related species. I also found evidence for weak-to-strong sex-specific optimal PC ratios for lifespan, suggesting that sex-specific nutritional needs to maximise lifespan can emerge and persist in some species. Although limited in the number of species, the approach adopted here is portable to experiments withn number of nutrients and, thus, can be used in complex comparative precision nutrition studies for insights into the evolution of animal nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliano Morimoto
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, UK
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
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2
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El-Sabaawi RW, Lemmen KD, Jeyasingh PD, Declerck SAJ. SEED: A framework for integrating ecological stoichiometry and eco-evolutionary dynamics. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S109-S126. [PMID: 37840025 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Characterising the extent and sources of intraspecific variation and their ecological consequences is a central challenge in the study of eco-evolutionary dynamics. Ecological stoichiometry, which uses elemental variation of organisms and their environment to understand ecosystem patterns and processes, can be a powerful framework for characterising eco-evolutionary dynamics. However, the current emphasis on the relative content of elements in the body (i.e. organismal stoichiometry) has constrained its application. Intraspecific variation in the rates at which elements are acquired, assimilated, allocated or lost is often greater than the variation in organismal stoichiometry. There is much to gain from studying these traits together as components of an 'elemental phenotype'. Furthermore, each of these traits can have distinct ecological effects that are underappreciated in the current literature. We propose a conceptual framework that explores how microevolutionary change in the elemental phenotype occurs, how its components interact with each other and with other traits, and how its changes can affect a wide range of ecological processes. We demonstrate how the framework can be used to generate novel hypotheses and outline pathways for future research that enhance our ability to explain, analyse and predict eco-evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana W El-Sabaawi
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kimberley D Lemmen
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Punidan D Jeyasingh
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Steven A J Declerck
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Biology, Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KULeuven, Leuven, Belgium
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3
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Santos J, Matos M, Flatt T, Chelo IM. Microbes are potential key players in the evolution of life histories and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10537. [PMID: 37753311 PMCID: PMC10518755 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes can have profound effects on host fitness and health and the appearance of late-onset diseases. Host-microbe interactions thus represent a major environmental context for healthy aging of the host and might also mediate trade-offs between life-history traits in the evolution of host senescence. Here, we have used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study how host-microbe interactions may modulate the evolution of life histories and aging. We first characterized the effects of two non-pathogenic and one pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, together with the pathogenic Serratia marcescens DB11 strain, on population growth rates and survival of C. elegans from five different genetic backgrounds. We then focused on an outbred C. elegans population, to understand if microbe-specific effects on the reproductive schedule and in traits such as developmental rate and survival were also expressed in the presence of males and standing genetic variation, which could be relevant for the evolution of C. elegans and other nematode species in nature. Our results show that host-microbe interactions have a substantial host-genotype-dependent impact on the reproductive aging and survival of the nematode host. Although both pathogenic bacteria reduced host survival in comparison with benign strains, they differed in how they affected other host traits. Host fertility and population growth rate were affected by S. marcescens DB11 only during early adulthood, whereas this occurred at later ages with the pathogenic E. coli IAI1. In both cases, these effects were largely dependent on the host genotypes. Given such microbe-specific genotypic differences in host life history, we predict that the evolution of reproductive schedules and senescence might be critically contingent on host-microbe interactions in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiane Santos
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Margarida Matos
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Thomas Flatt
- Department of BiologyUniversity of FribourgFribourgSwitzerland
| | - Ivo M. Chelo
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteLisboaPortugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
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4
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Córdova-García G, Navarro-de-la-Fuente L, Pérez-Staples D, Williams T, Lasa R. Biology and Ecology of Delia planipalpis (Stein) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), an Emerging Pest of Broccoli in Mexico. INSECTS 2023; 14:659. [PMID: 37504665 PMCID: PMC10380648 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Delia planipalpis (Stein) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) is a pest of crucifers, such as broccoli, radish, cauliflower, turnip and cabbage. It has been recently described in Mexico as a significant emerging pest of broccoli. Due the lack of knowledge of this pest, the present study aimed to determine its life cycle, female sexual maturation, copulation, oviposition behavior and adult longevity. The identity of the fly in Mexico was confirmed genetically by sequencing the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI). The mean development time of D. planipalpis was 32-33 days on radish at 24 °C under laboratory conditions. Females became sexually mature 1-2 days after emergence, and the highest incidence of matings was recorded on the second day (60%). Under choice conditions, D. planipalpis females preferred to oviposit on radish plants, rather than broccoli plants, possibly due to the use of radish for rearing the laboratory colony. Oviposition and the mean number of eggs laid varied among the broccoli varieties, with the highest oviposition observed on the Tlaloc variety. Repeated attempts to rear the laboratory colony on broccoli plants failed. Radish-reared insects of both sexes lived longer when individualized in the adult stage (14.5-22.5 days) than when adult flies were maintained in groups (10-11 days). This study contributes to the understanding of D. planipalpis biology and provides information that can be used to establish future control strategies against this pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Córdova-García
- Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología AC (INECOL), Xalapa 91073, Mexico
| | - Laura Navarro-de-la-Fuente
- Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología AC (INECOL), Xalapa 91073, Mexico
| | - Diana Pérez-Staples
- INBIOTECA, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. de las Culturas Veracruzanas 101, Xalapa 91090, Mexico
| | - Trevor Williams
- Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología AC (INECOL), Xalapa 91073, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Lasa
- Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología AC (INECOL), Xalapa 91073, Mexico
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5
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Shephard AM, Knudsen K, Snell-Rood EC. Anthropogenic sodium influences butterfly responses to nitrogen-enriched resources: implications for the nitrogen limitation hypothesis. Oecologia 2023; 201:941-952. [PMID: 36971819 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05366-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Humans are increasing the environmental availability of historically limited nutrients, which may significantly influence organismal performance and behavior. Beneficial or stimulatory responses to increases in nitrogen availability (i.e., nitrogen limitation) are generally observed in plants but less consistently in animals. One possible explanation is that animal responses to nitrogen enrichment depend on how nitrogen intake is balanced with sodium, a micronutrient crucial for animals but not plants. We tested this idea in the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), a species that frequently inhabits nutrient-enriched plants in agricultural settings and roadside verges. We asked (1) whether anthropogenic increases in sodium influence how nitrogen enrichment affects butterfly performance and (2) whether individuals can adaptively adjust their foraging behavior to such effects. Larval nitrogen enrichment enhanced growth of cabbage white larvae under conditions of low but not high sodium availability. In contrast, larval nitrogen enrichment increased egg production of adult females only when individuals developed with high sodium availability. Ovipositing females preferred nitrogen-enriched leaves regardless of sodium availability, while larvae avoided feeding on nitrogen-enriched leaves elevated in sodium. Our results show that anthropogenic increases in sodium influence whether individuals benefit from and forage on nitrogen-enriched resources. Yet, different nitrogen-to-sodium ratios are required to optimize larval and adult performance. Whether increases in sodium catalyze or inhibit benefits of nitrogen enrichment may depend on how evolved nutrient requirements vary across stages of animal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Shephard
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Kyle Knudsen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Emilie C Snell-Rood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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6
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Hebberecht L, Melo‐Flórez L, Young FJ, McMillan WO, Montgomery SH. The evolution of adult pollen feeding did not alter postembryonic growth in
Heliconius
butterflies. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8999. [PMID: 35784071 PMCID: PMC9237422 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
For many animals, the availability and provision of dietary resources can vary markedly between juvenile and adult stages, often leading to a temporal separation of nutrient acquisition and use. Juvenile developmental programs are likely limited by the energetic demands of many adult tissues and processes with early developmental origins. Enhanced dietary quality in the adult stage may, therefore, alter selection on life history and growth patterns in juvenile stages. Heliconius are unique among butterflies in actively collecting and digesting pollen grains, which provide an adult source of essential amino acids. The origin of pollen feeding has therefore previously been hypothesized to lift constraints on larval growth rates, allowing Heliconius to spend less time as larvae when they are most vulnerable to predation. By measuring larval and pupal life‐history traits across three pollen‐feeding and three nonpollen‐feeding Heliconiini, we provide the first test of this hypothesis. Although we detect significant interspecific variation in larval and pupal development, we do not find any consistent shift associated with pollen feeding. We discuss how this result may fit with patterns of nitrogen allocation, the benefits of nitrogenous stores, and developmental limitations on growth. Our results provide a framework for studies aiming to link innovations in adult Heliconius to altered selection regimes and developmental programs in early life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hebberecht
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Gamboa Panama
| | | | - Fletcher J. Young
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Gamboa Panama
| | | | - Stephen H. Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Gamboa Panama
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7
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Kaspari M. The Invisible Hand of the Periodic Table: How Micronutrients Shape Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-090118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Beyond the better-studied carbohydrates and the macronutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, a remaining 20 or so elements are essential for life and have distinct geographical distributions, making them of keen interest to ecologists. Here, I provide a framework for understanding how shortfalls in micronutrients like iodine, copper, and zinc can regulate individual fitness, abundance, and ecosystem function. With a special focus on sodium, I show how simple experiments manipulating biogeochemistry can reveal why many of the variables that ecologists study vary so dramatically from place to place. I conclude with a discussion of how the Anthropocene's changing temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 levels are contributing to nutrient dilution (decreases in the nutrient quality at the base of food webs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kaspari
- Geographical Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
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8
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Peterson TN, Welti EAR, Kaspari M. Dietary sodium levels affect grasshopper growth and performance. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Taylor N. Peterson
- Geographical Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
| | - Ellen A. R. Welti
- Geographical Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Gelnhausen Germany
| | - Michael Kaspari
- Geographical Ecology Group Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma73019USA
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9
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Young FJ, Montgomery SH. Pollen feeding in Heliconius butterflies: the singular evolution of an adaptive suite. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201304. [PMID: 33171092 PMCID: PMC7735275 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions can be triggered by behavioural novelty, and are often associated with 'adaptive suites', which involve shifts in multiple co-adapted traits subject to complex interactions. Heliconius butterflies represent one such example, actively feeding on pollen, a behaviour unique among butterflies. Pollen feeding permits a prolonged reproductive lifespan, and co-occurs with a constellation of behavioural, neuroanatomical, life history, morphological and physiological traits that are absent in closely related, non-pollen-feeding genera. As a highly tractable system, supported by considerable ecological and genomic data, Heliconius are an excellent model for investigating how behavioural innovation can trigger a cascade of adaptive shifts in multiple diverse, but interrelated, traits. Here, we synthesize current knowledge of pollen feeding in Heliconius, and explore potential interactions between associated, putatively adaptive, traits. Currently, no physiological, morphological or molecular innovation has been explicitly linked to the origin of pollen feeding, and several hypothesized links between different aspects of Heliconius biology remain poorly tested. However, resolving these uncertainties will contribute to our understanding of how behavioural innovations evolve and subsequently alter the evolutionary trajectories of diverse traits impacting resource acquisition, life history, senescence and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fletcher J. Young
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol UBS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Stephen H. Montgomery
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol UBS8 1TQ, UK
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10
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Snell‐Rood EC, Swanson EM, Espeset A, Jaumann S, Philips K, Walker C, Semke B, Mori AS, Boenisch G, Kattge J, Seabloom EW, Borer ET. Nutritional constraints on brain evolution: Sodium and nitrogen limit brain size. Evolution 2020; 74:2304-2319. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.14072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emilie C. Snell‐Rood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Eli M. Swanson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Anne Espeset
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
- Department of Biology University of Nevada‐Reno Reno Nevada 89557
| | - Sarah Jaumann
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
- Department of Biological Sciences George Washington University Washington District of Columbia 20052
| | - Kinsey Philips
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Courtney Walker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Brandon Semke
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Akira S. Mori
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences Yokohama National University Yokohama Japan
| | | | - Jens Kattge
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena Germany
| | - Eric W. Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
| | - Elizabeth T. Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota 55455
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11
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Sobczyk Ł, Filipiak M, Czarnoleski M. Sexual Dimorphism in the Multielemental Stoichiometric Phenotypes and Stoichiometric Niches of Spiders. INSECTS 2020; 11:E484. [PMID: 32751585 PMCID: PMC7469175 DOI: 10.3390/insects11080484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Nutritional limitations may shape populations and communities of organisms. This phenomenon is often studied by treating populations and communities as pools of homogenous individuals with average nutritional optima and experiencing average constraints and trade-offs that influence their fitness in a standardized way. However, populations and communities consist of individuals belonging to different sexes, each with specific nutritional demands and limitations. Taking this into account, we used the ecological stoichiometry framework to study sexual differences in the stoichiometric phenotypes, reflecting stoichiometric niches, of four spider taxa differing in the hunting mode. The species and sexes differed fundamentally in their elemental phenotypes, including elements beyond those most commonly studied (C, N and P). Both species and sexes were distinguished by the C:N ratio and concentrations of Cu, K and Zn. Species additionally differed in concentrations of Na, Mg and Mn. Phosphorous was not involved in this differentiation. Sexual dimorphism in spiders' elemental phenotypes, related to differences in their stoichiometric niches, suggests different nutritional optima and differences in nutritional limitation experienced by different sexes and species. This may influence the structure and functioning of spider populations and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michał Filipiak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland; (Ł.S.); (M.C.)
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12
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Santana Marques P, Resende Manna L, Clara Frauendorf T, Zandonà E, Mazzoni R, El-Sabaawi R. Urbanization can increase the invasive potential of alien species. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2345-2355. [PMID: 32627190 PMCID: PMC7590067 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Alien species often flourish and become invasive in urban ecosystems. How and why invaders succeed in urban systems is an important, yet poorly understood, question. We investigate whether the success of urban invaders is related to changes in species traits that enhance invasive potential. We also explore whether a trophic mechanism helps explain the success of invaders in urban systems. We use the guppy Poecilia reticulata, a globally distributed alien species that has invaded both urban and non-urban systems, as our model. We first characterize the effect of urbanization on streams where guppies are present. We measure guppy invasion success using their population density and size-frequency. Then we assess how traits that are related to the potential of guppies to invade (life history and condition) respond to urbanization. Next, we explore how urbanization affects the availability of food for guppies and their diets. We also test if the presence of other fish species grants biological resistance to invasion by dampening guppy invasive potential. We find that urban streams have high concentrations of ammonium and faecal coliforms, indicating contamination from sewage. On average, guppy populations from urban streams have 26× higher density and larger body sizes than non-urban populations. Urban guppies are in better condition and have on average five more offspring than non-urban guppies. Urbanization increases the availability and consumption of highly nutritious food (chironomid larvae) by guppies. We find a positive relationship between the consumption of chironomids and both fecundity and condition. The presence of other fish species in urban streams often has a negative but small effect on guppy traits and density. Our data suggest a relaxation of trade-offs that shape life-history traits which is related to increased food resources in urban streams. These indicate that urbanization enhances the invasive potential of guppies through a trophic mechanism that simultaneously increases reproduction and somatic investment. Such mechanism is likely widespread because chironomids are often highly abundant in urban systems. Thus, not only guppies but also other invasive species can take advantage of such a resource to invest in traits that enhance invasion success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luisa Resende Manna
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Eugenia Zandonà
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rosana Mazzoni
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rana El-Sabaawi
- Biology Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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13
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Kaspari M. The seventh macronutrient: how sodium shortfall ramifies through populations, food webs and ecosystems. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1153-1168. [PMID: 32380580 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Of the 25 elements required to build most organisms, sodium has a unique set of characteristics that ramify through terrestrial ecology. In plants, sodium is found in low concentrations and has little metabolic function; in plant consumers, particularly animals, sodium is essential to running costly Na-K ATPases. Here I synthesise a diverse literature from physiology, agronomy and ecology, towards identifying sodium's place as the '7th macronutrient', one whose shortfall targets two trophic levels - herbivores and detritivores. I propose that sodium also plays a central, though unheralded role in herbivore digestion, via its importance to maintaining microbiomes and denaturing tannins. I highlight how sodium availability is a key determinant of consumer abundance and the geography of herbivory and detritivory. And I propose a re-appraisal of the assumption that, because sodium is metabolically unimportant to most plants, it is of little use. Instead, I suggest that sodium's critical role in limiting herbivore performance makes it a commodity used by plants to manipulate their herbivores and mutualists, and by consumers like bison and elephants to generate grazing lawns: dependable sources of sodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kaspari
- Geographical Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
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14
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Clay NA. The geography of grassland plant chemistry and productivity accounts for ant sodium and sugar usage. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:272-275. [PMID: 32037601 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13179] [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: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In Focus: Kaspari, M., Welti, E. A. R., & de Beurs, K. M. (2020). The nutritional geography of ants: Gradients of sodium and sugar limitation across North American grasslands. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89, 276-284. Biologically essential elements and macromolecules impact individuals to ecosystems and vary across space. Predictive frameworks for understanding community patterns across nutritional gradients are increasingly important as the nutritional landscape is continually altered by global change. Grasslands vary in the quantity and quality of essential nutrients that can impact plant consumer abundance, biomass and activity, but causes for variation, particularly across large spatial scales are poorly understood. In 53 North American grasslands spanning 16° latitude, Kaspari et al. (2020) tested three hypotheses for explaining sources of sodium (Na) limitation and five hypotheses for explaining sources of sugar limitation of ants, which are common and ecologically important omnivores that consume both plant- and animal-derived material. For both Na and sugar, over half of the variation in ant bait usage was accounted for by their predictions. Specifically, after accounting for ant activity (ant usage of sugar baits), ant Na-limitation was next best predicted by plant Na content and lastly, insect biomass, while sugar limitation after accounting for activity (ant usage of Na baits) was best predicted by growing season, then ecosystem productivity, plant potassium (K) and phosphorous (P), respectively. Kaspari et al. (2020) demonstrate the importance of plant physiology and chemistry towards a predictive framework for understanding sugar- and Na-limitation and highlights the importance of tackling ecological questions from a geographical perspective. This framework can provide a useful foundation for predicting future patterns in grassland organism nutritional ecology as plant species and physiology are altered with global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Clay
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, USA
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15
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Coon KL, Valzania L, Brown MR, Strand MR. Predaceous Toxorhynchites mosquitoes require a living gut microbiota to develop. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192705. [PMID: 31964235 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Most species of mosquitoes are detritivores that feed on decaying plant and animal materials in their aquatic environment. Studies of several detritivorous mosquito species indicate that they host relatively low diversity communities of microbes that are acquired from the environment while feeding. Our recent results also indicate that detritivorous species normally require a living gut microbiota to grow beyond the first instar. Less well known is that some mosquitoes, including those belonging to the genus Toxorhynchites, are predators that feed on other species of mosquitoes and nektonic prey. In this study, we asked whether predaceous Toxorhynchites amboinensis larvae still require living microbes in their gut in order to develop. Using the detritivorous mosquito Aedes aegypti as prey, we found that T. amboinensis larvae harbour bacterial communities that are highly similar to that of their prey. Functional assays showed that T. amboinensis first instars provided axenic (i.e. bacteria-free) prey failed to develop, while two bacterial species present in gnotobiotic (i.e. colonized by one or more known bacterial species) prey successfully colonized the T. amboinensis gut and rescued development. Axenic T. amboinensis larvae also displayed defects in growth consistent with previously identified roles for microbe-mediated gut hypoxia in nutrient acquisition and assimilation in A. aegypti. Collectively, these results support a conserved role for gut microbes in regulating the development of mosquitoes with different feeding strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri L Coon
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Luca Valzania
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Mark R Brown
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael R Strand
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Butterflies do not alter oviposition or larval foraging in response to anthropogenic increases in sodium. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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17
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Salgado AL, Saastamoinen M. Developmental stage-dependent response and preference for host plant quality in an insect herbivore. Anim Behav 2019; 150:27-38. [PMID: 31024189 PMCID: PMC6467838 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Larval-derived nutritional reserves are essential in shaping insects' adult fitness. Early larval instars of many Lepidopteran species are often sessile, and the conditions experienced by these larvae are often highly dependent on the mother's oviposition choice. Later larval stages are more mobile and therefore can choose their food whenever alternatives are available. We tested how feeding on a drought-exposed host plant impacts life history in an insect herbivore, and whether the observed responses depended on developmental stage. We used drought to alter host plant quality of the ribwort plantain, Plantago lanceolata, and assessed whether host plant preference of postdiapause larvae and adult females increased their own or their offspring's performance, respectively, in the Glanville fritillary butterfly, Melitaea cinxia. Larval response to drought-exposed host plants varied with developmental stage: early larval stages (prediapause) had decreased survival and body mass on drought-exposed plants, while later larval stages (postdiapause) developed faster, weighed more and had a higher growth rate on the drought-exposed plants. Postdiapause larvae also showed a preference for drought-exposed host plants, i.e. those that increased their performance, but only when fed on well-watered host plants. Adult females, on the other hand, showed an oviposition preference for well-watered plants, hence matching the performance of their prediapause but not their postdiapause offspring. Our results highlight how variation in environmental conditions generates stage-specific responses in insects. Individuals fine-tune their own or their offspring's diet by behavioural adjustments when variation in host plant quality is available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana L. Salgado
- Research Centre of Ecological Change, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
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18
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Jaumann S, Snell-Rood EC. Adult nutritional stress decreases oviposition choosiness and fecundity in female butterflies. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jaumann
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, NW, Suite, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Emilie C Snell-Rood
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
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Marshall DJ, Pettersen AK, Cameron H. A global synthesis of offspring size variation, its eco‐evolutionary causes and consequences. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hayley Cameron
- Centre for Geometric BiologyMonash University Melbourne Vic. Australia
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Nutrient Dynamics in Decomposing Dead Wood in the Context of Wood Eater Requirements: The Ecological Stoichiometry of Saproxylophagous Insects. SAPROXYLIC INSECTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-75937-1_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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21
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Chen EH, Hou QL, Wei DD, Jiang HB, Wang JJ. Phenotypic plasticity, trade-offs and gene expression changes accompanying dietary restriction and switches in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Sci Rep 2017; 7:1988. [PMID: 28512316 PMCID: PMC5434071 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02106-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the effects of dietary restriction (DR) and variable diets on phenotypes and gene expression in oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), one of the most economically important pests in the family Tephritidae around the world. As expected, we found that DR altered the B. dorsalis phenotypes by significantly increasing stress resistance and lifespan, but reduced egg production when compared with the control diet. The results suggested a trade-off between reproduction versus somatic maintenance (stress resistance) and lifespan in B. dorsalis. Diet also had a significant effect on hatchability, and DR could increase the egg hatching success of B. dorsalis. Furthermore, DR up-regulated metabolic pathways involved in energy homeostasis and down-regulated pathways in egg production, which might mediate trade-offs between somatic maintenance and reproduction under DR regimes. The gene expression profiles in response to the acute dietary switches indicated that the digestive and metabolic pathways maybe involved in the adaptability of flies to variable dietary resources. In summary, the research facilitates a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the B. dorsalis’ phenotypic adjustments to the different qualities of the available diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Er-Hu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiu-Li Hou
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan-Dan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Bo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Entomology and Pest Control Engineering, College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China.
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