Phenotypic plasticity in sex pheromone production in Bicyclus anynana butterflies

Dion, Emilie; Monteiro, Antónia; Yew, Joanne Y.

doi:10.1038/srep39002

Cited by 36 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As the developmental plasticity of androconial sizes only extends to the forewing, the titres of MSP1 and MSP3 are expected to be produced in higher quantities when males are reared at higher temperatures while levels of MSP2 should show a lack of developmental plasticity. Data from a recent study by Dion and colleagues provide conclusive evidence for this hypothesis (Dion et al 2016). Here, the authors first demonstrate that the biosynthesis of MSP in B. anynana is temperature-dependent.…”

Section: Developmental Plasticity In Secondary Sexual Traitsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…The canalized response of androconial patches on the hindwing may reflect differences in importance of the MSP components and their localised production on the wings. In B. anynana, MSP2 is exclusively produced in the androconia on the hindwing while MSP1 and MSP3 are associated with both androconial patches (Bacquet et al 2015, Dion et al 2016. As the developmental plasticity of androconial sizes only extends to the forewing, the titres of MSP1 and MSP3 are expected to be produced in higher quantities when males are reared at higher temperatures while levels of MSP2 should show a lack of developmental plasticity.…”

Section: Developmental Plasticity In Secondary Sexual Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pheromone blend of this species contains three components, Z9-14:OH (MSP1), 16:Ald (MSP2) and 6,10,14-trime-15-2-ol (MSP3), and variation in titres and ratios is used by females during courtship to assess male quality. In B. anynana, MSP production is a reliable indicator of male age (Nieberding et al 2012) and inbreeding status ) and expected to be costly as males of this species produce significantly less MSP when exposed to environmental conditions that mimic the harsh, dry season (Dion et al 2016). The composition of the MSP and the production thereof in the two other species included in this study, Bicyclus safitza and Mycalesis perseoides, is less well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The wings of the mycalesine males typically carry one or several androconia which are small patches of differentiated scales and hair pencils that are involved in the production and distribution of male sex pheromones (MSP). The ultrastructure of these androconia (Dion et al 2016) and the composition of MSP (Nieberding et al 2008) have been thoroughly investigated using Bicyclus anynana, an African mycalesine butterfly that has become an important model system in the field of Eco-Evo-Devo ). The pheromone blend of this species contains three components, Z9-14:OH (MSP1), 16:Ald (MSP2) and 6,10,14-trime-15-2-ol (MSP3), and variation in titres and ratios is used by females during courtship to assess male quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Developmental plasticity for male secondary sexual traits in a group of polyphenic tropical butterflies

Balmer

Brakefield

Brattström

et al. 2018

Oikos

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many organisms alter their investment in secondary sexual traits to optimise the fitness tradeoff between reproduction and survival. Though seasonal variation in the expression of sexual traits is evident (e.g. conspicuous breeding plumage in birds), little attention has been given to short‐lived organisms that inhabit relatively stable environments throughout their own lifetime but are exposed to strong environmental variation across generations. Some insects have evolved seasonal polyphenism to cope with intergenerational variation in environmental selection, yielding alternative phenotypes better suited for the environment in which they occur. Here we use mycalesine butterflies, which express distinct seasonal forms in response to wet‐dry seasonal environments, to explore whether seasonal polyphenism extends to secondary sexual traits. Sex pheromones, which are produced by androconial patches on the wings of males, are a key determinant of mating success in these species. Through a series of field sampling, reaction norm experiments, pheromone titre quantification, and mate competition experiments, this study reveals that the size of the androconial patch on the forewing is mediated by the temperatures experienced during development, which correspond to the ecological conditions during the alternative wet and dry seasons in the wild. Furthermore, in one of the species, Bicyclus anynana, larger forewing patches are associated with both an increase in the production of pheromone components as well as the likelihood of mating. Taken together, these findings indicate that plasticity in androconial patches may be an adaptation to seasonal fluctuations in the environment as it favours reproductive success in the conditions in which each seasonal form flies. We discuss our findings in the context of seasonal differences in the optimal tradeoff between reproduction and survival.

show abstract

Section: Developmental Plasticity In Secondary Sexual Traitsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Developmental Plasticity In Secondary Sexual Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Developmental plasticity for male secondary sexual traits in a group of polyphenic tropical butterflies

Balmer

Brakefield

Brattström

et al. 2018

Oikos

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We hypothesized that common practice solvent extraction could blur sex pheromone quantification and as such limit our understanding of how sexual selection affects chemical sexually-selected traits. We used the butterfly Bicyclus anynana (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) as a model system, because this species is one of the best studied butterflies with regard to sexual, including olfactory, communication (Bacquet et al, 2015; Brakefield et al, 2009; Costanzo and Monteiro, 2007; Dion et al, 2016; Heuskin et al, 2014; Nieberding et al, 2008, 2012, 2018; Nieberding and Holveck, 2017; Prudic et al, 2011; San Martin et al, 2011; van Bergen et al, 2013; Nieberding et al, 2018; Westerman et al, 2012, 2014). In B. anynana , males compete for access to females and perform a stereotyped courtship sequence during which the sex pheromone is emitted by wing pheromone-producing structures called androconia (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common practice solvent extraction does not reflect actual emission of a sex pheromone during butterfly courtship

Visser

Dublon

Heuskin

et al. 2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

20Olfactory communication can be of critical importance for mate choice decisions. Lepidoptera 21 are key model systems for understanding olfactory communication, particularly considering 22 sex pheromone signaling in the context of sexual selection. Solvent extraction or rinsing of 23 pheromone-producing structures is a widespread method for quantifying sex pheromones, but 24 such measures reflect what is stored and may not represent what is actually emitted by an 25 individual during courtship. Here, we address this point for the first time by quantifying the 26 components of the male sex pheromone (MSP) of interacting Bicyclus anynana butterflies, a 27species for which much information is available onthe role played by MSPs in affecting mating 28 success. Using headspace sampling during courtship and solvent extraction after completion of 29 experiments using the same males, we were able to track individual traits. Our results show 30 that solvent extracts do not reflect quantities of MSP components emitted by live butterflies. 31 We further show that MSP amounts obtained using headspace sampling correlated with male 32 mating success, but solvent extracts did not. Our results further strongly suggest that males 33 actively control MSP emission when faced with increased male-male competition. Common 34 practice solvent extracts may thus not serve as an adequate proxy for male sex pheromone 35 signaling as they are perceived by choosy females. Our study serves as a proof of principle that 36 quantification of male sex pheromone components depends on the method of collection, which 37 could apply to many other insects using short-range chemical signals. This affects our 38 understanding of how sexual selection shapes the evolution of sexually-selected chemical 39 traits. 40 41 42 Sexual selection was first defined by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace as a type of 43 natural selection where access to reproduction depends on a specific part of the environment, 44 i.e. the other sex (Darwin, 1859; Wallace 1892). Sexual selection can be a major driver shaping 45

show abstract

Physiology and Evolution of Wing Pattern Plasticity in Bicyclus Butterflies: A Critical Review of the Literature

Monteiro

2017

Diversity and Evolution of Butterfly Wing Patterns

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of a genotype to develop into different phenotypes in response to environmental cues. In many instances, this ability is an evolved adaptation to enable organisms to adapt to predictable but variable environments in time or space (West-Eberhard MJ, Developmental plasticity and evolution. Oxford Unversity Press, New York, p 794, 2003; Stearns SC, BioScience 39 (7) Here I provide a review of the literature that has explored how environmental variation, in particular seasonal variation, impacts eyespot size in African satyrid butterflies of the genus Bicyclus. Plasticity in eyespot size is undeniably the most conspicuous effect of seasonal variation on the appearance of Bicyclus species, and perhaps because of this, its ecological and physiological bases have been under investigation since 1984 (Brakefield PM, Reitsma N, Ecol Entomol 16:291-303, 1991; Brakefield PM, Larsen TB, Biol J Linn Soc 22:1-12, 1984). Much subsequent research on members of this genus, and in particular on the model species Bicyclus anynana, uncovered, however, many other morphological, behavioral, physiological, and life history traits that are equally impacted by seasons and, in particular, by rearing temperature (Bear A,

show abstract

Phenotypic plasticity in sex pheromone production in Bicyclus anynana butterflies

Cited by 36 publications

References 67 publications

Developmental plasticity for male secondary sexual traits in a group of polyphenic tropical butterflies

Developmental plasticity for male secondary sexual traits in a group of polyphenic tropical butterflies

Common practice solvent extraction does not reflect actual emission of a sex pheromone during butterfly courtship

Physiology and Evolution of Wing Pattern Plasticity in Bicyclus Butterflies: A Critical Review of the Literature

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About