Cannibalism During Early Larval Development of Hadena ectypa Morrison (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Zhou, Juannan; Dudash, Michele R.; Fenster, Charles B.

doi:10.4289/0013-8797.118.3.450

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Oviposition behavior follows nectaring, as female moths oviposit singly or in mass of two to three eggs at the base of the ovary or on the ovary wall (Zhou et al. 2016a). A single flower may receive up to 20 eggs from multiple female H .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult male and female H. ectypa extract nectar in the flowers of S. stellata with pollination taking place simultaneously. Oviposition behavior follows nectaring, as female moths oviposit singly or in mass of two to three eggs at the base of the ovary or on the ovary wall (Zhou et al 2016a). A single flower may receive up to 20 eggs from multiple female H. ectypa moths over the course of 3 days (J. Zhou personal observation).…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variable and sexually conflicting selection onSilene stellatafloral traits by a putative moth pollinator selective agent

et al. 2020

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Conflicting selection is an important evolutionary mechanism because it impedes directional evolution and helps to maintain phenotypic variation. It can arise when mutualistic and antagonistic selective agents exert opposing selection on the same trait and when distinct phenotypic optima are favored by different fitness components. In this study, we test for conflicting selection through different sexual functions of the hermaphroditic plant, Silene stellata during its early and late flowering season. We find selection is consistently stronger during the early flowering season, which aligns with the activity peak of the pollinating seed predator Hadena ectypa. Importantly, we observe sex‐specific selection on petal dimensions to have opposite signs. We propose that the observed sexually conflicting selection on petal design results from the negative selection through female function for the avoidance of oviposition and the subsequent fruit predation by H. ectypa larvae and the positive selection through male function for pollen export by H. ectypa adults. The Silene–Hadena interaction has previously been considered to be largely parasitic. Our findings suggest a trade‐off mechanism that could thwart the evolution of an “escape route” from the nocturnal pollination syndrome by Silene spp. and contribute to the long‐term maintenance of the Silene–Hadena system.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable and sexually conflicting selection onSilene stellatafloral traits by a putative moth pollinator selective agent

et al. 2020

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“…Territoriality has been described in other caterpillar species ( Kemp, 2000 ; Yack et al., 2001 ; Bowen et al., 2008 ), suggesting aggression may be widespread. Cannibalism is widespread in Lepidoptera larvae ( Semlitsch and West, 1988 ; Dial and Adler, 1990 ; Zago-Braga and Zucoloto, 2004 ; Tang et al., 2016 ; Zhou et al., 2016 ), raising the possibility that aggression is associated with conspecific competition. This extends beyond Lepidoptera to other insect larvae, as crowded rearing conditions promote cannibalism in Drosophila larvae ( Vijendravarma et al., 2013 ), suggesting a relationship between resource availability and this aggression-linked behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggression Is Induced by Resource Limitation in the Monarch Caterpillar

et al. 2020

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Food represents a limiting resource for the growth and developmental progression of many animal species. As a consequence, competition over food, space, or other resources can trigger territoriality and aggressive behavior. In the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, caterpillars feed predominantly on milkweed, raising the possibility that access to milkweed is critical for growth and survival. Here, we characterize the role of food availability on aggression in monarch caterpillars and find that monarch caterpillars display stereotyped aggressive lunges that increase during development, peaking during the fourth and fifth instar stages. The number of lunges toward a conspecific caterpillar was significantly increased under conditions of low food availability, suggesting resource defense may trigger aggression. These findings establish monarch caterpillars as a model for investigating interactions between resource availability and aggressive behavior under ecologically relevant conditions and set the stage for future investigations into the neuroethology of aggression in this system.

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“…Territoriality has been described in other caterpillar species (Kemp, 2000; Yack, Smith and Weatherhead, 2001; Bowen et al , 2008), suggesting aggression may be widespread. Cannibalism is widespread in Lepidoptera larvae (Semlitsch and West, 1988; Dial and Adler, 1990; Zago-Braga and Zucoloto, 2004; Tang et al , 2016; Zhou, Dudash and Fenster, 2016), raising the possibility that aggression is associated with conspecific competition. This extends beyond Lepidoptera to other insect larvae, as crowded rearing conditions promote cannibalism in Drosophila larvae (Vijendravarma, Narasimha and Kawecki, 2013), suggesting a relationship between resource availability and this aggression-linked behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggression is induced by resource limitation in the monarch caterpillar

Collie

Granela

Brown

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Food represents a limiting resource for the growth and developmental progression of many animal species. As a consequence, competition over food, space, or other resources can trigger territoriality and aggressive behavior. Throughout their early development stages, insect larvae eat voraciously and limited food availability can potently impact their viability through metamorphosis. In the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, caterpillars feed predominantly on milkweed, raising the possibility that access to milkweed is critical for growth and survival. Here, we characterize the role of food availability on aggression in monarch caterpillars. We find that monarch caterpillars display stereotyped aggressive lunges that increase during development, peaking during the 4th and 5th instar stages. Detailed behavioral analysis reveals that aggressive actions are most likely to occur when the target is feeding and increases the probability that the target will leave the food source. To determine the relationship between food availability and the initiation of an aggressive encounter, we provided groups of caterpillars differing amounts of food availability and measured aggressive behavior. The number of lunges toward a conspecific caterpillar was significantly increased under conditions of low food availability, suggesting resource defense may trigger aggression. We find that aggression occurs independently of light, suggesting the visual system is dispensable for the induction of aggression. These findings establish monarch caterpillars as a model for investigating interactions between resource availability and aggressive behavior under ecologically relevant conditions and set the stage for future investigations into the neuroethology of aggression in this system.

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Cannibalism During Early Larval Development of Hadena ectypa Morrison (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Variable and sexually conflicting selection onSilene stellatafloral traits by a putative moth pollinator selective agent

Variable and sexually conflicting selection onSilene stellatafloral traits by a putative moth pollinator selective agent

Aggression Is Induced by Resource Limitation in the Monarch Caterpillar

Aggression is induced by resource limitation in the monarch caterpillar

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