Innate and acquired components of oligophagy in the herbivorous lepidopteran, M anduca sexta

2021

Preprint

Resource choice behaviour has enormous fitness consequences and can drive niche expansion. However, individual behavioural choices are often mediated by past experience. Are such context-dependent behaviours adaptive? Using the red flour beetle, we demonstrate that context-dependent oviposition choice indeed reflects distinct, context-specific local fitness peaks. Manipulating female egg allocation in a habitat containing optimal and novel resource patches, we measured offspring fitness to generate fitness landscapes as a function of all possible oviposition behaviours (i.e. combinations of fecundity and resource preference). Females from different age and density contexts exhibit distinct behaviours that optimize different fitness components. With increasing age and experienced population density, they produce few but fast-developing offspring that are advantageous under high resource competition; whereas young naive females produce many slow-developing offspring, which is beneficial under weak competition. Systematically mapping complete context-dependent fitness landscapes is thus critical to infer behavioural optimality, and offers predictive power in novel contexts.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Fitness Landscapes Reveal Context-dependent Benefits of Oviposition Choice

Agavekar

2021

Preprint

“…A large body of work suggests that prior experience with alternative resources can strongly shape larval preference. Many Lepidopteran larvae show 'induction of preference', an increased preference for host plants that they have experienced previously (Jermy et al 1968;Bernays & Weiss 1996;Carlsson et al 1999;del Campo et al 2001;Henniges-Janssen et al 2014;Soler et al 2012;Gretes et al 2016). A particularly striking example is the induction of preference in Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The induction of larval resource preference in heterogeneous habitats

Kumar

Issar

2018

Ecological Entomology

1. Animals often have to choose between multiple food sources in their habitat, and these potentially complex decisions have a large impact on their fitness. Among other factors, previous experience with an alternative resource can significantly increase subsequent preference for the resource ('induction of preference').2. Induction of resource preference is particularly relevant in spatially or temporally heterogeneous habitats. Although most mobile species -especially generalists -probably frequently encounter habitat heterogeneity, the impact of preference induction on individual behaviour and fitness in heterogeneous habitats is poorly understood. This study analysed larval preference induction in wheat-adapted generalist red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), under three types of habitat heterogeneity.3. First, the induction of preference for novel cereal flours under temporal heterogeneity was analysed, exposing larvae to new resources during development. Larvae preferred a new resource if they experienced it recently, but the magnitude of induction varied across resources.4. Specific induction for a homogenous mix of wheat and a novel resource was also observed, with larvae preferring the mix over either pure resource.5. To analyse induction under spatial heterogeneity, beetle eggs were placed in one of two alternative resource patches and the preference of emerged larvae was tested. Hatching into a novel resource did not always induce preference.6. Finally, it was found that induction of preference for new resources could be maladaptive for larval development. In sum, this work demonstrates that experience-based plasticity of larval resource choice may strongly impact larval preference and fitness in heterogeneous habitats.

“…A large body of work suggests that prior experience with alternative resources can strongly shape larval preference. Many Lepidopteran larvae show "induction of preference": an increased preference for host plants that they have experienced previously (Jermy et al 1968;Bernays & Weiss 1996;Carlsson et al 1999;del Campo et al 2001;Henniges-Janssen et al 2014;Soler et al 2012;Gretes et al 2016). A particularly striking example is the induction of preference in Manduca feeding and/or physiological acclimation (Schoonhoven & Meerman 1978;Scriber 1979;Karowe 1989;Agrawal et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Induction of Larval Resource Preference in Heterogeneous Habitats

Kumar

Issar

2018

Preprint

Animals often have to evaluate and choose between multiple food sources in their habitat, and these potentially complex decisions can have a large impact on their fitness. Among other factors, previous experience with an alternative resource can significantly increase subsequent preference for the resource ("induction of preference"). Such induction of resource preference is particularly relevant in spatially or temporally heterogeneous habitats.Although most mobile species -especially generalists -probably frequently encounter habitat heterogeneity, the impact of preference induction on individual behaviour and fitness in heterogeneous habitats is poorly understood. We analysed larval preference induction in wheat-adapted generalist red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) under three types of habitat heterogeneity. We first analysed the induction of larval preference for novel resources (other cereal flours) under temporal heterogeneity, exposing larvae to new resources during development. We found that larvae preferred a new resource if they experienced it recently, but that the magnitude of induction varied across resources. Interestingly, we also observed specific induction for a homogenous mix of wheat and a novel resource, with larvae preferring the mix over either pure resource. To analyse induction under spatial heterogeneity, we placed beetle eggs in one of two alternative resource patches and tested the preference of emerged larvae. Unexpectedly, hatching into a novel resource did not always induce preference. Finally, we found that induction of preference for new resources could be maladaptive for larval development. Together, our work demonstrates that experience-based plasticity of larval resource choice may strongly impact larval preference and fitness in heterogeneous habitats.