The effect of ambient humidity on the foraging behavior of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta

Contreras, Heidy; Goyret, Joaquín; Arx, Martin von; Pierce, Clayton T.; Bronstein, Judith L.; Raguso, Robert A.; Davidowitz, Goggy

doi:10.1007/s00359-013-0829-3

Cited by 44 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…To overcome thermal extremes and water loss, insects utilize physiological mechanisms such as heat-shock proteins in drosophilid flies (Goto and Kimura 1998;Hoffmann et al 2003;Bubliy et al 2013) and adaptations such as waterproofed cuticles (Bradley 2009). Insects also exhibit behavioural mechanisms such as foraging behaviour to increase consumption of water relative to nutrients (Contreras et al 2013) and relocating to preferred temperature and humidity conditions (Perttunen and Salmi 1956;Heinrich 1993;Tichy 2003). In laboratory studies, Drosophila flies were found to avoid highly saturated environments where relative humidity (RH) exceeded 87% (Perttunen and Salmi 1956), and in a choice test, Drosophila melanogaster Meigen adults clearly favoured air conditions of 3% RH over air saturated at 99% RH (Sayeed and Benzer 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humidity affects populations of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in blueberry

Tochen

Woltz

Dalton

et al. 2015

J Applied Entomology

138

102

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Temperature and humidity affect insect physiology, survival, fecundity, reproductive status and behaviour. Complementing previous work investigating the effects of temperature on adult survival and fecundity of the invasive frugivorous pest, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), this study was conducted to determine the effect of humidity on D. suzukii larval development, adult survival, fecundity and reproductive status using blueberry as a host substrate. The five constant humidity levels in laboratory bioassays were 20, 33, 71, 82 and 94% RH at 20.6 AE 0.2°C. As RH increased, fecundity and longevity increased. At the higher humidity levels, RH had limited impact on mean generation times (T), larval development and eclosion times. The highest net reproductive rate (R o = 68) and highest intrinsic rate of population increase (r m = 0.17) were both recorded at 94% RH. The reproductive status of females, as indicated by the number of mature oocytes per female, was significantly greater at 82 and 94% RH, compared to 71% RH. In addition to the laboratory procedures, we correlated field trap captures over an 81-day summer period to relative humidity (RH) levels in close proximity to those traps. In the field, low ambient humidity levels resulted in decreased trap captures. A humidity-dependent population model predicted lower densities of D. suzukii relative to populations at higher humidity. This study supports the hypothesis that cultural practices that minimize lower humidity levels in crops can contribute to the management of D. suzukii. Such methods may include open pruning, drip irrigation and field floor management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humidity affects populations of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in blueberry

Tochen

Woltz

Dalton

et al. 2015

J Applied Entomology

138

102

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“…It is possible that high saturation deficit leads to dehydration and ultimately triggers higher rates of sugar feeding, especially on more dilute sources. Maintaining water balance is essential for insect survival [51, 52] and others have described insect foraging behaviors that balance physiological needs for water and sugar through choice of nectar dilution levels [53-56]. Working with mosquitoes, Hagan et al (2018) found that blood feeding was prompted by dehydration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sugar feeding patterns of New YorkAedes albopictusmosquitoes are affected by environmental dryness, flowers, and host seeking

Fikrig

Peck

Deckerman

et al. 2020

Preprint

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8 Background 9 Sugar feeding is an important behavior which may determine vector potential of mosquitoes.10 Sugar meals can reduce blood feeding frequency, enhance survival, and decrease fecundity, as 11 well as provide energetic reserves to fuel energy intensive behaviors such as mating and host 12 seeking. Sugar feeding behavior also can be harnessed for vector control (e.g. attractive toxic 13 sugar baits). Few studies have addressed sugar feeding of Aedes albopictus, a vector of 14 arboviruses of public health importance, including dengue and Zika viruses. To address this 15 knowledge gap, we assessed sugar feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus for the first time in its 16 invasive northeastern USA range. 1718 Methodology/ Principal Findings 19 Using the cold anthrone fructose assay with robust sample sizes, we demonstrated that a large 20 percentage of both male (49.6%) and female (41.8%) Ae. albopictus fed on plant or homopteran 21 derived sugar sources within 24 hrs of capture. Our results suggest that sugar feeding behavior 22 increases when environmental conditions are dry and may vary by behavioral status (host 23 seeking vs. resting). Furthermore, mosquitoes collected on properties with flowers (>3 blooms) 2 24 had higher fructose concentrations compared to those collected from properties with few to no 25 flowers (0-3). 2627 Conclusions/Significance 28 Our results provide the first evidence of Ae. albopictus sugar feeding behavior in the 29 Northeastern US and reveal relatively high rates of sugar feeding. These results suggest the 30 potential success for regional deployment of toxic sugar baits. In addition, we demonstrate the 31 impact of several environmental and mosquito parameters (environmental dryness, presence of 32 flowers, host seeking status, and sex) on sugar feeding. Placing sugar feeding behavior in the 33 context of these environmental and mosquito parameters provides further insight into 34 spatiotemporal dynamics of feeding behavior for Ae. albopictus, and in turn, provides 35 information for evidence-based control decisions. 37 Introduction 38Ae. albopictus is a vector of numerous pathogens, including dengue, Chikungunya and 39 Zika viruses as well as dog heartworm parasites [1, 2]. It is rapidly expanding its global range 40 and is pushing northward in the USA, enabled by local adaptation and winter egg diapause [3, 4].41 This highly adaptable mosquito can survive in drastically varied ecosystems, ranging from 42 tropical to temperate climates, making it one of the most successful invasive species globally [5].43 Understanding this mosquito's feeding behavior and ecology across its invasive range is essential 44 for understanding risk and devising control methods. 45Sugar feeding is an important mosquito behavior with implications for disease 46 transmission and control [6]. It can impact mosquito life history through a number of 3 47 mechanisms and can vary between mosquito species [7]. For females, there may be trade-offs in 48 transmission potential between blood and sugar feeding ...

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“…High temperatures and low relative humidity levels can severely decrease or alter the nectar sugar concentration, and thereby strongly affect the suitability of the nectar to certain pollinators and thus alter their flower choice (Nicolson , Contreras et al. ). In addition, heat stress might also affect pollen viability and thereby directly reduce plant fitness (Zinn et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flower movement balances pollinator needs and pollen protection

Haverkamp

Hansson

et al. 2018

Ecology

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Flower signaling and orientation are key characteristics that determine a flower's pollinator guild. However, many flowers actively move during their daily cycle, changing both their detectability and accessibility to pollinators. The flowers of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata orientate their corolla upward at sunset and downward after sunrise. Here, we investigated the effect of different flower orientations on a major pollinator of N. attenuata, the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. We found that although flower orientation influenced the flight altitude of the moth in respect to the flower, it did not alter the moth's final flower choice. These behavioral observations were consistent with the finding that orientation did not systematically change the spatial distribution of floral volatiles, which are major attractants for the moths. Moreover, hawkmoths invested the same amount of time into probing flowers at different orientations, even though they were only able to feed and gather pollen from horizontally and upward‐oriented flowers, but not from downward‐facing flowers. The orientation of the flower was hence crucial for a successful interaction between N. attenuata and its hawkmoth pollinator. Additionally, we also investigated potential adverse effects of exposing flowers at different orientations to natural daylight levels, finding that anther temperature of upward‐oriented flowers was more than 7°C higher than for downward‐oriented flowers. This increase in temperature likely caused the significantly reduced germination success that was observed for pollen grains from upward‐oriented flowers in comparison to those of downward and horizontally oriented flowers. These results highlight the importance of flower reorientation to balance pollen protection and a successful interaction of the plant with its insect pollinators by maintaining the association between flower volatiles and flower accessibility to the pollinator.

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The effect of ambient humidity on the foraging behavior of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta

Cited by 44 publications

References 61 publications

Humidity affects populations of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in blueberry

Humidity affects populations of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in blueberry

Sugar feeding patterns of New YorkAedes albopictusmosquitoes are affected by environmental dryness, flowers, and host seeking

Flower movement balances pollinator needs and pollen protection

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