Transgenerational inheritance of learned preferences for novel host plant odors inBicyclus anynanabutterflies

Abstract

Many phytophagous insects have strong preferences for their host plants, which they recognize via odors, making it unclear how novel host preferences develop in the course of insect diversification. Insects may learn to prefer new host plants via exposure to their odors and pass this learned preference to their offspring. We tested this hypothesis by examining larval odor preferences before and after feeding them with leaves coated with control and novel odors and by examining odor preferences again in their offspring. Larvae of the parental generation developed a preference for two of these odors over their development. These odor preferences were also transmitted to the next generation. Offspring of butterflies fed on these new odors chose these odors more often than offspring of butterflies fed on control leaves. In addition, offspring of butterflies fed on banana odors had a significant naïve preference for the banana odors in contrast to the naïve preference for control leaves shown by individuals of the parental generation. Thus, butterflies can learn to prefer novel host plant odors via exposure to them during larval development and transmit these learned preferences to their offspring. This ability potentially facilitates shifts in host plant use over the course of insect diversification.

How do developmental and parental exposures to predation affect personality and immediate behavioural plasticity in the snail Physa acuta ?

“…Snails may exhibit low anti-predator behaviour because they are already protected from predators by morphological defences (trait compensation, e.g. [32,37,38]), thus saving the costs of having both morphological and behavioural defences. Parental and developmental exposures to predator cues can induce the production of morphological defences in many species (e.g.…”

“…Predator-exposed snails may have become habituated to this predator odour and may have reduced their response to a novel exposure of this same predator odour. However, transgenerational transmission of habituation has never been highlighted to our knowledge, even if the transgenerational transfer of conditioning or sensory imprinting to an odour have already been described in nematods, rodents and butterflies [19,36,37].…”

Plant-Induced Transgenerational Plasticity Affecting Performance but Not Preference in a Polyphagous Moth

“…Moreover, feeding on host plants of similar quality to plants their parents fed on has been found to promote development of offspring of both Coenonympha pamphilus and Pieris rapae (Cahenzli and Erhardt, 2013;Cahenzli et al, 2015). In addition, a study on the moth Bicyclus anynana showed that offspring preference for a synthetic odour was increased if the parents were reared on plant material coated with high doses of the same odour (Gowri et al, 2019). However, studies on effects of TGP on behaviour, particularly host-plant choice, using natural plant material are still lacking.…”

Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff‐tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)

“…Given that butterflies acquire preferences for novel hosts during early exposure to novel hosts' odors and transmit these acquired preferences to their offspring (Gowri et al, 2019), our findings suggest that the association between P. bucephala and Ribes host plants could to persist over generations.…”