iv "As pessoas mais felizes não têm as melhores coisas. Elas sabem fazer o melhor das oportunidades que aparecem em seus caminhos. A felicidade aparece para aqueles que choram. Para aqueles que se machucam. Para aqueles que buscam e tentam sempre." (Clarice Lispector) v Agradecimentos Agradeço aos meus pais, Manoel da Conceição Carvalho e Rosângela Marques Carvalho e irmãos Marcus Aurélio Marques Carvalho e Marcelo Vitor Marques Carvalho, por sempre me apoiarem e incentivarem a estudar cada vez mais. Sou grato também aos meus tios José Gabriel Melo e Maria Tomázia, por terem me acolhido em sua casa no primeiro ano em Campinas. Agradeço à minha tia-madrinha Maria da Graça Raposo Cartagenes por me apoiar e ter estado sempre de braços abertos para todos os imprevistos que aconteceram. À minha namorada, Rosinete Lima Setúbal, sempre disposta a me ouvir, dar carinho, conselho e forças quando preciso. Ao meu orientador Woodruff Whitman Benson, pelos ensinamentos, correções, educação, e por diversas vezes ter sido mais do que um orientador fazendo coisas que estavam além de sua obrigação.Ao meu amigo e ex-orientador, André Victor Lucci Freitas, que desde a graduação me apóia, e por ser uma pessoa que posso contar.
The preference-performance hypothesis states that female insects oviposit on plants that result in optimal larval development. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of host plants of the genus Solanum by female butterflies of Mechanitis polymnia casabranca Haensch (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and the performance of larvae reared on different species of Solanum. We performed field observations and oviposition experiments to evaluate the use of host plants. In the field, we recorded the abundance of host plants of the species Solanum robustum H. Wendl, Solanum mauritianum Scop., Solanum scuticum M. Nee, and Solanum paniculatum L. with and without oviposition by M. polymnia. In the oviposition experiment, we grew host plants representing common species in the field (S. mauritianum, S. robustum, and S. scuticum) in pots, with one plant per pot, which were then grouped in blocks of three plants, one of each species (n = 10 blocks). In the larval performance experiment, we reared larvae on leaves of one of three Solanum species and maintained them under controlled temperature and photoperiod conditions. We recorded the survival, larval development time, adult wing size, dry weight, and larval digestibility indices. In the field, females oviposited more frequently on S. robustum despite the greater abundance of S. mauritianum. In general, larvae reared on S. robustum or S. scuticum had highest larval performance. Larval mortality was higher in larvae reared on S. mauritianum (40.9%), followed by larvae reared on S. scuticum (7.5%) and S. robustum (6.8%). The adult wing size and dry weight were the highest in males and females originating from larvae reared on S. robustum. The results suggested a positive relationship between oviposition preference and larval performance in M. polymnia casabranca.
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