Extraordinary long life spans in fruit-feeding butterflies can provide window on evolution of life span and aging

Abstract

Information on the life span of organisms in the field is essential for elucidating the evolution of life span and aging. We present mark-recapture data (>30,000 marked individuals, >4000 recaptured at least once) on 47 species of fruit-feeding butterflies in a tropical forest in Uganda. The data reveal adult life spans in the field for several species that are significantly longer than previously recorded in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). Longevity records for species of which more than 100 individuals were recaptured ranged from 67 (Bicyclus auricruda) to 293 days (Euphaedra medon). In contrast to the majority of Lepidoptera which are short-lived, these all show exceptionally long life spans, and may thus help to better identify factors that affect aging, particularly when combined with information on temporal patterns in reproduction, strategies to avoid predation, and nutritional ecology. These key traits are readily measurable in butterflies and thus studies on fruit-feeding butterflies have much potential for gaining insight into the evolution of life span and aging, especially given the tradition of field-research on butterflies.

Nutrient acquisition across a dietary shift: fruit feeding butterflies crave amino acids, nectivores seek salt

“…The data we collected therefore provide the first direct, empirical support for the commonly held assumption that fruit has higher nitrogen content than nectar (e.g. Fischer et al 2004;Molleman et al 2005aMolleman et al , 2007Beck 2007). Per unit of sugar, we found that the fermenting juice of a wild fruit contained, on average, 39 times more total nitrogenous compounds, 19 times more nonessential amino acids, and 33 times more essential amino acids than nectar.…”

“…The dietary switch from nectar to fruit could be related to a more nitrogen-intensive life history. Fruit feeding butterflies are known to have some of the longest lifespans of the Lepidoptera (Molleman et al 2007;Beck 2008); a study of 350 species found that on average, the maximum lifespan of frugivorous species is 2.7 times longer than nectivorous species (Beck and Fiedler 2009). Another long-lived group of butterflies, the heliconiines, acquires amino acids from the external digestion of pollen (Gilbert 1972;O'Brien et al 2003;Eberhard et al 2007).…”

Residual reproductive value and male mating success: older males do better

“…Pijpe et al 2006), field life expectancies in butterflies typically range between 10 and 14 days (e.g. Brakefield & Reitsma 1991;Fischer & Fiedler 2001;but Molleman et al 2007). At the same time, older males showed substantial reductions in two traits likely to be an indicative of condition (cf.…”

Age structure changes and extraordinary lifespan in wild medfly populations

“…With several important exceptions including studies of a radiocollared marsupial (Austad, 1993), a dipteran species that exhibits extremely high fidelity to mating sites (Bonduriansky & Brassil, 2002, 2005, and fruit-feeding butterflies that restrict their movement to well-circumscribed territories (Molleman et al ., 2006), the majority of investigations on aging rate in the wild are based on large vertebrates, modest numbers, and life table and lifespan data that are either derived from crosssectional data (Deevey, 1947;Caughley, 1977;Promislow, 1991) or augmented with longevity information for captive animals (Carey & Judge, 2000;Kohler et al ., 2006). For studies in which the sample sizes are large and the data collection in the field is longitudinal, the long lifespans of species studied necessitate the construction of costly databases assembled over several decades (Clutton-Brock et al ., 1982;Charmantier et al ., 2006;Nussey et al ., 2007).…”