Oviposition preference and larval performance in aHeliconius erato phyllis(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) population from southeastern Brazil: is there a positive relationship?

Abstract

Preference-performance hypothesis was tested in the butterfly Heliconius erato phyllis under field, insectary and laboratory conditions in a population from southeastern Brazil. Throughout a year, Passiflora capsularis was the host predominantly used for oviposition in the field. Similarly, when host plants were of high quality in the field, H. erato phyllis females that came from this environment laid more eggs on P. capsularis under insectary conditions. In contrast, when host plant quality declined in nature, females did not show preference for any host plant in particular in the insectary. Larvae had superior performances when reared on P. capsularis and Passiflora edulis than on Passiflora jilekii. Overall, our results show a trend towards a positive relationship between oviposition and performance in H. erato phyllis. The factors that might lead to an absence of selection under insectary conditions by females from a poor-quality environment are discussed.

Evolution of larval gregariousness is associated with host plant specialisation, but not host morphology, in Heliconiini butterflies

“…This finding appears to support evidence of a preference for forest edge plants in various Heliconius species (e.g. Ramos & Freitas, 1999; Seixas et al., 2017). It is, therefore, possible that there is some aspect of this habitat, or the plants within it, that ovipositing females favour over others, although we cannot rule out a bias in how these data are recorded, such as edge habitats being easier to access than forest interiors.…”

Short-Term Dynamics Reveals Seasonality in a Subtropical Heliconius Butterfly

“…Fertilized females lay eggs during the cold and dry period (July-October) where climatic conditions are harsh and the availability and quality of host-plant is low. Evidence points to differences in quality between Heliconius host species (Passifloraceae) [32]. During the winter hostplants are almost totally defoliated and the tender meristem tissues are important for larval performance [33].…”

História filogeográfica da borboleta Heliconius erato phyllis (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae: Heliconiini) na Mata Atlântica

“…Este tema tem despertado interesse de muitos pesquisadores, e muitos trabalhos estão sendo desenvolvidos com a utilização de dados genômicos para tentar compreender a história evolutiva por de trás do mimetismo (Nadeau et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2017). Em particular, Heliconius erato (Fabricius, 1775) é uma das espécies mais amplamente distribuídas dentro do gênero, ocorrendo desde o México até a Argentina em diversos tipos de habitats, desde florestas primárias até florestas secundárias e áreas urbanas (Emsley, 1964(Emsley, , 1965Brown & Brown, 1992;Ramos & Freitas, 1999;Hines et al, 2011).…”

“…Essa hipótese foi construída de acordo com estudos prévios de biologia populacional de algumas espécies do gênero Heliconius. Por exemplo, estudos que utilizaram técnicas de marcação e recaptura (Gilbert, 1991;Saalfeld & Araújo, 1981;Mallet, 1986b;Ramos & Freitas, 1999;Andrade & Freitas, 2005), demonstraram que as populações possuem comportamento filopátrico, com os indivíduos se deslocando pouco ao longo do tempo. Em outro trabalho, Kronforst & Gilbert (2008) investigaram a estrutura populacional do gênero Heliconius na Costa Rica, utilizando o marcador molecular AFLP e encontraram um valor considerável de diferenciação genética entre as populações.…”