Foraging Rules for Nectar: Food Choices by Painted Ladies

Fr, Hainsworth; Hamill, Tracy

doi:10.1086/285576

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…All fruits had significant concentrations of sucrose that tended to fall within the range found in floral nectar (Baker & Baker 1990;Hainsworth & Hamill 1993;Brown & Hopkins 1995;Baker et al 1998;Bernardello et al 1999Bernardello et al , 2000. The sucrose variation within fruits may be explained by variation among trees (Chapman et al 2003), position in the tree, ripeness, or stage of decay.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹

et al. 2005

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Many butterflies in tropical forests feed on fruits that have fallen to the forest floor. This substrate differs in many ways from floral nectar, and therefore fruit‐feeding butterflies are expected to possess adaptations for efficient foraging, choice, and ingestion of their food. Differences in food quality and in spatial and temporal availability are also likely to have led to life history evolution. Here we describe the sugar and nitrogen content of fruits that butterflies feed on in a tropical forest in Uganda, and measure the attractiveness of these fruits to the local butterfly fauna together with the role that decay plays in the attraction. These data are supplemented with feeding observations at fruit falls in the forest. Our results show that (1) fruits contain significant and variable concentrations of sugar and nitrogen, and constitute a nutritious food source for butterflies in tropical forests; (2) fruit‐feeding butterflies use cues from the fruits and fermentation products to locate their food; (3) different classes of fruit‐feeding butterflies may vary in their preferences for certain fruits, and differ in their ability to find preferred food; and (4) fruit choice is not strongly correlated with attractiveness or nutrient content. The results are discussed in the light of the evolution of food searching and life history strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹

et al. 2005

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“…Dietary preferences are often explained using analogies from economics that assume that animals evaluate benefits in relation to costs (Hainsworth 1974; Gass & Montgomerie 1981; Collins, Grey & McNee 1990; Dunning 1990; Boggs 1992; Hainsworth & Hamill 1993; Guglielmo, Karasov & Jakubas 1996). A large theoretical literature with considerable empirical support suggests that animals should exhibit preferences for the items that offer them higher net benefits (gross benefits obtained minus costs; Huey & Pianka 1981; Heyneman 1983; Mangel & Clark 1986; Heinemann 1992; Karasov 1992; Houston 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration‐dependent sugar preferences in nectar‐feeding birds: mechanisms and consequences

Schondube

Rio

2003

Functional Ecology

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Summary 1.Specialised nectar-feeding birds tend to prefer sucrose over glucose-fructose mixtures or to be indifferent when tested at concentrations close to 584 mmol L − 1 sucrose equivalents. The role of the potential interaction between sugar composition and concentration on the sugar preferences of these birds, however, has not been explored. 2. We tested the hypothesis that sugar preferences in nectar-feeding birds are concentration-dependent. We predicted that at high concentrations they would prefer sucrose over hexoses, whereas at low sugar concentrations they would prefer hexoses. We expected birds to show differences in food intake that matched their sugar preferences when they fed on equicaloric solutions of sucrose and 1 : 1 mixture of glucose and fructose. Consequently, the curves describing the relationship between food intake and sugar concentration for these two sugar solutions should cross. We tested these hypotheses in two species of nectar-feeding birds: the Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Diglossa baritula (Wagler) and the Magnificent Hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens (Swainson). 3. The sugar preferences of both species were concentration dependent. At lower concentrations they preferred hexoses, whereas at higher concentrations they shifted their preference to sucrose. However, these concentration-dependent preferences were not matched by parallel differences in intake. 4. Although nectar composition and concentration are often discussed as two different floral traits, our results show that they have a synergistic effect on the sugar preferences of nectar-feeding birds.

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“…Furthermore, the proboscis assembly process has been analysed in this species ( Krenn 1997); the proboscis sensilla have been studied in context of proboscis movements during feeding ( Krenn 1998), and in addition to these morphological accounts, Vanessa cardui is well‐investigated with respect to adult food choices ( Hainsworth et al . 1991 ; Hainsworth and Hamill 1993). Hence, this butterfly can be regarded as a model organism for mouthpart morphology and feeding requirements of adult butterflies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proboscis musculature in the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera): settling the proboscis recoiling controversy

Krenn¹

2000

Acta Zoologica

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 Abstract Krenn, H. W. 2000. Proboscis musculature in the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera): settling the proboscis recoiling controversy. -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81 : 259 -266The proboscis of Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae) contains two basal galeal muscles and two different series of numerous oblique muscles. Both muscle series extend from the proximal region up to the tip-region; the individual muscles of each series run a constant course throughout the proboscis. In contrast to other butterflies, the knee bend region does not have additional types of muscles. The analysis of shock-frozen proboscises reveals that the dorsal wall is arched outwardly in the uncoiled, feeding position whereas in the coiled, resting position the dorsal proboscis wall is flat or concave. This results in a significantly greater cross-sectional area due to the significantly greater dorso-ventral diameter in uncoiled proboscises. After freezing the proboscis in its distal region, it can still be uncoiled, however, it cannot be fully recoiled. These morphometric and experimental results indicate that the oblique proboscis muscles are responsible for recoiling the proboscis to the resting position.

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Foraging Rules for Nectar: Food Choices by Painted Ladies

Cited by 12 publications

References 16 publications

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹

Concentration‐dependent sugar preferences in nectar‐feeding birds: mechanisms and consequences

Proboscis musculature in the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera): settling the proboscis recoiling controversy

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Foraging Rules for Nectar: Food Choices by Painted Ladies

Cited by 12 publications

References 16 publications

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda1

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda1

Concentration‐dependent sugar preferences in nectar‐feeding birds: mechanisms and consequences

Proboscis musculature in the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera): settling the proboscis recoiling controversy

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Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹

Preferences and Food Quality of Fruit‐Feeding Butterflies in Kibale Forest, Uganda¹