Correlated responses in death-feigning behavior, activity, and brain biogenic amine expression in red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum strains selected for walking distance

Abstract

Dispersal ability may influence antipredator and mating strategies. A previous study showed a trade-off between predation avoidance and mating success in strains of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum selected for walking distance . Specifically, beetles derived from strains selected for longer walking distance suffered higher predation pressure and had higher male mating success than their counterparts derived from strains selected for shorter walking distance. In the study reported here, we compared the locomotor activity, biogenic amine expression in the brain, and death-feigning behavior of the red flour beetle strains selected for walking distance. The results indicated that individuals genetically predisposed to longer walking distance had higher locomotor activity and lower intensity of death-feigning behavior than those genetically predisposed to shorter walking distance. However, no significant differences were found in the expression of biogenic amines in the brain among strains selected for walking distance, although the level of dopamine in the brain differed from that of the strains divergently selected for duration of death-feigning behavior. The relationships between walking speed, activity, death-feigning behavior, and brain biogenic amines in T. castaneum are discussed.

Evolution of dispersal syndrome and its corresponding metabolomic changes

“…1A and C), and spent lesser time in rest (Fig. This observation is consistent with previous results (Hanski et al 2006;Matsumura et al 2016) and also with the fact that the VBs were under intense selection to reach a new environment within the first 6 h of introduction to the source (Tung et al 2018). This observation is consistent with previous results (Hanski et al 2006;Matsumura et al 2016) and also with the fact that the VBs were under intense selection to reach a new environment within the first 6 h of introduction to the source (Tung et al 2018).…”

“…For example, locomotor activity is found to covary positively with dispersal in both single-generation trait-association studies (in butterfly Melitaea cinxia, Hanski et al 2006) as well as artificial selection experiments in red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Matsumura et al 2016). For example, locomotor activity is found to covary positively with dispersal in both single-generation trait-association studies (in butterfly Melitaea cinxia, Hanski et al 2006) as well as artificial selection experiments in red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Matsumura et al 2016).…”

“…In C. elegans as well, three genes, namely G-protein coupled receptors npr-1 (de Bono and Bargmann 1998), tyra-3 (Bendesky et al 2011), and rol-1 (Friedenberg 2003), have been shown to be associated with dispersal phenotypes. A different and more fruitful approach to understand the subcellular basis of dispersal evolution perhaps would be to investigate the metabolome of the dispersers and try to elucidate the various processes that have been up-or downregulated (Matsumura et al 2016). A different and more fruitful approach to understand the subcellular basis of dispersal evolution perhaps would be to investigate the metabolome of the dispersers and try to elucidate the various processes that have been up-or downregulated (Matsumura et al 2016).…”

Effects of starvation on death‐feigning in adult Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…Once the weevil entered the death‐feigning state, the death‐feigning duration was recorded as the time until the first visible movement using a stopwatch. If the duration was longer than 1 s, it was regarded as a valid death‐feigning behaviour (Matsumura et al, ), and the effective time was 1–3,600 s. If the weevil did not respond, the same stimulus was applied a second or third time (no more than three times), or the duration was zero. In order to observe death‐feigning of each individual, a culture box (20 mm diameter × 35 mm depth) contained one weevil.…”

“…Once the weevil entered the deathfeigning state, the death-feigning duration was recorded as the time until the first visible movement using a stopwatch. If the duration was longer than 1 s, it was regarded as a valid death-feigning behaviour (Matsumura et al, 2016), and the effective time was 1-3,600 s.…”